Pyle Home PDSUB10A 10-Inch 400-Watt Front-Firing Powered Subwoofer Review

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(More customer reviews)For my very 1st powered Subwoofer, I thought this would be the perfect answer to my needs for a powerful, mid-sized Woofer with full features & a very affordable price. WRONG!!! After researching this product online, I went ahead & ordered one from an online "Warehouse" whose name I won't mention.
Being an Audiophile, professional Musician & recording Engineer, I hooked the unit correctly to my stereo system, turned the power on & boy, what a surprise. It immediately started smoking & blew a fuse. I also noticed a very obvious crack on one side of the port on the front of the unit, as well as a dent on one corner in the back of the cabinet.
I called the company who very courteously & promptly sent me an exact replacement while picking up the defective one (the 1st one)& sending it back. Eagerly, I hooked the replacement PDSUB10A to my stereo. This one didn't smoke & stayed on without blowing a fuse, however I was extremely disappointed to find the internal powered amplifier completely blown, with distorted sound no matter where you set the gain- from Lowest to Midway. I even ran a line-level tester directly into the line-ins on the unit to isolate the problem apart from my perfectly-working Stereo system, and sure enough, the distortion was in the internal amp itself & not from my Stereo. Like the 1st unit, I also noticed the exact same type of crack on the port on the front, as well as some very obvious scratches & blemishes on the face when you put it to the light.
It was after these two horrible experiences in a row with the same model, I came to the conclusion (or the assumption) that this company deals in Blems & 2nds (in spite of their online claims to the contrary)& that is probably why they can sell these brands at the very lowest prices online. All I wanted was a decent, inexpensive powered subwoofer (that actually worked) to enhance my already excellent sounding Stereo system- is that too much to ask for ?
After getting a very frustrating degree of "Runaround" from 4 different employees (one being the "manager"), I finally was able to return this 2nd unit with a full refund credited back to my card-thank God. As a result of all this, I will never do business with this company again, and I advise the rest of you to "Steer-Clear" as well !!!
As for Pyle, I now see why they have that name, as they sure live up to it, in my opinion--- "PYLE of C_ _ P"!!! [...]Just read all the reviews (as compared to only one other equally negative review online on the Pyle other than mine here)& you'll be sold like myself. Actually, I went ahead & ordered the Dayton SUB-120 (12"/150W) for $154 as an overkill while I was at it & it is on its way to me. Hope this helps-will make a review on this new unit soon.

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Product Description:
10" ACTIVE SUBWOOFER

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Sony SAWM40 Home Theater Subwoofer Review

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(More customer reviews)To begin with, I got this unit or a steal...$140 brand new at an electronics store down on canal street here in NYC. I bought it to replace the small, 50-watt KLH BB-II that I had originally got because of space restrictions in my apartment. Since I got rid of the floor-standingair conditioner in the corner, I now had space for a decent 100+ watt sub, so I went looking around. I am using this sub as part of a Dolby Digital/DTS system (Sony 100-watt-per-ch reciever), with two celestion DL-6 fronts, a Polk CS 245 center, and two JBL Control 1's as rears...all of which provide excelent bass response down to around 60-75 Hz. So why did I go for such an ample sub? Why not?
To begin with, this unit is quite compact for what it contains. A 120-watt amp with a response of 20-200Hz paired with a 12" front-firing speaker....other units of similar specs would probably be the size of one of those smaller refridgerators you had in your college dorm room. This unit tucks away rather nicely even in a small apartment, given that you make some corner space for it. Many down-firing or front-firing units this size house an 8" driver, or a 10" at best.
Controls/Inputs: Power push/push button on front. The top controls are the volume, phase reverse slide'switch, and crossover freq (50-170Hz), and the bacl of the unit houses the auto-shutoff switch, +/- stereo speaker inputs and outputs, and a single RCA jack for mono/sub in along with a single RCA send for attaching an additional unit. Kudos on the single-jack approach, as I always drove myself crazy whether or not I was doing the right thing by adding a Y splitter to the receiver's sub-out jack. Simple...one quality RCA connector cable from the receiver's sub-out to the sub's in.
Sound: This can get very subjective, as you know. To begin with, the 12" driver of this unit would undoubtedly fill the room of a bigger space than mine (17'x12') without the help of the other full-range speakers I mentioned before. But the thing that irks me a bit is that while you'll get rumble and bowel-disturbing low frequencies for days, you might bit get the same punch and percussive quality from a front-ported design, and maybe even a smaller speaker. Smaller speakers move faster than larger ones, whereas larger ones sound deeper. I think that if this was a bottom firing design with a front-firing port, you'd get more of that trasnsient punch. I like how this unit really fills the room (T-Rex footsteps from "Jurassic Park"), but I'd like some more punch (20mm guns from "Saving Private Ryan", DTS, basically a reference benchmark for any 5.1 system). I tried hooking up my older, 6.5" ported KLH, but it is out of phase with the normal setting of the Sony, which is, incidentally, the correct phase for its (Sony's) placement in my system. The little KLH has good punch, but no phase-switcher. Room placement will also be CRITICAL, because of phasing and standing waves.I first put the sony on the side wall and heard very little, on either phase setting.I then put it in a corner, and the paint started to chip off the walls from the rumble.
Technical notes: Even though there is a useful crossover freq. control, when using this unit hooked up to the sub-out of a 5.1 digital receiver, it's best to turn it all the way up to 170Hz, except when listening to CD's, in which case 80-100Hz is probably better. Most, if not all. 5.1 DD receivers with dedicated sub-out only put out the frequencies that the DVD's mix sees fit to, so you don't want to possibly cut that range down by turning the crossover freq. down on the sub. Hooking up to a receiver's speaker out's is a different story, as your passing a full-range signal through. If used with a 5.1 receiver's sub-out, simply turn the crossover all the way up and forget about it. Volume setting ranges rather widely between music and even different movies, as DVD mixes are all over the place.
Altogether, a great value for the money, buy not quite as clean and punchy as I would like. At $140, it'll do for a while until I move into a bigger place (and a bigger income brackett!). At 120 watts, you'll have plenty of power, and although my Sony receiver is up to the task, I'm sure I'd do better with a comparable Yamaha, again for later times. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably go for a 10" driver in a down-firing front-ported enclosure, probably more appropriate for my listening space, but this will do the job and I just don't have time to keep looking.

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Product Description:
Sony's SA-WM40 is a powered subwoofer that packs a 12-inch driver in a bass-reflex (vented) cabinet. An onboard amplifier delivers 120 watts of power to the driver. The SA-WM40 sports both line-level and speaker-level inputs, as well as a line output for connection to additional subwoofers for even more bass. The crossover is variable from 50 Hz-170 Hz. This will help you to match this sub to the bass characteristics of your main speakers. The phase switch allows you to correct any phase conflict that may occur between the sub and your satellite speakers.

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Cerwin Vega RE-16 Bookshelf / Home Theater / Satellite 6-1/2 inch 2-Way Speakers (Priced Per Pair) MADE IN USA Review

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(More customer reviews)Don't let the size of these speakers throw you, they pack a pretty good punch for their small size and are an ideal compliment to larger front [main] speakers in a four speaker setup.I use them as rear speakers in a 4 speaker A/V setup and they are not at all intimidated by my larger 12 inch woofer main speakers. They provide the necessary mid-higher end and throw some good bass too.They match perfectly with my all-onkyo system and do loud pretty well.I recommend them for anyone who would like a good quality well built but affordable speaker for rear or surround use. My speakers shipped out of Discount Jungle via FED EX & they arrived quickly & in good working order right out of the box.Go Get Em' you won't be disappointed.

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Cerwin Vega RE-16 Bookshelf / Home Theater / Satellite 6-1/2 inch 2-Way Speakers (Priced Per Pair) MADE IN USA

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Sony SS-B3000 Bookshelf Speakers with 8" Woofer (Pair) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm in the unfortunate position of having audiophile ears but a small budget. So I shop carefully for audio equipment. I purchased a pair of Sony B3000s here recently ($84), and while I auditioned them I was also testing a pair of Klipsch B-3 bookshelf speakers ($329). I only use my system for audio, by the way, in combination with a 100w Sony subwoofer, and I listen mostly to classical music.

I noticed a big difference in sound right away- the Sonys seemed to be accurate up and down the frequency range while producing a very even, smooth ensemble sound in full orchestral passages. To my ears the Klipsches did none of these things well. I'm an orchestral musician and I know what different instruments sound like- the Sonys reproduce all the instruments very accurately. The Klipsches, on the other hand, were so bright and lively that I found them harsh and difficult to listen to. They're more efficient, so they produce louder sounds at the same volume setting, but that's not a consideration for me. All that I want is accurate reproduction.

I compared both pairs side-by-side with a wide range of recordings, for about 50 to 60 hours each, and ultimately, for my tastes, the Sonys far outperformed the Klipsches. And at 1/3 the price of the Klipsches they were a heck of a bargain. They're not high-end speakers so they're not going to blow your doors off, but for the money they're a great value.

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Sony Book Shelf Speakers 8" woofer

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Yamaha YST-SW216BL Advanced YST II Front-Firing Active Subwoofer Review

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(More customer reviews)This subwoofer puts out plenty of deep tight natural sounding bass, not "boomy" bass. It sounds great! I am using a Harmon Kardon 3380 receiver and 2 Klipsch SB-1 bookshelf speakers, and this sub in a 12x20 room and it fills the room with sound.I listen to mostly jazz and classical, with some new-age thrown in. On ocassion though I pop in Sound Garden or Metallica too. I find that I have to adjust the bass output down quite abit when rockin' out, or the bass is overwhelming.There is no auto on feature on this sub, but I have it plugged into a switched outlet on the receiver, so it goes off and on with it.Overall, I recommend it highly.

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Product Description:
The Yamaha YST-SW216BL Advanced YST II, Front-Firing Active Subwoofer sets the standard for subwoofers in this class with high dynamic power and low-noise performance thanks to Advanced YST II, a linear port, front-firing design, plus many other sophisticated features.

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JBL CS6100BG High Performance, complete 6-Piece Home Theater Speaker System with Brackets (Black Gloss) Review

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(More customer reviews)A few weeks back, I decided it was time to replace my 12 year old Sony TV and 17 year old "stereo" system with its two cheap speakers.

End result, after lots of research, was the purchase of the following, all from Amazon.
- Samsung LN40A650 LCD TV
- Onkyo TX-SR606
- JBL CS6100 6-Piece Home Cinema Speaker Package
- Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote

Also connected are;
- Scientific Atlanta cable set top box from Time Warner
- Sony SLV-D300P DVD/VCR which is 2-3 years old
- Nintendo Game Cube

Installation was in a 20'x30' room.

My goals were to have a high quality TV with decent sound, and keep the entire cost under $2500 if at all possible. Goal achieved, even with the purchase of the incidentals; some speaker wire, banana clips for speaker cables, an optical digital audio, cable, etc.

- Speakers... even if you go to all of the places you can visit to hear speakers, you have no idea how they will actually sound in your own environment. And, speakers are an object thing. My concerns here were that the only review I could find on the audiophile web sites was for the smaller CS480 speakers. the CD480s have a single woofer and tweeter in satellites vs. the dual woofers in the CS6100 package. The reviews of the CD480s indicated that they were a bit bright, a bit lacking in mid-range under some conditions. I don't find that to be the case with the CS6100s, maybe because of the dual woofers. Having all the mounting hardware in the box is a real plus, and they give you two choices of mounts, fixed and swivel. Enough high quality speaker wire in the box for a medium sized room. Sub-woofer speaker cable included. A nice, classy look as well..

The opening sequence from Top Gun (with the windows closed and the wife gone)was the first test. No disappointment here. Next, a bit of Opera. Again, they performned well. Country and classical music, movies with dialogue... these do a very nice job and compare VERY well with speakers which cost twice as much.

A definite "I'd buy again".

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Product Description:
Got your widescreen HDTV for your living room?That's only part of the experience.HDTV sound goes beyond 2-channel stereo, dividing sound into 5 channels.Get yourself a 5.1 channel surround receiver and add these speakers and you've got home theater to enjoy and love!JBL's CS6100 6-Piece Home Cinema Speaker Package is a high-performance home-theater speaker system that beautifully complements your living room.The four satellites, matching horizontal center, and 300-watt (peak) subwoofer deliver unbelievable sound.The satellites and center channel feature JBL's advanced titanium-laminate dome tweeters and dual 3-1/2" drivers for unsurpassed power and realism.The voice-matched center channel speaker uses components that are identical to those used in the satellites for seamless pans.The black, high-gloss finish brings a touch of attractive contemporary design to your home and complements any flat-panel television.Wall brackets are included for the satellites and center channel.

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