Great information, thanks for doing this video. I'm building a 2k sq ft theater, and this is great information on which brands to consider.

What are your thoughts on how sealed subwoofer has tighter base and better "quality" base. If goal is not just output, then sealed is an option, correct?

Thank you!!

If a living room has one opening. Is there a good temporary solution to seal other than doors?

I think you're missing a few well known great options? The Momolith 16" THX Ultra normally $2500... The Monolith M-215 Dual 15" THX Ultra for $2500... and the Rymthic FV18 paper cone for $2220. The Monolith 16" has a bit more above 20Hz then the FV18, but the FV18 has much better below 20Hz... and I really want to see what's that's all about and for $300 less that was my pick for endgame sub, and was about to pull the trigger... Then Monolith 16" just went on sale for $2000, which happens often, so I'm like... I cannot decide... Then I discover and see some output numbers for the discontinued Rythmic FV25HP (Dual 15") and I'm like this is the one(!), but they don't make it anymore! But it leads me to the Monolith M-215 (Dual 15"), which the numbers close to the discontinued FV25HP. The Monolith M-215 is better down below 20Hz then the FV18 and beats the Monolith 16" above by a little and is on sale for $1800... Just bought one... Unbeatable... The only issue is quality control... many reports have said people get defective stuff in the Monolith line... to be expected sometimes when companies push the affordability mass production envelope... Figured I'd roll the dice... Monoprice ain't fooling around so will see if they got their issues worked out. If that works out this thing has a little better numbers then the JTR 2400ULF for $1800... we shall see!

check out Starke SW15 for $499. nothing can beat it at this price.

Thoughts on the new RSL 10e????

Please consider making a video about av reciever and speakers from budget to high end.

RSL has a new sub for $300, the Speedwoofer 10E. I haven't heard it, or the Monoprice SW-15 for that matter, but I'm confident that it would be a LOT better. (I have a Speedwoofer 10SMkII, BTW.) I'm pretty sure the Speedwoofer 10E would bring your "everything cheaper than this is junk" price point down to $300.

Hi I have a question. I’m trying to pair a subwoofer with my Yamaha RN2000A and Polk R200 and looking at SVS1000 pro, REL 1200 MK ii and Rhytmic L12. Do you think I’m on the right track. Thanks for the help.

I enjoyed your video.. how to pick a sub for HT.In the consideration you forget to mention between a FRONT firing sub and aDOWN Firing sub. Can you tell me about these two kind of sub. Their pros and cons.Thanks I highly appreciated.

I think you put in a low grade the laser projector thecnology , for example I have the Dangbei Mars Pro 4k laser projector and the image , bright and contrast quality is outstanding . I had before the Viewsonic 4k Px 748 with 4000 lumens DLP bulb technology and my Dabgbei put a better image , another good feature of laser projector is you don't need to change bulb every 3,000 hours , laser projector have more lifespan around 30,000 hours

What's the best subwoofer for low volume listening

It's crazy how much JTR was raised there prices so much. That same sub use to cost $2995! 😱 Now it's $4799 that's almost two thousand dollars increase. Sure I know prices go up but not that much people. That has turned me away from JTR is the price gouging.

I found this video looking for hsu and rsl. I have a large basement and I’m looking for best bang for the buck. Where does the diminishing return start for a non audiophile that enjoys nice speakers?

I saw these speakers at the expona show in Chicago.They said they were gonna be five thousand dollars a pair they sounded awesome.

Rsl 12 speed woofer good for dj use?

Monoprice 15" subwoofer people have to open the box fix the insulation foams as rattles or resonates. Also the Amplifiers have been going bad within 6 months to 1 year- Red blinking light of death. I was very close to getting the Klipsch R-120SW for $249 on Amazon- Glad i did Not, it's a good Sub for House Parties, Rap or Rock music Not Movies and quality music. Almost bought my friend's Polk PSW505 12" for $300 he has it like new condition barely used it.

After many months of research and going back and forth on the SVS SB1000 Pro, Definitive Technology DN10, Klipsch R-120SW, Elac 12", Emotiva Airmotiv XS12 (Best for $549- Amplifier is high end and Box weighs 90 Pounds for a 12" Sub) I decided to pay $299 or $285 with the 5% Promo Code for the OSD Trevoce 12" it's Triple 12's in a Sealed Box (2 Passive Glass Carbon woofers & 1 Active 12" Paper type woofer) Hits 18 HZ low. Outdoor Speaker Depot was Free shipping 2 days via UPS paid $307 after Tax. Has all 3 inputs= High Level Speaker wire, LFE and Dual RCA pair.

Starke Sound SW15 or Sealed 15" was $499 then Sold Out now $549 Pre-Order for June delivery. Emotiva Airmotiv XS12 is $549 for a 90 Pounds box 12" slot port rear bottom. Emotiva is high end amplifiers so the Sub Amp should be nice has XLR balanced inputs and Furniture Grade HDF (not mdf)

Subwoofers like these didn't exist back then, they got so much bigger and cheaper, they offer way more than they did in the past. I think DIY subwoofers are still the best though.

It's a crime that you neglected to include the BIC Acoustic PL-300.

I have one Monolith M-215 I got for $1899 and it’s amazing for movies. Everything I wanted out of a sub. My previous sub was an Outlaw LFM-1, which was okay, just not on the same level as the Monolith.

Extremely informative! Subbed. A lot of thoughtful things that ran true to me. The pb1000 vs sb4000 was a mindblowing stat. Regarding listening levels.. if you (who are reading this) dont know how loud you like your music/movies in decibels and you have airpods for your phone, do the following: go to to settings-control center and add the hearing app. Then swipe down from top right edge of your phone to access the new ear shaped icon. From it, you can monitor the real time listening levels of all sound on your phone like spotify or youtube. My comfort level ends at about 80db even if im rocking out to a beat. I could probably stand for louder if its low bass but it would certainly start to tax my ears for extended listening.

What about Yamaha ? The NS SW300 goes down to 20Hz, not just noise, they are made by a company that KNOWS music (make Bass guitars, Pianos, etc..) costs $400. Incorporate a 10” drive, generally 12”+ subs are too flappy and boomy for accurate music playing. I love my overachieving Yammy !

Very factual video. It took me many years of learning and thousands of dollars to get very similar conclusions. Very good job. It's like ultimate beginner compendium. For all new to this hobby - this guy get it right.

Great video!

What a fantastic video. Best simple buying guide I have seen yet and packed with tons of great accurate details. It took me weeks of research, reading and watching videos to acquire the knowledge shared here in 40 mins. Just yesterday I found that room size to speaker spreadsheet. The brand comparison is on point and helps point people in the right track. Subscribed and hope to hear more from you in the audio world.

I think these speakers are more in line with Ascend's CBM 170SE. The Sierra's are in a whole other class IMO.

I'm not too excited with the centers tweeter and mid range driver placement. It seems oddly imbalanced having the tweeter on one side and the midrange on the other. Measurements....

Thanks for the video! Do you have any plans on a subwoofer placement video?

Yep, I agree with you that the environment is just as important as the equipment. It's actually the same with the audio. Personally, I would rather listen to a £2,000 audio setup in the room with good room acoustics, then listen to a £20,000 audio setup in a room with bad room acoustics. Btw good video with excellent information.

does anyone know the weight of the top of the line new towers

Should I wait for an Evolution Center, or get an Ultra Center for $200 less?

😅 "Promosm"

Power rating and frequency response?

The original prices for the T1+ and T2+ were $699 and $999 and then inflation hit and it drove them up to around $1000 and $1300 respectively. For the last six months or so they had them at their inventory close-out price of $499 and $699(?...might've been $799) so overall the prices really haven't gone up that much. The differences are the towers now have three woofers but the XT1 and XT2 woofers have been downsized to 5.25" and 6" from the T1+ and T2+ which had 6.5" and 8" drivers. I can't wait to read reviews and hear sound tests on the XT2 as I'm hoping they'll turn out to be my end-game speakers. I bought a pair of the B2+ at their close-out price of $359 around five months ago and I'm really enjoying them being driven by an Emo BasX A3 amp but I've been wanting a good set of towers for my mains for awhile so hopefully the XT2's sound as good as Dan and crew are saying. They all agreed the new line are the best speakers they've ever done. We're gonna find out soon enough. BTW, there was no mention of them offering a smaller bookshelf than the XB2.

The peg / socket grill on the height speaker was done specifically to ensure it does not fall off and injure anyone. Good call on their part. +1 to watching their podcast about this new lineup. They do a great job of really explaining what they did and why with this new lineup.

I think you need to watch their podcasts where they go in depth into the new design and sound signature. They have not used MDF in quite some time. All their speakers are made with HDF which is why the weight is significantly more than most traditional speakers.

Foreshadowing if you look at data from the new evo wharfdale. Wide dispersion horizontal upto 13k then beams and narrows down. I'd rather a constant dispersion 20hz to 20khz rather than wide at one half and narrow at other. Looks to be an okay offering, if you want the AMT sound, and need cheaper offerings than Martin Logan or wharfdale

The problem with PSA is they simply don’t measure as claimed. There’s a reason he hasn’t posted measurements for years and left them as “Coming soon!”.

These are NOT born as female friendly! Wife will not go for these!

Brah, your speaker grille is BENT!

This was a well done video and I agree that below 300-400 dollars the sub is really only good for desktop gaming systems or very small rooms like and office. I started my home theater with a $300 sub that was not very good. I soon replaced it with a Hsu Research VTF-2 (I met Dr. Hsu at a Hi-fi show in San Francisco). When the that one died, I bought the VTF-2 Mk 5. I was astonished by how much better it was. Great for movies and also very musical. I listen to Hi-Res audio and the Hsu is great. The SVS is also a great sub, but for double the money of the VTF-2 Mk 5, I would probably get a REL.

Do you have any experience with the SVS SB3000? In terms of performance alone, would it be comparable to anything on this list?

Looks like the same speakers with a different form and an increase in price by about 3,000%. But these new speakers have diamonds 💎 so they must be better. Diamonds 💎 are good right?

Fantastic, can tell you cared a lot about subs. How about for us DYIs? What is your recommendation for a kit if we want to build our own and have some basic handyman tools and skills? Are there quality kits out there worth building, but with a better value than these you mentioned in this video? My budget is $400 for such kit.

Great detailed content!

Great video!!

Very informative video. I currently have an old Epson projector. Powerlite home cinema 3020. Any idea how big a screen I can go with and what gain to maximize contrast and image quality.