Subwoofer Reviews

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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Velodyne Digital Drive DD-12 subwoofer
Robert Deutsch  |  Dec 15, 2004  | 

Location, location, location. What's important in real estate is just as important in subwoofer perfor-mance. (And speaker performance in general, but that's a story for another day.) While agreement on recommendations for subwoofer placement is less than complete—some say "in the corner," some say "anywhere but the corner"—everyone agrees that the location of a subwoofer and its relation to the listening area can have a major influence on how the sub sounds.

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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
PSB Image surround speaker system
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 15, 2004  | 

When Paul Barton was a youngster, he showed great promise as a violinist—so much promise that his father spent an entire year building him a violin based on one of Antonio Stradivari's most thoroughly studied instruments. Barton still has that violin, and still plays music regularly, but he long ago decided that the musician's life was not for him as a primary vocation. Instead, Barton decided to design speakers.

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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Revel Performa surround speaker system
Steven Stone  |  Dec 15, 2004  | 

Since Revel's formation in 1996, few other speaker makers have garnered as much critical acclaim for their products. Revel speakers have a reputation for not only sounding wonderful, but also measuring well and having striking good looks. The only problem with Revel's original Ultima series speakers was their price, at which even veteran audio reviewers blinked twice.

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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Bag End Infrasub-12 powered subwoofer
Robert Deutsch  |  Nov 07, 2004  | 

Of all the subwoofers I've reviewed over the years, the one I remember as being the most satisfying overall is the Bag End Infrasub-18. It went lower than any sub I've had in my system, and its integration with the main speakers was the most natural. At any level that I could tolerate, the low bass had an authority that left other subwoofers sounding just a bit strained.

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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Paradigm Signature surround speaker system
Fred Manteghian  |  Nov 05, 2004  | 

Canadian speaker manufacturer Paradigm Electronics is but a 90-minute drive from Niagara Falls, New York, home of the classic heart-shaped-tub honeymoon suite. The few months I spent with the Paradigms were a honeymoon of sorts. An Armenian and a sextet of Canadians—and they said it wouldn't last! Now, after two months, the honeymoon may be over—but will the magic go on?

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Subwoofer Reviews
Way Down Deep III
Keith Yates  |  Oct 18, 2004  | 
After six months of pushing, pulling, schlepping, measuring, and listening, Keith Yates wraps up his in-depth, three-part look at some of the most ambitious subwoofers on earth. We gave him a break last month, but now he's back to have a look at the final four candidates. For your room-shaking pleasure, he gives you the scoop on state-of-the-art contenders from CoDrive, Snell, Triad, and Velodyne.
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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Dynaudio Special 25 & Sub 500 surround speaker system
Joel Brinkley  |  Oct 17, 2004  | 

For two decades now, Danish manufacturer Dynaudio has been known for making superb speakers in small cabinets. No, such designs can't produce the robust bass that larger speakers can muster—that's a simple factor of physics, not of design. But Dynaudio's track record should intrigue anyone interested in buying a compact speaker.

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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
B&W 703, HTM7, 705, ASW750 surround speaker system
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 15, 2004  | 

Two years ago, when I visited the B&W facilities in Worthing, England, I heard a demonstration of that company's then-new flagship, the Signature 800 ($16,000/pair). I salivated at the prospect of reviewing a home theater package anchored by these impressive speakers, but ultimately put off requesting them in favor of slightly more manageable and affordable designs.

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Subwoofer Reviews
Bass Is Big. Bass is Good.
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Oct 08, 2004  |  First Published: Sep 08, 2006  | 
From the car next to you at the stoplight to the rattle of your neighbor's dishes on movie night, bass is everywhere.
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Subwoofer Reviews
Way Down Deep II
Keith Yates  |  Sep 12, 2004  | 
In Part II of the perhaps most ambitious report on subwoofers ever to appear in print, Keith Yates gives you the lowdown on four more contenders, from one that uses a water-filled membrane in its design to a model popular for producing gut-wrenching rumbles on theme-park rides.
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Subwoofer Reviews
Way Down Deep I
Keith Yates  |  Sep 12, 2004  | 
In this multi-part review, home theater designer Keith Yates gets down and dirty with some of the most ambitious subwoofers on the planet. Six months, 5000 measurements, four dozen batteries, three sore backs, and two big bare spots on the lawn, all for one thing: to get to the bottom of the bottom end, to separate Real Wallop from Codswallop.
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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Aerial Acoustics LR5, CC5, LR3, SW12 surround speaker system
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 20, 2004  | 

Never mind that the cabinets are made in Denmark and the driver technology is German and Danish—Aerial's latest speaker system is American in its size, scope, and reach-for-the-stars performance. It's meant to fill a big space with big sound.

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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Atlantic Technology System 6200 surround speaker system
Thomas J. Norton  |  May 30, 2004  | 

Most high-end speaker companies arrived late to the home-theater party. Dedicated to 2-channel music playback, they eventually split into three groups. One group would banish you to the Mines of Moria if you even uttered the words "home theater" in their presence. Another recognized the bottom-line impact of multichannel and reluctantly designed a few home theater pieces—perhaps a simple center and a subwoofer—for their dealers to sell along with their 2-channel models. A third developed a little more enthusiasm for home theater and built serious centers, subs, and surrounds to match the sophistication of their traditional designs.

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Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Artison Portrait Speaker System, Velodyne DD-12 Subwoofer, and Fujitsu P55XHA30WS Plasma HD Monitor
HT Staff  |  May 28, 2004  |  First Published: Jun 01, 2004  | 
Artison Portrait Speaker System and Velodyne DD-12 Subwoofer
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Tower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Genesis 6.1 5.1-channel speaker system
Steven Stone  |  May 09, 2004  | 

The history of high-end audio and video is littered with companies who made fine products but failed. Kloss Audio/Video, California Audio Labs, and Dunlavy Audio are but a few of the illustrious firms that did not survive. Genesis almost joined these ranks. Founded in 1991 by Arnie Nudell, Paul McGowan, and Mark Shifter, Genesis quickly made its mark with outstanding speakers and digital electronics. Yet in December 2001, Genesis closed its doors.

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