Top Picks

Subwoofers

Top Pick of the Year:

SVS SB-3000 subwoofer
(June/July 2019) Read Review

In his review, David Vaughn at first characterized SVS's latest subwoofer as being "on the dainty side as far as high-performance models go." Later, he found himself "completely blown away" by what he heard. Kudos also went to the 3000 Series setup app, which features helpful adjustments such as room gain compensation and a parametric EQ. $1,099 (piano gloss black), $999 (black ash), svsound.com

Finalists:

PSB SubSeries 250 subwoofer
(April/May 2019) Read Review

When testing the SubSeries 250 as part of his Alpha T20 Speaker System review, Michael Trei described it as "well equipped for a basic subwoofer" and commented on how on PSB's sub, a model with a 10-inch woofer driven by a 200-watt amp, "unleashed plenty of deep bass energy." $700, psbspeakers.com

Paradigm Defiance V12 subwoofer
(June/July 2019) Read Review

Reviewed as part of the Top Pick-winning Paradigm Monitor SE 3000F Speaker System, the Defiance V12 sub, a model with a 12-inch woofer driven by a 120-watt amp that can be set up, controlled, and EQ'd using the company's apps, impressed with both its high-tech features and the solid foundation it added to movies and music. $649, paradigm.com

Monoprice Monolith M12-S subwoofer
(October/November 2019) Read Review

At over 65 pounds and featuring a 12-inch driver powered by a 500-watt amp, this THX Certified beast of a sub wow'd us with its high-end features and ability to make bass guitar on music tracks sound "clear and tight." $800, monoprice.com

DALI E9F subwoofer
(December/January 2020) Read Review

In his review of the Dali Oberon 5.1 speaker system, Daniel Kumin went out of his way to praise the SUB E-9F as a "little brute" of a performer that "had plenty of grunt to add the sub-40 Hz fundamentals right up to THX-reference level." $799, dali-speakers.com