Now that the 10-inch woofer shootout is complete I'm ready to start thinking about the next round of testing.
Keep in mind:
- I have to pay for these or someone has to be willing to send me one to test.
- I have reached out to 3 manufacturers so far (Dayton, Monoprice, & Bic) and none have offered to send units for review (and I'm not asking for keepers; I am asking them specifically for loaners).
- Each test takes about 2 hours (give or take).
Be appreciative; don't be demanding. No issues so far here. But there is always someone who has entitlement. Don't be that person. If you are going to be that person, pay for something and send it to me to test. Otherwise, shut up your face.
Okay... moving on...
The one thing I liked about this past round of 10-inch budget woofers was it's nice to have a bunch of similar subs (size and price) ready to test all together because it makes my life easier. Plus, it provides a very clear and simple apples-to-apples comparison for those who are shopping in this price range. Not everyone can afford a $1k SVS subwoofer. In fact, the majority of my friends who ask me for advice on speaker purchases are typically limited to a few hundred bucks at most.
The feedback I've gotten so far has been very positive; people are appreciative of me testing something other than a subwoofer they can never afford and are OK with getting something that doesn't perform like something 3x the price. Therefore, I'm thinking more along the lines of doing a 12" subwoofer shootout. Maybe $400 or less. I would like to test 4-5 (more than that, and it becomes a logistics issue in my home). If you can help either through donations or you can send one in for testing that would be great.
So, here are the ones I am thinking about. If you have suggestions, put them in.
Crutchfield has a few on sale right now that have substantial discounts, like these:
KLH Windsor 12 (on sale from $598, down to $299)
Klipsch Reference R-112SW (on sale from $649 to $399)
And, if you happen to have a subwoofer outside of this scope but still want to see it tested then let us all know. Maybe we can come together to get donations to cover shipping. Again, I'd love to test some bad boy subwoofers but I don't have the means to do so myself.