subwoofer

It's a powerful fantasy: the totally wireless hi-fi or home theater speaker system. If such a system were to exist, it would not only receive music signals wirelessly, but also AC power to run its internal amplifiers.

"Wireless" speakers always have an AC power cable (wire) that needs to be plugged into the wall. Normal "wired" speakers get the music over the wire, and the power that travels over the same wire from the amplifiers in your AV receiver. So if you're keeping score, you'll see that wired and the best wireless speakers … Read more

CNET reviewed the SW-8 subwoofer as part of Pioneer's SP-PK21BS 5.1 speaker system. While we didn't directly compared the SW-8 with other subwoofers sold individually, the full 5.1 system offers outstanding sound quality for the price.

For more information on the SW-8, read CNET's full review of the Pioneer SP-PK21BS.

Subwoofers aren't easy. Sure, adding a decent subwoofer to a system to supply more bass is no big deal, but getting the best possible sound out of a subwoofer is. I've written a few How To Set Up A Subwoofer articles and blogs in my time, but Brent Butterworth's recent "Subwoofers: 4, 2, or 1?" feature in Sound and Vision magazine tackled one of the more difficult aspects of home theater setup: do multiple subwoofers offer any performance advantages over a single sub? Butterworth's premise was simply this: Should I spend my $1,200 … Read more

I view the rising popularity of sound bar speakers as proof positive that more and more people are rejecting the notion of deploying five or more speakers in their home theaters. It's not just the number of speakers, people are also not thrilled by the idea of running wires to the far corners of their home theaters. Truly "wireless" surround speakers are a recurring fantasy, but I've yet to see a wireless surround speaker that doesn't have at least one wire; most have two (one for signal, one for power), which as far as I … Read more

The home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIBs) I reviewed 10 years ago were pretty lame, but I've been amazed by the progress of these systems over the years. The best of the breed, like the Onkyo HT-S990THX and the Samsung HT-BD1250, produce astonishing sound quality for not a lot of money.

But the market appears to be moving away from HTIBs, as more and more of today's buyers are opting for easier-to-install sound bar speakers. I can understand why; HTIBs may be one-box solutions, but they still require extensive setup routines, and you have to run wires to five or more … Read more

Everyone at one time or another has been annoyed by the unpleasant bass thumps of a neighbor's subwoofer or large speakers. While midrange and high-frequency sounds are more easily enclosed by walls, low bass frequencies pass right through them. And, of course, it's not just a noise problem from neighbors; home-theater bass can disturb other family members within a house or apartment.

Methods used to isolate or restrict bass from going through walls, floors, and ceilings can get expensive, and unless recording-studio construction techniques are employed bass is hard to control. Brick and concrete are more effective than … Read more

Budget-priced subwoofers make bass, but they rarely make truly deep, room-shaking bass. The new Outlaw Audio's M8 is in the latter category. This 8-inch, 125-watt sub made a profoundly palpable impression on me. It rocks!

Stylewise, there's not much to report. The M8 ($249) is a plain black box, its textured vinyl covered cabinet measures 14.5 inches by 10.9 inches by 14.1 inches, and the sub weighs 28 pounds. That's a lot heavier than average for a budget model, and the cabinet feels nice and solid.

Connectivity covers every hookup contingency, you get stereo line-level and speaker level inputs. The heavy-duty 8-inch driver and port are located on the sub's bottom panel. The M8's internal crossover network can be bypassed with the flick of a switch, which is the preferred way to go if you're using the M8 with a receiver.

While most budget subs use cheaper Class D amplifiers, the M8 boasts a higher-quality 125-watt (200-watt peak) Class AB amp.… Read more

Atlantic Technology's WA-50 Wireless Audio System can transmit high-quality sound throughout your home, or out to your pool. The system accommodates up to three zones and eliminates the need to run long cables to subwoofers or amplified speaker systems.

I've heard these sorts of quality claims before, but this time it's for real. During my in-home trials, the WA-50 was noise-free and didn't suffer from any malfunctions. I first put the WA-50 into service transmitting sound from my Mac mini to my high-end stereo system. Setup took about two minutes, and the sound was really good, … Read more

I recently wrote about how to improve the sound of your speakers by fine-tuning their placement in your room. Hey, it's a free "tweak," and can make a big difference in your sound.

The same logic applies to subwoofers. So if you just plopped your sub down in the corner, chances are you haven't even begun to hear how good it can sound. Optimizing subwoofer placement within your room is the key to achieving the best possible performance.

To judge the potential for changing the sound, move the sub 5 or more feet from wherever it … Read more