Money can be tight sometimes. It hurts especially when you’re looking to purchase something you’ve been looking at for months! For many people, a subwoofer is the most important part of their audio setup.
Unfortunately, most of them come at a costly price if you’re looking for crisp bass output. Whether it’s for your studio setup or your home theater, here’s a list of the best budget subwoofers.
What is the best budget subwoofer?
My favorite subwoofer that has great bass and an affordable price has to be the Polk Audio PSW10. For a low power rating, it outputs smooth and accurate bass that brings much need depth to music listening and movie watching.
Top Pick: Polk Audio PSW10 Review
The PSW10 has a 10″ composite subwoofer and a 50-watt amplifier. For such a low power rating on this sub, it outputs an incredible bass all things considered. Additionally, you can use an 100-watt amp to get a little extra out of it.
The uniquely configured directed port provides an accurate bass with added depth that really brings your favorite music and movies to life.
Even at high volumes, it manages to have a clear, smooth sound without any distortion. Perfect for watching Michael Bay movies!
The cabinet is constructed with high-quality MDF and is reinforced with internal bracing for a superior bass clarity. Polk has made it simple to integrate the PSW10 into your current audio setup.
You can easily hook up your receiver to the sub as following the user manual provided makes it a walk in the park.
This is easily one of the best value for money subs you can get at the minute. With a great bass, excellent control system and easy integration, it is the perfect addition to any home theater.
Pros
- Amazing value for money
- Nice adjustability controls on the rear of the sub
- Deep, crisp bass
- Perfect size and sound for home theater
Cons
- Plastic feet on the underside are hard and can leave markings on floor or furniture.
Monoprice 12 Inch Review
At a similar price point to the one above, this subwoofer has a base wattage 150, three times greater! Creating great bass is no problem with that power feeding through its wires.
Syncing this sub up with your existing system should be no problem as it has multiple input options on the control panel. Sturdy frequency and gain knobs make it feel of premium quality.
Adjusting the controls to create your optimum blend of bass is a breeze.
Its frequency range is from 50hz-250hz. Anything under 50hz and it began to lose sound quality slightly.
It’s important to test it out and find the range that best suits you as there are many factors that can affect it such as the room size and type of audio you are listening to.
Although the design is sleek, some people found issues with actually finding a place for it as there is a curve to the structure of the sub. For most people, this probably wont be a concern, but its something to think about if you are purchasing it.
The Monoprice 12 inch subwoofer is covered by 1 year warranty for all parts and the speaker itself which gives peace of mind should something go wrong.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Enough power for most people
- Modern design
Cons
- Very big speaker. The curved design and size of it may be an issue for some people.
Tight on space? Here are our favorite compact subwoofers.
ELAC S8 Debut 8″ Review
The Elac S8 Debut 100 is the cheapest sub we could find that doesn’t sacrifice too much quality. If all you’re looking for is a cheap subwoofer for your home theater to get a little extra out of your movies or music, then this would do the job no problem.
It’s not the highest of quality, but at this price point you won’t do better.
The bass is surprisingly heavy, and a nice addition to any speaker setup. There’s a tiny hum from the transformer, but its negligible.
Moreover, It’s actually quite a small sub which would be perfect for placing on a bookshelf or in a cabinet. Especially when compared to the two larger subs previously listed.
For its price it comes with some great features. One of which is the standby mode which is great when you’re not using it and avoids the need for unplugging from the wall every time you’re finished using it.
Pros
- Small size perfect for people with limited room
- Cheapest sub you will find that won’t sacrifice too much quality
- Great for casual listeners for movies or music
Cons
- Slight humming sound from transformer
Dayton Audio SUB-800 8″ Review
The Dayton Audio Sub 800 is a fantastic option for those on a budget. Hovering around the same price as the Elac 8″ (depending on sale), it gives you another option for your audio upgrade.
When you’re looking at a subwoofer at this price range, it won’t be the deepest, most powerful or crispest, but it gives you the bass you desire that generic speakers can’t give.
Whether you have a soundbar, a bookshelf speaker or anything else, a sub can supply what you’re after. And this ones no different.
At high volume, it may rattle a bit and be a little muddy at times, but it certainly adds bass. Even though it’s only an 8″ sub, it will shake the room if you allow it to. Not only that, but it actually looks good too.
It should fit right in to any set up without affecting your rooms style as its black, generic and not too big.
It can hit those low notes (40hz is lowest) without affecting the mid-bass which some subs around this budget would struggle with.
There’s no doubt that a more expensive subwoofer would be better, but for this price it’s one of the best out there and would be an upgrade to any sound system without a sub.
Pros
- Beautiful black vinyl design
- Creates loud, deep bass for only an 8″ subwoofer
- Easy setup
- Low frequencies without sacrificing the mid-bass quality
Cons
- High volume can cause it to rattle and be slightly muddy
- Only suitable for small rooms
Acoustic Audio PSW-6 Review
A sleek, dark wooden design makes this one of the best-looking subwoofers at this price point. But with only a 6 inch driver size, can it compete with the others? Amazingly, it can.
It goes without saying that this speaker is only suitable for small rooms. A 6″ drive just isn’t enough to power anything bigger. However, it does pack a punch for how small it is.
If you plan on only being around 5-10 feet away from the sub, it’s absolutely perfect. Anything longer and it becomes underpowered. A modern crossover frequency control allows you to blend it perfectly with any other speakers you use.
The legs on this are around 2″ tall as it is a downfiring sub, so it’s recommended that you put them on something that would absorb some of the vibration.
Its frequency response range is 30hz-250hz which is outstanding for a speaker of this price. It can really hit the low frequencies so common in today’s movies and music. A high-grade amp pre-installed means it won’t have an issue outputting sound at a high volume.
Pros
- It has many inputs, making it versatile for many different speakers.
- Beautiful, small design
- The sound is balanced, clear and loud despite its low output power.
Cons
- Some users reported a muddy sound.
Here are the differences between a subwoofer and a speaker.
Conclusion
We hope this list cleared up your mind and made your decision making a little bit easier. Owning a sub can completely reinvent your audio system, making you immersed in your music or movies.
Of course, owning a more expensive one would have more features and better sound. But if you’re on a budget, these are the best subwoofers you will find.
