The 8 Best Home Subwoofers of 2021

Best Overall: BIC Acoustec PL-200 II Subwoofer

4.7

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The BIC Acoustech PL-200 II Subwoofer allows you to experience movie theater sound quality, making action sequences seem more real, and allowing you to feel the intensity of the emotion behind theme music. It has a rich, deep sound with a balanced, energetic bass and a good low-frequency response.

It’s 250W, with 1000W at peak, allowing it to really shake the room. This woofer has a frequency response of between 22 and 200Hz, so it can produce a wide range of low tones. With its simplistic black and copper color scheme, the PL-200 II is an attractive addition to a home theater system, and at less than $300, it’s still somewhat budget friendly.

Our reviewer Benjamin Zeman was particularly impressed with how intuitive the setup process was for this subwoofer. Benjamin needed only to plug in power and connect it to the sub out port on the receiver to get things up and running.

_{Wattage: 250 RMS, 1,000 Peak | Driver Size: 12-inch | Direction: Front-firing}

Best Design: ELAC S10 Debut Series 200 Watt Powered Subwoofer

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The ELAC Debut 2.0 Series 200 Watt Powered Subwoofer with a 10-inch bass driver renders accurate low frequencies with a stunning sense of realism. It includes a BASH amp that operates at 200W of power. The frequency response range is 35 to 150Hz, and there are dials on the back for adjusting the volume and low pass.

Our tech writer Erika Rawes was impressed with the design, as the MDF cabinet has a black-ash finish that makes it look like solid wood. Erika was also impressed with the strength of this woofer, but she felt it lacked the punchiness that some other woofers provided.

_{Wattage: 100 RMS, 200 Peak | Driver Size: 10-inch | Direction: Down-firing}

Best Large Output: Definitive Technology Prosub 1000 300W 10-Inch Subwoofer

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The Definitive Technology Prosub 1000 delivers a whopping 300W of amplifier power to give you that deep thundering bass range to create the ultimate cinematic audio experience. With a base response range of 18 to 150Hz, this woofer gets exceptionally low, but you can customize your audio to fit what you're watching. 

The cabinet is made of non-resonant material and has permanently joined pieces to reduce rattle and preserve sound quality. It also features adjustable rubber feet to protect your flooring and keep your subwoofer steady on uneven surfaces. With a 10-inch front firing driver and radiator, this subwoofer creates a radiation area that’s larger than previous models. The Prosub has an automatic on/off function, so you shouldn’t have to worry about flipping a switch or unplugging it when not in use.

_{Wattage: Up to 300 RMS | Driver Size: 10-inch | Direction: Front-firing}

Best Bass Response: Klipsch Reference R-112SW Subwoofer

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The Klipsch Reference R-112SW is a legitimately powerful subwoofer that delivers 300W of mind-blowing peak power. The R-112SW has a simple yet refined design with spun copper sitting in the middle of the unit. We like the Klipsch reference series because the speakers almost have a steampunk vibe. 

This model’s biggest perk outside of the powerful bass response is the fact that it can be wireless, so you can place the subwoofer wherever it sounds best in your desired room if you add the optional Klipsch WA-2 Wireless Subwoofer Kit. With the unit measuring 18.2 x 15.5 x 17.4 inches and weighing nearly 50 pounds, that flexibility of placement will come in handy.

Overall, this subwoofer works great for both music and movies, with a booming sound that’s clean and distortion-free. On the downside, this model can also be easily scratched, so you’ll want to be careful when unboxing it and moving it around the house.

_{Wattage: 150 RMS, 300 Peak | Driver Size: 10-inch | Direction: Front-firing}

Best Wireless: Sonos SUB (Gen 3)

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Much like a subwoofer in a standard wired system, the Sonos Sub will give you a really full, deep low end. Sonos has used the same logic of simplicity with this system as the rest of their speaker offerings, giving you a super simple one-button setup that won’t require overthinking to get it going.

When it comes to wireless sound systems, Sonos has really secured its place in the market. You can hardly even talk about Bluetooth speakers without bringing up the company’s multi-room, speaker handoff systems. But when you’re looking at the Play:1s or Play:3s, you can easily forget that these smaller speakers, even if paired in stereo doubles, don’t offer much in the way of low end. That’s where the latest generation of Sonos’s SUB system comes into play. 

The slim, stylish subwoofer can either be displayed on the floor outside the system or slid inside of a cabinet. There are force-canceling drivers positioned inside the cabinet face-to-face that allow for a full, unfettered bass response, so you don't have to worry about cabinet buzzing, rattling or any other artifacts to the sound. And just like the rest of the Sonos family, it can be wirelessly connected to the entire system and controlled with the Sonos app.

_{Wattage: Unpublished (50-100 estimated) | Driver Size: Dual 6-inch | Direction: Down-firing}

Best 10-Inch: Polk Audio PSW10

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The Polk Audio PSW 10-Inch Woofer model offers you a powerful bass response in a compact woofer that doesn’t take up as much space as the 12-inch units on this list, which is great for smaller spaces like apartments.

It offers 100W peak power handling with minimal distortion throughout most of that range by using a Klippel distortion analyzer. This Laser interferometry tech actually analyzes the distortion and cancels it out by optimizing the woofer’s motor structure and voice coil alignment. This gives you very little buzz in playback, which is important for such a loud, low-frequency device.

The flared, front-firing cone gives you a clean response right to the seating area, but it’s important to note that, unlike the other front-firing options on this list, you can’t really place it somewhere hidden away. The frequency response range is wide enough to cover all of the low ends, but doesn't offer the full spectrum of depth that some of the more expensive models give you. Round this all out with a white cone in front of the black enclosure, and it gives you a pretty eye-catching look, too.

_{Wattage: 50 RMS, 100 Peak | Driver Size: 10-inch | Direction: Front-firing}

Best Budget: Monoprice 12-Inch 150 Watt Subwoofer

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The Monoprice 12-inch 150W subwoofer delivers plenty of power and thumping bass with a price point that is more manageable than many of the options on this list. This subwoofer retails under $150, so if you're working on a budget to set up your home theater audio system, it could be a good choice. The 12-inch front-firing driver is supplemented with a 3.5-inch port underneath the cabinet to create very low bass frequencies and a more cinematic listening experience. 

This subwoofer has a bass response range of 50 to 250 Hz—a wide range, but somewhat of a high low-end response. The cabinet itself is made of black, simulated wood and is built with impedance-matching circuitry to prevent power loss to front speakers when used. It can deliver up to 121.6 decibels of sound, giving you enough bass to rattle your coffee mug, and features an automatic on/off cycle to conserve energy when not in use.

_{Wattage: 150 RMS, 200 Peak | Driver Size: 12-inch | Direction: Front-firing}