Monoprice 12" 150-Watt Powered Subwoofer (Black) EXPIRED

There is a lot of excellent real world facts in this thread.

IMHO this is a great deal at this price, 99.9% of folks looking for a HT sub in this price range would be very happy with this sub, and the .1% that expected more for $95 are delusional.

I have an Infinty R10 in my living room and this deal is very tempting to jump on as an A/B to install for my soon to be basement HT and I am happy with the R10 as it does what I am looking for given its size/specs.

Quote from SacMcNasty : Untrue. In your retarded view power to weight ratio and performance trumps a bigger block engine. Coupled to things like facts: a 12inch limpbizkit is going to be outperformed by a "smaller" sub due to build quality, amplifier quality and then of course performance. If you're a penny pincher then this becomes MORE of a factor. Since I value the value in performance vs price... "I" decide if paying $300 for 7hz in lower extension is worth it. My dual subs hit 27hz (even lower at less db) = I am happy for the price I paid. My Onkyo RZ830 sounds 90% of a $3,000 AVR. I'll live that I don't have 180wpc and other features that I can't hear the difference in that I paid only $499 Everything is relative. Sure I could have purchased all separates...the best 100inch screen, best projector, best speakers...but then "I" wouldn't have had a house to put it all in.

If we're taking about "low and loud", show me subwoofer "A" that "outperforms" subwoofer "B" but yet displaces less air...

Displacement is cone diameter + cone excursion + port output (if equipped) ...unless there's something about the physics of sound pressure that I'm unaware of.

I left out power because more power means more excursion which means more air displacement which brings us back to "there's no replacement for displacement." Lol.

I don't think you understood me. I want to plug a sub into my computer, with a simple 3.5mm male to split RCA left/right male cable into the input on the sub. Then, the sub has L/R RCA out, which I'm wanting to connect to powered bookshelf speakers. Why does this not work? Is it that the amp on the sub messes with the sound?

Quote from LunchboxBen : There are some more questions I have about your question…

Quote from 1-6 : I wish subwoofers didn't have to be so... square.

Pull the amp and sub, build your own box from MDF and mount them in there. Just remember that you want similar airspace and this probably has a port. It's built to sound good without being too large. Just look at car subwoofers, the boxes aren't all the same. Not getting into differences in ohms and wattage and speaker box design, you can do a lot with a basic concept. You could technically make a chair or ottoman to spec for volume and build these into it. Granted, putting a sub in a corner is better for acoustics and anything around it is going to deaden the sound, but pick up a plate amplifier and a sub from Parts Express and you can have car stereo sound in your living room.

I wired a pair of 12" Kicker L7s in my bedroom for the fun of it and shook the hell out of the apartment. I'm waiting for someone to check me on sound quality. This wasn't a full-time thing, but I did use the 10" L7 most of the time, and I was happy with it.

Here I'm testing the 12" L7s, the 10" L7 is in the corner under the fan in a black painted MDF box. I also have some other crazy huge MTX subwoofer I was testing to see if it actually worked for the $50 I paid for it.
https://www.supermotors.net/getfile/...e/p1010455.jpg

A better idea of the plate amplifier I bought used in 2003, mounted in a cheap sub box with a carry handle pushing a 10" MTX Thunder 4000 until it finally blew. The box was designed for a 10" JBL GTi back in 2004, but I've had 3 other subs in it until I cut it for the 10" L7 in 2007.
https://www.supermotors.net/getfile/...mentsystem.jpg

Quote from jweaks : I don't think you understood me. I want to plug a sub into my computer, with a simple 3.5mm male to split RCA left/right male cable into the input on the sub. Then, the sub has L/R RCA out, which I'm wanting to connect to powered bookshelf speakers. Why does this not work? Is it that the amp on the sub messes with the sound?

I mostly understood, but I've had people say, "Can I plug in the RCAs to the line level inputs and hook up my bookshelf unpowered speakers to the speaker terminals?" I get you fully now.

If your computer speakers have a built-in amplifier, then it's technically possible. Usually subs this cheap don't have an RCA passthrough, so I didn't think it was possible, but I'll take a look. Just be careful with the gain and distortion from the 3.5mm jack going into a line-level input. I'd almost say go with a line output converter, but that's not really cost effective here. You would probably be better off with any type of stereo with an aux input that has speaker wire and tap into the speaker level inputs on the sub amplifier.

(I couldn't read your response before the quote reply.)

It sounds like it could work, but again, I'm skeptical about if your setup would be worth it. If you don't mind messing around with it, go for it. But if you're trying to use $20 Logitech speakers, I wouldn't bother, but it's your money.

Wish this was Studio Subs instead..

Had this sub for a while... It hits hard and is decent for the price point. I replaced it with a Polk HTS-12 and can definitely tell the difference, but this one is a much lower price point.

Quote from JimBanville : No. This isn't akin to a "bundled HT" subwoofer. Lol. This is directly comparable to most any name brand sub in the $100-$200 range. It was picked as a "best buy" by the wirecutter after testing and comparing to several other similarly spec'ed subs.

As others have stated, Subs kinda have one purpose: To provide low end and help to round out the inability for smaller drivers to move enough air to produce deeper bass. So you plug it in, you set your crossover frequency and you adjust the volume with an SPL meter to determine how much you want the stuff in your room to rattle based on personal preference.
Some are more musical/responsive than others.

Its a $100 sub. Personally, I'd buy Polk. Some people will buy this. If Wirecutter says its good, who am I to argue.

Ordered one last night from Monoprice after debating between this and a Dayton 1200. Wirecutter seemed to like the Dayton more, but the few bucks I saved swayed me for what seemed like a small increase in performance. I was trying to find the best possible sub for the lowest price and this was it. I'm sure this will be 100000x better than the Pioneer HT in a box sub that I bought back in 2002 that I recently took out of storage. I was watching the Greatest Showman with the family over the weekend and I'm pretty sure I blew the sub. I don't expect this to compete with $500+ subs but for me it should work out great.

Quote from JimBanville : If we're taking about "low and loud", show me subwoofer "A" that "outperforms" subwoofer "B" but yet displaces less air... Displacement is cone diameter + cone excursion + port output (if equipped) ...unless there's something about the physics of sound pressure that I'm unaware of. I left out power because more power means more excursion which means more air displacement which brings us back to "there's no replacement for displacement." Lol.

I believe if you consider cone material, the lighter and sturdy it is, the more efficient it will be in displacing air. Heavier material in essence will require more current to drive but given the same amp on a better designed cone, it should be able to push more air.

Quote from Koikaze : I believe if you consider cone material, the lighter and sturdy it is, the more efficient it will be in displacing air. Heavier material in essence will require more current to drive but given the same amp on a better designed cone, it should be able to push more air.

Prove your theory

Received mine today, for $100 im very satisfied

Quote from BillyBargains : Check this follow up review regarding issues with the sub and frequency response tests. It definitely hits well below 50hz, but output does drop off below that 50hz mark. The monoprice freq range is very conservative. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www....oofer/amp/ [google.com]

True -
I have 2 Daytons that have worked well for years
https://www.parts-express.com/Day...quantity=1

I have 1 12" dayton and it's still kicking!

What a cute little woofer !