Looks, craftmanship, sound,

A little big.

This is a great subwoofer. The speaker puts out lots of energy. Even though it is a sub, it does take time to tweak to sound great with an existing speaker set. I have found that the unit only produces port noise if it had been calibrated wrong. For example, if the volume is turned up high with the crossover set incorrectly the speaker push too far out creating port noise. People that state that there is port noise may have the volume on the speaker set high to give more bass to music that may not have that much bass to begin with. Not all songs are created with deep bass in mind. If you bought this speaker for that intention, calibrate the speaker with a cd that has lots of bass first to prevent miss calibration. The speaker looks as nice as it sounds, tight. If you found a exl-s12 in good condition for cheap price buy it.

Hard, Gut Wrenching Bass. Awesome control features, Binding posts, Quality power cord, sturdy enclosure.

The glossy finish shows every speck of dust.

I''ve had the good fortune of being able to sample about 14 subwoofers (in my home) for a week each. I''ve concentrated on the $400-$500 range. There have been some real losers with expensive price tags and known labels. Others have been a real surprise. This Energy Sub does an outstanding job of giving you the feeling of deep bass, not just hearing it. There isn''t a huge difference between this 12" and their 10", but there is more substance to the deepest notes. Other reviewers here comment on the port noise. If you can actually hear the port noise when listing to a DVD at reference levels, you have some your ear too close to the port. The only way I can imagine this sub producing audible port noise is if you have it much to close to the wall. Just my own opinion, but this is a truly great sounding sub in this price range.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm-clean but deepest bass is only so so, Athena P2 & P3-beautiful but not true sub bass performers, Acoustic Research ARS500-Oh my God performance but thank God AR replaces the drivers free of c

Black high gloss finish looks very sharp. Good controls.

Anything below 40 Hz. generates a huge amount of port noise!

I've had this subwoofer for about one month. While it does sound fairly decent, the port noise can be extreme at times. Especially when watching DVD's which is what I use it for 85% of the time. Run a 20-35 Hz. sine wave test tone through this sub and you'll quickly see just how bad the port noise can be. If your going to listen to movies at reference volumes, then don't buy this subwoofer. I'm going to return it and buy something better I think.

Similar Products Used:

Boston PV-800 & Energy e:XL S-10

Clean, solid bass.

Not as good as subs costing twice as much!

This is to match my Exl:16's.

THIS SITE HAS LUMPED REVIEWS FROM TWO DIFFERENT MODELS INTO THIS SET OF REVIEWS!

THE E:XL-S12 AND ES-12XL ARE DIFFERENT MODELS!

The ES-12XL is a better sub, and goes for about $100 more at Energy's web site (www.energy-speakers.com), and costs a little more (for some reason, it also weighs almost 7 pounds more as well). I got mine so cheap because it was on sale and the last (floor) model.

My sentiments lie in most of the better reviews you read here. I have not heard any port noise referred to. Check out Energy's site before you shop.

output, looks, value

none

Highly recomended, very strong output without being boomy.
solid low bass with great looks and a resonable price.

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exls8

Extremely dinamic 12 inch 150 watt subwoofer. Able to go down to about 20 to 22hz. Amazing control panel.

none

Well, what can I say! This sub is strictly amazing. None like it in the $500-700 price range. This sub produces a extremely clean bass. With a 12 inch woofer and 150 watt amplifier you will really feel an impact. Perfect for large homes. When listening to music it is astonishing. When watching DVD's it really shakes the house. The control panel allows you to set the sub to match the timbre of your main speakers. It also allows you to control the phase so it doesn't clash the midrange of your mains. Energy truely is one of the best loudspeaker and subwoofer manufacturer. The piano gloss black coating adds a classical look to it. A must buy.

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none

although it's not a top pick speaker, but it's enough to rock your room. For around CAD 629, (about USD 420, the price/performance can be beat.

Accurate sound
Excellent value
Ultimate versatility

Heavy
Wind noise at extreme volumes

What an amazing sub! For less than 500, from the audioshop (www.audioshop.on.ca, talk to Marc) you CANNOT beat the value of this sub. I have used it in a college dormitory, and this thing rocks the concrete walls, down a 50 yard hallway. The bass carries extremely far (the acoustics are horrible in the rooms as well), and it is incredibly tight. There are sounds coming out of this sub that I have never heard in music that I have been listening to for years. The high gloss is very appealing--no other sub in this price range offers this finish. Incredibly shiny if you use car wax on it, too. I would give this ten stars on the scale of one to five if I could, but the drop down list only goes to 5.

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Velodyne CT 100j
Paradigm PDR 10
Paradigm PDR 12
Infinity BU 1,2,150
Energy eXL s8

Price

Neighbors don't like it.

I picked up the exl S12 at A&B sound on boxing day for CDN$395.00 so I am very pleased. From what I have heard these units normally go between $700 and $800 CDN so even if
it does not perform as well as, say a Paradigm PW2200, it still holds it's own in that class of speakers albeit near the bottom of that class.

I have been playing with the levels and my reciever and
am very impressed with the effects.
Like the tank scenes near the end of Saving Private Ryan (DTS) and the "lobby" and "dodge this" sequnces of the Matrix. Wow, the impact is amazing. Lock down those hanging pictures and knick knacks.

I now have a funny mix of mostly Canadian speakers.
Mirage FRX Rear surrounds, Nuance centre, and British Wharfdale Mach 5's as mains.

I drive all of them with a Yamaha RV1105 (like the RX795)
and a Toshiba 2109 DVD Player.

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None

bass - lots of it, isn't that the point? adjustability - enough controls to make it work...

occasional annoying buzz/hum from the power supply at first, seems to have disappeared; relatively big box (17x17x17)

I considered Velodyne CT-100, NHT SubOne, maybe a couple others, but felt this was best performance wise (especially getting a 12") at the price I paid (from those I listened to, anyway - was sorely tempted by the Hsu for $499 but wanted to audition first).

Given my novice-itude, it took a while to get it adjusted/placed/tweaked (Avia was invaluable), but once dialed in it has all the bass I'll want in terms of my current set-up and neighborly constraints. Port noise - I suppose it exists given that an amazing amount of air comes out the port when you crank it up - but I didn't really notice it and anyway I'll never listen at a level where it will be a concern.

For a good HT test, the depth charges, et al, in U-571 were absolutely amazing with the Energy. I also find it very musical (whatever the hell that means -- it simply sounds great playing music as part of my modest system: onkyo 575x, 4 NHT Superones and a SuperCenter all set to small) in my relatively small 12x20 room.

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none - this is my first subwoofer