sheldaze

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.60 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1300.00 from Myer-Emco

Summary:
This is a wonderful subwoofer. It has a fast, musical 12" driver and it projects deep bass transient sounds quickly into the room. It plays sounds well below 20Hz with nil sign of strain. It is only very slightly less "dry" than the Velodyne HGS-12 series II, meaning the Velodyne is slightly more true to the original signal passed to the subwoofer. The B&W has a sonic signature, not found in the original signal. The B&W adds a slight smoothness or warmth, which makes it easier to listen to in a home theater vs. the Velodye. The B&W does not hold bass notes quite as long as the Velodyne. It seems to release each note more quickly, almost in anticipation of the next note, or perhaps because it has less reserves to work with. If those were the only differences between my Velodyne and B&W, I could switch easily between the two and this would be a non-review. But in my stereo setup, I have problems with the B&W. My setup uses 6 full-range analog signals to feed the amplifiers, 3 left channel signals and 3 right channel signals. The first signal feeds the tweeter. The next signal feeds the midrange. The last signal feeds the subwoofer. I use B&W 805S speakers and 4 amplifier channels. The internal crossover between the tweeter and the midrange is immaculate. The problem I had with the ASW 800 is a lot of bass sound leaks out above the crossover point. Thus I hear a muddy bass mix of the 805S midrange playing the same notes as the ASW 800. Play any subwoofer sweep test disc with only the ASW 800 playing to verify this yourself. In my theater room, my Denon AVR-5803 has an internal crossover. I run the ASW 800 full range employing the external receiver crossover, and the subwoofer sound is dead on. I actually prefer the less-harsh sound in the theater vs. the "dry" accurate sound of the Velodyne, particularly true given how sound engineers mix movie soundtracks today. I give this subwoofer 5 stars with the assumption that an external crossover is used.

Strengths:
Transients, Frequency Depth

Weaknesses:
Internal crossover

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne HGS-12 series II

Price Paid:  $10000.00 from HiFi Klubben

Summary:
The most audiphile subwoofer I have ever listened to. Perfect match with the Nautilus 805.

Strengths:
Deep deep bass. Looks good, THX certified, very musical.

Weaknesses:
Weight.

Similar Products Used:
B&W ASW2500, ASW4000.

Price Paid:  $500.00

Summary:
I bargained this sub to complement my B&W Nautilus 803 speakers. As I recently acquired a second ASW sub I decided to post a review here as I now feel my front speaker/sub setup is complete.

Compared to my old Klipsh KSW-300, a single ASW sub drastically improves the bass extention (well below 20 Hz), but doesn't have the power of the Klipsh 15' woofer on a 300W@4 Ohm amp in terms of rattling and shaking.

For music usage, a single ASW is more than enough and really adds low level bass detail, in contrast to my Klipsh, which only added thump but no detail. I never found the right crossover/volume setting on the Klipsh as I had to change them depending on the kind of music I was playing :-( With the ASW crossover set to 40 Hz and volume 4.25, the sound now perfectly integrates with my Nautilus speakers and I can just forget them. Each front Nautilus speaker is wired (using speaker wire) to it's dedicated ASW sub. In my configuration the LFE effects in AC3 are rerouted to the front speakers.

I you have enough room, I would not hesitate buying this sub when offered as bargain.

Strengths:
controlled, subtle, non localised bass

Weaknesses:
2 needed for home theater, quite large

Similar Products Used:
Klipsh KSW-300

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Retail Store

Summary:
After enjoying my entry level HT system for almost a year consisting of Energy Take-5's and eXl-S10 sub also from Energy, it's time for me to move on. I'm satisfied with my energy's in HT but not with music. Most of the time i could hear my sub sounding boomy and a bit slow in response. I tried a lot of positioning already and do a lot of tweaking but maybe it just doesn't have it. The thing is that i listen to music 80% then 20% watching DVD's.

So i assembled a stereo system in my bedroom using Yamaha Rx-595a 85Watts and B&W 602 S2 ($450). Since i'm listening to my energy's with sub for a year now, my B&W 602 S2 sounds a bit lacking. It turns out to be that it is harder to find a musical sub than a sub for HT. It so happen that the retail shop where i bought my 602's have still 1 800ASW and willing to sell it to me for $1000.

So i asked the supplier for a demo at my place. I was shocked with the size. It's huge and there are 2 persons that are actually carrying it. When it was put into action, whoa!!! That's the best sub that i've heard so far, i think! Deep, fast, solid bass performance considering that the filter of Yamaha 595a is at 90Hz. All the speaker connections are gold plated binding posts. And it has all the inputs and outputs that you could put in a sub.

For $1000 i think it is hard to beat.

Strengths:
Fast, Tight bass

Weaknesses:
Size and weight. It is so huge and very heavy. Cannot move it by myself.

Similar Products Used:
Energy eXl-S10; Velodyne CT-120; Velodyne VA-X

Summary:
I have been using the ASW800 for two years now and is very satisfied. If you are looking for a subwoofer that is well constucted, balanced, smooth and one that is best suited both for audio and home theater the ASW800 is perfect. It's a pity that B&W does not make them anymore. They have aimed their recent models to the home theater market. I have listened to the recent models (ASW3000,2000 and 1000). They do very well and are excellent choices for home theater applications. I actually own a couple of the 800's blending perfectly well with the B&W Matrix 803 Series II for the mains, driven by a couple of B&K EX4420M Monoblocks, two (2) B&W HTM Center Speakers (one on top of the screen and the other below) driven by a B&K EX4420 stereo power Amp and B&W 805 for the surrounds, driven by a B&K ST3030 power amp. The processor is a B&K 4090 AC-3/DTS capable. The bass is deep, smooth and earth shaking on special effects on movies. On two channel listening the ASW800 hides itself and refuses to be seen versus box like bass from other subs I have heard.