Price Paid:  $399.00 from Cambridge Soundworks

Summary:
I''ve had a subwoofer in all of my systems for over ten years. For cinema they are a neccesity; for music a plus (if they are adjusted correctly). Recently the ADS SW in my main system when belly up. Since the main is that system (ADS 970II) have good bess extension on their own what I was looking for was real bottom end, not the disco thump. The Cambridge Soundworks BaseCube 15 seemed to be a good choice. Once it was hooked up and even coarsly adjusted I new, in fact, it was. The Cambridge Soundworks BaseCube 15 has "only" 150 watts RMS. That is not much for a subwoofer. (My ADS had 500) But the BassCube is a very efficient ported design. With the units volume at a shade less than "3" (out of 10) bass volume is balanced with my system (Main power 240 RMS p/channel) Part of this is due to the corner placement, but efficiency is none-the-less very high. I have the Cambridge Soundworks BaseCube 15 running mono through the sub out of my reciever/head. Crossover is set to <70. Bass is remarkably tight and not boomy, remarkable for a 15 incher. I first tested the unit with music looking for sock extension without muddying or exagerating the bass line. I then went to video. Track 7 on "The Patriot" dvd well demonstrated the Cambridge Soundworks BaseCube 15''s sound. The track starts with Mel Gibson hiding behind a tree with his musket. The sounds of the approaching red coats remains clear and unexagerated (foot falls and cart wheels) The Mel Shoots and the concussion is very lifelike (I shoot black power so I know the sound and fell). Next up was HBO''s "From the Earth To The Moon." The index soundtrack it nothing but a low rumble. With the Cambridge Soundworks BaseCube 15 you feel it even more than you hear it. Very impressive. Next test was a pre-doby film with a good soundtrack to see if the bass was falsified. I used "The Great Escape" and found to mu pleasure that the sub put out nothing. That is correct, but unusual. It means that the crossover is steep and accurate. (Many Subs go up into the midrange even with their crossover set low) All and all I could not be more pleased wit the Cambridge Soundworks BaseCube 15. And for $400 (sale price) it is an amazing buy.

Strengths:
Clean. Deep. Loud. What else if there desired in a sub?µ

Weaknesses:
Hard to carry up the stairs. Big and heavy!9

Similar Products Used:
Many.c

Price Paid:  $300.00 from hifi.com

Summary:
I'm using this in a HT/music system with CSW Ensembles in the four corners ("New" Ensemble in front, '89 model as surrounds) and an Ensemble satellite (aka the original Center Channel) as the CC.

Because the Ensembles can handle bass down to 40-50Hz easily, I have my Technics SA-DX1050 set to "Large" for mains and surrounds, and "Small" only for the center. The center is rolled off at 100Hz, and the sub set to cross over at 50Hz, so only the bottom octave or a bit more is being sent to the BassCube.

Under these conditions, the BassCube is extremely impressive. It didn't really change the character of the sound except when low bass is present, but when it is it blends seamlessly. If it's musical information -- pipe organ pedal notes, a detuned bass E string, a Bartok contrabassoon -- the BC reproduces the fundamental notes clearly and without mush. The presence of this octave is quite noticeable in the room ambiance in live recordings made in certain halls and cathedrals.

If it's the LFE channel in a 5.1 channel movie soundtrack, this subwoofer will send you scurrying around the room nailing down everything that might move. It's hard to imagine wanting a subwoofer to go even deeper than this one does.

In all, I was extremely gratified by how much performance my $300 bought... but not surprised, given that I've been similarly impressed by many other CSW products over the years.

I'm aware that reconditioned units sell for less than $300 on e-bay, but since HiFi was offering free shipping in addition to the $299.99 price tag on their site, I went with a brand new unit.

It's not pretty, it's big, it weighs like 75 pounds, it's made in China. But it does the job as well as any of the $600+ audiophile brands I've listened to.

Strengths:
Plays loud, goes low, sounds fine with music, easy to set up, CSW stands behind their products

Weaknesses:
Big and heavy, as you might expect.

Similar Products Used:
EV, Altec industrial subs

Price Paid:  $218.00 from eBay - Authorized CSW Auction

Summary:
This has been an incredible purchase. You can fell the bass hitting your chest from across the room.

I was worried that one, the size of the woofer would make it sloppy, and two, that it might be too loud.

One: Typically 15" woofers are not the most agile beasts, and their reaction time to input is a little slow. THIS IS NOT TRUE WITH THIS SUBWOOFER! It has great response, and performance. I was pleasantly surprised!

Two: Typically large woofers like this, in gigantic enclosures are powered by high-wattage amps. Unfortunately this sometimes means that you get a very loud, but boomy sound from the sub. THIS IS ALSO NOT TRUE OF THIS SUBWOOFER. You can attune the level and crossover, but this sub never gets boomy, or drowns out the dialogue.

It should be kept in mind that the enclosure on this sub is mammoth. It becomes another piece of furniture, so if you're limited on space, perhaps another sub would suit you.

As I've stated before, this is also a very loud (yet clean) sub. It can obviously be tuned down appropriate levels, but its fun to crank it up! If you live in an apartment, or multiple housing unit, you might want to consider.

A remote would be nice to tune the unit while you are engaged in movie-watching, but this isn't a real problem. The placement of the level and crossover knobs are somewhat annoying, one the rear of the unit.

Overall, a great unit, especially for the money. I works great with my HT setup, and fits my rather large room well. I would reccommend it to anyone that wants a great sub, for a minimal price, that performs much better than others at this price level (those guys at CSW can build great speakers), and that doesn't have close proximity neighbors.

My HT setup
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yamaha HTR-5280 DD/ DTS 6.1 Receiver
Pioneer DV-440 DVD Player (Main unit)
Apex AD-600A DVD Player (Second unit, w/ hack, for Intl movies)
JVC AV-32230 32" Direct View Monitor (with component in)
(2) Yamaha NS-A200XT Tower speakers
(1) Yamaha NS-AC40X Center Channel Speaker
(2) Yamaha NS-5290 Rear Effect Speakers
(1) Cambridge SoundWorks BassCube 15

and loads of Monster XP cable

Strengths:
BASS! Wow, this unit can put out! It literally shakes the walls, windows, floor and everything in between.

Weaknesses:
None, A remote would be nice

Similar Products Used:
Cambridge SoundWorks BassCube 10, Yamaha, YST-SW320, NHT Sub-One

Price Paid:  $250.00 from hifi.com on ebay

Summary:
This is an incredible sub for the money! It is incredible and extremely powerful for movies, a little slow for music, but then again, so are most 15inchers unless you get into the exotics ($0,000.00s). Anyways, it is still pretty good for music considering how cheap it is and it is almost impossible to overdrive this thing in HT. I was playing the 18 wheeler/bike/motorcycle scene in Terminator 2 (most bass i've ever heard!) and this thing didn't skip a beat. I do have to admit though, my Infinity IL100 did cost me twice as much but can produce almost as much bass, but is so much tighter on music and it only has a 10" driver. All in all, great sub CSW for this price point! This one is a keeper! I'll have to give it a 5 stars overall because this sub performs well regardless of price and even better cosidering the price!!!

Strengths:
Solid bass with very little movement of the cone (probably can push it quite hard and loud)

Weaknesses:
Not as smooth or quick as some other subs I have heard and owned. This monster is huge, but hey, if size is a problem, don't buy a 15" sub!!!

Similar Products Used:
Infinity HPS 1000, Klipsch KSW12, Infinity IL100, Velodyne CT12,

Price Paid:  $275.00 from eBay

Summary:
For HT use this is an excellent value. I bought it because of the good reviews here, reasonable price, the no-risk 45 day return policy and the general good name of Cambridge Soundworks. Based on it's performance so far it looks like I will keep it. While the line level gain is a bit on the low side, I think it mostly affects people who want to crank it to the limit - otherwise the gain range is fine for integration with the rest of your system.

Strengths:
Customer service, extension, flexibility

Weaknesses:
line level gain

Similar Products Used:
None