Bottom line - this is a very solid sub for the money. It won't compete with $1000+ subwoofers, but it's definitely a step above entry level subs in the $200 - $500 range. Price for performance/build quality is very good. Read below for more of a detailed review:

I've been told you need to spend a minimum of $600+ to get a decent subwoofer that will handle the low end frequencies in a tight and accurate manner. This may be true, but I didn't have that in my budget after buying my Sonus Faber Toy bookshelf speakers (which I think are fantastic). But I didn't want a cheap entry level sub from Best Buy either. So I found myself looking at a couple of used Velodyne models. Then I saw this Elan sub on sale for $299 - discounted from the $700 retail price. I did some research and found Elan is known more for making in-wall speakers. They branched out a few years ago and created a TheaterPoint home theater line of speakers, and this subwoofer is from that group. I think they stopped production of this line, and that's why this sub was discounted the way it was.

It's constructed very well… it's heavy, has a great piano black gloss finish, and very nice gold plated connectors in the back. The 12" driver has a solid honeycomb build, and feels like it could take some serious punishment. It's clear this unit is built well. The care taken in the packaging of the product was nice to see.

Regarding the sound, I should note that I'm much more interested in accurate audio quality vs booming, thunderous jolts for movies. So while I will do use this in a 5.1 home theater setup, the vast majority of my budget has been focused on two-channel audio. This sub didn't "wow" me out of the box. With a 300 watt amp, I expected it to thump more than it did, even before the break-in period. I had to turn up the volume more than expected. But after 20 - 30 hours of use it starts to improve. And past the 50 hour mark I started to feel better about my purchase. It's a sealed sub, and the bass is tight and accurate.

If you are looking for good value for a musical sub, keep an eye out for this one. If you want serious boom for your movie experience, and want to rattle the windows, this may not be the best fit for you. If you want something more musical, that can still make you feel the movie, this is a solid choice. From an audio perspective, it'll compete well with anything under $700. Anything priced near $1,000 is really an unfair comparison. A used one would be a good investment for a minimal amount of money.