Price Paid:  $199.00 from Large Ind store

Summary:
1050SW, I picked this unit up as a discontinued floor model in 1998. I ramped up the amplifier and got security's attention, purchased it right there happily.

The first film I watched on DVD was the Sci-Fi ALIENS. Some of the explosions this sub produced were very life like. The hollow thud that hits your chest before the explosive roar was just unreal.

This thing sounds flawless with some notable exceptions. The power saver feature is nice, but it kicks in when there's not enough drive from the amplifier. This is annoying when programs switch from Dialog to Action.. there's a 5 second delay to power the amp back up and by then the action is over. The other annoyance is the remote. It was a great feature until it got destroyed. It'll make the amp nearly useless without it, try listening to movies in Radio mode. There's no menu function to switch it back. There's no universal remote that will talk to it. (That I found anyways)

I have had it bottom out on me, but I really had to drive it hard to achieve that. If I wanted the perfect amp, I would have shelled out $1000-$5000 and had no other toys.

Conclusion: Perfect for an intermediate system! I won't need to upgrade this until I blow out!

Strengths:
Litterally best bang for your buck

Weaknesses:
Remote control, power saver

Price Paid:  $199.00 from Crutchfield

Summary:
I bought my sub almost three years ago on closeout from Crutchfield. I've had this sub for a long time in many different locations both in my old apartment (it almost got me evicted) and now in my house. I have gotten to know it and have it located in a corner. The usable bass goes to about 24 Hz in my room and I can listen to it at Dolby reference level without it bottoming out. The combination of the small woofer with the overbuilt amp makes the bass very tight in music mode and very satisfying in movie mode. Since it is the cheapest component in my system I keep considering whether to upgrade to a HSU, but I just can't part with it. It disappears into my system until it's needed. Saving Private Ryan or the plane crash in Fight Club is downright scary.

I currently have it connected to the LFE out on my Sony 'DA30ES using the crossover from the Sony. I then set the level with the subwoofer's volume control using VE and AVIA. With this setup, I can't make it bottom out unless I wanted to turn my receiver up to a ridiculous level, even with Toy Story 2.

The sub has an auto power on function that has never really worked. It's supposed to sleep until it detects a signal. It never really shuts off and the power clicks on and off occasionally while watching TV depending on what it senses (I'm running no power conditioning so it may be AC it's picking up). This doesn't ever happen during movies so it isn't a big deal. I programmed the macros in my remote to turn the sub on and off anyway.

A friend of mine has a SVS 20-39CS with a Marantz monoblock, and it sounds great. While it sounds better every time I hear it, I'm still not sure it handles low frequencies any better or adds more impact than the Kenwood does, especially not for the price difference. His speakers are way better than mine and that's where his system really impresses.

Although I may lack some extreme low end and control, I'm really not willing to pay $700 dollars for it at this time. This sub was the best thing I could have bought. I highly recommend it to anyone who can find one. If you can't, save up for a HSU.

Strengths:
Deep powerful tight bass. Very controlled. More than I expected at this price.

Weaknesses:
Auto sense switches on and off seemingly at random.

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $179.00 from electronics express

Summary:
I am a realitivly new home theater convert (2.5 yrs) and was looking for my first subwoofer and not having a great deal of cash the price of 179.00 was the first attraction the price. However when I got home and my wife asked "What in the world have you bought now?" I was worried that there might be heck to pay. Nonetheless I hooked it up and put a movie in the VCR to check it out, the movie happened to be the scene in "Patroit Games" with the thunder storm. When the thunder boomed through the Sub even my wife said "WOW!!" I have listened to other subs since my purchase some costing more and some less. It compares favorably with subs that cost 300-500. I am sure that the high end stuff would blow it out of the water.. or would they

Strengths:
more than adequate bass for small to medium size rooms. remote is actually user friendly. solid build.

Weaknesses:
can be boomy on some tracks (music & movie). variable crossover on rear of unit, should be on front.

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $250.00

Summary:
It sounds great when you get it adjusted right with your main speakers. It's makes the siding on the outside of my house rattle.

Strengths:
Remote is useful

Weaknesses:
lights went out for selecting movie or music, And if it has'nt been used for awhile I have to turn it on and off a few times to get it to stay on. I would like it more if it did'nt have this problem.

Summary:
Have Had my sub for over a year. In stand-by mode sometimes it turns on when the receiver is off. Now one of the lights went out on the front of the unit. Has anyone else had similar problems? Otherwise, I like the remote and music and move modes and the power. Again, it is a great value.

Strengths:
Great Value