I would not recommend Acoustic Research brand. In my experience they made shoddy quality gear and did not stand behind their product. I was disappointed, especially for the price.

Customer Service

The customer service responded promptly but was not helpful. They ultimately did not stand behind their product, which was defective.

Do anyone have a picture of the speaker that comes with this unit. The local repair store swaped mine..need picture for the police.

Sound and price. Great value

None that I can find

This subwoofer really puts out the bass. The bass tracks from DVDs like Jurasic 3 and Pink Floyd the Wall sound incredible. I noticed that some reviewers did not like the knobs, I have no problem with them. I prefer having the controls on the front, it''s easier to adjust levels. The ARS300 is set up in a corner behind my Tosiba 50" tv.

strong,fast-cooling Voice coil (which deliver very precise sound).

priced a little too hi.(I Think a good price range is $400-$550)

I have no regrets buying this powered sub. I would buy another, but they were discontinued here.I bought it as a floormodel for a cheaper price.

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Acoustic Reasearch 120w RMS 12inch.

the bass kicks ass, so far everything

none really

Even though i just got this sub i love it. I am almost scared of the potential of it. I use a jvc r-8000vbk reciever and this sub shakes the hell out of my walls at 40 when it goes up to 100. Due to this i havent turned it up past then to see how good it really is.

The one only thing which i am not sure if it is bad or not is that when i am not playing anything and the sub is on and turned up full its starts humming violenty but alls you have to do is turn it off to stop it. Other then that i have not had a bad experience with it.

Because the sub is in my room i cant turn it much louder because i will destroy the den below it. I already cracked a light fixture. I am planning on taking it out to my poolhouse temporarily where i can really test it out without having to worry about breaking anything.

If you want a sub that can be heard from a distance and bring your house to the ground this is def the one you want. The bass is very tight and punchy and is great for music along with movies.

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Everything about it

Nothing major

I chose the ARS-300 to mate with my Acoustic Research AR-17's for home theater and stereo music listening. I couldn't audition it in person as no stores nearby carried it, so I purchased it based on glowing reviews here and at etown.com. I do not regret it! For home theater it bows the walls out, playing deep and loud. During battles in The Patriot it sounds like there are cannons in the room. But-- music is where this baby really shines. You don't hear the sub, and that is a good thing. You just hear the tight, accurate bass blending in perfectly with the main speakers. As for the unit itself, the construction is solid, and the shape is attractive, not just a black cube. The big volume control on the front is very convenient. The great musicality is a result of the powerful Sunfire amp inside, no cheap single-chip amps here. If you ever listen to music, don't settle for muddy one-note bass. Spend a few extra bucks and enjoy this sub.

Deep bass, Integrates with my speakers(Reynaud Twins) very well.

This has to be the best deal going subwoofers. I am really enjoying it. I have found now faults with this sub.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne CT80, Boston Acoustics VR500

Tight, deep bass; good hook-up options; solid, reasonably compact enclosure. Floor-firing driver makes position in room less critical.

Exterior finish OK; inexpensive volume slider; thump at turn-on and turn-off. Floor-firing driver could be a problem for some users.

I have a fairly high-quality audio / home theater system (see description below), and was unsure whether to add a subwoofer since my main speakers have good response to about 26 Hz. Subwoofers of the same quality as the rest of my system are priced in the $1500-2000 range, and I did not want to spend that much until I was sure a sub really added something. Further, the Vandersteen subs are too large for my listening room, so I knew I would have to consider other brands (REL, Carver, Velodyne, and Paradigm were my preferences). Hence, when I saw an ad for the AR S300 priced at $339, I thought it was worth experimenting. Well, I'm sold. This is a surprisingly good subwoofer, particularly for ~$375 with shipping. I have a few quibbles, and they are mostly about the cosmetics of the enclosure. The quality of the driver seems good, and the Carver Sunfire Technology 300-watt amp provides all the drive you need for a medium-sized room. I deliberately bought the S300 rather than the S500, because I prefer quick transient response over prodigious bass. I am using the sub solely for home theater, using the LFE feed from my pre/pro to the sub (4 meter subwoofer cable from "BetterCables.com" - cost $45). I believe the AR S300 is being discontinued, so you will need to move quickly to buy one if you are interested. The 4-star "overall rating" would be 4.5 if the rating scale allowed for this. Highly recommended - I won't bother to upgrade to another sub for some time!

My system includes:
Vandersteen 3A Signature main speakers
Vandersteen VCC-1 Signature center channel
M&K tripole rear surround speakers
Bryston 4B-ST main amp for front speakers
Adcom 5503 amp for center and rear speakers (soon to
be replaced with Bryston unit)
Adcom GTP-750 pre/pro (to be replaced with Bryston SP-1)
VPI HW-19 Mk 4 turntable with Rega RB900 arm
Lehmann Black Cube phono preamp
Rega Jupiter CD player
Sony 550D DVD player
JVC S-VHS video cassette deck
Sony WEGA 32" XBR flatscreen TV
Kimber Kable 8TC bi-wire speaker cables (fronts and center)
Kimber Kable 4TC speaker cable (rear surrounds)
Kimber Kable Silver Streak interconnects
Composite video cable and digital coax cable from BetterCables.com

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None

smooth lows. video switch for movies and audio for music. Very good with Dolby Digital. It is a very powerful subwoofer too. Music is awesome

There is no serious problems with this subwoofer. There is no point to list any minor weaknesses. I don't think that there is much weakness in this subwoofer. If anything, very little.

Smooth sound with Dolby Digital. Will put out power. It should be positioned well for best effect. Use a very good subwoofer cable with this one. It makes such a difference. Music is just pure joy. It is strong deep and solid with the bass. There is a video/audio for movies or music. Phase control switching. There is a volume slider in front. It is too good for what I paid for it. I want I could give it a 4.3 for overall because I know that there are of course better subwoofers, although a lot more expensive.

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All my home theater components are AR, except the receiver.

Smooth sound, LFE, Audio/Video Switch

none

This is the smoothest sounding subwoofer I've heard under $1,000 without question. Only the Velodyne HGS series I heard sounds better but comparing prices I can't afford a $2,000 dollar 12" subwoofer and I got this delivered to my door for $400. I listened to the run of the mill Infinity, Cerwin Vega, JBL these all bang but nothing you'll want to listen to for extended periods of time. The Paradigm and Klipsch get better but also have a boomy boxy sound. The AR seems to be comfortable reproducing low level soft and natural sounds. You'll realize only after hours of tireless listening to your favorite music that this is the one you're keeping. I listen to classical, hip hop, classic rock, female vocals, and R&B. I have a Denon 3300, Toshiba 3109, ARS3, and KEF Q15's. The ARS3 fills the gap seemlessly from the small woofer's of the KEF's. Personally I enjoy walking throughout the house listening to music hearing the full sound no matter where I'm at it sounds as if i have a pair of 10" or 12" full range speakers in my living room. Plus when you flip the switch to video it gives it just enough boost to not have to touch the volume for video use which is extremely conveniant and I use the LFE to the Denon. I currently value this as my most prized audio possesion the one piece I won't do without. To Mr. Wong I ask you to not rate a product with a single star when you've obviously received a faulty unit. Probably the best subwoofer manufacturer on the planet is Velodyne and even they brand new out of the box do not always work. Thank You.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, JBL, Paradigm, Velodyne, Klipsch, Cerwin Vega