When I was looking for a sub in the $600+/- ballpark I did some research and came up with a short list of Klipsch, Paradigm, and Def Tech with the 15TL at the top of the list based on specs.

I auditioned all three subs at a local dealer. Much to my surprise the Def Tech didn't even make it off the starting line. The first thing I did was apply a 20Hz test tone to both. There was so much harmonic distortion coming out of the Def Tech that it was producing a much higher pitch sound than the Klipsch. Although the KSW200 is well into roll-off at 20Hz it is still much preferrable to the distortion of the Def Tech.

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Klipsch KSW200

power and low range

port (slot) noise at high volumes

I have the pf15tl Not the + version but couldnt find a review for that here. I love this sub, let me just say that right now. I picked up this sub as a demo, i wanted somthing to pick up the realy low stuff that i couldnt get with my paradigm. This definitly was the thing for the job. when you read the 18Hz extension rating in any review or specks beleive it this thing thunders. i do notice that it is not quite as tight as the paradigm on music but what do you expect from a 15in. I have noticed some slight port noise when run at high levels (gain at 1 o'clock position) but that is to be expected from a slotted enclosure. Here is the final word:
HT - Great can't beat it with any thing in range
MUSIC- Not as musical as some let it take everything >40Hz and you will be pleased.
Remember this is for the pf15tl so imagine what an extra 175 watts can do!

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ps-1000

Pure SPL.

Not made for music.

After reading all the reviews here I figured out that many people mistake tightness, high SPL, and integration for musicality. I found out by auditioning many top rated subs here that they can produced high SPL, be "tight", and integrate well with the main speakers, but musically they are dead. They can reproduce kickdrums and electronic rap bass to high heaven, but any other source of bass is reproduced with little or no fidelity. Here is my review of several subs I listened to.

Def Tech 15TL+ - A lot of SPL. A HT sub, not a musical sub, unless you less you like rap or loud rock. The rating I give it here is based on musical performance.

Para. 2200 - Less SPL than Def Tech15TL+, but more musical.

Velodyne CT-120 - High SPL. Another HT sub. Not good for real music.

Velodyne F series - High SPL. Good with music.

Sunfire True Sub. - Damn high SPL, but that's about it.

Klipsch KSW12 - Lower SPL than the rest. A little better with music. Still a HT sub.

M&K v-125 - Seal box design, so SPL is not as high as others, but it is extreamly musical.

M&K MX-125 - Dual 12 sealed box. High SPL with high fidelity. A real music sub almost comparable to REL and Bag End subs. Wouldn't buy anthing else for the price.

Similar Products Used:

M&K, Velodyne, Para.

Home Theater capabilities
Connections - will accomodate a wide array of connection possibilites

Not very musical
Doesn't integrate as well with other speakers

Keep in mind that this review is based on my comparison with the NHT SW2PI. The PF15TL Plus is an incredible home theater subwoofer. Very loud and deep. This sub gets 5 stars for its home theater capability. The NHT SW2PI lacks the overall bass impact and depth that the PF15TL Plus posess. The NHT's 120 watt amplifier and 10 inch woofer becomes inadequate for the low frequency requirements of home theater. Listening to music is another story. The PF15TL Plus doesn't come close to the NHT. The NHT is much more suited for listening to music. The NHT integrates with the main speakers very well and is obviously faster than the Def Tech which is essential in a subwoofer when listening to music. The Def Tech is a little 'rumbly' and slow on music. The Def Tech also doesn't integrate with the main speakers as well as the NHT. I give the Def Tech 3 stars for musicality.

But what the Def Tech lacks in musicality and it more than makes up for it in home theater. If you're mainly looking for a musical sub I would suggest other sub manufacturers such as ACI, Sunfire and NHT. On the other hand, if you're looking for a home theater subwoofer in this price range, you owe it to yourself to audition this subwoofer.

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NHT SW2PI

I have owned this sub for about 3 weeks and am very pleased. A guy down the hall from me owns a sunfire MKII. For way less money the def tech is on par with the sunfire. As far as loudness on dolby digital there eaqual maybe giving the def tech a little edge, but for music the sunfire is louder. However I beleive the def tech has a much flater response and is faster. For the money nothing can touch it. IF your looking at sound quality AND power nothing in this range can touch it.

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Sunfire MkII

GOOD SUB BUT

Micheal's review

To Michael below.
This is for seroius reviews only, PLEASE ADD fresh duck-tape
to your double wide trailer and resubmit.

outstanding low bass, compact size for a 15", great price

none

All I can say is WOW!!!! I have had smaller subs in the past, but I wanted a little more slam and I wanted to test how well the foundation of my house was, so I decided to go with a 15". I originally purchased the PF15TL and no more than a week later, the PF15TL+ came out. So I went back to my local dealer and wanted to swap it with the new one. So the new baby came home and I must say this sub is awesome. I even got the approval from the girlfriend because of its compact size. Even though I have used smaller subs in the past, this box is smaller than the others that I have used. And guys, you know how much the wives or girlfriends hate those big black boxes, so the approval made the sub so much sweeter. Deep bass is thunderous. The whole room is at its mercy. On movies, this sub rocks, and on music this sub is also great for heavy rock and rap music. This sub also preforms well on subtle music, though not as well as the heavy stuff. This sub IS the best subwoofer for under $1200 and at $545 it was a steal.

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Definitive PF15TL, Definitive PRO SUB 200, Energy ES 12XL, Energy ES 10

Good 30-50hz stuff, decor-safe

Flappy,uncontrolled sound,goes low,but at unusably low levels

I read all of the fabulous reviews on this sight and in the mags,and decided it was time to check it out. I had already bought the paradigm pw-2200, but wanted to see if the 15 could dig deeper, and assumed it would kill at twice the power of the pw-2200. I went and demo'd this sub,sounded ok,but wanted to try in my houose,so started talking price with the sales guy. I stated that it was 699 us retail,so that he could probably give me a deal,since us to cdn is usually 1.6 times. He stated that he couldn't go below 1400cdn! What?! So, I payed the price,reluctant,but excited to get it home to try. I brought it home,and broke it in for a total of 35 hours before listening. This thing can move air! I was fairly happy with it,but decided to give more time,so broke in for another 30 hours. Now,I could listen to it with a keen ear. No such luck.It never got any better. The level of sound was good,but not amazing.It went low,but at very low levels.I found that it had severe drop-off after 30 hz,and was really dissappointed with the extension. No upper-bass punch,no kick. I was crushed to discover that all the hype was just that,hype! Things may have been different if I had gotten for a fair price,but I didn't. If you live in the states,this would be an ok buy,if you could get it for about 575,but if you are in Canada,I would look elsewhere,the exchange rate puts this sub in a really competitive market up here,and for another 100 bucks,we could get the paradigm servo-15,a much better proiduct. Beacuse of all of the hype,I will not give this sub the rating it deserves, I will give it a higher on as not to hurt the rating. I took this thing back a broken man, and now realize how really good of a deal I got my pw-2200 for,at 840cdn,taxes in,nothing compares.

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paradigm pw-2200,d-box david,sound dynamics,custom bandpass designs

It Rocks, It Shocks, It Weakens my House Foundation!!!

I have never noticed any...

I love this product after doing many listening test at the store I went with DefTech because it just seems to do more in the low end where you can really fell it. I tested all of the subs on display and only listened to the BASS!!! No highs no dialoge just low end BASS. Try Apollo 13 for some serious rocket launching BASS. Anyways I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a good all around well performing SUB.


Thanks for you time,

Mark

(PS on the rating I give 4 Stars this is because I know there is always something better out there)

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My 1st Sub

Dollar Value, Unbelievably Deep and Tight, Relatively small size,

Short Power Cord.

My B&W was purchased 6 years ago at 1600 dollars. After 4 prior repairs for 4 different failures almost annually, it crapped out again. Now out of warranty. What an unreliable piece of junk. Great visual construction, well engineered, solid breakthrough design 6 years ago. Just simply unreliable. Very dissapointed. Time for something else. Ready to have to spend another 1200 - 1600 dollars or so.

Auditioned the Paradigm Servo 15, Velodyne HGS-15, the new Mirage Substrata 2(1500 watt unit) and the Velodyne FSR-15. All fantastic subs. The creme-de-la-creme. All around 1500 dollars (except the Velodyne-over 2 grand). Was close to a decision. Then I remembered a review in Home Theater Magazine on the Def Tech PF15TL. I sifted through all my recent issues of HT Mag and found the review. They loved it for it's value and performance. Now comes along the PF15TL-plus. Same basic design as the original PF15TL, but now with a 500 watt amp (non-plus was 350 watt) a dedicated LFE single input all at the same price as the original, 699. I had to check it out. I drove two hours from Massachusetts to State Street Discount in New Hampshire. The salesman gave me the remote, closed the door and let me be. I brought my own copies of Lost in Space, Star Trek First Contact and The Fifth Element. I also brought some audio, two channel on CD.

I was totally blown away. On Dolby Digital it went deep, was well defined and solid. I purposely tried to overdrive it, and it held up fine. No hint of distortion. It was never overbearing, blended in beautifully and was hard to localize. On music it was damn tight, not quite as tight as my B&W was when it was working properly, but really close. I bet with better placement or fine tuning it would be just as good as the B&W was on music. It rocks !!
This is absolutely the best value out there. Those of us that do not wan't to or can't spend 1,500 on a sub must hear this one. It gives up nothing to the other subs I auditioned. Plus it was easier to tell my wife that a replacement for the B&W was less than half the price I had told her it would be.
The best part was the fact that I got it for 100 dollars off list; THAT'S RIGHT! Only 599 and NO SALES TAX in "The Granite State".

My B&W is already packed up in it's original carton, owner's manual and all. I have placed an ad to sell it cheap, noting it needs a bench test and repair. Amp problem this time.

How does Definitive do it? The controls are solid. Although I will never use them, the speaker (high) level ins and outs are metal, high quality five way binding posts, just like my B&W. The cabinet seems well constructed, the driver looks like a tank, the general feel, fit and finish is top notch. The only complaint I have is the relatively short power cord. I can live with that minor drawback at this price. No other corners appear cut. This thing delivers the goods like no other. It feels like I pratically stole the thing at this low price.

As good as the big-dollar boys at less than half the price.

GO GIVE IT A LISTEN.

Anyone looking for a B&W 800 ASW cheap-cheap??

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B & W 800 ASW