pro sub 100 is very small

boomy & air flutters thru port, works way too hard and does not deliver, no adequate sink for amp...ran very hot. cheap cabinet.

I was not impressed with this unit. the bass was so boomey, I found myself waving my hand around like i was shooing away flies. I couldn't feel any bass, it just lingered around my head. Proved very annoying during movies. Even at lo gain, during heavy bass scenes (contact, chapt 33) the unit fluttered air thru the port, what a joke. I could hear the air moving around whiled waiting to hear some real bass... well it never happend. btw, has anyone even looked at their 10" driver, I have never seen such a small little magnet, and the steel stamped basket reminded me of radio shack. Also, who makes a sub cabinet using 1/2" particle board?....usually you would want a sub cabinet to be rock solid and heavy to eliminate cabinet effects. dunno bout this company. seems like a shady outfit...making cheapo subs, paying magazines to run good reviews, and then selling as high end.

Small footprint, lots of power, good clean (non thumpy) bass, good quality crossover system, excellent customer service

Auto On feature not very sensitive

I recently upgraded to Dolby Digital, and I needed a sub to get that wonderful LFE. Because of space limitations in my living room, I was limited to 10" drivers. the two Paradigms that I looked at were not in the same league as this DefTech. The PDR-10 was pretty bad - it did not extend very low, and the demo unit rattled very loudly at certain fequencies. The PS-1000 was better, but not quite as tight as the DefTech, and it was HUGE - almost 50% larger footprint. The DefTech was small, extended reasonably low for a 10" sub, and was not boomy at all.
The only minor problem I had was with the Auto On feature - unless my system was cranked up pretty loud, it would not switch on. I tried hooking it up via speaker level inputs and had the same problem. I emailed DefTech, and within a day they responded and stated that many receivers (especially yamaha and Denon) have pre outs that do not have adequate voltage at low volume levels to trigger the auto-on. They sent a part (a capacitor I think) and a schematic to my local dealer, and three days later - problem solved. As for the guy who gave this sub one star - maybe he is comparing this sub to a $2000 15" monster sub......
I give it 5 out of 5 with the assumption that I am rating it against similarly priced 10" subs. Obviously, you will not get a great deal of 20Hz output from this little guy, but if that's what you want, you should not be looking for 10" subs in the 1st place.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm PDR-10, Paradigm PS-1000

Good, clean, tight bass...one of the best for it's price range

None

I live in an apartment, so getting a killer sub was out of the question. Aside from adding punch to dvd's, my other concern was having my music filled in nicely on the bottom range. I had an Energy 8 sub, which is very good for it's size, but felt I needed just a bit more oomph. Paradyme here in Sacramento answered my questions and after determining my needs, had me audition a Paradigm 8 and 10 inch sub, along with the Def Tech 10 incher. I felt the Paradigms were a bit boomy, and the Def Tech very clean sounding, so I went with it and am very happy with it. This new model has no problems with the auto on, mentioned by other reviews here. One thing I've noticed is the break-in time. I've been using it at moderate/low levels for a couple of months, and it's just loosening up now....I've kept the volume set at pretty much one point, and lately it's gotten a little louder and a little lower. My neighbors will grow to hate me!!

Similar Products Used:

Energy 8 sub

Strong bass for its size. will rattle walls and shake doors

none so far

Great bass like the LFE on movies . Use with Pro 100's up frt Pro 80's rear love them so far . Far the price you can't beat them .

Similar Products Used:

none use Polk 10's before with no sub

Great Depth of Bass at all volumes, Good looking box and keeps the wife happy since it came in white

None so far

I feel like I've just ditched my old 1974 Ford Maverick (first car I owned back in 1985) for a brand new Porsche 911 (will probably never have one now that I have kids). The great part is that I didn't have to shell out the money you'd expect to pay for such high quality.

I am far from an audiophile. In fact, I knew virtually nothing about speakers, subs, amps, dvds, cables, etc until about 8 weeks ago when I decided to make some serious upgrades to our main system. I knew I wanted a nice system but I didn't want to empty the entire vault to get it. I started the journey about 8 weeks ago by visiting several different Home Theater specialty stores and getting their thoughts on speakers, subs, dvds, amps, cds, cables, etc. I was looking for commonality in what they were saying so I could start to form some opinions of my own.

The hard thing was that each place seemed to really target one or two brands as their 'anchor' brands and everything else was secondary. I took what they said then went to this website to embark on several weeknights of reading. I found this to be a much better source for REAL ADVICE from people who really seemed to be unbiased and knew what they were talking about.

I ended up with the following A/V system:
TV: Hitachi 43" 43FDX01B ($1999)
Amp: Denon AVR2801 ($599)
DVD: Harmon Kardon DVD-5 ($499)
CD: Sony CDP CX-400 ($259)
Fronts: Def Tech Pro Monitor 100s (Package for $1250)
Rears: Def Tech Pro Monitor 100s
Sub: Def Tech Pro Sub 100 TL
Center: Def Tech Pro Center 100
Audio Cables: Monster Digital Optical from DVD and CD
Video Cables: Monster S-Video (haven't decided if Component is worth the extra money yet)

The only piece that I'm not 100% happy with is the DVD player as it has errored out a couple times (ie it will say it's trying to read a DVD but it keeps reading and eventually says is was unable to play). The 90% of the time that it works it works awesome. Picture and Sound are unbelievably crisp. Thinking about trading in for an Onkyo Integra DPC-6 due to the better warranty and supposedly equivalent quality.

Back to the rest of the system. My big problem was that I wanted to put this system in our main living area. We have a new house and like most new houses our ceilings are freakin' 18 feet tall. Not ideal for acoustics to say the least. To keep my wife happy, I agreed that the speakers would be white, wall mounted satellites so they'd be out of the way from kids and disappear into the wall to some degree. A fair compromise, but satellite speakers don't typically have the umph that I was thinking we needed to fill this entire area effectively for both music and surround sound.

I didn't do tons of personal tests like some of the guys on this site did. I basically benefitted from all the comparison tests that others have done before me and made my decisions according to their opinions and a few sound tests at the store.

The final verdict on the speakers...... The Def Techs are AWESOME!!! The only other set that I seriously considered were the Bose Acoustimas, but after listening to both at The Home Theater Store in Arlington, TX.... I came to the conclusion that the Def Techs all the way around created a quality depth for lows, mids and highs that no other set of satellites could touch. If I didn't know, I'd swear the sound was coming out of tower speakers. Now, granted these are not small satellite speakers. They're more the size of bookshelf speakers but the white boxes make them disappear into the wall, so the wife is still OK with them. I think the Direct Radiating sound out of the speakers helps 'aim' the sound down to avoid any major echoing or reverberating.


Add on to the Fronts and Rears with the Def Tech Pro Sub 100 which blew any other$400 - $700 sub out of the water that I could find through research or listening tests. The combination is amazing. The only other sub I seriously considered was a Sunfire 8" for $800. Finally decided it was too much money for what seemed to be virtually no real noticeable improvement. Bottom line... I could not be happier with the Def Tech Pro 100 series. I was trying to stay around $1000 for all 6 speakers. Ended up stretching it to $1250 but think it was well worth it.

Probably doesn't hurt that I'm powering everything with a new Denon AVR 2801. I guess it's tough to pinpoint which pieces are playing the biggest role in the final result, but I have to believe the speakers and sub are probably playing the biggest and most critical role in the entire system.

Like I said before, I am more of a research fanatic who wanted to get the best possible system I could find without spending completely crazy money. I didn't want to just pop into the first store and let someone sell me a bag of goodies without making sure I was getting the best for the money. All the way around, that's exactly what I think I got. If you disagree, don't tell me.

Similar Products Used:

none

small, powerful, and no port noise at all

noticed a flaw in the construction of the sub when strong low frequency occurs

I 1st reviewed what you guys had to say about it plus reviewed specs on the sub. I was looking for a sub that would go down to at least 25hz. Most subs go down to 25hz which is pretty deep, wanted it more for HT. But this one goes down to 19hz which is a plus!
I did a review at 6ave elect. and was not impressed, I bought it anyway being that they have a 10 day money back garuntee plus all the rave about it in this site. Bought a lfe cable by Monster Cable. hooked it up to my stereo plugged it in gave it about a half hour to warm up and was blown away by the power this little thing has. Haven't done a frequency test but when you play movies like T2, Private Ryan, Patriot, etc., you really feel everything shake!
So of course i didn't send it back.:)
i've had it for about 5 months now and i am still amazed with the power this thing delivers, noticed a slight rattle which comes from the construction of the sub. but it isn't that noticeable. I have this sub placed on the side of my entertainment unit and it sounds great there. i have it set up to start at 40hz in my A/V receiver and on the sub because i have mains that go down to 34hz. Oh one other thing it sounds great with music too(crisp and clean no overwhelming bass).
I have to say this sub is worth every penny!
NO REGRETS
System:
H/K AVR510
Pioneer DVD434
Yamaha CDP
CV AT12 mains(Will be upgrading to B&W 605s2
B&W CLRs2
B&W 602s2
Def Tech 100tl

Similar Products Used:

def tech 15tl(monster) and velodyne

Nice sturdy cabinet w/ spikes. Lots of hook up options. Deep Bass. Good punch.

None that I can think of.

I've got the ProSub 100 hooked up with a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 3i speakers, the Rega Planet CD player, and the Rega Mira amp. This system is for music only. It sounds awsome! With the Silver 3i, I needed a little more bass and this was the definitive answer (sorry about the play on words). I was going to upgrade the my Silver 3's to 5's or 7's to get more bass, but instead kept the 3's (which I love) and added the sub. The price was right! This way I have total control over both the cross-over and volume of bass. I've keep the cross-over between 60 and 80 and the volume around half. The bass is always there when I want it. It's very smooth at times - like big bubbles of bass and stomping precise at others - like cracks of thunder.

I also love the cabinet, it looks great, small, and is rock hard. With the sub spiked, it won't budge one bit.

The only thing that I don't like is that I have to reach behind the sub for the controls, but that's the same way with most subs.

I'd recommend this sub to others!

sound clarity and richness, value

new, so none yet

Just purchased the prosub 100. It has given my adequate but mediocre monitors (cambridge soundworks) a new life. The sub hasn't gone through a break-in period yet, so I assume the sound will only get better. But, as of now (and this is only a few days in), the sub has regenerated my system. It is clean, deep, and affordable. The monitors have obviously been relieved of some duties (I had been using dual passive subs) and are sounding clearer and richer. My system is not complex or expensive, and this certainly seems to be a good first step of improvement, with upgrades to my amp and the center channel the next order of business. I highly recommend this sub.

I listened to the Energy Encore as a comparison, and, although it was hard to detect a big difference, the DefTech just pleased my ear slightly more.

Beautiful sound, no port noise, works great with music and HT

auto-on won't work with LFE input

I love this sub! It has power to spare and it's not boomy in movies. When I first heard this sub, I didn't believe that it had a port until I saw it. This sub is a perfect (in my opinion) comprimise for people who want good performance in HT AND audio.

ONE THING - when setting up this sub - most subs perform better in corners - this one does not. I've found the best position is directly in front of my listening area about 5 inches in front of the wall (I'm single-no wife to tell me how ugly it is that way). Try several angles and positions with this sub - when properly positioned, you will hear NO port noise and deep bass is transmitted without too much punch.

I have an apartment- so I've never listened to VERY load music with it, but I can shake the windows with ~ 1/2 inch excursion of the driver, so I don't think the previous complaints are warranted. If you want to fill a very large room, consider the 12" version - but for my use, this thing is great.

Similar Products Used:

Demo'd infinity, prosub 80, M&K (not that I could afford it)

powerful for its size, bass response so low you feel it

can't handle high volumes

this is part 2 of my review listed below under a different name.
I'll start with the bad:
1st I stated before that i noticed a flaw in the construction of this sub, well it turned out to be a problem. The internal amp was sending a distorted signal that eventually blew the driver. Sent it directly to Def Tech they took care of it right away sent it back to me within 3 weeks had no problems since. THANX DEF TECH :)
2nd i noticed if i have my reciever set kinda loud like theater loud, it has a hard time keeping up with my mains (5 full size speakers) have to lower the volume on the sub. but it still performs good even at these volumes.
Now for the good:
1st at 2ch this sub sounds great with live music. it makes you feel like you're in the concert. good tight bass response. My mains frequency response is 36hz-20khz at ±3dbs so the sub fills in the gap for live music and HT.
2nd very very good with movies especially for its size! Movies like Jurassic Park 1 2 3, Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan, and Matrix. Impressive and Invigorating at times!
Believe me there are plenty of other subs that are bigger and better, BUT if you're looking for an inexpensive compact size sub that performs like the big guys go with this series you will not regret it. Dispite the problem i had earlier i have no regrets buying it.
here's a tip: if you want to get a better response and less stress on your sub buy a Y cable to split the signal into the left and right channel of the sub. Believe me you WILL notice a huge difference!
Also a subwoofer of this size is going to do well in a room of say 15x20 or less, a room any larger you would need a bigger sub. (remember this is a 10" driver)
Finally i am giving this sub 5 stars for its value and 4 stars for an overall rating because of the problem i had which wasn't a big deal. i would definitely recommend this Subwoofer to someone who wants a bang for the buck and who doesn't have a huge livingroom.

Similar Products Used:

velodyne, klipsch, and def tech 15tl(monster!)