Monolith THX Ultra Certified 2000 Watt Powered Subwoofer - 13-Inch, Massive Output, Low Distortion, for Studio and Home Theater Systems, Black Ash Finish

I upgraded from a competent sub, an SVS PB1000, which I have been happy with for several years. But it did not really prepare me for how much better a sub that is 3x the price would be. I am sure SVS also has excellent options at this price, and there are lively discussions on audio forums about which brand is better. I can't speak highly enough about SVS, but I went this way and couldn't be happier. I'm not a bass-nut, I prefer extension over mere loudness, but this sub offers both. I listen to movies at a volume that requires moderately raising my voice (but not shouting) to be heard, the room is small-medium (about 14 ft across and long because it sits over a garage). The sub is barely working at all and it absolutely shakes the couch at frequencies I can't hear but can feel. It has transformed movies and music. Impacts and bass sweeps are phenomenal. If you don't have a sub you are likely not aware of the extra octave down there that most speakers "double" (cheating by playing the lowest octave at the 2nd harmonic). No cheating here, just cavity-loosening goodness. The box is huge, I giggle every time I look at it. I paid the Amazon optional in-room delivery fee of $20, and two beefy guys humped the 200lb box up narrow stairs for me. The in-room delivery is transformational, I mean I was researching electric stair-climbing dollies and so forth. Let Amazon do it, highly recommended. I join with the majority opinion that I wish I had done this years ago. If you are contemplating a decent entry-level sub, but can stretch to about 3x that, I promise you you will not be disappointed. Edit - I should add that the price seems to fluctuate by almost 2x. This has a dramatic effect on value and you should shop accordingly.

Absolute monster. Pressurizes large room. I have 2 of them, running Dirac live with bass control. Massive sound.

Okay, so I might have gone overkill when I bought this thing. No, I went way overkill! My little cottage in the country is only 1200 square feet and my living room only about 300 of that. When this thing arrived, I took one look at the size of the box and I thought, what in the world is this massive thing! It's BIG! Okay, fine. Let me just drag this monster in the house and I'll get her opened up and see what's up. NOPE! My lower back laughed right in my face when I attempted to wrap my arms around this dishwasher sized package, and all 200+ lbs reminded me of a future hernia that I never had... YET! So, i called in the cavalry. I called my best bud who lives a couple of properties down and he was nice enough to come down and slip a disc or two in his spine with me ( A true friend! ). Eventually, we got this behemoth into the living room and got it unboxed and wired up ( The hooking up and getting it rocking was super simple! ) and then proceeded to fire this bad boy up. Let me tell you something! When I say that this thing will shake the very foundation of your house and potentially rattle every window loose from its frame, I mean every word! This thing hits so low and loud that your neighborhood will think it's world war 3! Anywhooo.... long story short, buy this monster and revel in its power and glory. The slipped disc or two are worth it!

Amazing. This site overcharged me though. 1600 and I find them for 800. This hits lower than the SVS

This monster is so massive and heavy that it wouldn't fit in an Amazon Locker. Bummer. It was delivered by 2 WWF heavyweights who complained bitterly that I'd subjected them to terrible abuse. Thankfully, they were too exhausted to throw me over the ropes, so I was able to lock the door before they recovered. I could only afford this monstrosity when it went on a significant sale. The shipping package is very impressive and the subwoofer's design and build quality is absolutely rock solid, inside and out. But why pick a sub this massive? Unbelievable performance... An astoundingly flat frequency response, all the way down below 20Hz, and incredibly low harmonic distortion, which most subwoofers in this price bracket are unable to attain. I was looking for tight, musically accurate bass (not intrusive and boomy), and this beast delivers at any volume level. Look for the professional review on the Audioholics website. Note, of course, that every room has its own acoustical properties. Sound reflections off walls, floors and ceilings create standing waves, resulting in audible peaks and nulls at any seating position in the room, so a fair amount of work is required to find the best sub placement, main speaker placement, seating position and acoustical treatments to arrive at the flattest and smoothest response throughout the entire audio range. It is advisable to generate frequency sweeps or steps, then measure the response at the listening position. This is far more accurate than tuning by ear. Software and equipment is available to make this process quicker and easier. Room EQ Wizard (REW) is one of the gold standards. Some people will go to great lengths and great expense to aim for perfection, while others will call it good when it sounds good enough to their ears, and that's okay. When properly calibrated to the room and the rest of the sound system, the subwoofer should not overwhelm the audio. It should not be prominent in the soundstage until the soundtrack requires it. Then this sub will blow you away. A loud explosion can truly be FELT as well as heard! The 16Hz tone of the world's biggest pipe organs can be felt as a pressure wave rather than sound, and this sub flexes the windows, easily reproducing such a presence with accuracy. Few subs can reach so low without distortion or boominess.

Underwhelming. Compared to my HSU 15" subwoofer that's only 600 watt RMS, this thing couldn't hold a candle to it. Volume on highest setting too. I was so disappointed.

Amp failure under warranty. They want me to send the entire unit back. I don't have the original box and there's no way I'm hauling this behemoth. No one else requires sending back the entire unit for an amp failure. Buyer beware. I'll just buy another amp and replace it myself. A lot of work, and expense, but a lot easier than returning the unit.

Bought this to compare to a Monolith 15 subwoofer I previously had. Fit and finish, the 13 looks much nicer. The drivers on both subs share the exact same 15 inch diameter edge to edge. Although I don't have any measurements, the 13 seems to hit harder than the 15 and I am more than pleased with it. Of note, the price fluctuates wildly here in Canada on these so wait for the price to drop before you grab one. I managed to get one priced cheaper than par with the USD. Update: Added a second. Had an SVS PB4000 previously and these best the PB4000.

Big, loud, clean bass

Plate amp dead after 1 1/2 year, monoprice is slow on finding a solution