A subwoofer is a delightful addition to any sound system. Most people believe that only professionals make use of them in order to enhance their sound. But the truth is, anyone with a home theater — or even a modest music and sound system — can find immense auditory pleasure with one of these.
They enhance the audio by preventing distortion in the main woofer, which typically can only cover higher frequencies — a subwoofer covers the bass and sub-bass ranges, giving you a full and complete, rich sound.
In this article, we are going to examine one such device. By the end, you should know whether or not this particular subwoofer is worth the investment. So without further ado, let’s take a look.
Monoprice 12 Inch 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer
This product from Monoprice would be a great addition to your home audio system. Featuring a 50-250 Hertz frequency response and a range of up to 10 meters, it comes in a neat and affordable package, making it an ideal buy for anyone with a discerning ear for low basses and deep, rich volumes.
Who is This Product For?
The truth is that anyone with a home theater or audio system would want to have a subwoofer, and this Monoprice product provides just that, with decent capabilities all around the board. It does not particularly excel in one area, but most would not have a problem with that, so long as the sound is of a good quality. And it is.
The more experienced and discerning audiophiles may wish to look elsewhere. But for the everyday Joe, such as you or me, this product will provide you with a good answer to all your subwoofer needs.
What’s Included?
Pretty much all that you will find in the box is your new subwoofer, along with all its necessary cables. There is no stand as the device has its own legs upon which to stand. There is nothing wrong with not getting else in the package. Monoprice promises a subwoofer and a subwoofer is what you get, nothing more, nothing less.
Overview of Features
Now comes the exciting part. (Well, it is exciting if you enjoy nitty-gritty specifications and a whole lot of numbers). The Monoprice 12-Inch has a pretty decent number of features to suit your needs. While there is nothing fancy here, it is enough to make it an acceptable and worthy device.
For starters, the subwoofer is able to produce 150W RMS (with a peak wattage of 200) and a frequency response range from 50 to 250 Hertz. The frequency response also features an adjustable crossover low-pass crossover filter which can be tuned to your heart’s desire on a control panel, which is also used to control the output.
These fine-tuning controls can provide you with all the tools necessary in order to reach an optimal and pleasing performance. Additionally, you can use multiple input sources with the Monoprice. And each one has a correlating output, meaning the different sounds will not be lost among one another.
As we said, these are definitely not new and exciting innovations, but they are still welcome components of the subwoofer as they allow for great control over your audio output, providing you with great auditory pleasure.
How to Get the Most of It
Because there is nothing particularly outstanding about this particular subwoofer, there is nothing special that you need to know in order to get the most out of it. Obviously, you will have to adjust its settings to suit the sound you desire. But this is easy thanks to the device’s control panel, allowing you to adjust everything from the frequency response to the crossover filter.
One interesting feature that you may wish to make use of is the device’s “Auto-On” function. This is a completely optional feature, and can be enabled and disabled at any time.
It is great, however, for saving power. If enabled, after 2 minutes with no audio being input, the subwoofer goes into power-saving mode. If you decide not to enable it, that is fine too, because it is protected by a 2 amp volt fuse which stops overloads or short circuits.
Pros
- Affordable price for most people
- Good audio performance
- Decent amount of control over the sound
- Power-saving features
- Protected against short-circuiting or power failure
Cons
- Sound is not quite as robust as higher-end models
- Control panel is inconvenient
Alternatives
SVS SB-3000
There are better options out there for the more discerning ear, but for the Average Joe, this subwoofer performs well enough. If you are looking for a higher-end model, consider something like the SVS SB-3000, which is still far more affordable than some other subs, but is also capable of truly impressive sound quality.
Conclusion
This Monoprice product succeeds in making itself a welcome, inoffensive addition to any home sound system. While it may not have anything special going for it, it performs well in the areas it should. And at the end of the day, that is all that matters.