Best Powered Subwoofers

Tight & Powerful

Tight and powerful sound with impressive compatibility and flexibility.

Powerful, 10-inch, copper-spun, and front-firing woofer for wall-rattling vibrations. Delivers 300 watts of power from an all-digital amplifier. Offers low pass and gain controls and L/LFE + R inputs for compatibility. Can be placed anywhere in a room without detrimental results.

10-Inch Powered Subwoofer

Some feel it doesn't kick in with movies or games.

Best Bang for the Buck

Polk Audio

Excellent Value

A high-quality subwoofer with excellent performance for its wattage and price.

A 10-inch, front-firing polymer woofer with long-excursion foam surround. Delivers 100 watts of power doubled from a 50-watt amp. Tuned port adds extra punch. Boasts 3-way power toggle for off, on, and automatic. Gold-plated RCA inputs plus wire input/output ports.

100-Watt Powered Subwoofer

Doesn't have LFE input. Best performance is somewhat dependent on placement.

Yamaha

Advanced Design

Advanced technologies and design deliver solid performance from this subwoofer.

Built around a 10-inch cone woofer with discrete amp circuitry and a specially-designed side-firing port for more accurate, noise-reduced sound reproduction. Delivers 100 watts of power. Offers manual on/off switch.

Can only connect via specific subwoofer cable input. Cable not included.

A bigger, deeper, higher-watt subwoofer that brings movie sound effects to life.

Large, 12-inch-diameter, front-firing, and copper-spun woofer with a frequency response as low as 29 Hz. Delivers 400 watts of power from an all-digital amplifier. Offers controls for low pass crossover and gain. L/LFE + R inputs for compatibility. Designed for flexible placement.

60-Watt Powered Subwoofer

A little pricey. Some notice an intrusive hum with certain kinds of cabling.

Monoprice

Compact & Solid

For an enhanced low end at an attainable price, try this compact 8-inch model.

Compact 8-inch woofer capable of a frequency range from 50 to 250 Hz. Includes low-pass crossover filter for 150 Hz on down. Dedicated on/off switch and volume control. Has both wire and RCA line-level inputs. Simple and attractive black wood cabinet with detachable grille.