The Best Home Subwoofers for 2021 by World Wide Stereo

How low do you want to go? If you love watching movies in your home theater, the answer is very. And the way to get there is by adding the right subwoofer to your sound system. In action films and video games, soundtracks often go lower than humans can hear, though we can still feel those sounds. And that’s one of the main goals of a good subwoofer in your system: To make you feel the dinosaur footfalls, explosions, electronic kick drums, and other things that make big thuds.

In concept, subwoofers are simple. They’re self-powered. Their cabinets are either sealed or ported. They typically put out sound only in the 15Hz – 200Hz range, give or take a few Hertz.

Choosing the best sub for your system may be anything but simple, however, as the decision involves several important factors — with which our in-house experts are extremely familiar, so if you want to skip the stats and just get the job done, pick up the phone and call us now!

Important considerations include the size of your home theater room in cubic feet (up to 1,500 cu/ft a 10″ driver will do, up to 3,000 go with 12″, above that 15″), the size of cabinet you can accommodate (sealed units are small, ported units can be huge), the type of listening you do (lots of explosions and electronic dance music require superb response below 20Hz, rom-coms and jazz may be fine with 20Hz or higher), wired vs. wireless, and plain old power output. A common misconception holds that sealed is better for music because of fast driver response and that ported is better for sound effects due to raw power at very low frequencies. But some sealed units can rattle your walls below 20Hz and some ported units can make Beethoven’s Ninth into a transcendental listening experience. (For an in depth comparison of ported vs. sealed subwoofers, check out this article.)

So, how to make your choice? If you have a sound bar that offers a sub designed and configured for that system and that you can connect wirelessly by simply turning the unit on, your decision may already be made. If not, read the following reviews closely, contact our experts, and take advantage of our return policy to make sure the subs you get deliver the experience you want.

Here Are Our Picks for the Best Home Subwoofers of 2021:

  1. Best Wireless Subwoofer: Sonos Sub Wireless Subwoofer (Gen 3)
  2. Best Ported Subwoofer: SVS PB-1000 Pro Ported Subwoofer
  3. Best Sealed Subwoofer: SVS SB-1000 Pro 12″ 325W Sealed Box Subwoofer
  4. Best Home Theater Subwoofer: SVS SB-3000 13″ Subwoofer
  5. Best Home Audio Subwoofer: Klipsch SPL-120 12″ Subwoofer
  6. Most Powerful Subwoofer: SVS PB16-Ultra 1500 Watt Ported Cabinet Subwoofer
  7. Best Subwoofer for the Money: Klipsch R-120SW 12″ Subwoofer
  8. Best Budget Subwoofer: Polk Audio React Wireless Subwoofer
  9. Best Subwoofer Under $500: KLH Stratton 10 350W Subwoofer
  10. Best Subwoofer Under $1000: Bluesound PULSE SUB+ 8″ Wireless Powered Subwoofer
  11. Best Small Subwoofer for Home: SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer
  12. Best 10″ Subwoofer: Klipsch SPL-100 10″ Subwoofer
  13. Best 12″ Subwoofer: KLH Stratton 12 450W Subwoofer
    Best 15″ Subwoofer: Klipsch SPL-150SW 15″ Bass-Reflex Subwoofer
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