thunderus bass, good construction, powerful amp, easy to hook up( speaker high level and RCA low level inputs and outputs)

controls are not the best( made from plastic so they feel weak and flimsy), amp is a pain to replace(3 month downtime), speaker output(pass-thru from receaver to other speakers) don't work even after replacing amp.

a few years ago I told a co-worker I was looking for a new sub to go with my new surround sound system and he offered to sale his ARS500 to stop his wife from complaning about how big and ugly it looked in "her" home.After hooking it up I was shocked with how powerful it was.bass was very strong and was hard to locate from my couch (I put it in the front right corner of my room).thats been 8 years ago a other then having to replace amp once I've never had a problem with it.It still pounds and works great.Greatest 500.00 bucks I ever spent on my home system.

Customer Service

didn't go thru company to replace amp used locale shop to replace it.

Hammer-of-God punch that kills insects and scares small animals/children

It's big as a Buick (and twice as powerful!)

We've been using this subwoofer for almost three years now and all I can say is "WOW"! From classical music to rock this thing is awesome. I too was worried about response from a 15" driver but the Sunfire amp has the big horsepower to kick it like a jackhammer with no mushiness. HT applications are dramatic, threatening to dislodge anything thats not screwed down and punishing every pane of glass in the house. We have this in a corner behind a large easy chair and warn people not to sit there unless they want to liquify their spleen. A word to the wise: You best be on good terms with all of your surrounding neighbors, they WILL know when you're listening to music or watching a movie. I would pay over twice the price for this kind of quality and performance - simply outstanding.

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Klipsch

Simply unbeatable for the price. Powerful bass and great sounding too.

Zero. None.

This is the best subwoofer for the money. Period. I also own a Paradigm servo-15 which was highly rated by several magazines and retails for $1500 and this $1000 ARS500 either matches it or beats it in sound quality (not just shear output, but good sounding bass). Moreover, the Paradigm servo-15 is hard to find for less than $1350. The Acoustic Research ARS500 can be had for as little as $600 on many online shops.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Servo-15

What isn''''t great about it??

One massive beast, when compared to a 13" cube from Sunfire.

Well, I just bought this beast of a speak called the Acoustic Research ARS500 just the other day. I have only a small Panasonic Mini-System with an additional two bookshelf speakers split off (the amp in my minis-system is amazing!). In any case, I was in the market for some more power, and having some money in the bank, I decided to go shopping. I looked around for stuff in the $500 Cdn range, and I came upon this speaker -- retail $1000 Cdn, on sale for $550 (it was a floor model). I though, not bad. I had the salesman hook it up, and it blew me away. At 1/3 volume, the vents nearly sucked my hands in when I was feeling the air move. I took it home with me, and the neighbours came knocking on the door. Later that week, I also took it to a house party, and hooked it up. Going at 1/2 - 3/4 volume, I was maxing this beast and blowing everyone on the dance floor away. I now have the envious admiration of my peers, and the bass quality and quantity that I had earlier experienced from a Sunfire True Subwoofer Junior. It is nuts how much air this thing can move, and even in my small 11''''x9'''' room, there is no distortion or blind spots, only rich, deep bass that knocks down anything in my room not bolted. Finally, testing this thing on Bob Carver''''s very own recommended demo material just knocked me to the floor as well. There is nothing left for me to say. Visit http://www.acoustic-research.com/ars500_content.asp for info on the ARS500 and it''''s little brother, the ARS300. Visit http://www.sunfire.com for all of Bob Carver''''s information (they are also the manufacturer of the amp used in both AR subs).

Similar Products Used:

Sunfire True Subwoofer Junior.

Power! Power!

Big Beast

God, I love this sub. It hits extremely HARD. Don't waste your money on more expensive subs... there's no reason to. Buy this one and hold on. Even at 1/2 volume, you will shake off your couch.

The ARS500 put simply, kicks a..!!!! The bass in very tight and clean, kicking in at just the right time with fantastic depth and clean sound. This sub should and could sell for up to $2000 and it would be worth it. I have a Denon 3200 receiver, a pair of BSR 5way acoustic suspensions up front, infinity CC2 center and a pair of optimus LX5 in the rear.My room size is about 16X18 and if I have the sub cranked up more than a third the walls would come down!! It is a marvel for DVD and almost as good for music only. The best part was the price I paid, only $480 delivered!! I would gladly pay 3 times more for the performance that the ARS500 delivers, and with the added bonus of 500watts and all the different connections on the rear and the unique volume control on the front what more could you ask for, at such a low price. If you decide on the ARS500 you simply can't go wrong.. Its a true steal at any price!!!

See previous review

See previous review

Nick,

First, if you post a review asking a question, there is not reason to post an overall rating of 3 stars when most of the reviews were 5 stars, and you have not heard it yet. You skew the results buy doing that.

Now regarding your question - I have auditioned both.
In general Klipsch enjoys better marketing and you can find it in more shops compared with AR speakers.

In general, I do not like the sound of the AR horns, and this is why all my speakers are JBL - I prefer the somewhat more metallic sound of their titanium tweeters.

When auditioning subs, you should ask yourself a few questions –
How large is your listening room
How deep you want your sub to go
What is the type of music you listen to, is it mainly for HT? Or do you listen to classical music?
What other main speakers do you have, what is their low frequency capabilities

Many questions, and now a few answers –
As a rule of thumb - the larger the woofer, usually the heavier it is, the more air it moves, and the lower it goes. This comes at a price – it usually requires a more powerful amp, larger enclosure, and it is less musical (slower to response to the bass signals on music).
If your listening room is large, and you want a sub for HT that goes down 32hz (but I guess that I could hear about >35Hz), I needed to couple them with a sub that has a lot to offer in the low frequency area. This is why I chose the AR over the Klipsch.

To sum up – if you have very small speakers (satellites), then go for the KSW because it has an overall better punch over the frequency range. If you have relatively large speakers that you are going to set as large in your HT receiver, and those are capable of >35hz, get the AR. Either way your will be happy. Both reprent best value for money in the $500 bracket.

My main system:
Receiver Denon AVR-5800
Main speakers – JBL S412P (w/powered 250w woofers)
Side speakers – JBL S38
Back speakers – JBL S38
Center speaker – JBL S-Center
DVD/CD – Pioneer Elite DV-F07, multi system, multi zone, macro-vision free
DVD2 – Sampo 620
HDTV Projector – Mitsubihi X300
Line doubler – DVDO Pro multi system
VCR – Sony SLV836 multi system

Similar Products Used:

KSW15

good deep bass

some minor manufactoring problem

I'm very happy with this sub. I use its amplifier to drive its own driver and another passive subwoofer I made myself - 16"x8feet sonotube with 15" Tempest driver ( http://adireaudio.com/cd/tempest.htm ).
So I can use them in 3 modes: original ARS-500 with its 4 Ohm driver, my sonotube with its 4 Ohm Tempest or both connected with 8 Ohm total. The last mode is my favorite - very deep soft bass.
I had minor but serious problem with this sub though - similar to that guy with 1 star rating. When it was delivered it didn't work at all - no any sound but all lights came on on input signals. I opened its control panel - it was easy - 8 or 12 screws - and found the internal wire just was not connected to the driver. I connected it and now after 10 months had no problems.

Similar Products Used:

KLH - 110

Fast and Hard Bass

Enclosure is a bit on the large size

I have nothing but praise for this subwoofer. It hits very hard and very fast, much faster then one would expect from a 15" driver. I've always been partial to 10" drivers simply because they are faster to react to input. The ARS500 has begun to change my mind. There is something to be said for "feeling" the bass more then hearing it. Initially, I thought the 500 watt rating was a joke. But then I learned there isn't much difference between 150 watts and 500 watts in actual volume. There is a HUGE differance in "feeling" 500 watts though. Much like some of the other reviews on this sub, I too can say that wall hangings need to be secure before turning this sub on. I also agree that the volume lever should not be turned up to high on this sub. Overall, a very good sub that will give just about anything out there a good run for the money.

Powerful Bass!

Front Volume Control

Except for the front volume control which can be changed easily by my 2 year old, I have to give this sub 5 stars. One day I turned on our Tarzan DVD and cranked the volume on my favorite scene. I freaked out when my wifes picture slammed on the floor because of all the bass. It turned out that the volume had been maxed by my son. I ended up putting on some tape to keep it in 1/4 volume position. The awesome thing is that the picture of my wife that fell was 2 rooms away from the sub. Talk about some rumble ability!