Powerful 500 watt Carver Amp

Very Large Box

I just recently found this site. I have to agree with most of the reviews listed here about this AR sub. Anybody that would give this Sub a "1" without hearing it perform is an idiot. I love mine. Everybody that watches a movie at my house comments about how the bass is so immersive. I've never heard another sub that costs less then $1,000 that compares. There are 2 HUGE port holes in the front of the unit. When you have the bass going, there is an incredible amount of air that moves in and out of them. Air movement is what causes you to feel the bass, and let me tell you, you can feel the bass. A "5" all the way.

Strong and responsive for ht. Solid felt bass not just audible.
Wonderfull musical performance for a fifteen in. sub.

Large and heavy, but thats no surprise with size driver it
has. No larger than any other 15 for the most part.
The crossover knob same as the rest.
WARNING:set the vol. to no more than 1/2 way to start or you'll be sorry!

I read all the reviews on this page about the s500 and after
many tests decided to try this one also.What a relief to save big on big sound!!
No lack of enjoyment on this one.All worrys about quality
and sound put to rest.
I thouroughly recomend this sub to anyone desiring big bang
for the buck$$
Great for ht and music although not quite as musical as
some smaller subs...no surprise here.Even so it was still able to keep up with the double kick of Dave Mathews band drummer Carter Beauford.Not a bad feet to acomplish.
As far as home theaters concerned, secure all the pictures on the walls and the wine glasses at bar because its gonna
shake.I got in trouble the first time I dropped in The Fifth Element.My wife was in the other room working on the computer when the moniter started to shake in the opening track the movie.No worrys for power.

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klipsch,energy,velodyn,polk,boston.........

Sunfire Amplifier, Build Quality (with a few exceptions), Ability to go Oh So Low, Price Point

Driver Cone, Cross-over, Volume Slider

I just unboxed the unit today and I will reserve my critique of it's performance until I have properly burned it in and balanced it. But for now, I have a question for you folks that own one. Do you find it difficult to turn the cross-over control and does it feel loose in the chassis? Like I said I just got the piece today and it feels like I'm going to break the damned cross-over, it is so stiff to turn and flimsy. Other than that and the kind of cheese-ball volume slider (dust collector) I am very pleased with the build quality. Please help me out here guys. I must rate the unit or I cannot post a review or ask a question so I'll call this a preliminary review. Thanks.

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Yamaha YST-SW300, Sunfire JR, Infinity HPS500

Amazing power clarity and value

Large, crossover knob

Best sub in the $500 range. Period.

True 500w RMS sunfire amp with toroidal transformer.

15" sub that will rock your house all the way down to 18hz. You can feel it from a 100 feet a way.

Very good build quality, with the exception of the flimsy crossover knob (that you do not use much anyway). Usefull volume slider makes changes very easy.

Although it is large, it is not too high, so it is not a major eye distraction like the cylinder subs (SVS or HSU).

Best value in the $500 range.

My system

Denon AVR5800
JBL S412P (x2), S38 (x4), S-Center
Mitsubishi X300 HDTV projector

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JBL PB12, Klipsch KSW15

This sub puts out the kind of vibes that are down and nasty.
The thunderous base places the listener into an environment of virtual reality. I set the volume at 25-35% which affords me more than enough low end as it works effortlessly. The ARS500 is built well (no loose baffles), and the amp is clean (no humming). The sub doesn't weigh 75
lbs., but rather 63 lbs.!

Large cabinet might trouble some for lack of space. Not a sub for the fainthearted!

It performs very well, and the price is a steal when comparing it against similiar products.

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Ive listened to a number of brands and models before casting my choice for the ARS500.

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH ARs-500 Hi-Res 15-Inch Powered Subwoofer


The ARS500 is capable of thunderous performance in any type of system. The ARS500 is a slot loaded, Trajectory Port Coupled Bob Carver/Sunfirer Powered Subwoofer. Rated at 500 watts RMS with a freqeuncy response down to 18Hz, this subwoofer is capable of performing at extremely high levels of output with very low distortion. The result is true to life low frequency reproduction in any system configuration.

The ARS500 subwoofer features a unique front panel Audio/Video contour switch with volume level control. These controls maximize the performance of the subwoofer in any system configuration.

Connections include low level in, LFE in/out, high level in/out and phase and gain control.

The ARS500 is also magnetically shielded.

Get It! $479.95 NEW

Incredible depth and volume level,Bob Carver amp

None

In a word,"Unreal". For five hundred bucks,I challange you to find a better sub. It will even top alot of $1000+ subs. It will produce about 20-25hz at 100db and not distort. I have all AR speakers in my system and it matches them perfectly. But I am sure it whould fit in any system without flaw. The front panel volume control is very handy when setting it up. I do agree with the previous reviewer about the crossover knob,but it seems solid. I do not listen to music in the room that it is in so I don't know how it whould preform. This should be the last sub I ever have to buy for my HT(but I know thats not true:). Overall,if you like DEEP bass at high volumes,don't even hesitate,buy it.

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AR 112PS

Incredible clean bass with outdated sony pro-logic system

Not to be nit picky or anything, but like others I think the crossover knob is a bit cheesy.

Hooked up the ARS500 same way the Infinity was hooked up ( High level speaker inputs )so install was a breeze. Fired everything up and was a little worried when I didn't hear the bass everyone was talking about. Well a few adjustments later and I am member of the legions of ARS500 fans. Sure I know what your thinking, going from the Infinity to the ARS500 is like going from a skateboard to a VW, an improvement,but your still not going to impress your friends.(Actually the Infinity sounded pretty good in my 15'x 15' apartment living room and it never has given me a single problem )But since I purchased my new home a couple of years ago it was time to update to something that would match the spaciousness of my open type concept living and dining room areas. For music the ARS500 is great, for HT it is awesome, AWESOME!!!! I can't wait to update to the Sony STR-DB940 and DVD player of undecided model no. ( open to any suggestions,and help is appreciated! ) No I'm not a true audiophile,but for the money I think you just can't go wrong with this monster. Big bang for buck factor. Oh, and a little friendly advice, don't want to hurt Acoustic Research sales, but this subwoofer probably isn't for the apartment dweller unless you have very understanding neighbors.

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Infinity BU 120

Despite some reservations about the decline of a once-great brand, I figured a low mailorder price of about $500 made this worth the risk of having to ship it back if it didn't measure up.
Unfortunately, I didn't even get the benefit of a cross comparison with my old subwoofer, since it was delivered DOA. The packing was good and there were no signs of UPS mishandling. The only evidence of its "Carver" amp was a glowing LED on the back. Output was nada (but at least it didn't hum).

That confirmation of my qualms decided the issue. I'll stick with my M&K Volkswoofer that has been working well for over 15 years.

Extremely Deep

Size

This sub is big, but very powerful. It produces some of the lowest and loudest rumbles I've ever witnessed. I find it amazing how it can move so much air with such a small amount of distortion. Don't watch another action movie until you install one of these subs! You will not be dissapointed.