I pick this up secondhand on eBay and I have been nothing less than extraordinarily pleased by the performance clarity and impact on low and performance of the frequency spectrum. It really is a very clear non-distortive generalize performance of all music genres unless if the music dictates that it needs that type of distortion effect. I have this paired with Bowers and Wilkins 685 first-generation in a set up configured as 2.1 stereo with the Yamaha 6.1 5940 receiver. I don't do a lot of HDMI hook ups through a receiver so this particular configuration is fine I run all my stuff separately from the receiver well as far as HDMI wiring which it does not have is concerned and so on. I also have her 301 disc changer last me a very long time well over 10 years I would say that the Bowers and Wilkins 685 generation one is a five star rating to me regardless of some four star ratings by critics and I would also give the generation to 685's a five star rating out of five both phenomenal speakers. This sub crosses over at 90 hz The speakers have the same crossover which made it a true breeze and they fit together and play togethe The speakers have the same crossover which made it a true breeze to set up. The sound is very much A multi layer experience perform seamlessly together and has maybe rediscover my music collection and movies much more enjoyable than what I had in the past and out of five stars with this combination the subwoofer offers really is something special. I full heartedly recommend picking it up. I also highly recommend the Bowers and Wilkins 685 generation one or two or even the 683 generation one or two

-Very powerfull
-Wonderfull sound
-Right cutover frequency (80 hertz)
-Good built and good looking

-Lacks auto-poweron
-Lacks frequency level (but it is not really needed)

I bought this subwoofer (Second hand: 102 euros + shipping on Ebay) to replace my AIWA TSW-45, which was not very musical (only very boomy).
My main use is in an Home Theatre chain (Yamaha DSP A-5 Amplifier, Mission 731LE Front, Kef Coda C centre and Yamaha NS E80 sorround) and I was surprised by the huge power of this subwoofer.

My old AIWA was about 50 watts, and could do a big noise (not actually music...). The ASW 500 really rocks! It makes my whole hosue tremble.
Maybe because of the position (in between the wall and sofa) I can really feel it in the stomach, but also glasses in the kitchen were trmbling!

But apart from the power itself, it is very musical, and does not make music bust (like the AIWA), but it really makes sound.

I'm using it with less than one third of the full volume, but it can really fill my room (which is 4x6 meters in the HT part, but extends for other 6x4 meters on one side) and I'm very surprised that someone found it not powerfull enough.

I haven't really tested it with music, but I would not expect any bad, after this first experience. It's a B&W with a Rotel mosfet amplifier, it is hard to beat!

Similar Products Used:

AIWA TSW-45

Deep Bass Sound Build Quality

not

I was very impressed with this sub. Its very musical. Great for music and HT. Solid and deep bass. Very good looks and beatiful finish.

Awesome tight bass,blends well,looks good You can feel it but cant see it.

No standby switch It remains powered on at all times.A little on the expensive side

WoW!!IS all I can say. My favourite subwoofer paired with B&W 601 s3 Music has never sounded better.The 70 watts are underestimated..It can get pretty loud.Great tight bass blends beautifully with surrounds Not over bearing but you can still feel it.Way better with music than dvd But cant complain either way.

Similar Products Used:

JBl...overated// Infinity ...Lost it

Great for ht and music, sexy looking

no auto switch on

I went out looking for a sub with intentions to buy something cheap and hopefully get something of good quality. After looking at a number of smaller sized drivers (sony, yamaha) came across the b&w. Now this was a name that stood out specially since i owned b&w Lm1 as my rears and loved them. After watching u571 with and without i dont no how i went without it. It is also great in stereo form with my Bose 301's adds the perfect amount of low bass they cant produce. Thanx b&w for allowing people with low amounts of money have large amounts of quality that all your friends will be jealous of.

I bought the ASW500 for Home Theatre/Music use only after having a home theatre for about 6 months with no sub. Since installing the ASW500 its like having a brand new system! Sounds great especially on movies.

value, quality, accuracy, power

none

This sub far exceeded my expectations for performance at this price level. I initially thought it may not be enough but I have yet to find the need for max volume - it effortlessly handles anything I put through it. The depth, range and sonic accuracy are excellent. One might consider getting two of these rather than a larger sub for the ultimate system. System used: B&W604s2 fronts B&W602s2x4 surrounds B&W lcr6s2 center B&K307 receiver Sony dvp-9000es dvd player Illuminations d-60 dig cable B&W cd6 speaker wire

Similar Products Used:

klipsch

Works perfectly for a small to medium size room
Very easy to setup

Short power cord doesn't let me place EXACTLY where I want it...

I'm pretty happy with this subwoofer.I tried the Velodyne but it sounded awfully muddy and the JBL had a boomy bass which is something I like about JBLs but I wanted something to match the brightness of my B&W speakers.

I didn't want or need something that would set off car alarms in my neighborhood, just something with the clarity needed for your midrange theater setup. Mine is paired up with 2 B&W 603s, 2 602s and an LCRS2. I set the crossover frequency on my Sony TA-9000 AV receiver at 40 Hz. There doesn't seem to be a need to have a crossover setting on the subwoofer itself when it's used with equipment that will do it for you. I don't even have it turned up to 50% of max. output.

When testing with AVIA Home Theater Reference disk, I noticed that the subwoofer didn't have a very flat response curve during the LFE sweep test of the subwoofer. I don't know what it really means to me though since most of its peaks where in the >100 Hz range. It seems flat enough where it counts.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned a JBL and Velodyne subwoofer

Very sonic and seismic. Bass is spread everywhere; its non-directional.

Good only for mid-size rooms.

A good subwoofer for your system without breaking the bank.

Similar Products Used:

None

Can be daisy-chained to connect 2 or more sub

Lacks bass

After several months of auditioning, it came to my conclusion that this particular model is the lowest in rank in terms of value for money. I was out in the market for subwoofers and at the beginning of my search I favored this model because of my current set-up which is already composed of mostly B&W. I'm not impressed with the performance of this model because it lacks the very thing that it's suppose to deliver "deep bass". For home theater, I prefer to have impact for the explosions and the like to get the feel that you are in the midst of the action. This thing cant produce the lower octaves. Certainly I dont expect this product to produce 20Hz but at least 30Hz for a 10" driver is preferable.

I ended buying a Boston Accoustics PV600 at about the same price.

Similar Products Used:

Jamo 1008
Boston PV600