Value, build quality, output.

None.

Value, bang for the buck, and performance induced me to add a new V.3 of the Paradigm PS-1200 to my existing PS-1200 that I have had for well over a year. I also purchased the X-30 Paradigm Subwoofer Controller, which has dual sub-outs, to drive both of the units together and in phase. Wow! Whereas one unit fell off a bit near the lower end of its' extension, which is 23hz., the two combined units just growl down solidly with authority. The new Version 3 of the PS-1200 has the rear baffle corners beveled like the front are. The amplifier module has changed as well. The cooling/heat sink fins are different, and the salesman indicated that the rms wattage for the amp went up a bit to now 180 watts, versus the earlier 130 watts. These wattage numbers are very deceptive. The bandpass cabinet is very efficient, using both the front and rear soundwaves from the driver, to great advantage. An acoustic suspension design would need double the watts to achieve the same effect. (If not more) I have placed the units backwards, with the triple ports (x2) firing into the room, as pointing the ports into the wall corner simply produced too much picture rattling. I'm very impressed! My close second on the decision list was the Polk Audio dual 12" PSW-1200 that Crutchfield is currently selling at $800. The Good Guys, a local retailer stocks the smaler PSW-650, but not the larger unit, and I simply could not buy a speaker without an audition. (take note e-tailers...)Another note: Over the last several years, the larger retailers like Circuit City have completely forgotten what customer service means, promising everything when they sell you an extended service policy, but engaging in enourmous foot-dragging and bulls_ _t when the time comes to honor their agreements. I have had not one but three bad experiences with them in this regard: Car Alarm-Not Honored, Computer-Not Honored, Amplifier-Barely Honored after a huge fight. The point of this diatribe is that the smaller independant retailers care more about their reputation, and value each and every customer, and thus deserve your support and $$ Perhaps Circuit City should care more about their customers instead of misguided ventures like DIVX? (Untold millions down the toilet!) Conclusion- The PS-1200 represents a significant value for the money, delivering deep performance and depth. Packaging was first-rate, with extra cardboard inserts at the corners and top (Are you listening Velodyne?). The finish on the new V-3 is a slightly higher gloss than the old one, which improves the overall appearance. Whether used in a sub/sat system for regular stereo, or at the end of an LFE/sub output for home theater, this unit will do the job, with flair. Check it out!

Similar Products Used:

Own & Use-Velodyne CT150, M&K MX150, first Paradigm PS-1200/

I had a need for bass for movies and stuff, I started with a small sub it was like 200 and I finally got a $750 sub Figures but I spent my money the best way. This sub is awsome it has Lots of deep bass for movies, you have your Music loud or quiet theres bass Its real nice I love this thing Probally the best thing I have got so far no problems with it at all

Lots of bass for the bucks!!! Price/Quality ratio is unbelievable. Solid construction throughout.

Some transformer hum (V2). Cheap cabinet look. In my humble opinion not a "musical" sub.

I add a PS-1200 in my system mainly to impress my friends while watching some FX blockbusters! I already own a PW-2200(also from Paradigm)and I hooked up the two in stereo. This combo will move lots of air!!!

The bandbass design of the PS-1200 will rival in output the PW-2200 but not in terms of extension nor quality. By all means this is an excellent sub and in my set-up I'm totally blown away by its performance but alone, in a musical stereo
system it will come short in terms of bass quality. Pitch and definition are average.

For HT, this is another story: This sub WILL play very loud and the extension is quite impressive for a bandpass design. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, this is without a doubt the most powerful bandpass sub on the market. This is a hefty unit (70lbs) and very well constructed enclosure, the carbon composite driver inside looks solid within its die-cast aluminum basket and powerful magnet assembly.

The efficiency is very high. Without having to turn the dial past midpoint on the volume control, the PS-1200 will change the air pressure in your living room! Effortlessly.
Exploding FX in movies are a feast for this sub: I dunno, maybe the way its bandpass design compress the sound behind the ports has something to do with it. For instance the rockets exploding in "October Sky" were reproduced with lifelike extravaganza! Felt like being behind that plywood shelter with those crazy kids!!!

For the price and if your looking for one of the best HT sub on the market, look no further, the PS-1200 will totally amaze you and a house full of friends!!!

Similar Products Used:

PW-2200 (see my review)

POWER, TIGHT DEEP POWER

i lost a few fillings

IF you want the home theater with maximum value for price, it monitor 7 v.2 fronts, a cc 370 center and Adp 370 rears, all with identical drivers, powered down low by the monster ps-1200. BAR NONE

YEAH!!

I've just finished a hard day of testing , cause the time of buying my kit is near .I've listen to different sub , energy , mirage , virtuel ... I'll say one thing about them ..... TOTAL SHIT , The sound dosnt punch , it roll over and over ....

At my last stop , i've listen to the Paradigm 2 Monitor 7 with the ps-1200 ( No Center , no second pair of monitor 7 for rear ) .... And I Was Amazed ... Imagine when i'll get everything !!!

This Sub Drive me Away , It punch The Sound , Due to is different Conception .
The 900$can Energy and the 600$ virtuel sound like a stomach burn compare to the ps-1200 , When The Asteroid exploded in Armageddon , they BLOW , The BOOOOOM ,they dosnt vvooooooMMM anymore .

guest what i'll buy in 2 week ????

Can you say 111 decibels SPL? Amazing, earth shattering, accurate bass. Well suited to music and *especially* HT. I cant raise the subwoofer level much above half way without shaking the whole place to pieces when the right note is hit. It gives you quantity AND quality. I honestly believe if you went wild with this (ie turn it up full for long times with heavy bass playing), you would do structural damage to your walls. (But you would not in normal use!)

Very solid construction. Its built like a safe. No compromise on build quality in all ways: solidity of wood, internal chassis, amp, controls. Everything.

The built-in amp is of excellent quality.

Perfectly matched with other Paradigm speakers, highly configuarable via its full 180 degree phase control (no on/off phase switch on this one!), cutoff and level controls. I like how it has both subwoofer-feed in and normal speaker-in (and out), so you can rely on the configurable subwoofer to control the cutoff, not the amp-decided cutoff.

None really. However I believe it would be possible for them to improve the look of the wood/finish a little. Up close (as in 6 inches) it does look a little cheap on the outside. But dont mistake that for being cheap! Knock on this thing too hard and you will break a knuckle, not the box!

Grab a torch and look inside the ports. Its a very high quality internal setup, from the woofer itself to the chassis that holds it.

Well, my neighbors are now aware I have a subwoofer. When I really turn it up, I can feel it from dozens of meters away, literally. My neigbors can confirm that too...

If I could have torn myself away from Twister last night, I wouldnt be surprised to see them running for shelter. It was amazing. A totally different experience from other times I watched Twister, including at the movies.

It is one large subby. When I was auditioning various ones, they were OK to pretty good. Too many were good at music but not nearly good enough for HT. Many were average at music and a little over average for HT, but not very accurate. Then I saw this big black monster sitting in the corner, and asked them to fire it up out of interest.

I was wondering how good it could be considering the front of the woofer is locked in the box with no vents anywhere, and the 3 rear ports were the only outlet. My belief it wouldnt be too good was crushed pretty quickly!

Toy story 2 was projected onto the screen as I sat down and within seconds my legs and clothes were shaking. Serious, serious bass. Its been the same at home.

And I havent even placed it ideally yet. You can aim it into the center of the room and it still shocks you. My TV is soon to move, and it will sit near the corner, which I am sure will improve things yet again.

I have found that it is more suited to HT than music. But dont for one second think that means it isnt great for music too. It is. Its just that for really really accurate music reproduction, I have heard some 10" subbys that are a little better (but not so good for HT). But for music I am certainly satisfied with the PS-1200 for pretty much every kind of music. In some types of music (heavy beat) it is even better than the tigher 10" units.

And for home theatre....I dont think its an easy subwoofer to better, regardless of price. Velodyne? Yes they make some good units. Test out a velodyne that is significantly more expnsive than the PS-1200 and you will see why you would be foolish to buy the Velodyne. Several more expensive Velodyne models I tested put out both less and lower quality bass for music and HT. I was surprised to be honest. I wasnt expecting to walk away with a Paradigm subby that day, but there was a clear advantage in terms of price and experience by going with the Paradigm, for the models I tested.

The servo-15 is the next step up in the Paradigm range. Its a serious subwoofer. But quite a few people I have spoken to say the PS-1200 is better in any room other than a *huge* one. The Servo-15 is overkill in normal to largish rooms, and doesnt sound as good in both music and HT. My experience with the Servo015 is the same. If I had a massive room I would use it (actually, now I think about it, I would probably use a Servo-15 or maybe two PS-1200's instead)

Overall I would say its 60% a HT subby, 40% a music subby. (Where 50/50 would do both HT and music absolutely perfectly). I havent ever heard any that do both perfectly. This is as close I have got.

Be sure to give it time to bed-in before judging it. It was a bit overpowering and slightly boomy right out of the box. After a few hours it started to settle in. 40hrs later it was MUCH more accurate and punchier when needed, much smoother and just much better in every way. Its been about 60hrs now and its still improving. Spend time placing it well and follow the guide for setting the three controls.

The overall quality has forced me to take a close look at the whole Paradigm range.

I have not been disappointed.

In fact I have just recently matched the PS-1200 with the Paradigm Reference Studio 40's (v2) and it is a perfect match. The 40's dont do really low bass as well as some larger speakers (see my review on them under Speakers -> Paradigm Reference Studio 40's) but that is to be expected. The PS-1200 makes up for it though, and then some! I can match the two perfectly thanks to the highly adjustable subwoofer controls, and the end result is a seemless sound produced by my main speakers and subwoofer, that appears as though coming from one source. I believe Paradigm take speaker matching across their range of products into account during design, and it shows. A perfect transition.

Coming next week is probably a Paradigm Studio-CC center, if the audition is anything like the Studio 40's and PS-1200 was! After that, eventually the 40's go to the rear and a pair of Studio 60's, 80's or 100's do the front.

I highly recommend this subwoofer.

System:

Onkyo TX-DS575 DTS AV Receiver
Onkyo DV-S535 DVD/CD Player
Paradigm Reference Studio 40 v2's (mains)
Bose AM5 surrounds (Will soon morph into something with Paradigm written on it, thats for sure)
No Center (next week!)
Sony Wega KV-XF29-M35 TV
Sony SLV-X837AS VCR

Similar Products Used:

Various, inlcuding Paradigm Servo 15, Velodyne, M&K.

This sub is great for movies.It will go quite low and can play at hearing aidlevels.For music its another story,unless you are the one who listens to loud
over the top Walkman type music(plus 20dB at 50Hz!).Its slow,like almost all
the Band-Pass subs.I say go with the Paradigm 2200,its a bit more expensive and
will work great for both music and movies.

I got the PS-1200 after I received the Energy Take 5 package with the ES 8 sub. I wasnt very happy with the Energy sub so I traded it for the Paradigm. I still have a problem with the Paradigm though, turning the damn thing down! This sub is awesome. It has more than enough punch for anything I can throw at it. I have a Sony 925 receiver and a Proscan dvd player and on the DTS soundtest at the beginning of Apollo 13, the sub really shines. It hits extremely low and stays loud at the same time. I recomend this sub to anyone who loves bass. This sub won't disappoint you.

Quite a few if you know how to set it up right.

If you're looking for a sub. with better performance and a much smaller footprint for the same price, check out Athena Technologies' P3 as a viable alternative.