AFTER JL AUDIO 12W-0-8 SWAP: Boominess gone! Works much better with music, goes lower and cleaner, plunges into subsonic territory with aplomb (visual). Smoother and refined. Much more accurate.

AFTER JL AUDIO 12W-0-8 SWAP: None.

Wow. I'm floored- if you guys can get your hands on an 8ohm JL Audio 12" 12w-0-8 driver, you will be amazed (see 2 posts below this one for the first part). The JL Audio subwoofer has pretty much eliminated the boominess factor that shrouded the stock Sony driver, and yes the port is still open and remains unmodified (might play with that later). The JL sub plunges lower than the Sony and bounces back quicker. The foam surround is better apt to responding quicker to beats, so you don't get the lingering bass (boominess) that you do with the stock Sony driver. The result is a tasteful addition to music tracks with great responce. When it's time for a movie (The Matrix- Lobby Scene), the JL is jumping all over the place in excitement, eager to pick up every single frequency it's given and throw it into the ground. The whole unit blends in better with my Polk Audio speakers (RT400, RT10, CS175i) like a good subwoofer should, instead of standing out like a sore thumb. It isn't as loud at higher volumes like the Sony is (still plenty loud!), but that's a good thing- what you don't here in the difference, you feel. Whatever top end volume it lost to the Sony it gains in subsonic waves that you can feel in your pants legs waving around or the floor rumbling beneath you! It's a more polite subwoofer now, but is still every bit the bad boy- just more refined and smoother.

To accomplish this, I had to get some 3M automotive aluminum oxide 40 grit sandpaper from Wal-Mart (I got the small pack, used about 2-3 sheets) and hollowed out about 2mm of the box's hole diameter. I got a lot of sawdust all over the place, so be sure to line the inside of the box with newspaper so it catches it all- especially if you've PolyFill'ed yours like I have- and put a small piece of duct tape over the power switch so nothing gets in there (sawdust from particle board is very fine). Better safe than sorry. A ShopVac or even a DustBuster will also be useful if you decide to do this. You will also need to find a spade the same size as the positive's and splice that into the negative wire, as the stock negative spade is too small for the JL. The sanding was pretty tough and took a few hours, but that was under the control of a poor college student without a belt sander or a Dremel! A skilled hand with a Dremel can get 2mm knocked off the diameter all around in 5 minutes I'm sure. But at least I built some muscle!... The only disappointing part was having to drill new holes which were so close to the old ones that a few drilled in through the existing holes (went to a friend's house for that). Nevertheless, the sub screwed back in just fine with the existing screws. It should also be HEAVILY NOTED that I strongly recommend putting a silicone bead around the edge of the hole (over the screws) where the lip of the new driver will sit. This will give it a GREAT seal and the only way air will be able to escape is through the port. The grille still fits over new JL driver despite the 4mm (estimated) larger diameter overall and doesn't get in the way or rattle, even when the thing is rocking at full tilt. However, I'm so proud of my workings and the way it looks that I usually leave it off during movies anyway! =D The cone really moves around- lots of travel! I'd say about an inch. It's incredible. I haven't had any compatibility problems with the amp, so it seems to run at a nice, clean 8ohms (my post below had some worry about the 2nd party telling me it might run a little lower at 7ohms, but I guess I wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway). The amp doesn't get any hotter than it did with the stock Sony. In fact, it seems cooler to me.

The Sony is a GREAT product out of the box, and the driver is still excellent. I still recommend the SA-WM40 to everyone in its stock form. But for those who want to get a little more out of it, upgrades are available, and they do make a difference.

I'm selling my original 12" Sony driver out of my SA-WM40 for $65 shipped anywhere in the continental United States. Like new mint condition, never abused, less than 4 months old. If interested, please contact me at sales@chrisatkinson.net

Pictures documenting the JL Audio transplant can be found at http://sony.chrisatkinson.net for a visual perspective. E-mail me at chris@chrisatkinson.net if anyone has any questions. The JL Audio 12w-0-8 can be picked up retail for $120-130 or on eBay for about half that cost.

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Now comparitive to: Polk Audio, Velodyne.

power, price

boomy for music *unless you fill it with polyfill

My tv room is a pretty small rectangle (20x15 FT maybe) and this thing can fill the whole room with so much bass that you would have to yell to be heard (even if no other speakers are on). its great for movies out of the box. the explosions will shake you and hit harder than any movie theater i have been to. for music, the bass is too loose. bass guitar or heavy drums tend to blend together and are not well defined. I fixed this almost completely by putting about 4 inches of polyfill on each inside wall (used a staple gun to attach it). now its extremely nice for music also. the polyfill costs like $5 for a giant bag at wal mart and its easy to put in. definately put polyfill in it if you get one. buy the kind that comes in sheets, easier to manage.

heres some instructions if you need help:

1.set it on the floor with the woofer facing upward.
2.take off the grill and unscrew all the screws around the woofer.
3.lift the woofer out and either have someone hold it or sit it on the side of the box (dont let it fall, the wires attaching it dont have enough slack for it to reach the floor).
4.wrap polyfill around inside against all of the inside walls.
5. staple it to the inside walls with a staple gun.

thats it, my friend and i both did this and we both had amazing results. only takes 5 minutes.

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low end yamaha HT sub, klipsch promedia sub

Price, looks, auto-power switch

boomy when playing music

Well, after hours of reading the reviews on this site I decided to give this subwoofer a try. I was impressed with the sound when playing DVD movies, my room was filled with sound and I could feel the rattle! In regards to music (metal), there was a lot of boominess and lacked definition. After a few weeks getting used to what I thought was the best setting/location in my room, a few days ago I went ahead with the mod (foam, spikes) posted here, returned the subwoofer to the previous location in my HT and WOW!!! What a difference!!! Bass and drums sound much defined and powerful and movies even greater. I think this is a great product and for the price you can't ask for more.

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None, first subwoofer.

Strong, clear, low bass. Rivals, or outshines Subs costing 2 and 3 times as much. At this price you can team up 2 of them!

Absolutely NONE

My JBL died an early death a while back. I wanted something cheap to hold me over until I could decide on what to buy next. The Sony was the obvious choice, though I didn't expect much. Figured I'll sell it later. Boy was I wrong! It blew away my old JBL, and did just as well as the $600 Klipsch in our family room. About a month later we got a second Sony, set one for low end bass, the other for higher end, switched them out of phase with eachother, and placed them at opposite ends of the room. The result was astounding! Cristal clear, accurate, house shaking strength at a fraction of the cost! The Klipsch got pushed aside like an old shoe! My hat's off to Sony on this one!

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JBL and Klipsch subs

Incredible performance out of the box- sounds great, GREAT FOR MUSIC*** AND MOVIES

HAVE NOT FOUND ANY IN 4 WEEKS

WELL THIS SUBWOOFER IS FANTASTIC. I PURCHASED IT BASED ON THE REVIEWS I READ ON THIS PAGE. SIMPLY AMAZING. MOVIES SOUND AWESOME, BETTER THAN ANY MOVIE THEATER AND MUSIC ALSO SOUNDS GREAT. I NOTICED THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THIS SUBWOOFER IS TOO BOOMY FOR MUSIC.... I DISAGREE, I THINK IT SOUNDS GREAT, DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER IN MY OPINION BUT I DO LIKE A LOT OF BASS IN MY MUSIC.

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NONE

Price, HT performance, size, quality

for the price...NONE

I purchased this sub almost soley based on the reviews it was given on this page. I found a new one on ebay from a dealer in NY, for $137, and $30 shipping. It arrived to my office via fed ex in new condition. Once i got home, i hooked this baby up, and right out of the box it sounded supurb with my test dvd (The Matrix of course). I owned a JBL powered 12 that really pounded, but eventually fried after 15 short months. This Sony has a very effective power-down feature that puts the unit in stand-by until it receives another signal. There are no thumps or odd sounds that i frequently got from my JBL. I am also very impressed at how deep this sub goes. I see it's capable of 20hz..well, i'm not to sure about that. If it does go that low, it's at a very low decible level.But, i'm happy with it. My JBL pounded a bit more in stereo mode, but i am still in the process of fine tuning this Sony's positioning and settings.The bottom line is simply this: If you are looking for an inexpensive subwoofer that can do the compliment ANY home theatre setup, go for this sub. Its a perfect match for my quintets.

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JBL 12"

Incredible performance out of the box- sounds great, punches clean and tight bass through 90% of the spectrum!

Likes to 'wuffle' at lower frequencies at slightly higher than usual volumes- sounds bad.

I bought this with my employee discount this past summer (2001) after reading the reviews here and was even more impressed with what I got! I'm very happy with my Sony, but not 100% satisfied. I have a Velodyne taste on an RCA budget. =) I PolyFill'ed the interior back in September (all sides- padded up to the hole opening- only leaving the top of the port exposed with room for it to breathe. Nominal difference), and have aquired a JL Audio 12W0-8 8ohm 12" woofer today to replace the Sony driver. Unfortunately, the woofer won't fit. Barely.

The basket on the JL doesn't drop off soon enough to clear the box's wooden lip. The lip on the driver itself also appears larger in diameter than the Sony's. I've got a buddy off-campus who makes custom sub enclosures for cars (who coincidentally built mine) so I'm going to let him sand out the hole diameter a few milimeters so the JL driver will drop in. When matching the Sony and JL drivers cone to cone, the holes appear to be the same, so hopefully I won't have to drill new ones! Also, the stock negative spade on the amp wire is too narrow and will have to be spliced in favor of a wider one like the positive spade's. The guy who sold this to me (for $40- can't beat that) told me that the 8ohm JLs tend to run a little lower, like 7ohms, so to be careful for awile when running it. We'll see. I've got a Sony STR-DE675 reciever that will be pushing it ($212 on employee discount! hee hee!) with the Performance Service Plan (4 bucks!), so if the amp in my reciever blows, no biggie. I'm covered. But I of course would rather that not happen.

Otherwise, the JL Audio subwoofer looks like it's going to both look and sound killer in this box! Might have to remove or add some PolyFill to tune the box again. Might even stuff the port, who knows. Anyhow, will keep you guys posted on my turn of events- hope to have this completed in the next week or two and will post a review of the new Sony amp/JL Audio subwoofer unit! chris@chrisatkinson.net

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First sub- considered: Polk Audio, Dahlquist, JBL, Infinity, Cerwin Vega, Yamaha

The price! Sounds good. Looks good in my living room.

A bit boomy so far. But hey, it's new and I don't completely know what I'm doing.

I did countless hours of research before this purchase because I had never owned a sub previously and since I have been updating my digital home theater during the past few months, I wanted to get something good (but still affordable). I almost bought one of the JBL's but after reading the reviews, I passed.

The local Best Buy was running a short rebate special on this sub - $50 instant rebate at the register! Can't beat that. So, I bought the service plan too. Normally I don't bother with those things but I do not fully trust subwoofers. The plan is four years, no questions asked. That is decent piece of mind.

I would have bought it online but the prices were not too much better after shipping and the $50 rebate. I did confirm with my local Sears that they do indeed match internet prices if you can show them proof. But their service plan runs $60 for three years. Sorry Sears, nice try.

Like I said, I did a ton of research. I have read every one of the 200+ reviews on this sub here at AudioReview as well as many reviews listed on other sites. The price is what really stands out here. What a bargain. I have had it for only 4 days now. It seems to work great but I do not know exactly how to "fine tune" everything. I have it placed in a corner. When listening to CD's, this thing rocks (the relationship I have with my neighbors is going to take a turn).

Here's my problem. I have not completely figured out how to make my DVD's sound as good as good as CD's. I have a brand new Sony DTS/Dolby Digital receiver/amp, JBL center channel, Bose rear speakers, Monster Cable hooked to everything, and my front towers (they are old and kinda crappy - replacing them soon). I can get quite a sub effect when I program my reveiver to think that the other speakers are small or micro. Is that the way it has to be? That way, I lose some of the sound coming from my other speakers. Does this make sense? The receiver is an 80w x 5. Maybe I should have got the 100 watt model. Oh well, too late now.

Many people on this site recommend modifying this sub. I may give some of that polyfill a try eventually. The sub is a little boomy so far but I have been advised that it needs to be broken in. I may try the carpet spikes too.

All in all, I am happy with my purchase and I am sure that I will get the sound thing figured out. I want to say to you people that this is the greatest sub ever, but sorry, it is my first. So I have no frame of reference.

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This is my first subwoofer. I toyed with many different models before buying the Sony. Such as the JBL PB10, the JBL PB12, and a couple of Yamaha's.

bass to shake a room an' the one next to it, nice solid build an' finish, auto-save switch, plays-o-so-low (nice), price, easy to place

very bulky (but it is a 12"), sucks @$$ on music (too boomy), woofer is a lil' cheap (looks like a tint job gone bad), controls placement

Well, after countless returns on subs to best buy I kept only two. The Yamaha YST-SW90, and the Sony SAW-M40. The YST-SW150 didn't put out any hard hitting bass of any kind. The SAW-M20, was nice and powerful, but distorted too easily as high levels. The YST-SW90, has been great for pucnch with music... but what about movies? The SAW-M40 has been an excellent addition to my HT. Jurassic Park really came alive (which was only VHS), Final Fantasy shook my room (DVD), I even get headaches now. The controls are a bit inconveniently placed, but once tweaked w/ home theatre, there's no need to bother with them. The woofer could've been a better one, yet that could have made it a more expensive sub. I may replace the woofer down the road, as well as making the mods that seem to be ever so famous here on everyone's reviews. Very Nice... hoping to last a long time.

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Audio Source 6.5... RCA 50W... Sony SAW-M20... Yamaha YST-SW90... Yamaha YST-SW150

GREAT SUB FOR THE DOLLAR!!

bit loose when turned up

this is an update. 1st of all im very happy w/ the sub right out of the box,but i was very curious to try some of these mods everybody is talking about.
i went with the polyfill to start.i must say that for anyone wanting to add the poly or replace wofer,ITS A SINCH!!! so easy. i took the woofer out,sprayed the inside w/ some adhesive, cover just the wall w/ polyfill. dont know if its the best way or not.
as far as results, it wasny nearly as loud(not a big deal) but i didnt get this big KABOOM that i was exspecting.im sure im the only one on this page that didnt notice a big difference. i did some tweeking ,and it was a smidge better.a bit more defined thats all. im going to do a little more tweeking , as well as the spikes, and possible replace the woofer.
overall this sub STILL KICKS ASS!!! for 150.00
if someone would have any helpful info on a better way of stuffing , e-mail me. tprice_01@yahoo.com
enjoy the sub , and mods
tp