Subwoofers Ranked by Published Low-Frequency Extension

11 subwoofers from 3 manufacturers. There is no honest way to rank them on how loud they play, because only 1 of the 11 publishes an output figure. What can be compared is how low each one is published to reach — and only between the models quoted to the same tolerance, which is 9 of the 11.

Last verified: 2026-08-09

Why this is not ranked by watts

Every subwoofer here publishes an amplifier power. It is the number on the box, it is the number retailers sort by, and it is an input: it says what the amplifier delivers to the driver, not what the cabinet delivers to the room. Two subwoofers with the same amplifier and different cabinets are not the same product, and this database contains pairs that prove it.

The figure that would answer the question is maximum output. Klipsch R-120SW publishes 116 dB — and it is the only one here that publishes anything of the kind. Even that figure carries no distance, no half or full space and no input signal, so it cannot be put on a common basis with anything else, and it is not what this page ranks on.

So the ranking below is the low corner: the lowest frequency the manufacturer publishes, at the tolerance the manufacturer publishes it. A range quoted without a ±dB window is not a measurement, it is a claim, and it does not go in the table.

Ranked by published low corner, ±3 dB

Every model in this table is quoted by its maker to the same ±3 dB window, which is what makes the column comparable. Lower is deeper.

#	Photo	Subwoofer	Low corner	Published range	Amplifier, RMS	Driver	Cabinet	External volume	Source	Buy
1		SVS PB-2000 Pro	16 Hz	16 Hz – 290 Hz ±3 dB in standard mode; 17 Hz – 290 Hz ±3 dB sealed	550 W	12 in	ported	118 L	source	Check price
2	—	SVS PB-3000	16 Hz	16 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB in standard mode; 18 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB sealed	800 W	13 in	ported	171 L	source	Check price
3		SVS PB-4000	16 Hz	16 Hz – 200 Hz ±3 dB standard; 13 Hz – 200 Hz extended; 18 Hz – 200 Hz sealed	1200 W	13.5 in	ported	214 L	source	Check price
4		SVS PB-1000 Pro	17 Hz	17 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB	325 W	12 in	ported	93 L	source	Check price
5		SVS SB-3000	18 Hz	18 Hz – 270 Hz ±3 dB	800 W	13 in	sealed	69 L	source	Check price
6		SVS SB-2000 Pro	19 Hz	19 Hz – 240 Hz ±3 dB	550 W	12 in	sealed	53 L	source	Check price
7	—	SVS SB-4000	19 Hz	19 Hz – 310 Hz ±3 dB	1200 W	13.5 in	sealed	112 L	source	Check price
8	—	SVS SB-1000 Pro	20 Hz	20 Hz – 270 Hz ±3 dB	325 W	12 in	sealed	42 L	source	Check price
9	—	Klipsch R-120SW	29 Hz	29 Hz – 120 Hz ±3 dB	200 W	12 in	not published	73 L	source	Check price

The spread across the ranked set is 13 Hz, from 16 Hz to 29 Hz. In the bottom octaves a few hertz is a large difference in what you hear and a very large difference in what the cabinet has to be, which is why the external volume travels with the figure.

What could not be ranked, and why

We could put these in the table by ignoring the tolerance. That is exactly the error this site was built to catch on speaker sensitivity, and it does not become acceptable because the frequency is lower.

What that costs in floor space

Reaching lower takes a bigger box. Every cabinet in the database is drawn below to one scale, from the dimensions its manufacturer publishes, with the 300 mm bar as the reference.

Every subwoofer in detail

Each entry lists what its manufacturer publishes, then what those figures favour and what to check. All of it is read off the specification, not off a listening session: we have not heard any of these.

SVS PB-2000 Pro

550 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$1,200 (each)

Amplifier power

550 W RMS, 1500 W peak (Class D)

Driver

12 in nominal

Cabinet

ported

Frequency response

16 Hz – 290 Hz ±3 dB in standard mode; 17 Hz – 290 Hz ±3 dB sealed

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

510 × 432 × 536 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Ported cabinet, published 3 Hz lower at the bottom than the SVS SB-2000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 550 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet: 16 Hz against 19 Hz.
• Published down to 16 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 510 × 432 × 536 mm (H × W × D), about 118 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• It is 123 per cent larger by external volume than the SVS SB-2000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 550 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet — 118 litres against 53, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• The response is published once per cabinet mode — 16 Hz – 290 Hz ±3 dB in standard mode; 17 Hz – 290 Hz ±3 dB sealed — so the figure worth comparing depends on which configuration you actually run it in. The low corner used above is the first one the manufacturer lists, which they label the standard configuration.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

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SVS PB-3000

800 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$1,500 (each)

Amplifier power

800 W RMS, 2500 W peak (Class D)

Driver

13 in nominal

Cabinet

ported

Frequency response

16 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB in standard mode; 18 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB sealed

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

556 × 465 × 660 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Amplifier published at 800 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has more continuous power than most of them.
• 13-inch driver against a 12-inch median for this category — roughly 17 per cent more radiating area, on the nominal diameters the manufacturers publish, which take in the surround rather than the moving cone alone.
• Ported cabinet, published 2 Hz lower at the bottom than the SVS SB-3000, the same 13-inch driver and the same 800 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet: 16 Hz against 18 Hz.
• Published down to 16 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 556 × 465 × 660 mm (H × W × D), about 171 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• It is 147 per cent larger by external volume than the SVS SB-3000, the same 13-inch driver and the same 800 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet — 171 litres against 69, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• The response is published once per cabinet mode — 16 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB in standard mode; 18 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB sealed — so the figure worth comparing depends on which configuration you actually run it in. The low corner used above is the first one the manufacturer lists, which they label the standard configuration.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

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SVS PB-4000

1200 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$1,900 (each)

Amplifier power

1200 W RMS, 4000 W peak (Class D)

Driver

13.5 in nominal

Cabinet

ported

Frequency response

16 Hz – 200 Hz ±3 dB standard; 13 Hz – 200 Hz extended; 18 Hz – 200 Hz sealed

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

648 × 490 × 673 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Amplifier published at 1200 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has more continuous power than most of them.
• 13.5-inch driver against a 12-inch median for this category — roughly 27 per cent more radiating area, on the nominal diameters the manufacturers publish, which take in the surround rather than the moving cone alone.
• Ported cabinet, published 3 Hz lower at the bottom than the SVS SB-4000, the same 13.5-inch driver and the same 1200 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet: 16 Hz against 19 Hz.
• Published down to 16 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 648 × 490 × 673 mm (H × W × D), about 214 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• It is 91 per cent larger by external volume than the SVS SB-4000, the same 13.5-inch driver and the same 1200 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet — 214 litres against 112, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• The response is published once per cabinet mode — 16 Hz – 200 Hz ±3 dB standard; 13 Hz – 200 Hz extended; 18 Hz – 200 Hz sealed — so the figure worth comparing depends on which configuration you actually run it in. The low corner used above is the first one the manufacturer lists, which they label the standard configuration.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

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SVS PB-1000 Pro

325 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$850 (each)

Amplifier power

325 W RMS, 820 W peak (Class D)

Driver

12 in nominal

Cabinet

ported

Frequency response

17 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

480 × 381 × 508 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Ported cabinet, published 3 Hz lower at the bottom than the SVS SB-1000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 325 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet: 17 Hz against 20 Hz.
• Published down to 17 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• Frequency response published with its tolerance: 17 Hz – 260 Hz ±3 dB. A range quoted without a ±dB window does not tell you how flat it is inside it; this one carries the window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 480 × 381 × 508 mm (H × W × D), about 93 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Amplifier published at 325 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has less continuous power than most of them.
• It is 119 per cent larger by external volume than the SVS SB-1000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 325 W amplifier in a sealed cabinet — 93 litres against 42, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

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SVS SB-3000

800 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$1,100 (each)

Amplifier power

800 W RMS, 2500 W peak (Class D)

Driver

13 in nominal

Cabinet

sealed

Frequency response

18 Hz – 270 Hz ±3 dB

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

386 × 396 × 452 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Amplifier published at 800 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has more continuous power than most of them.
• 13-inch driver against a 12-inch median for this category — roughly 17 per cent more radiating area, on the nominal diameters the manufacturers publish, which take in the surround rather than the moving cone alone.
• It is 60 per cent smaller by external volume than the SVS PB-3000, the same 13-inch driver and the same 800 W amplifier in a ported cabinet — 69 litres against 171, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• Frequency response published with its tolerance: 18 Hz – 270 Hz ±3 dB. A range quoted without a ±dB window does not tell you how flat it is inside it; this one carries the window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 386 × 396 × 452 mm (H × W × D), about 69 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Sealed cabinet, published 2 Hz higher at the bottom than the SVS PB-3000, the same 13-inch driver and the same 800 W amplifier in a ported cabinet: 18 Hz against 16 Hz.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

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SVS SB-2000 Pro

550 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$900 (each)

Amplifier power

550 W RMS, 1500 W peak (Class D)

Driver

12 in nominal

Cabinet

sealed

Frequency response

19 Hz – 240 Hz ±3 dB

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

371 × 361 × 396 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• It is 55 per cent smaller by external volume than the SVS PB-2000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 550 W amplifier in a ported cabinet — 53 litres against 118, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• Frequency response published with its tolerance: 19 Hz – 240 Hz ±3 dB. A range quoted without a ±dB window does not tell you how flat it is inside it; this one carries the window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 371 × 361 × 396 mm (H × W × D), about 53 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Sealed cabinet, published 3 Hz higher at the bottom than the SVS PB-2000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 550 W amplifier in a ported cabinet: 19 Hz against 16 Hz.
• Published down to 19 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

Manufacturer specification · Check price on Amazon

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SVS SB-4000

1200 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$1,400 (each)

Amplifier power

1200 W RMS, 4000 W peak (Class D)

Driver

13.5 in nominal

Cabinet

sealed

Frequency response

19 Hz – 310 Hz ±3 dB

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

465 × 452 × 531 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Amplifier published at 1200 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has more continuous power than most of them.
• 13.5-inch driver against a 12-inch median for this category — roughly 27 per cent more radiating area, on the nominal diameters the manufacturers publish, which take in the surround rather than the moving cone alone.
• It is 48 per cent smaller by external volume than the SVS PB-4000, the same 13.5-inch driver and the same 1200 W amplifier in a ported cabinet — 112 litres against 214, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• Frequency response published with its tolerance: 19 Hz – 310 Hz ±3 dB. A range quoted without a ±dB window does not tell you how flat it is inside it; this one carries the window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 465 × 452 × 531 mm (H × W × D), about 112 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Sealed cabinet, published 3 Hz higher at the bottom than the SVS PB-4000, the same 13.5-inch driver and the same 1200 W amplifier in a ported cabinet: 19 Hz against 16 Hz.
• Published down to 19 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

Manufacturer specification · Check price on Amazon

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SVS SB-1000 Pro

325 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$600 (each)

Amplifier power

325 W RMS, 820 W peak (Class D)

Driver

12 in nominal

Cabinet

sealed

Frequency response

20 Hz – 270 Hz ±3 dB

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

343 × 330 × 375 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• It is 54 per cent smaller by external volume than the SVS PB-1000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 325 W amplifier in a ported cabinet — 42 litres against 93, computed from the two published sets of outside dimensions. That is the figure that has to fit in the room.
• Frequency response published with its tolerance: 20 Hz – 270 Hz ±3 dB. A range quoted without a ±dB window does not tell you how flat it is inside it; this one carries the window.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 343 × 330 × 375 mm (H × W × D), about 42 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Amplifier published at 325 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has less continuous power than most of them.
• Sealed cabinet, published 3 Hz higher at the bottom than the SVS PB-1000 Pro, the same 12-inch driver and the same 325 W amplifier in a ported cabinet: 20 Hz against 17 Hz.
• Published down to 20 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.

Manufacturer specification · Check price on Amazon

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Klipsch R-120SW

200 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

not published

Amplifier power

200 W RMS, 400 W peak

Driver

12 in nominal

Cabinet

not published

Frequency response

29 Hz – 120 Hz ±3 dB

Maximum output

116 dB, conditions not stated

Cabinet dimensions

419 × 356 × 488 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Frequency response published with its tolerance: 29 Hz – 120 Hz ±3 dB. A range quoted without a ±dB window does not tell you how flat it is inside it; this one carries the window.
• An output figure is published at all: 116 dB maximum acoustic output, which no other model here does.
• Cabinet dimensions published: 419 × 356 × 488 mm (H × W × D), about 73 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Amplifier published at 200 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has less continuous power than most of them.
• Published down to 29 Hz at ±3 dB, against a median of 18 Hz among the 9 models in our database quoted to that same window.
• Klipsch publishes “MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT 116 dB” with no distance, no half or full space, and no input signal stated, so it cannot be placed on a common basis with anything.

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Polk Audio Monitor XT10

50 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$349 (each)

Amplifier power

50 W RMS, 100 W peak (Class D)

Driver

10 in nominal

Cabinet

ported

Frequency response

24 Hz – 160 Hz, no tolerance stated

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

400 × 302 × 421 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Cabinet dimensions published: 400 × 302 × 421 mm (H × W × D), about 51 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Amplifier published at 50 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has less continuous power than most of them.
• 10-inch driver against a 12-inch median for this category — roughly 31 per cent less radiating area, on the nominal diameters the manufacturers publish, which take in the surround rather than the moving cone alone.
• Polk publishes 24 Hz to 160 Hz with no tolerance stated. Without a ±dB window the range does not tell you how far the response deviates inside it, and it cannot be compared with the ±3 dB figures the rest of this category publishes.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.
• Its published figures are identical to the 12-inch Monitor XT12: the same 50 W RMS, the same 100 W peak and the same 24 Hz – 160 Hz. Polk Audio publishes nothing that separates the 10-inch driver from the 12-inch, so the specification cannot tell you what the difference in cone area buys.

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Polk Audio Monitor XT12

50 Wamplifier output, RMS

List price

$399 (each)

Amplifier power

50 W RMS, 100 W peak (Class AB)

Driver

12 in nominal

Cabinet

ported

Frequency response

24 Hz – 160 Hz, no tolerance stated

Maximum output

not published

Cabinet dimensions

417 × 406 × 455 mm (H × W × D)

What the published figures favour

• Cabinet dimensions published: 417 × 406 × 455 mm (H × W × D), about 77 litres of external volume, so you can check it fits before ordering.

What to check before buying

• Amplifier published at 50 W RMS against a median of 550 W across the 11 subwoofers in our database, so it has less continuous power than most of them.
• Polk publishes 24 Hz to 160 Hz with no tolerance stated. Without a ±dB window the range does not tell you how far the response deviates inside it, and it cannot be compared with the ±3 dB figures the rest of this category publishes.
• No maximum output figure published. 1 of the 11 subwoofers in our database publishes one, so the omission is this manufacturer’s choice rather than an industry-wide silence, and amplifier watts are all you have to go on here.
• Its published figures are identical to the 10-inch Monitor XT10: the same 50 W RMS, the same 100 W peak and the same 24 Hz – 160 Hz. Polk Audio publishes nothing that separates the 12-inch driver from the 10-inch, so the specification cannot tell you what the difference in cone area buys.

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Related

• Subwoofers Under $700 — the same category by price band
• Subwoofers From $700 to $1,200 — the same category by price band
• Subwoofers Over $1,200 — the same category by price band
• Two speakers, both “87 dB”, three decibels apart — the same tolerance problem, one category over
• The gear database — every figure above, with its source
• How we work — the method, and where it breaks