Can't go wrong with this one!
Written: Oct 17 '02
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Pros: Musical, lots of output, low extension, high quality, high value.
Cons: Big and heavy.
The Bottom Line: If you're in Canada, just buy one or two, unless you require smaller size. If you're in the U.S., I still recommend it, but look around first.
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| sebdavid's Full Review: Paradigm 12" Powered Subwoofer PW-2200 |
First of all, a bit of background: I am currently employed in an electronics store that sells home theatre and hi-fi products. I have been an audio enthusiast for several years now and have pieced together a respectable home theatre. I am therefore no stranger to both the technical side of audio and the practical side, i.e. I know what sounds good, and I know why it sounds good and how to make it sound good. Specifically, I have had extensive experience with several subs from Klipsch, Energy, Axiom, Jamo, Athena. The only sub I’ve heard among those that topped the Paradigm was an RSW-12 from Klispch, and I still consider the Paradigm superior in a couple of ways.
For those of you who simply want my overall impression, no need to scroll down, here it is: this is an amazing piece of equipment, you cannot go wrong with it, and I recommend it heavily, especially considering its price.
Now for something a little more elaborate. Let me divide this review in 6 sections: output, extension, sound quality, quality of the unit, value, and overall impression.
OUTPUT: very good
Although this some will be no match for the monsters of the subwoofing world, and several products produce more output than it does, if you consider its price range, the output is pretty incredible. You can look up its specs, or look at Tom Vodhanel’s unofficial comparative subwoofer output list (on which the PW-2200 ranks VERY high) to get some numbers. You will not get numbers from me, as they would have no meaning since they would in great part reflect the sound performance of my room and not the sub. I will say this, however: subjectively, this sub has amazing output. Correctly placed in a good room, it will very efficiently shake the walls. I managed to dislodge several objects from their position in adjacent rooms. If you listened to bass-intensive material at this sub’s maximal output for long period of times, you would probably get a headache. As long as you have a “normal” room, the sub will have no problem responding to the high demands of most every LFE track and bass-intensive software.
EXTENSION: very good
Again, this is not the cream of the crop regarding extension. Sure, you can find subs that go lower cleanly, but not a lot in this price category. Again, for numbers, take a look at Tom Vodhanel’s list, they will give you some objective idea. Subjectively, the PW-2200 goes low enough to test the inferior limits of most people’s hearing. Of course, it isn’t perfectly flat to the lower frequencies in the 20Hz vicinity, but given the low occurrence of such frequencies (you believe the big explosions in Armageddon to go down to 20Hz, but in fact they probably don’t, not with a lot of muster anyway), this will not be a problem on the great majority of software out there, be it music (I listened to some demanding hip-hop with no hint of lack of extension) or movies (of course, an exception must be made for the couple dozen DVDs out there that go down loooow…).
SOUND QUALITY: very good
The same evaluation I made concerning output and extension holds here: not the best, but most certainly near or at the top of its price category (depending on where you live, but more on that later). I initially thought that the sub wasn’t very musical, but after gaining more experience with other units, I understood that it is a lot more musical than most 12” subs out there. You really have to push it to high volume levels for it to lose its hard-edged punch we all love so much. One of my friends/colleagues came over, and he lost his conviction that only 10” subs can be musical, he loved the sound of this one. Put quite simply, I never listen to music without the sub. It adds that bottom layer of sound without interfering too much with the cleanliness of the sound.
QUALITY OF THE UNIT: excellent
Nothing to criticize here. This sub is really well-built, the only thing that more hardcore users will find lacking is an easily replaceable power cord. My unit came in a very attractive, though relatively standard, high-quality black veneer. The sheer weight of the sub testifies to the quality of its components: nothing cheap inside that big black box! You get high-quality banana posts in the back, plus low-level input and output connections. The sub has three control knobs, one for volume, which is very nice and progressive, one for high-frequency cut-off, very useful in some situations, and one for phase, from 0 to 180 degrees. You can set it at always on or auto-on/off, there is not hard off switch on the unit. The auto-on is very fast and does not require too much input to start the sub instantly. The driver is very well made, after a couple years of abuse nothing shows any sign of wear and tear. The one and only thing that bothered me somewhat about the quality of the unit was a slight buzz coming from the heat sink not ideally tightened in the back. It is a very faint noise that you hear only when a lot of mid-bass is playing without anything else, but it could have worsened later on. A quick screwdriver job, however, and that was over with. The sub is quite big, however, so if you’re looking for something unobtrusive, this isn’t it.
VALUE: excellent
This is where the Paradigm PW-2200 shines the most. If you live in the U.S., then maybe HSU and SVS subwoofers can touch the price/quality ratio this product offers. For Canadians, however, I don’t think it can be beat if you factor in the exchange rate and shipping costs, as well as possible duty. See, Paradigm is a Canadian company, and we have their product available to us a lot cheaper than people over in the ol’ U.S. of A. Which means that I was able to get this for… CAN $670 plus tax at a local brick and mortar shop. It’s called Stereo Plus Brossard if you want to know. Quite simply, I have not found another subwoofer on the local market that can compete with the value offered by this one, especially at discount Canadian prices.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
This is where I can tip the scale. I hope I haven’t given you the wrong impression by rating some features as very good instead of excellent. However, the product is not perfect, and so I cannot give a perfect rating. I hardly see how it could be possible for someone to release another product on the market that would beat the PW-2200 when considering value for the money. This sub has given me years of pure pleasure, and will stay in my system for a long time to come. I don’t see myself upgrading anytime, except maybe to add another PW-2200, just because I can and I’m a bass freak. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy this sub and the great comments it brings me from neophytes and experienced audio enthusiasts alike! I am giving this a rating of 5 stars, simply because there isn’t a 4½ star rating available, and I want to give it more than 4 stars.
For U.S. customers, some subs to consider as alternatives are HSU and SVS, as well as homemade designs of course.
I hope you enjoy this review, and if you require more information or want to comment, email me at sebdavid@email.com!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 490
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sebdavid
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Reviews written: 5
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