Best Passive Subwoofer

In order to set up an outstanding home entertainment system, the best passive subwoofer is an essential buy. Whether you’re listening to songs that produce an electric base or have the low bass volume or watch films that include explosions, wars, cannon fire, games, or any action scene, the subwoofer is the device that gives the feeling of a rumble! So the next question would be: “Active vs Passive Subwoofers, which one is for me?”

Passive subs are laconic simplicity of design—the case and speaker, which connects to an external amplifier - nothing more. The design of the active subwoofer includes a housing, speaker, and amplifier. That is, an active subwoofer is a passive subwoofer with a power amplifier located inside the case or outside.

Passive subwoofer pros and cons

Passive subwoofer reviews

JBL PRX418S - best overall

The passive subwoofer PRX418S is a representative of the well-known American company JBL. The simplicity of design increased reliability, and the use of advanced high-tech solutions is a hallmark of the entire acoustics of this company.

The housing of the pretender to be the best passive subwoofer for home theater is made of birch plywood and coated with a special protective coating DuraFlex, which will provide high wear resistance and additional protection against scratches.

The built-in 18” low-frequency woofer of its own production is able to operate in the frequency range of 35 - 250 Hz and, at the same time, give a constant sound power of 800 W (SPL 124 dB).

On the back of the case, there is a patch panel slightly recessed inward, consisting of two Neutrik Speakon NL-4 connectors (IN / THRU).

When using a separate crossover or low-pass filter, the THRU connector allows you to transfer the filtered signal to high-frequency speakers, which will save amplifier channels and cable products for switching. The entire front panel of the case is closed with a removable perforated metal grill, transportation handles are provided on the side faces, and a glass for an acoustic stand is provided on top of a 35 mm glass.

Samsung SWA-W700

Now let’s have a look at another model of passive subwoofers for home audio - Samsung's SWA-W700. This optional extra for soundbars is a 15kg thing of subtle beauty. It offers an interesting spiral brushed metalwork, matt-grey finish, and a rear-facing 10” driver. It pairs wirelessly using a dongle that plugs into the USB port on the soundbar. While there are no spec details for its onboard amplification, it does boast the Distortion Cancelling technology. Proprietary Distortion Cancelling technology detects potential sound distortions in advance and eliminates them, so you can clearly distinguish between the lowest and deepest bass.

This subwoofer can reproduce low frequencies up to 27 Hz, works great in tandem with the rest of the speakers, and is responsible for the lowest frequencies. The nominal output power of this model is 200W. The subwoofer reproduces deep, saturated low frequencies, increasing the realism of audio effects in blockbusters, and helping the viewer to feel like a participant in the events that unfold on the screen. The device provides streaming audio, so you do not need to decide how to mask cables.