Sonos is a well-known brand for its wireless speakers and soundbars but they also make high-quality amplifiers, one of which is simply named the Sonos Amp. Out of all of the Sonos amplifier models, the Sonos Amp is the most powerful and it is packed with features as well. It is a talented all-rounded amplifier where you can use for home theater, TV, and music use. In order for the Sonos Amp to shine in all of these environments, other than having a good pair of stereo speakers, you will also need a matching subwoofer partner.
Now the question is, which subwoofer is the best to go for and to pair it up with your Sonos Amp. The answer will require us to find out more about the sonic characteristics of the Amp itself, and more importantly, your own requirements. Once we have learned more about the Sonos Amp and you have gone through the requirements checklist, we will then share with you a list of the best subwoofers to match with the Sonos Amp.
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Sonic Characteristics and Performance of Sonos Amp
The Sonos Amp is a very compact and minimalistic designed amplifier which you can fit almost anywhere in a listening room. The sleek and clean design of the Amp makes it look very modern or should we say futuristic. With such a compact and low-profile design, you can easily match them aesthetically with any subwoofers and speakers without any issue. It is an amplifier that is packed with features such as AirPlay 2, Class D digital amplifier with 125 WPC (8 Ohms), and more. The most important feature of them all will be none other than its subwoofer output.
More Info at Amazon – Sonos Amp – Versatile Amplifier
It has a punchy performance and a forward-sounding presentation which provides plenty of excitement. It does feel that the Sonos Amp excels more in a home theater environment than in a music system setup. When it comes to music playback, the Amp does lack a certain level of refinement and musicality. Still, if you like bold and aggressive sonic delivery then the Sonos Amp will be the one for you. But if you want to hear subtle details and music nuances with an accurate presentation of your favorite tunes, then you might want to look elsewhere.
Overall, the Sonos Amp is an entertainer and just simply wants to entertain its listeners. Based on this notion, we should go with ported subwoofers as they have higher bass output and maximum SPL or go for sealed subwoofers that are designed by JL Audio. Subwoofers like the JL Audio Fathom series have very powerful and tight deep bass delivery which would go well with the Sonos Amp sonic characteristics, giving you a dynamic entertaining sound quality. Another sealed subwoofer to go for especially if you want more midbass punch will be the active subwoofers made by Ken Kreisel. The subwoofers from these two brands are quite expensive and so before we proceed further, we should find out more about your main requirements first.
Subwoofer Main Requirements
You should allocate a comfortable amount which you are willing to part and invest it in an active subwoofer. Once you have allocated a budget then you should start finding out what you will need the subwoofer for. For instance, will watching movies/TV shows be your main entertainment, or does listening to music is more important for you. If listening to music is your main entertainment, we will suggest going with sealed subwoofers as they are more accurate in rendering the bass, faster, and more agile than ported subwoofers. This allows the sealed subwoofer to blend in nicely with your speakers and produce higher quality bass when compared to ported subs in the same price range.
If watching movies/TV shows are your main entertainment or you are a bass fanatic, ported cabinet subwoofer will be a better choice than a sealed sub. Ported subwoofers are more efficient when it comes to bass output and have a higher MAX SPL. This allows them to provide more excitement and punch especially when watching movies. Sealed subwoofers are still a good option for home theater performance though. It will be an excellent choice for you when you are using floor-standing speakers with exceptional bass performance as high-quality sealed subwoofers are capable of delivering tight bass without being overbearing. This will allow low-end frequencies produced by the sealed sub to blend in nicely with the speakers’ sonic frequencies.
These are just some of the usual requirements that you might want to go through. There are also other factors such as the opinions of your loved ones who are also using the sound system. You should add more to this checklist so that you can be thorough. This is to be absolutely sure you have gone through everything and once you have done that, you can actually start checking out the list of the best subwoofers which you can go for below.
Best Subwoofers to pair with Sonos Amp
The Sonos Sub is probably the best subwoofer to partner with the Sonos Amp as both of them are from the same company, they will most likely inherit similar sonic signatures. With both of them having a very similar sound signature, this will enable them to seamlessly integrate with each other sonically. The Sonos Sub uses 2 Class D digital power amplifiers and produces bass response down to 25Hz extension. It also has a wireless function which makes it easier to position them anywhere in the room as long there is a power source. You can use the Sonos S2 app to control the Sub as well.
More Info at Amazon – Sonos Sub Wireless Subwoofer
The SVS PB-2000 Pro is one of the best subwoofers to pair with your Sonos Amp. It is a very powerful subwoofer with up to 1500 Watts of peak power and can deliver a bass response of down to 16Hz. It is also modestly priced which makes the PB-2000 Pro even more attractive to get your hands on. This is an award-winning subwoofer with low distortion bass output and will shake the room with its cleanly delivered low-ends. Watching movies will be an exhilarating experience where you can feel the incredible sonic energy of the movie scenes. The SVS PB-2000 Pro will be an exceptional powered subwoofer for your home theater system setup.
More Info at Amazon – SVS PB-2000 Pro Ported Subwoofer (Black Ash)
The Rythmik Audio F12SE is one of the best sealed subwoofers to go for and match with your Sonos Amp especially if listening to music is your main entertainment. This audiophile sealed subwoofer uses a 370 Watts RMS Class A/B patented servo-controlled amplifier instead of the usual Class D amplifier. It is capable of digging deep into the bass extension of down to 14Hz and produce them out cleanly. The Rythmik Audio F12SE is able to deliver impactful low-end responses without compromising the bass details and textures. The agility and speed of the F12SE ensure it keeps up with the music pacing and timing with amazing accuracy.
The HSU Research VTF-15H MK2 will be the best hybrid subwoofers to partner with the Sonos Amp. This is a versatile active subwoofer that provides its users with the option of tuning the VTF-15H MK2 to either 1 port open or 2 ports open or sealed. Each tuning will give a different performance and bass response. It is a powerful subwoofer as well, with up to 2000 Watts of short-term power, it can handle any bass demands that the Sonos Amp can throw at it. Furthermore, the HSU Research VTF-15H MK2 has a modest price and as an all-rounded subwoofer, it will fit well with your Sonos Amp.
If your listening room is huge then the SVS PB-4000 will be the ideal ported subwoofer for you. It is an extremely powerful active subwoofer with 1200 Watts RMS power and up to 4200 Watts peak. The 13.5″ driver will easily fill the room with immense sonic energy and provide you with an exciting home theater performance. If music performance is more important for you then you should check out Rythmik Audio F18. It is an 18″ sealed audiophile subwoofer with 900 Watts RMS power and can reach as deep as 10Hz (with LFE inputs). With this driver size, the F12 subwoofer is more than capable of filling a large room with articulate bass and low-frequency pressure.
More Info at Amazon – SVS PB-4000 Ported Subwoofer (Piano Gloss Black)
Other high-quality subwoofers which we have mentioned earlier will be the ones from the JL Audio Fathom series and Ken Kreisel. The JL Audio Fathom f110 may be compact in size but the bass performance is impeccable and powerful. Furthermore, it uses Digital Automatic Room Optimization or D.A.R.O. to optimize the f110 subwoofer to sound its best in any given listening room. The Ken Kreisel DXD-808 is another high-end subwoofer that uses dual 8″ High-Velocity deep bass drivers and has a peak power of up to 2200 Watts. You can also stack the DXD-808 up for an even better low-frequency quality and to deliver 3-dimensional bass performance.
More Info at Amazon – JL Audio F110 Fathom – Gloss Finish Subwoofer
To Sum It Up
The listed subwoofers are some of the very best in the world, they are definitely worth your time and effort to hear them out. You should go through the list and shortlist the ones that suit your requirements, after which arrange an audition to see if you like the sound quality. After the subwoofer auditions, you can also use them as references when comparing with other subs that are not listed here. You might want to use a few of your favorite songs and/or movie scenes to test the bass performance of these potential subwoofers.
