B & W ASW 2000 175-Watt Powered Subwoofer (Single)

by B&W

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 21.7 x 19.7 inches ; 77 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 96 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00001OX2R
• Item model number: ASW2000
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,508 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Before buying this subwoofer, make sure that you have the space to accommodate it, and that you absolutely crave deep bass. B&W's ASW 2000 175-watt powered subwoofer weighs in at nearly 100 pounds--a monster of a speaker to move and to configure.

The ASW 2000's bass-beaming prowess is so great that we never nudged the volume knob past 20 percent of its turning radius. Accordingly, this sub gives the best demonstration we've heard (and felt) that barrels of bass aren't always a good thing. Rest assured, however, that in our case--with some fine-tuning of the sub's volume control and crossover frequency (the top end of its range, above which its sound tapers off sharply)--the ASW 2000 successfully blended with our reference speakers to provide a seamless and stunningly firm bottom octave to whatever we threw at it, whether movies or music, romance dramas or altrock grunge.

As with many subwoofers, you can wire the ASW 2000 in line with your regular speakers, relaying the feeds from your amplifier or receiver first to the sub and then on to your speakers. You can also configure the ASW 2000 as an independent entity, taking a feed from a dedicated subwoofer output, such as the ".1" in a 5.1-channel surround format. The former setup enables you to enjoy the subwoofer regardless of your sound source; the latter method is more efficient for playback of discrete, multichannel movies or music.

Positioning is often a tricky matter for subwoofers and may be even trickier for the ASW 2000, as the subwoofer's girth permits only a small number of positions in a given listening room. The phase-invert switch proves particularly helpful in this regard; if the ASW 2000 can only fit in a position that puts its output out of phase with that of your main speakers, you can rectify it with a flick of a switch.

If you're patient and have a big room to play in, the ASW 2000 will reward your efforts with oodles of taught, dynamic bass that goes, as they say, all the way down.

Pros:

• Incredible power
• Smooth, deep bass
• Excellent dynamics
• Free of muddiness or undue coloration

Cons:

• Bulky
• Heavy
• Tricky to set up

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I traded in my Velodyne for this..., November 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: B & W ASW 2000 175-Watt Powered Subwoofer (Single) (Electronics)

I pulled this from a review I wrote on audioreview.com. "Do not listen to this sub unless you want to lose your hearing. I write this as a former Velodyne owner. I had the VA1012 (~$700) for about 3 months. It did fine for movies but was just too sloppy for audio. I wanted something more accurate and more punch. I A-B'd the Velodyne F series 12" servo sub (~$1200). It was definately tight but didn't have the volume for movies. The F series 15 (~$1700) was out of my price range and I wouldn't have been married the next day had I brought that one home. I was getting ready to walk out and be content with my Velo 1012 (that was in the back of Jeep ready to be traded in) when the salesman said, "wait a minute, what about this B&W, we just got it in and I haven't had a chance to listen to it." He turned it on and I noticed my pant legs moving from the air pressure. It turned out to be a B&W ASW 2000 ($1000 retail). Definately in my price range. I traded in my sub and took the ASW home. It's got a 175W amp made by Rotel and weighs ~80lbs. It's big and bad. I took it home and hooked up my Marantz 780, B&W 600 series speakers and Air Force One on DVD. It moves a lot of air and is loud. That was four days ago and my left ear is still sore. I'm going to start listening w/ ear plugs in just so I can have the air movement that I like. :) My coworkers are still talking about the experience. One said they actually felt like they were getting shot in the initial machine gun scene because of all the air pressure. I know that B&W's previous sub attempt at the AS6 was an abysmal failure, but they have pulled themselves out of the mire with this new series. Compared to similar priced Velo subs, I got more volume, precision and air movement for the money. Check it out. I hope my hearing comes back."