I was a little afraid about the quality of these sub-woofers when I read a couple of the reviews here. What had I bought? First off, the subwoofer provides deep base, which usually isn't what the average audiophile wants. It's the rumble in the "cars that go boom". On the other hand, if you watch films, you need the deep base as a fill in to the sound (or if you like the film "Earthquake"). Seriously, if you are doing home theatre, you need a subwoofer for the full experience and this does the job quite nicely. These are actually quite hefty and I am not sure what the quality problem the other two reviewers saw with this speaker. Addition, I've used this subwoofer in two home theatre installations--One using Linn Kans as the main speakers and another using the polk R15s. and have been very pleased with the sound. Oh yeah, if you can't get it to turn on when you install this, there is a power button on the back.

We recently upgraded our stereo system to a 5.1 surround. We are retired and live in a 1800 square ft. townhome. Space was natually a problem. Others included price and too much volume. We did, however, want a system that would give us natural sound and the best frequency range within our budget. After buying a new amp and Bose side-speakers, we only lacked a subwoofer. True subwoofers have a terribly high price tag so we began looking in the $100 range for a bass speaker having the fundamentals of their big brothers. Originally we considered the 8" Jensen but opted to spend a few extra dollars and went for the Yamaha. A decision that we will never regret. Reading other Amazon reviews, we agree that this speaker is perfect for small environments. We are using the subwoofer as a rear center. Although a mono speaker, it was designed for this set-up. It provides both speaker wire or coax pin connector inputs. The pin connectors allow the ability to use a Y-adapter and take advantage of passive and powered amplifiers. The 8" bass has an excellent frequency range, 30-200 Hz, controlled by a 10 cycle (Hz) knob. The knob allows the listener to cut off the subwoofer at a desired frequency. The bass then transfers to the front and side speakers. The center rear is left to provide only the low sound and physical feelings without drawing attention to it, as all subwoofers should do. It's hard to believe that this unit isn't a true and expensive subwoofer. The speaker itself, is placed to project downward with a port opening on the side. The range is perfect controlled by a 10 Hz cut-off knob. The inputs allow for passive, powered amp, or a combination of the two. The speaker even has it's own volume contol if your system amplifier can't provide that function. A fourth knob is used to change the subwoofer output based upon the input (music or movie). This control has very little affect and we often forget to use it. Other reviews state that the Yamaha does not rattle windows. That may be true. It does, however, provide the vibrations that one is looking for and the bass that completes the proper sound for a movie. If you are looking for a device that rattles windows and over-powers the other frequencies, buy a larger unit. We suppose that rattling could be provided with the Yamaha but the volume would drive many of us out of the house. This unit is small, handsome, terribly underpriced, and quite impressive. It's not a unit that we will ever replace. If you have a subwoofer in the trunk of your car that is heard blocks away, don't think about buying this unit. If, however, you want to enjoy a good movie with all the frequencies balanced at a theater level volume, the Yamaha could be for you. It certainly is great for those of us in condos and townhomes.

I didn't expect much from this fairly cheap subwoofer: I wanted a subwoofer for my home theater, and that's it. I was impressed with all of the options built-into the subwoofer. There is a "super-bass" option in addition to the usual volume option. There's a power button to turn it off without having to unplug it. The bass is directed downward which is exactly as one would want a subwoofer. There are RCA type plugs on the back so be sure your stereo receiver uses this type of connection. Pleasantly happy with the sound.

Just got this subwofer from Amazon today, and boy am I impressed! When I ordered it I was looking for something affordable, but with a decent amount of power and good sound. Since the price was right and I already have 2 Yamaha front speakers, I decided to give this one a shot. Well, the Yamaha SW215 fits the bill perfectly. At $99 from Amazon, it one of the lowest priced subs anywhere, yet it has more features and more power than the comparable priced Sony product. It is very ruggedly built, and sounds great. It is also super easy to hook up and use, and the automatic shutoff feature works flawlessly with my Sony STR-DE595 receiver. As some previous reviewers stated, the B.A.S.S. switch doesn't seem to do much, as I cant discern any difference in the two settings, but I like the location of the controls on the front of the sub. Overall, I would say this sub is a great deal. If you are looking for the best budget sub, this is it!!!

I originally purchased the Yamaha YST-SW215 8" Powered Subwoofer. I was underwhelmed by the performance and the cheap construction. However, at $99, I got what I paid for.

I returned it and began looking for other options. I looked at the JBL and at first dismissed purchasing it because it was out of my price range ($200 and under).

I went to BestBuy to see/hear it ($299). Hearing any audio equipment at a store will not compare to your home environment, so saying that it sounded good at the store may not yield the same results at home. I mainly wanted to see the build and quality of the materials. I was very impressed-especially knowing I was going to purchase elsewhere for a better price. It is well worth the $299.

When visiting the Amazon site, I clicked the new and used offers, I found several under $180. Usually, this raises a red flag- gray market products etc. Also, many underprice and regain profit when adding shipping.

I purchased this from Bestpriceaudiovideo.com for $169 with free shipping and no tax. I was not disappointed. The order was processed when they said it would be and came well-packed. This was no after market sub.

I would be surprised if you can find a better sub for the price. It can rattle the walls if you want or can simply add fuller sound to music if that's what you like. and for only $60 or so more than the Yamaha, it was well worth it.