This was posted 10 years 10 months ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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Sony 100W 10" Subwoofer $79 - Grays Online

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Sony 100W 10" Subwoofer $79 - Grays Online
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Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 12:49 graysonline.com (1269 clicks)
Last edited 18/02/2014 - 14:24

Graysonline SA-W2500 10" 100W Subwoofer, $79 delivered
Graysonline SA-W3000 12" 180W Subwoofer, $99 delivered (SOLD OUT)

Please disregard the deal expiry date. They're available until sold out, confirmed by Graysonline via email. Thank you excite for the heads-up on the 12".

Recently, the question was asked regarding cheap active subwoofers. We answered it, however I felt this deal is worth posting for the greater OzB community.

It appears these models have been around for a while (over 7 years) and are listed as discontinued on the Sony AU pages. If they've been produced for most of that time, one can assume Sony were content to keep churning them out for the budget conscious buyer.
That would be me. And maybe you.

Free delivery which is great considering they're 10 and 16kg respectively.

Sony pages:
SA-W2500 10"
SA-W3000 12"

Amazon.com pages:
SA-W2500 10"
SA-W3000 12"

AVS forum links. I haven't bothered reading these, as I expect the majority of members there would shun cheap Japanese speakers.
SA-W2500 10"
SA-W3000 12"

Audiophiles:
I know this is a budget alternative and I'm not kidding myself with high expectations (I ordered the 10"). My Earthquake sub is perfectly fine, but this is too good a deal to miss for a backup. Can you imagine your sub dying and having to slum it without one while looking for a replacement? Perish the thought.
If you know of a better sub at comparable value for money, post away for the benefit of others.

Electrical & Electronics Sony Subwoofer

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closed Comments

  • SteveAndBelle on 18/02/2014 - 12:55

    Whoa! Can't expect much from a bottom-of-the-range Sub and especially a Sony product BUT sheesh that's so cheap and includes delivery!!! Nice work OP.

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 13:25
      +3

      Thanks!
      My only concern is I don't know their stock levels, so I'll check that periodically and update if either is sold out.

  • homersyd on 18/02/2014 - 12:55

    Can/should I use this with my existing 5.1 setup? to make it 5.2? FYI - my other sub is a dream accoustics 15" sub…I felt it's not as "tight" as I would like for music, for movie it's awesome but.

    • SteveAndBelle on 18/02/2014 - 13:02

      If you want more 'boom' (movies) then go for it but if you want precision low freqs (music) then probably pass unless you can hear one for yourself first. Who knows, they might be really decent little all-rounders but you just wont know until you've listened to one for a while but hey for $80/$100 it's probably worth the gamble as you should be able to sell it 'as new' for that if you find you don't like it.

      Just remember… K.I.S.S. Do you really need 2 Subs?

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 13:21

      If you must, go for the 10". I'd prefer the response of an 8" teamed with a 15 though.

  • bargainerftw on 18/02/2014 - 13:04

    Been wanting to replace one of my passive subs that came with Yamaha HTP072 5.1 system for a while now, $99 worth the SA-W3000 replacement?

    • SteveAndBelle on 18/02/2014 - 13:07

      You mean 'Pioneer HTP072'?

      • bargainerftw on 18/02/2014 - 13:07

        Oh yeah Pioneer, my bad!

        • SteveAndBelle on 18/02/2014 - 13:14
          +1

          Yes, one of these Sonys will be a BIG improvement to that Pioneer system. I thought they may only take a line-level signal but I had a closer look at the rear panel and they also accept speaker level so yeah… these would work perfectly with the Pioneer Receiver/Amp and you'll be blowing your head off in no time ;)

        • bargainerftw on 18/02/2014 - 13:24

          cool thanks :)

          edit: bought!

        • excite on 18/02/2014 - 13:40

          I currently have a Yamaha NS-SW210 sub (active 100W), would the SA-W3000 be an upgrade at all?

        • SteveAndBelle on 18/02/2014 - 13:46

          Tough one. The little Yamaha you have would probably be more accurate but either on the Sonys above would probably offer a lot more oomph. Can't really say without hearing both.

  • Make it so on 18/02/2014 - 13:14

    Frequency range on the 180W one: 20 - 200Hz
    That's not bad at all.

    • Afurotsu on 18/02/2014 - 14:36
      +1

      Yeah, right. Maybe if they're measuring with a -20dB rolloff.

      • [Deactivated] on 18/02/2014 - 16:18
        +2

        Despite the downvote, this person is correct.

        I'm sure this is probably a decent deal the pricepoint, but be reasonable, down to 20hz will cost you thousands.

        That sub will struggle to reproduce anything under 40hz at anything like an acceptable volume.

      • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 16:45

        Amazon and Sony US shop claim 28-200Hz for the 10".
        I don't think I can hear much below 40 anyway.

        • Make it so on 18/02/2014 - 16:54
          +2

          I think you could. The LFE (Low Frequency Effect) which is part of surround sound (as a separate channel) is meant to be felt and heard, and is amplified to allow this. The really low sounds are more like feeling pressure on your ears than actually hearing a sound.

        • [Deactivated] on 18/02/2014 - 17:03
          +1

          Without the quoted rolloff point, it means nothing and it's telling that they don't quote it. You will see 20hz -> something regularly quoted on lots of speakers that cannot do that. Headphones, for instance.

          What they are saying is that it goes from 20hz to 200 IF we are prepared to consider the fact that we can measure a fractional bit of volume from it at 20hz.

          The aim of that "range" statistic is to inform the real true response from a driver for the expensive stuff where people care about that (and to lie to customers about low cost stuff).

        • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 18:07

          I only have 8 inches atm, so I don't get much of that ;)
          But LFE is enabled on the receiver.

        • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 18:27

          An interesting 3-star review from Amazon. I was thinking polyester fibre into the port, but he used a t-shirt.

          "Anyway, the sound. The woofer is rated to get down to 28hz, but let's be honest, no entry-level subwoofer at this price is going to give you honest output at that frequency. At high volume, it will certainly play a 28hz note (I got audible output down to about 26hz by playing pure tones only at high volume), however, the usable range in my room would probably be about 35hz, with strong output down to 40hz.

          The output is a bit peaky - I played with a few positioning options, however I could never get rid of a couple of frequency peaks, one at about 55hz and one at about 80hz, and it would take equalization to fully correct these. However, I got it to mesh acceptably with my Infinity bookshelf speakers (5" woofers) by turning the crossover down to 60hz. After reading another review for this product, I tried someone's experimental "mod" of stuffing a t-shirt into the port, and it did indeed increase transient response and got rid of some of the woofer's boomy character. After the "mod," I turned the gain up slightly and set the crossover to 80hz. It blends much better, sounds richer, and is just more engaging to listen to.

          I'm giving this subwoofer three stars, as it is a good value if you're looking to add a lower octave to bookshelf speakers for a casual listening environment, however I don't think this subwoofer would be sufficient for larger speakers. 4-6" woofers would probably be alright, but anything larger than that and this would struggle to keep up. For my uses, this is more of a stopgap. Decent performance, great price - just don't expect any miracles."

  • IdLikeToBeATree on 18/02/2014 - 13:35

    Thanks.. I think.. Not sure why I needed another subwoofer, I guess more boom is always a good thing :P

  • Make it so on 18/02/2014 - 13:41

    Pity the Jamo system from Amazon is no longer $275 delivered. It's more like $685 now. Would have gone well with that.

    • bargainerftw on 18/02/2014 - 13:43

      Yeah, holy cow I've been waiting for the deal to come back for the longest time now. Wasn't in the market for a sound system when the deals were around, regret not buying it back then.

      • EVA-01 on 18/02/2014 - 19:04

        Good thing I didn't wait like you and bought it at ~$400 delivered late last year.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 18/02/2014 - 13:53
    +1

    bloody Ozbargain……purchased

  • brilliances on 18/02/2014 - 13:56
    +2

    when it is cheaper than Amazon, it must be a good buy! Bought the 12". Thanks!

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 14:02

      Cool, fingers crossed they're good.

  • compound on 18/02/2014 - 13:57

    F it, I'm buying one. I love bass too much.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/02/2014 - 14:01
    +2

    Bought one of the 100W ones about 10 days ago, got it about 2 days after ordering. So far its a good sub, not a lot of bass until you reach about 3/4 to full on the dials at the back, but I think its a mighty fine sub for the price once you get it right for your room/system setup.

  • DeadlySaber on 18/02/2014 - 14:01

    I want to get a sub to go with my karaoke system, don't have much knowledge about it, is this one suitable?

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 14:06

      They can't reproduce mid-high frequencies so not a good idea on their own.

    • DeadlySaber on 18/02/2014 - 14:12

      Thanks mcmonte, I mean to use it with a pairs of Tsunami Jarguar TJ -350V, a pairs of Boston Ref. US Acoustic 42 Hz - 22 KHz. I don't have an Amplifier yet.

  • bargaino on 18/02/2014 - 14:03

    Damn thats cheap.
    I figure that if you have good main speakers, and set the crossover for 50 Hz, the quality on this won't matter too much.
    Will it?

    • SteveAndBelle on 18/02/2014 - 14:18
      +1

      Sound quality it should be fine however design & build quality is the issue for me & Sony products. They (along with many others) perfected planned obsolescence a decade or two ago for their lower-end products and as I found out the hard & expensive way a lot of their mid-high level products too :(

      One of these should work perfectly fine for the average person for a few years then it will just die and wont be worth anything to fix so it'll just be chucked. Spend more on a 'better' product and it will last longer, handle abuse better and if/when it does die you usually find that you can repair it for less than a decent replacement, yes… even nowadays! Worst case scenario for a better product is that it will still have a bit of value even when faulty so people like me would be happy to buy it from you for $50 or so whereby something like these Sonys will end up being crushed into landfill along with all the temporary furniture we love buying from the big blue & yellow store (me included!).

      Rant over :P

    • [Deactivated] on 18/02/2014 - 16:21
      +2

      If you cross that sub over at 50hz, you will have an effective range of about 10hz. Cheap 15s struggle at 30 and that's a very very cheap 10 in a very small box. The end result will be GREAT for the price but it will not be great at under 40hz.

      • bargaino on 18/02/2014 - 16:39

        Oh. I ran test tones on my existing ancient speakers with 12" bass drivers, and an old 5x100W amp. It seems to work down to 35Hz. Was assuming a dedicated active subwoofer would be better.

        • [Deactivated] on 18/02/2014 - 16:55
          +1

          When a 12inch driver is playing a test tone, it is "dedicated" - in that the driver is only dealing with that which would normally be presented to a crossed over active sub.

          2 old 12's will easily outperform a sony 10 inch driver in a small box.

          When someone says will not be great, they mean there will be a distinct rolloff in volume. Sound will come out, of course, but it will be distinctly quieter.

          It's still an interesting buy, regardless.

      • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 16:41

        A very very cheap 10.

        The driver?
        It's Mica reinforced. MICA!

        PS Is Mica reinforcement any good?

  • excite on 18/02/2014 - 14:09

    SA-W3000 out of stock

  • sm0 on 18/02/2014 - 14:11

    Thinking about pairing with a set of Audioengine A5+ speaers. Will this work/be worth it? Thanks

  • liewehan on 18/02/2014 - 14:16

    Bought one as well, Thanks OP

  • Skurfer on 18/02/2014 - 14:29

    Bought a SA-W3000 as well. Thanks for chucking it up.

  • aedeau on 18/02/2014 - 14:30

    Bought the 10" model

  • yanman on 18/02/2014 - 14:30

    Would the 10" be much of an improvement on my current Logitech Z-5500's?

    I'm about to move all my satellites from that system to my new Pioneer V521. I was thinking I'd just leave the Z-5500 amp/sub as a pure-sub and just take the pre-out from the pioneer to that.

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 15:00
      +1

      If I were in your position I'd run the Logi sub with the V521 first. You may need to tweak settings a bit, but if you're still not happy with it…well the 10" Sony isn't really much of an upgrade.
      They're both 10" drivers but I can't comment further as I've heard neither.

      Or you can do what I'm doing and get the 10" as an "emergency" spare. Assuming you can drop $80 on something you may not use for a while. If you do, make sure to test it at least.

  • chrisoz on 18/02/2014 - 14:35
    +1

    Bought the 12 inch model just before it sold out. Going from no sub to this will make a HUGE difference

  • chisel on 18/02/2014 - 14:47

    Thanks OP. Got a 10" jobbie.

  • Windows7forever on 18/02/2014 - 15:00

    Damn, I just bought the ML sub from a recent deal for $200. Although the quality is inferior you really can't go wrong at this price!

  • yaditya on 18/02/2014 - 15:03

    noob question here. Can I use only subwoofer without any other speakers for my TV? How's the experience like?

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 15:13
      +1

      Best case scenario: if your TV can output sound from its internal speakers and give an audio signal to something else (the sub). But unless your TV speakers are very good already, you'll have a deficiency in the mid frequencies.

      • yaditya on 18/02/2014 - 15:19

        thanks for the answer. is it going to be really bad in reality?

        • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 15:57
          +1

          To be honest, I've never seen or heard of anyone trying what you propose.
          The closest would be someone upgrading a soundbar with a sub, and most of those folks are happy with the results.

          But TV into sub is…uncommon.

        • yaditya on 18/02/2014 - 16:06

          OZB makes me.. uncommon person…

        • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 16:15

          Yes.
          Well, if you can afford to potentially lose $80, pull that trigger!

          Here's what I would do in your situation.
          Borrow an active (powered) sub from a friend and try your plan. Then you'll know for sure. A riskier, somewhat snakier option is to buy something locally, bring it home and try it. Either way, take it back the same or following day for refund.

          But time is a factor.

  • giventofly on 18/02/2014 - 15:07

    Bought the 10" (obviously, because the other one is sold out). I don't need this now…but my Logitech Z-2300s have failed twice (won't turn on) - they're back to normal, but, I'll buy some nice Studio speakers to use with this sub WHEN they die.

  • sallan75 on 18/02/2014 - 15:08
    +2

    Gawd I hate this site!!! Just bought the 10 inch to replace my old sub which is more of a table these days. Can't even recall when it stopped working. Must stop visiting here :( Gets harder to explain my way out of things with the wife each time.

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 15:15

      Hah! Show her the Amazon page. "List Price: $140.00"

      Then tell her it's less than half price! when you take into account Toll Express delivery.

      • sallan75 on 18/02/2014 - 15:20

        Hehe, I think I will do the usual of just replacing it with out telling her and see how long it takes her to work it out.

        • homersyd on 18/02/2014 - 16:42

          if it was my wife, she wont! (provided they are roughly the same size) :)

  • justtoreply on 18/02/2014 - 15:22

    It's going to sound crap. Looks like the junk that came with my old muteki system.

    I sold the subs from the muteki for <$40 each. And it took forever to find someone interested in them.

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 15:37
      +1

      It's reasonable to say "crap" is 3 stars or less I reckon.

      So 9.65% & 15.17% of Amazon reviewers are with you!

      I'm looking forward to hearing how crap they really are.

  • dqtl74 on 18/02/2014 - 16:09

    Pulled the trigger on the SA-W2500. Been pretty disappointed with the passive sub that came with my Yamaha HTiB. I replaced the fronts but the bass was still lacking. Hoping this gives a noticeable boost.

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 16:18

      Yeah it should.
      Even a 6" active DSE sub was punchier than my passive Tannoy isobaric-modern-art-sculpture-thing.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/02/2014 - 16:09

    DON'T TEMPT ME FRODO!!!

  • siuol on 18/02/2014 - 17:34
    +3

    Tempted to buy 2 as bedside tables.

  • sourdawg on 18/02/2014 - 19:40

    Sold out now

    • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 19:45

      Thanks. I'll mark as expired.
      Sorry to those who missed out, but it appears they were OzBargained. We struck again!

  • plmko on 18/02/2014 - 20:07
    -6

    Guys this has been on Grays for over a month now on their website, where've you been.

    • montorola on 18/02/2014 - 20:14
      +3

      Lol where have you been to tell us?! =p

      • Speckled Jim on 18/02/2014 - 20:33
        +1

        Yeah pimko. Why didn't you post it?
        I only saw it last week while buying something else.

  • sm0 on 18/02/2014 - 23:33

    Thank you Op :)

    • Speckled Jim on 19/02/2014 - 09:28

      You're welcome. Hope it blends nicely with your system.

      I'm not expecting much to be honest, but our living room is quite small so you never know. Might it be worth starting a forum topic regarding our experiences with these cheapies?

  • sm0 on 19/02/2014 - 21:01

    Is this easy to connect to my existing speakers? Audioengine A5? Thanks

    • Speckled Jim on 20/02/2014 - 09:26

      I honestly don't know your speakers so can't say. Most, including myself, will use the RCA out from their amp/receiver into the sub.

      But if you're still considering purchase, it's a bit late for this deal. I emailed Grays last night to ask if they'll be restocking them, but no answer yet.

      Edit; just Googled the A5. Assuming they are these active speakers, yes this or any active sub will work. Just an RCA lead from Sub Out to the sub. And according to the Amazon reviews, they even give you an RCA cable. Not sure if we'll get one though. Doesn't matter!

  • simiot on 20/02/2014 - 00:59

    This deal looked good. Would be adequate for me. But, I miss out! Arghhhhh

  • chrisoz on 20/02/2014 - 14:27

    Just got mine today! Took a few minutes to setup and done! So much better now with some bass where I had no subwoofer before! Thanks OP!!

    Was shipped yesterday from Sydney and arrived in Canberra today.

    • Speckled Jim on 20/02/2014 - 14:34

      No worries.

      Did Toll email and SMS this morning to advise delivery today?
      I don't want to miss it.

      • IdLikeToBeATree on 20/02/2014 - 17:46

        I had an email in my junk mail saying it would be delivered today

  • Lenneth on 20/02/2014 - 16:15

    Ours arrived today too. I set it up too. The hubby will be so happy!

  • Speckled Jim on 20/02/2014 - 18:18

    Here's the reply from Grays re more stock or not:

    Unfortunately, I am unable to advise if they will be back in stock. We sell on behalf of many vendors and what we sell online depends on what they advise us they want/have to sell.
    My best advice would be to check the website often, as we are updating our stock all the time.
    I'm sorry I could not be of more assistance in this instance.
    Should you have any further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

    Kind Regards,
    Jody
    Grays Customer Service

    So probably not.

    I also found this old deal and looked into the spec. The sub is the 10" one from this deal.

  • barleyshake on 22/02/2014 - 19:09

    I received mine yesterday, sounds great. Although Im hearing the 50hz hum even when it is connected to nothing but the power socket which is quite annoying. My previous subwoofer (also active) never behaved this way. Anyone else had this problem/ know of any solution?

    • Speckled Jim on 22/02/2014 - 20:52

      I'm assuming you're using a surge protected power board of some kind? Is the sub connected to the same board? When you swapped them over, did you arrange the audio and power cables as they were before?
      Maybe a silly suggestion, but I'd try anyway. Toggle the phase switch?

      If the shielding in the Sony isn't as effective as your old sub, I expect more of us to have this problem.
      That would sure take the gloss out of the deal, but there's always the final option of return.

      On the product page (click Delivery tab), there's a link under Returns Policy to
      http://www.graysoutlet.com.au/faq.aspx?id=186
      Products that are faulty will be either replaced, repaired or be refunded in full including delivery costs, in accordance with the sale conditions.

      With fine-print at the bottom:
      Please note: Items purchased via GraysOnline are not covered by the above policy

      A bit deceptive that. Graysonline linking to Graysoutlet that excludes Graysonline products!

      So the 12 month warranty. Wonder how they'll honour that? Fob us off to a local Sony repair agent?

      • barleyshake on 23/02/2014 - 11:52

        Yeah, using a surge board and have tried with other power points around the house. Phase switch/arrangement of cables made no difference. Yet to try it at a friend's house yet though which ive been advised to do.

        It's not problematic enough for a return as it does sound much better than my previous one. The auto-off helps as well. I'm using it for my computer currently but it'll eventually be used for a tv setup where I wont be sitting as close to notice. Thanks for your help :)

  • Speckled Jim on 25/02/2014 - 19:31

    Ours arrived today, yet to test it. The Sony warranty sheet actually states 3 years, Grays page said 12 months.

  • sm0 on 26/02/2014 - 17:06

    Picked mine up today.
    Paired with my A5+ powered speakers and all I can say is… not too shabby…

    Not sure if I should pick up a red/white L/R to black Y RCA cable jobs, or if the included black to black single RCA plugged into either the left or right port on the A5+ will do the job. Seems to be giving me bass, but I dont know what I dont know. Does it make a difference? Or is a signal a signal?

    http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/audioengine_A5_photo_bac…

    Thanks again Op, definitely the best… bargain ive picked up on OZB.. apart from the $2 flash light key rings 5 for $2 pack haha.

    $79 shipped. Too good.

    • Speckled Jim on 26/02/2014 - 21:51

      I use a Y-cable, but in my case it's the reverse. Single from the receiver into twin for the Earthquake sub. The generally accepted wisdom is LFE signals are mono, but that doesn't fully explain why my old sub has left/right inputs. Do audio engineers left-right phase the bottom end? I dunno.
      Just get a $2 cable already!

      I tested the Sony 10" earlier, leaving volume at 50% and crossover at 200Hz, it sounded good to me.

      • sm0 on 27/02/2014 - 01:24

        $2 cable? Where from? I cant find the right one on ebay! Cheers

        • Speckled Jim on 27/02/2014 - 10:40

          Hey you're right. It seems there's plenty of similar Y cables, but with 3.5mm plugs for MP3 players.

          The last one I bought was ~5 years ago from Jaycar, but I paid $10 for a half-decent one. I have a spare Y 3 male RCA and it works, but not what I'd call half-decent.
          It's yours for postage — let's say $2. PM me if you want it.

          Alternatively, if you want to use the nice stereo RCA cable you already have?
          Here's a $0.50 splitter. Two for $1 actually.
          Same but "gold plated" for $1.
          Obviously these will plug into the sub. There's reverse-gender ones listed too, but that would plug into the back of the A5s. Might not look as good.

        • Speckled Jim on 27/02/2014 - 11:48

          I forgot these (all 1.5m)
          $5 eBay cable
          $6 Jaycar cable similar to mine.

          Damn there's PLENTY of RCA to 3.5mm cables for $1 posted on eBay. One of those with an adapter (assuming you have one lying around) would work. I wouldn't wait a month for rubbish though.

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