Aperion Audio is more known for their fabulous and affordable loudspeaker lines however those looking to complete either their Intimus or Verus home theaters will be needing a subwoofer or two and as luck would have it, Aperion makes some pretty damn good subs as well. The Bravus II 10D subwoofer is one such example and at $799 direct it's also affordable.
Additional Resources
• Read more subwoofer reviews from the staff at Home Theater Review.
• Find a set of floorstanding speakers or bookshelf speakers for the Bravus II 10 D.
The Bravus II 10D is a triple aluminum driver design featuring one, 10-inch downward firing driver mated to two, 10-inch passive radiators. That coupled with the Bravus II 10D's internal 400 Watt BASH amplifier give it a reported frequency response of 27Hz -180Hz at -3dB and 25Hz to 200Hz at -6dB. To make things even tastier the Bravus II 10D features a fully customizable parametric EQ with crossover bypass modes, making it easy to integrate into a wide variety of systems, not to mention rooms. The Bravus II 10D also has a remote control from which you can control not only its EQ settings but also volume.
In terms of design the Bravus II 10D is a looker as far as subwoofer goes, available in either a high gloss black or cherry wood veneer finish. The Bravus II 10D's connection options include high level speaker inputs as well as both stereo and LFE line level inputs. A detachable power cord and user selectable voltage switch is also standard on the Bravus II 10D.
In terms of sound the Bravus II 10D is phenomenal at and even a few steps above its asking price. Able to fill medium to large rooms with relative ease, the Bravus II 10D is equally suited to both music and movies. In my listening tests I was unable to get the Bravus II 10D to misbehave or go all tubby on me, for track after track, film after film, the Bravus II 10D churned out a beautifully textured and rich low end that was plenty deep yet extremely agile. The Bravus II 10D was even able to keep up with my reference Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond loudspeakers, which is high praise. The included remote made-on-the-fly adjustments easy and the Bravus II 10D's various EQ settings were a nice touch.
Read more about the high points and low points of the Bravus II 10D subwoofer.
High Points
• In terms of fit and finish the Bravus II 10D is one of the finer looking subwoofers out there period - not just Internet-direct.
• The Bravus II 10D's EQ and remote control, not to mention its copious connection options, make integrating it into your two channel or home theater system a breeze.
• The Bravus II 10D's performance is spot on for its asking price and even manages to outperform subwoofers costing twice as much.
• While there are subwoofers that possess more power and play deeper, the Bravus II 10D should provide all the low end impact one hopes for in medium to even larger rooms.
• For an additional $149 investment you can make your Bravus II 10D wireless using Aperion Audio's Home Audio Link.
Low Points
• The Bravus II 10D's finish is wonderful; however it's high gloss piano black option is hard to keep free of finger prints, dust and the occasional pet nose.
• There are a few subs in the 10D's price bracket that will go a little deeper and play with a little more authority, though none of them look as good or are as easy to use.
Competition and Comparisons
The Bravus II 10D is a capable subwoofer without question; however at just under $800 it does face some stiff competition. GoldenEar's ForceField 4 subwoofer competes favorably with the Bravus II 10D and while it may not share the 10D's good looks - it does cost $100 less.
Another subwoofer worth considering at or around the Bravus II 10D's asking price is Outlaw Audio's LFM-1 EX, which at $599 is considerably cheaper than both the Bravus II 10D and the ForceField 4; however it is much larger and more imposing -though if you're willing to forgive its looks it does put up similar performance figures.
For more on subwoofers including the latest subwoofer news and reviews, please check out Home Theater Review's Subwoofer page.
Conclusion
For $799 direct, the Bravus II 10D from Aperion Audio is one of my favorite subwoofers under a grand that is currently available today. When you throw in the fact that the Bravus II 10D, like all Aperion Audio products, comes standard with free shipping and a 30-day, in-home trial backed by a money back guarantee - you quickly see why I have no qualms about recommending the Bravus II 10D to any two channel or home theater enthusiast.
Additional Resources
• Read more subwoofer reviews from the staff at Home Theater Review.
• Find a set of floorstanding speakers or bookshelf speakers for the Bravus II 10 D.