Dynaudio Sub 250 Compact subwoofer test

Rugged bass, compact size, popular brand.

No power control, squeal at the very low frequencies.

Technical parameters

Technical commentary C.p.

Compactness is a quality one can only welcome in any home appliance. When it comes to subwoofers, the dimensions are not directly proportional to the characteristics, but a certain dependence can be seen one way or another. Making the subwoofer small but deeply penetrating in the low-frequency part of the acoustic spectrum is prevented by the laws of physics.

For the range below 100Hz you need big speakers, a massive enclosure and a powerful amplifier. To fit it all in a box the size of a bookshelf speaker is extremely difficult, especially if the goal is to produce a quality product. But Dynaudio engineers shouldn’t be suspected of fudging, so you expect something unusual from a cube with a 30 centimeter edge.

Design is minimalistic, the whole front panel is occupied by ten-inch cone. Closed case is covered by two types of piano lacquer colors – black or white. On the rear panel there is a stereo input and a stereo output for triggering in triphonic mode, and also a through monaural LFE port intended for switching with sound processors.

The presence of outputs implies the possibility of connecting multiple subwoofers in series. Unfortunately there is no power control except for the toggle switch. No remote control or trigger. Controllable parameters include cutoff frequency and volume. Built-in amplifier power is claimed to be 200W.

In the sound or should I say bass support you can feel good control and dynamism. Bass is solid and well-defined, complementing any pair of speakers. For music – just right. But there are unavoidable minuses, arising from the miniaturization. Extreme bass frequencies like kettledrums, explosions and thunder rumbles are beyond the capabilities of such a small box.

And it would be OK if they were just “swallowed”, but the unit tries to reproduce them, which leads to unpredictable cone behavior and extraneous sounds. Unfortunately, the subwoofer controls can not set the lower limit of reproduced frequencies and acoustic artifacts occur more often than we would like.

The solution to this problem, though, is on the surface. In mp3 files, the segment of frequencies that causes problems with the Sub 250 is simply missing. And when using this model with an iPod dock, no problems are likely to be noticed. This area of application perfectly matches the compactness of the device, which is designed to support a pair of small satellites or a soundbar.

In a multimedia setup it will find its place, its capabilities will be fully exploited, and its flaws will be negated. At first glance the price might seem high, but for a Dynaudio nameplate subwoofer this is the most affordable option.

Sound A.v.

The bass was sluggish and “slow”, there was a tonal coloration, changing the timbre of bass. When the signal level rises, the bass begins to noticeably throttle.

On top of that, due to the small cabinet volume the subwoofer resonates noticeably in some operating frequencies, simply put, some notes stick out in volume. You could put up with sluggishness and coloration of sound, but not with resonances.

41,200 Dollars