Rockville Rock Shaker 6.5 Black 200W Peak/100W RMS Powered Home Theater Subwoofer, Class-D, Adjustable Crossover, 20Hz-200Hz, Compact Design, for Movies and Music

RUB-A-DUB-DUB…I’VE GOT ME A GREAT SUB!!
Heard of Rockville products-never tried one before. I was looking for a reasonable sub that didn’t have an “SVS” or “Fathom” price tag. I’ve had Sony subs before, and they performed amicably at decent prices. With subs, you usually get back what you pay for, and the performance usually goes by size and quality (obviously). But once in a while you can find a gem in the mix that covers BOTH. I was very impressed by the output of this sub, and the quality build and low frequencies that it can handle. The heft is pronounced, not only in the sub-levels, but also the heft of the product itself! Not “ton-nish”, nor “feather-lite”.It’s just the right size and weight, so you won’t go into traction moving it around. The response in the controls and easy hook-up made it a cinch to adjust to your preferences. Some subs are subtle in that aspect, but you can really hear differences with the slightest adjustments. I do believe that it could easily fit in any locale, be it a smaller dwelling or a larger one. It’s size is not so obtrusive like some subs. I picked the dark wood grain one, and while it’s your standard run of the mill vinyl wrap, it actually looks nice…and somewhat “veneer” realistic. Certainly not butt-ugly like some of those ancient speakers of yore. Anyway, it added a complete fullness to my soundscape, and a nice, tight, solid “thump” that you can feel in your chest. Again, not too obtrusive. I had been in bands most of my life, and more importantly, had a studio that we recorded everything in, so while much older now, I’ve still got a pretty good set of ears for catching frequencies in the highs, mids, and lows. This is a really good little to midsized sub. PLEASE watch the accompanying video with the usual Rockville host for their products, and watch his demo settings (and hook-up) for this sub to get you on your way to starting out. The kid really knows what he’s talking about, and seems to know the products. It is so easy to follow his instructions to start at a base setting(s), then you can leasurly tweek and adjust to your liking. It is a VERY responsive sub, and at this price and quality, you would be an absolute fool not to get this sub and try it out. DEFINATELY now a dedicated Rockville fan, and while I’ve heard from others about their products, I am now a believer in them. A high quality product at a very reasonable price!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED/5-STARS (or more if I could)!!! P.S.- an old and easy way to set-up to include a sub into your system…be it a home stereo/theater system, is to connect/adjust the sub per instructions, then place the sub in YOUR favorite sitting spot. Move about in the room until you get the best response from the sub. That’s where the sub goes!!! An old studio engineer taught me that! Good luck with your new Rockville sub!!!

I’m satisfied…
So, gonna be upfront right away and say that I haven’t been able to put this subwoofer to the test like I’ve wanted to. My current living conditions (with “others” living in close proximity) have not allowed me to really play and let it loose…However, with that being said, I will definitely give this Rockville Rock Shaker 6.5″ subwoofer a solid 4 stars. Actually, if Amazon allowed for half-points, I’d likely give it a 4.5 stars. Solid (enough) construction. Knobs feel a little flimsy, but I’ve been gentle with them. Happy with the connection options on the back.My setup, currently, is running off of a Dell G5 gaming laptop using the 3.5mm headphone jack.The 3.5mm cable Y’s into L/R RCA cables which I’ve connected to the subwoofer’s L/R “LINE” Input. From there, I have connected a pair of Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers using RCA cables out of the the subwoofer’s LINE OUT connectors.The room I’m in is quite small. Maybe a 13X13 ft. bedroom with laminate flooring (no carpet). The subwoofer is located about 3 feet from any wall or corner (just because that’s all I have to work with).With all that being said, here’s what I think (thus far)…My initial impression wasn’t great. My first couple of uses with it left me feeling concerned. With both the volume and crossover knobs (on the Rocker subwoofer) set at 50% it sounded VERY shaky – like rattling in a NOT-good kinda way. The bass seemed distorted even at a low volume. But, hang in there…It gets MUCH better.For the next week or so, I began playing with different settings (on both the subwoofer and the Edifier’s). I also left the volume on the laptop fairly low so that the subwoofer could “break in” if there is any truth to that theory.Tonight? A couple of weeks later? Thankfully, there was no one else around the house except for me…So, I had an opportunity to push the volume a bit and see what I could feel/hear. And I was extremely pleased. Tight bass…The Rocker filled in the lower notes beautifully and had me enjoying my music once again. **This was after a good deal of tweaking between the subwoofer and the Edifier’s, because the bookshelf speakers also have bass/treble knobs).Right now, I think that I have found the perfect balance between the two, which is:Dell laptop volume set at 50%Rockville Shaker 6.5 frequency crossover knob set at just below 50%Rockville Shaker 6.5 volume just a hair over 50%Edifier speaker volume set at an estimated 50% (can’t tell for sure as the control knob isn’t labelled and has no tactile fell to it)Edifier bass completely turned down.Edifier treble (high frequency) set at about 75%With all of this messing around? It sounds really sweet tonight! And I’m quite pleased with my purchase.Down the road? Here’s my thoughts…Will I keep this 6.5″ and eventually integrate it into my home theater 5.1 surround sound system using my Yamaha receiver, JBL 8″ bookshelf speakers and a Paradigm center channel speaker? Yeah, I think I would definitely consider that…Or, will I take the Rockville 6.5″ subwoofer along with the Edifier bookshelf speakers and use those on my ramped up gaming PC? And, then, snag a, 8 or 10″ subwoofer for my home theater setup? Yeah, I’m thinking that this will be the case.IF this Rockville 6.5″ subwoofer continues to provide great bass like it currently does? In the future, I wouldn’t hesitate to try one of their larger versions as an addition to my home theater setup.For the money, this thing feels like a really good “buy”.

Amazing sound
I’ve been listening to an Aiwa Av-D58 that I bought in the early 90’s with a pair of KLH speakers bought at the same time. I plugged this in to the sub port and… Holy Moley. I did not realize how much sound I was missing all these years. This speaker is amazing.

The subwoofer makes the surround sound work
The 5.1 surround sound sounds great. And it was easy to setup and calibrate with the mic.