In this review, we will be comparing Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer and KUBE 8b, two Powered Subwoofer speakers from Aperion and KEF. Being Powered subwoofers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them. Let's have a brief look at the main features of Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer and KEF KUBE 8b first before getting into our more detailed comparison.
The sections below take each area in turn: driver and amplifier, frequency response, physical size and connectivity.
Drivers
The efficiency of a subwoofer is directly proportional to the total radiating are squared hence the woofer quantity and diameter.Both Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwooferand KEF KUBE 8b have a single woofer setup however the Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer's woofer is 10-inch whereas the KEF KUBE 8b features a 8-inch woofer.
Frequency Response
Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer has a frequency range of 28-350 Hz whereas KUBE 8b has a frequency range of 34-140 Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the KUBE 8b's min frequency of 34Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Subwoofer class in our database.
Low Frequency
Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer
High Frequency
Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer
Cabinet Type
Both Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer and KEF KUBE 8b have Acoustic Suspension type cabinets. Acoustic Suspension aka Sealed type subwoofers have enclosures that are sealed hence no ports or holes exists on the cabinet. Sealed designs helps to provide more accurate and tight bass responses compared to ported designs.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer's and KEF KUBE 8b's external dimensions. Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer has external dimensions of 381.0 x 342.9 x 342.9mm (15 x 13.5 x 13.5inch) whereas KEF KUBE 8b has external dimensions of 294.0 x 296.0 x 339.0mm (11-9/16 x 11-5/8 x 13-5/16inch).
Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 46.9mm wider, 87mm taller and 3.9mm deeper than KEF KUBE 8b.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer needs about 17% more floor or shelf area. Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer is 87mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer is approximately 1175.8cm2 / 182.2inch2 and base area of the KEF KUBE 8b is approximately 1003.4cm2 / 155.5inch2. The Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer requires 17% more surface area than the KUBE 8b which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a subwoofer may become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often to find the optimal positioning, also known as 'Subwoofer Crawling'. The Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer weighs 17.24kg / 37.9lbs and the KEF KUBE 8b weighs 11.36kg / 25lbs. This makes the Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer 52% heavier than the KUBE 8b.
Here is a comparison of how Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer and KUBE 8b's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Subwoofer class.
Weight
All Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
34 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
350 Hz
vs
140 Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
294mm
vs
381mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1003cm2
vs
1175cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
600USD
vs
899USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
Size, drawn to scale
Both subwoofers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same floor and pushed back to the same wall, so the bigger one visibly takes more of the room.
Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer needs about 17% more floor area. Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer is 87mm taller.
| General |
Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer |
KEF KUBE 8b |
| Brand |
Aperion |
KEF |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Subwoofer |
Powered Subwoofer |
| Max Amplifier Output |
500 watts |
300 watts |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
28-350 Hz |
34-140 Hz |
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
500-watt RMS |
300-watt RMS |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
10" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
|
|
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
40-140 Hz |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
381.0mm (15") |
294.0mm (11.6") |
| Width |
342.9mm (13.5") |
296.0mm (11.7") |
| Depth |
342.9mm (13.5") |
339.0mm (13.3") |
| Weight |
17.24kg (37.9lbs) |
11.36kg (25lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Acoustic Suspension |
Acoustic Suspension |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
2 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
2 Years |
No single best subwoofer here. Your room, where the box can physically go, and whether this is mainly for films or mainly for music will settle it long before the specs do.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass depth | A | Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer goes deeper - 28Hz against 34Hz. A real difference, though most music has little content below 34Hz. |
| Amplifier power | A | Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer has the bigger amplifier - 500W against 300W RMS, about 2.2dB more on tap. In a large room that is headroom before the DSP starts limiting. |
| Driver area | A | Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer moves more air: 10" against 8" is 1.56x the cone area, not the 1.25x the diameters suggest. More area means the same output with less excursion, and less distortion with it. |
| Enclosure | evenly matched | Both are sealed designs, so they roll off in much the same way. |
| Cabinet size | depends | KEF KUBE 8b is about 34% smaller by volume. In a subwoofer that is a real trade rather than a preference: box volume is how you get output low down without a bigger amplifier. |
| Price | B | KEF KUBE 8b costs less - $600 against $899, about 33% less. |
A Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer B KEF KUBE 8b
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both subwoofers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Aperion Bravus II 10D 500W 10" Powered Subwoofer measures better, KEF KUBE 8b costs about 33% less. In a normal room, placement will make a bigger difference than the gap between these two. If placement is the constraint - a corner, behind a sofa, under a desk - KEF KUBE 8b is the one that will actually go there, and a well-placed small subwoofer beats a badly-placed big one every time.
One thing outweighs everything above: where the subwoofer stands. Room modes can add or remove 10dB or more at a given seat, which is far larger than any difference on this page. Before spending more, try the sub in two or three positions - the crawl test, where you put it in the listening seat and crawl the room to find where the bass sounds best, costs nothing and usually beats an upgrade.