In this review, we will be comparing Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer and DB3D, two Powered Subwoofer speakers from Aperion and Bowers Wilkins. 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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer and B&W DB3D 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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwooferand B&W DB3D have a double woofer setup however the Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer's woofer is 12-inch whereas the B&W DB3D features a 8-inch woofer.
Frequency Response
Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer has a frequency range of 17-180 Hz whereas DB3D has a frequency range of 10-350Hz. With a minimum frequency of 10Hz, the DB3D can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer's min frequency of 17Hz.
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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer
High Frequency
Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer
Cabinet Type
The Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer has a Bass Reflex type cabinet. Bass Reflex type subwoofers (aka Ported, Vented or Reflex Port) have enclosures that uses a port, hole or vent cut into the cabinet. Ported designs are generally more efficient than the Sealed designs. On the other hand the B&W DB3D have Acoustic Suspension type enclosure. 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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer's and B&W DB3D's external dimensions. Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer has external dimensions of 899.2 x 444.5 x 439.4mm (35.4 x 17.5 x 17.3inch) whereas B&W DB3D has external dimensions of 368.3 x 341.3 x 347.7mm ().
Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 103.2mm wider, 530.9mm taller and 91.7mm deeper than B&W DB3D.
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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer needs about 65% more floor or shelf area. Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is 92mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is 531mm 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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is approximately 1953.1cm2 / 302.7inch2 and base area of the B&W DB3D is approximately 1186.7cm2 / 183.9inch2. The Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer requires 65% more surface area than the DB3D 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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer weighs 44.50kg / 97.9lbs and the B&W DB3D weighs 25.05kg / 55.1lbs. This makes the Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer 78% heavier than the DB3D.
Here is a comparison of how Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer and DB3D's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Subwoofer class.
Weight
All Subwoofer Speakers
Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer
 Woofer Size |
12 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Price per pair* |
3299USD
vs
3499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| Low Frequency Response |
10 Hz
vs
17 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
350 Hz
vs
180 Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 App-Based Control |
iOS,Android
vs
None
|
Control the speaker via an app |
 Height |
368mm
vs
899mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1186cm2
vs
1953cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
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 III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer needs about 65% more floor area. Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer stands 92mm further into the room. Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is 531mm taller.
| General |
Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer |
Bowers & Wilkins DB3D |
| Brand |
Aperion |
Bowers Wilkins |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Subwoofer |
Powered Subwoofer |
| Max Amplifier Output |
750 watts |
1000 watts |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
17-180 Hz |
10-350Hz |
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
750-watt RMS |
1000-watt RMS |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
12" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
|
|
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
40-160 Hz |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
899.2mm (35.4") |
368.3mm (14.5") |
| Width |
444.5mm (17.5") |
341.3mm (13.4") |
| Depth |
439.4mm (17.3") |
347.7mm (13.7") |
| Weight |
44.50kg (97.9lbs) |
25.05kg (55.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Acoustic Suspension |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
2 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
2 Years |
A ported subwoofer against a sealed one. That is the most consequential line on this page: it decides how the bass rolls off, how it behaves in a small room, and how much output you get for the size of the box.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass depth | B | B&W DB3D goes deeper - 10Hz against 17Hz. Under 20Hz is felt more than heard - the bottom of a pipe organ and the bottom of a film mix. |
| Amplifier power | B | B&W DB3D has the bigger amplifier - 1000W against 750W RMS, about 1.2dB more on tap. In a large room that is headroom before the DSP starts limiting. |
| Driver area | A | Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer moves more air: 2 x 12" against 2 x 8" is 2.25x the cone area, not the 1.5x the diameters suggest. More area means the same output with less excursion, and less distortion with it. |
| Enclosure | depends | Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer is ported - a ported box gives more output low down for its size, at the cost of a steeper roll-off below tuning; B&W DB3D is sealed - a sealed box rolls off gently and is usually the easier one to integrate in a small or awkward room. Neither is better in the abstract; ported tends to suit films and sealed tends to suit music, and both generalisations have exceptions. |
| Cabinet size | depends | B&W DB3D is about 75% 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 | A | Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer costs less - $3,299 against $3,499, about 6% less. |
A Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer B B&W DB3D
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: B&W DB3D measures better, Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer costs about 6% less. In a normal room, placement will make a bigger difference than the gap between these two. Films or music? If this is mainly a home cinema, Aperion Bravus III B212 Dual 12" Cinema Powered Subwoofer will hit harder for the money; if it is mainly for music in a normal-sized room, B&W DB3D is usually the easier one to make sound right. If placement is the constraint - a corner, behind a sofa, under a desk - B&W DB3D 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.