In this review, we will be comparing ASW610 and S8, two Powered Subwoofer speakers from Bowers Wilkins and Audioengine. 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 B&W ASW610 and Audioengine S8 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 B&W ASW610and Audioengine S8 have a single woofer setup however the B&W ASW610's woofer is 10-inch whereas the Audioengine S8 features a 8-inch woofer.
Frequency Response
ASW610 has a frequency range of 27-140 Hz whereas S8 has a frequency range of 27-180 Hz.
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
High Frequency
Subwoofer Speakers
Cabinet Type
The B&W ASW610 has a Acoustic Suspension type cabinet. 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. On the other hand the Audioengine S8 have Bass Reflex type enclosure. 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.
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 B&W ASW610's and Audioengine S8's external dimensions. B&W ASW610 has external dimensions of 321.0 x 312.0 x 394.0mm (12-5/8 x 12-1/4 x 15-1/2inch) whereas Audioengine S8 has external dimensions of 334.0 x 293.0 x 337.0mm (13-1/8 x 11-1/2 x 13-1/4inch).
Audioengine S8 is 19mm narrower and 57mm less deeper than B&W ASW610 but it is also 13mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of B&W ASW610 and Audioengine S8 in scale.
Comparison image of B&W ASW610 and Audioengine S8 Size and External Dimensions
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 B&W ASW610 is approximately 1229.3cm2 / 190.5inch2 and base area of the Audioengine S8 is approximately 987.4cm2 / 153.0inch2. The ASW610 requires 24% more surface area than the S8 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 B&W ASW610 weighs 12.55kg / 27.6lbs and the Audioengine S8 weighs 13.64kg / 30lbs. This makes the S8 9% heavier than the ASW610.
Here is a comparison of how ASW610 and S8's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Subwoofer class.
Weight
All Subwoofer Speakers
What's in the Box of B&W ASW610?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of ASW610:
- Powered subwoofer
- Grille
- 6.5-feet AC power cord
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Lock-nuts
- Manual
- Bowers & Wilkins brochure
- Warranty Information
What's in the Box of Audioengine S8?
Here are the items that come with the S8:
- Powered subwoofer
- 6-feet AC power cord
- 6.5-feet Stereo RCA cable
- 6.5-feet Stereo minijack audio cable
- Cloth subwoofer bag
- Cloth cable bag
- Quick Start Guide
- Audioengine brochure
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
321mm
vs
334mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 High Frequency Response |
180 Hz
vs
140 Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
987cm2
vs
1229cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
349USD
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.
B&W ASW610 needs about 24% more floor area. B&W ASW610 stands 57mm further into the room. Audioengine S8 is 13mm taller.
| General |
Bowers & Wilkins ASW610 |
Audioengine S8 |
| Brand |
Bowers Wilkins |
Audioengine |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Subwoofer |
Powered Subwoofer |
| Max Amplifier Output |
200 watts |
125 watts |
| Frequency Response |
27-140 Hz |
27-180 Hz |
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
200-watt RMS |
125-watt RMS |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
10" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper/Aramid Fiber |
Treated paper |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Firing Direction |
front |
bottom |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
321.0mm (12.6") |
334.0mm (13.1") |
| Width |
312.0mm (12.3") |
293.0mm (11.5") |
| Depth |
394.0mm (15.5") |
337.0mm (13.3") |
| Weight |
12.55kg (27.6lbs) |
13.64kg (30lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Acoustic Suspension |
Bass Reflex |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
2 Years |
3 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
2 Years |
3 Years |
A sealed subwoofer against a ported 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 | evenly matched | Effectively the same reach (27Hz vs 27Hz). |
| Amplifier power | A | B&W ASW610 has the bigger amplifier - 200W against 125W RMS, about 2dB more on tap. In a large room that is headroom before the DSP starts limiting. |
| Driver area | A | B&W ASW610 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 | depends | B&W ASW610 is sealed - a sealed box rolls off gently and is usually the easier one to integrate in a small or awkward room; Audioengine S8 is ported - a ported box gives more output low down for its size, at the cost of a steeper roll-off below tuning. Neither is better in the abstract; ported tends to suit films and sealed tends to suit music, and both generalisations have exceptions. |
| Speaker-level inputs | A | B&W ASW610 takes a speaker-level connection as well as line level. That is what lets it work with an integrated amplifier or a vintage receiver that has no subwoofer output at all. |
| Driver placement | depends | B&W ASW610 fires front and Audioengine S8 fires down. A down-firing driver is more forgiving of a grille-less look and of a hard floor; a front-firing one is the safer choice on a thick carpet or a suspended timber floor. |
| Warranty | B | Audioengine S8 carries 3 years on parts against 2 years. A subwoofer amplifier works harder than anything else in the system, so this is not a throwaway line. |
| Price | B | Audioengine S8 costs less - $349 against $899, about 61% less. |
A B&W ASW610 B Audioengine S8
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 ASW610 measures better, Audioengine S8 costs about 61% 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, Audioengine S8 will hit harder for the money; if it is mainly for music in a normal-sized room, B&W ASW610 is usually the easier one to make sound right. Check your amplifier first: if it has no subwoofer or preamp output, B&W ASW610 is the only one of these two you can connect at all.
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.