In this review, we will be comparing Thetis 340 and ASW608, two Powered Subwoofer speakers from Triangle 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 Triangle Thetis 340 and B&W ASW608 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 Triangle Thetis 340and B&W ASW608 have a single woofer setup however the Triangle Thetis 340's woofer is 10-inch whereas the B&W ASW608 features a 8-inch woofer.
Frequency Response
Thetis 340 has a frequency range of 25-120 Hz whereas ASW608 has a frequency range of 32-140 Hz. With a minimum frequency of 25Hz, the Thetis 340 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the ASW608's min frequency of 32Hz.
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 Triangle Thetis 340 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 ASW608 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 Triangle Thetis 340's and B&W ASW608's external dimensions. Triangle Thetis 340 has external dimensions of 380.0 x 340.0 x 340.0mm (14-15/16 x 13-3/8 x 13-3/8inch) whereas B&W ASW608 has external dimensions of 272.0 x 261.0 x 350.0mm (10-11/16 x 10-1/4 x 13-3/4inch).
B&W ASW608 is 79mm narrower and 108mm shorter than Triangle Thetis 340 but it is also 10mm deeper.
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.
Triangle Thetis 340 needs about 27% more floor or shelf area. Triangle Thetis 340 is 108mm 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 Triangle Thetis 340 is approximately 1156.0cm2 / 179.2inch2 and base area of the B&W ASW608 is approximately 913.5cm2 / 141.6inch2. The Thetis 340 requires 27% more surface area than the ASW608 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 Triangle Thetis 340 weighs 16.10kg / 35.4lbs and the B&W ASW608 weighs 8.86kg / 19.5lbs. This makes the Thetis 340 82% heavier than the ASW608.
Here is a comparison of how Thetis 340 and ASW608's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Subwoofer class.
Weight
All Subwoofer Speakers
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Low Frequency Response |
25 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
140 Hz
vs
120 Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
272mm
vs
380mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
913cm2
vs
1156cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
599USD
vs
825USD
|
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.
Triangle Thetis 340 needs about 27% more floor area. Triangle Thetis 340 is 108mm taller.
| General |
Triangle Thetis 340 |
Bowers & Wilkins ASW608 |
| Brand |
Triangle |
Bowers Wilkins |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Subwoofer |
Powered Subwoofer |
| Max Amplifier Output |
250 watts |
200 watts |
| Frequency Response |
25-120 Hz |
32-140 Hz |
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
250-watt RMS |
200-watt RMS |
| Watts Peak (Max) |
400-watt RMS |
n/a |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
10" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper composite |
Paper/Aramid Fiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
380.0mm (15") |
272.0mm (10.7") |
| Width |
340.0mm (13.4") |
261.0mm (10.3") |
| Depth |
340.0mm (13.4") |
350.0mm (13.8") |
| Weight |
16.10kg (35.4lbs) |
8.86kg (19.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Acoustic Suspension |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
2 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
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 | A | Triangle Thetis 340 goes deeper - 25Hz against 32Hz. That gap covers the lowest notes of a five-string bass and a concert bass drum. |
| Amplifier power | A | Triangle Thetis 340 has the bigger amplifier - 250W against 200W RMS, about 1dB more on tap. In a large room that is headroom before the DSP starts limiting. |
| Driver area | A | Triangle Thetis 340 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 | Triangle Thetis 340 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 ASW608 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. |
| Driver placement | depends | Triangle Thetis 340 fires down and B&W ASW608 fires front. 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. |
| Cabinet size | depends | B&W ASW608 is about 43% 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. |
| Warranty | A | Triangle Thetis 340 carries 5 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 | B&W ASW608 costs less - $599 against $825, about 27% less. |
A Triangle Thetis 340 B B&W ASW608
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: Triangle Thetis 340 measures better, B&W ASW608 costs about 27% 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, Triangle Thetis 340 will hit harder for the money; if it is mainly for music in a normal-sized room, B&W ASW608 is usually the easier one to make sound right. If placement is the constraint - a corner, behind a sofa, under a desk - B&W ASW608 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.