In this review, we will be comparing SW-15 and Sub Air, two Powered Subwoofer speakers from Wharfedale and Focal. 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 Wharfedale SW-15 and Focal Sub Air 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 Wharfedale SW-15and Focal Sub Air have a single woofer setup however the Wharfedale SW-15's woofer is 15-inch whereas the Focal Sub Air features a 8-inch woofer.
Frequency Response
SW-15 has a frequency range of 30-120 Hz whereas Sub Air has a frequency range of 40-200 Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the SW-15 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Sub Air's min frequency of 40Hz.
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
Both Wharfedale SW-15 and Focal Sub Air have Bass Reflex type cabinets. 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.
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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 Wharfedale SW-15's and Focal Sub Air's external dimensions. Wharfedale SW-15 has external dimensions of 570.0 x 493.0 x 615.0mm (22-7/16inch x 19-3/8inch x 24-3/16inch) whereas Focal Sub Air has external dimensions of 410.0 x 362.0 x 162.0mm (16-1/8 x 14-1/4 x 6-3/8inch).
Wharfedale SW-15 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 131mm wider, 160mm taller and 453mm deeper than Focal Sub Air.
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.
Wharfedale SW-15 needs about 417% more floor or shelf area. Wharfedale SW-15 is 453mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Wharfedale SW-15 is 160mm 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 Wharfedale SW-15 is approximately 3032.0cm2 / 470.0inch2 and base area of the Focal Sub Air is approximately 586.4cm2 / 90.9inch2. The SW-15 requires 417% more surface area than the Sub Air 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 Wharfedale SW-15 weighs 31.57kg / 69.5lbs and the Focal Sub Air weighs 7.73kg / 17lbs. This makes the SW-15 308% heavier than the Sub Air.
Here is a comparison of how SW-15 and Sub Air's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Subwoofer class.
Weight
All Subwoofer Speakers
What's in the Box of Wharfedale SW-15?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of SW-15:
- Powered subwoofer
- Grille
- 6.5-feet AC power cord
- User-feets Manual
What's in the Box of Focal Sub Air?
Here are the items that come with the Sub Air:
- Wireless powered subwoofer
- Wireless transmitter
- AC power adapter (attached 6-feet DC cord)
- AC power plug insert (2-prong)
- 8-feet AC power cord
- 4 Rubber feet
- 2 Brackets
- Four M4 x 10mm machine screws
- Four M4 x 17mm machine screws
- 4 Wood-screws
- 4 Wall-anchors
- User Manual
 Woofer Size |
15 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
1199USD
vs
1299USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 High Frequency Response |
200 Hz
vs
120 Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Height |
410mm
vs
570mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
586cm2
vs
3032cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Wireless Operation |
Yes
vs
No
|
Connect your subwoofer to your system wireless |
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.
Wharfedale SW-15 needs about 417% more floor area. Wharfedale SW-15 stands 453mm further into the room. Wharfedale SW-15 is 160mm taller.
| General |
Wharfedale SW-15 |
Focal Sub Air |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
Focal |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Subwoofer |
Powered Subwoofer |
| Max Amplifier Output |
400 watts |
110 watts |
| Frequency Response |
30-120 Hz |
40-200 Hz |
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
400-watt RMS |
110-watt RMS |
| Watts Peak (Max) |
850-watt RMS |
n/a |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
15" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper |
Cellulose Pulp |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
570.0mm (22.4") |
410.0mm (16.1") |
| Width |
493.0mm (19.4") |
362.0mm (14.3") |
| Depth |
615.0mm (24.2") |
162.0mm (6.4") |
| Weight |
31.57kg (69.5lbs) |
7.73kg (17lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
3 Years |
3 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
3 Years |
3 Years |
Two quite different sizes of subwoofer. Room volume decides this more than anything else on the page: a big driver in a small room is wasted, and a small one in a large room is worked to death.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass depth | A | Wharfedale SW-15 goes deeper - 30Hz against 40Hz. A real difference, though most music has little content below 40Hz. |
| Amplifier power | A | Wharfedale SW-15 has the bigger amplifier - 400W against 110W RMS, about 5.6dB more on tap. In a large room that is headroom before the DSP starts limiting. |
| Driver area | A | Wharfedale SW-15 moves more air: 15" against 8" is 3.52x the cone area, not the 1.88x the diameters suggest. More area means the same output with less excursion, and less distortion with it. |
| Enclosure | evenly matched | Both are ported designs, so they roll off in much the same way. |
| Wireless option | depends | Only Focal Sub Air offers a wireless link. It decides where the sub can go if you cannot run a cable, and is worth nothing if you can. |
| Cabinet size | depends | Focal Sub Air is about 86% 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 | Wharfedale SW-15 costs less - $1,199 against $1,299, about 8% less. |
A Wharfedale SW-15 B Focal Sub Air
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?
Wharfedale SW-15 has the edge on paper, though not by much. The "depends" rows are more likely to decide this than the score is. If placement is the constraint - a corner, behind a sofa, under a desk - Focal Sub Air 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.