XLS200 - reviews?

[MartinH32]

Hello all,

I am looking for an XLS 200, reason being, moving house and my Wharfedale EVo20's I use as rears speakers are going to be too big. So, replacing with EVO DFS but now need a sub for bass. Still keeping EVO centre and Evo 30's for fronts. Would the XLS200 be ok. Has anyone seen any reviews?

ta much

[PJTX100]

I think doing a search on this forum for "XLS200" will give you enough opinion on this sub to last a lifetime...PJ

[Dfour]

Alternativly save a few more £££ and buy the newer monolith if you have the room

[russraff]

Politically, there would be some serious repercussions if the traditional press reviewed a BK Electronics sub, so I doubt that you'll find any there. However, there are plenty on these forums that like them.

Russell

[Brox]

Why is that Russraf?

[russraff]

It’s all got to do with a company’s business model and how that model works with the specialised press.

The first model, which most companies operate, involves using either a distribution agency or retailers, or both. The advantage of this method means that products can be looked at and bought from many different places, achieving a blanket market presence. In this way more outlets will sell a product and thereby a company can sell more stock. For example, lets say 8/10 hifi retailers in a given city will stock SubX from a manufacturer - lets call them GreatSubs. GreatSubs, in order to make their product more appealing, will do many things. Of most importance are adverts and provision of review models to the specialised press. People will see the ad, read the review and go out to any number of outlets to get SubX. Now, paper magazines survive, to a fair degree, on the amount of advertising that they get which should be kept in mind as we move on to the other sales model.
BK Electronics, AV123, SVS et al sell direct to the consumer. In method one, after a company has made a product, the agency will add their profit and the retailer a bit more on top of the manufacturers original profit margin. Method two does away with these extra costs and passes on this saving to the buyer. So subs like the XLS200, while only £270 will have a comparible performance of a much more expensive model from Method 1. Despite the lack of a market presence in the traditional sense, the fact savings are passed onto the consumer is like the company is doing us a favour. Good will and word of mouth gather pace, and before you know it SVS and BK are taking over the forums!
Tying this all together, let’s say a magazine does a sub group test with many manufacturers including GreatSub’s SubX and the BK Electronics one. The SubX sells for £600 in the shops, whereas the equally performing XLS200 is just £270. No (honest) magazine will, given the price difference, recommend the more expensive option over the cheaper one. Indeed, given that the BK Sub is so much less than SubX, and that most people buy off the strength of reviews without demonstration, why would anyone buy SubX? A more pertinent question would therefore be: Why would GreatSubs continue to give a magazine money in advertising after that magazine has, effectively, rubbished their product? In fact, if GreatSubs and a lot of other manufacturers were to cotton onto the fact that a magazine were to review something from Method 2, what’s to stop them from mystically pulling their adverts? I wonder what would happen to the magazine’s advert revenue, then?

This is a fairly lite version of things, not considering some manufacturers economies of scale and eastern manufacturing savings and maybe I am a bit too cynical but that’s how I see things. Of course, you just watch - next month Home Cinema Choice will be reviewing the new Monolith!

Russell

[eviljohn2]

On top of what Russell says, it's also worth remembering that BK have and still do manufacture subwoofers for other manufacturers. These have included Rel, Ruark and MJ Acoustics.

[Ian J]

The May edition of What Hifi contains a review of the Crane Audio Oceana speakers which are only available directly from the manufacturer.

[russraff]

You mean I typed all that out for nothing!

Russell

[Ian J]

There are many myths about what AV and Hifi mags will or won't review and what has to be done to obtain a good rating with many of the complaints come from dealers who's products are rated at less than they would have wished for.

[russraff]

Anyone know how well the Crane Audio Oceana did in the group test? They do appear to do a sub, which may be quite good. Don't know of anyone that has one, though...

Russell

[MartinH32]

Thanks to everyone for replying. Think the Monolith may be a little too big but the XLS 200 looks spot on so may be buying although i have been offer a B&W ASW600 for £250 but suspect it wont compare.

[Sunil Banga]

Crane Audio do actually advertise in What HiFi; maybe this was a condition of the test?

The Crane Audio Oceana 3 5.1 system was rated as quite good for what actually is basically a style system. It got four stars and the Submariner was reviewed as ok but limited in size and therefore outright depth and extension. That's all from the What Hifi review.

My personal opinion is it's a good looking system but it depends if you'd want to sacrifise a little performance for the extra good looks.......