The Nova Sub-80 won the prestigious Australia Sound and Image Award for "Best Budget Subwoofer".

The Earthquake Nova Sub-80 is simply one of the best small subwoofers available today. This compact high power sub is perfect for homes where people can't have 10", 12" or 15" subs. We are talking about apartments, lofts or even townhouses, if you you don't care about being evicted you can always get a larger driver but this one in particular will deliver some serious bass, but not ugly and distorted like other drivers this size that can't utilize their amplifier power correctly.

The SUB-80 has the potential to fill very large rooms with excellent bass response and thundering sound effects. The reason why we recommend this over the larger drivers in these types of homes is very simple "It's better to get a slow car and drive it fast, than to get a fast car that you have to drive slow".

"Earthquake's Nova Sub-80 - punching well above it's weight".
Overall, I thought the Nova Sub-80 had excellent bass extension for its size, digging deep enough in the bass to easily reproduce notes at the bottom of a piano keyboard at the correct level and with the right degree or 'weight'. The bass from the subwoofer was fast, tuneful and distinct, so that instruments really sounded musical, rather than like just another sound effect.
Greq Borrowman, Australia HI-FI, January 2002