Price Paid:  $400.00 from London Drugs

Summary:
This is my first powered subwoofer so I'm going to like it no matter what. In saying that though, out of all the subs I demo'd this was by far the best sounding, thunderous bass producing sub under $600 in Canada. (I can't believe the garbage being sold to Canadians at such a ridiculously higher price then the U.S.) This sub sold for a regular $599.99+tax in Canada so when it went on sale for $399.99 because the newer RW-10d was released it was a no brainer to run out and pick it up. This is the exact same subwoofer as the newer 10d model, *same amp and everything*. The only difference with the newer 10d is that it has the digital control panel on top. The RW-10 is a quality made sub made by a well known and quality speaker manufacturer in Klipsch. It handles the LFE with ease and has given my HTsystem a new sound I didn't realize was missing.

Strengths:
260wRMS - 575wMax
BASH Digital Amp
Direct LFE input
Crossover & Phase controls
Well built cabinet
Well packaged

Weaknesses:
$599.99 reg price tag is a bit much.
I would like to see more realistic prices for Canadians.

Similar Products Used:
Velo DPS10
Infinity PS10
Infinity PS8
Klipsh RW8
Polk PSW12

earswideopen

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $300.00 from ebay

Summary:
I bought this sub for a music only system, which I believe 10
' is better than 12". Out of the box it was a bit muddy, but after a few weeks it tightened up. I had to do quite a bit of adjustments to get it dialed in, but now it sounds excellent. The pase is set around 45, crossover at 60, and I have it in a corner. I also purchased ahigh end cable and am using a Monster 2500 power filter. I have it paired with RB-35's, and the setup fills 500 square feet without effort. The volume on the side is especially nice since my 2 channel amp has no sub volume adjustment(from the remote). I also like the fact Klipsch uses vinyl on their speakers, putting the $ towards the speakers instead of a pretty wood finish. Its a speaker, not a coffee table. I shooped for a long time looking for a sub @ $400 or less and there really was no competition. Of course there are better subs out ther (many), but expecting this to sound like a $1000 sub is comparing apples to oranges.

Strengths:
Powerful tight bass, $, vinyl laminate cabinet, volume on side, great for music

Weaknesses:
maybe not as good for HT, considerable break in period

Similar Products Used:
Velodyne, Paradigm, MB Quart

Drivesthebeast

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $800.00 from East Hamilton Radio

Summary:
I bought this unit when it was one of the Demo models at EHR in one of the higher-end listening rooms. It turned out that they sold so many of them, they couldn't keep them in stock...I think there must be a reason.

I was actually considering buying the RW8 instead, and if that proved not loud enough, I would buy a 2nd one and use the cable with the Y junction in it. The RW10 is significantly more expensive than the RW8, and I found out why after I haggled a deal with the store's head manager because of mine being a floor model, and brought it home.

The RW10 extends a lot deeper than the RW8, and it almost goes as deep as the RW12 does in bass extension. It can play both loud boomy bass like that of movie soundtracks (especially DTS at high volumes), and it can also reproduce tight bass as well. Tight or reasonably acurate bass is a characteristic that often escapes the abilities of HT subs, but not this one. I can play ANY kind of movie or music tracks through it, at almost any volume. The only time the sub can sound muddy or sloppy is when you are listening to a movie at hearing loss inducing volumes...the port turbulance is noticeable with certain tones, and the woofer can't travel as fast as you need it to. Now, that being said, this ISN'T a $1000+ subwoofer here folks. What it IS, is a subwoofer that can blow the doors off any budget subwoofer I've ever listened to. It even seriously embarrases more expensive ones too. I never have driven it into distortion, and the amp stays fairly cool, even after long sessions. I guess thats because it's a digital amp, and continuously variable crossover and phase control.

The volume control on the SIDE of the cabinet is a brillant idea, as it makes adjustments while the system is playing very easy. No need to lean over the rear of it at all. I have it connected with a Monster Cable dedicated subwoofer cable to a 2006 Marantz SR7500 THX reciever, and have the internal crossover on the sub bypassed in favour of the one in the reciever instead. This was a great idea to be able to do either-or, and it makes installation more flexible for using the sub with a conventional stereo reciever if you wanted to, or with a HT one.

The RW 10 is beefy, acurate, has good looks, and is actually priced reasonably if you compare it to cheaper ones from other brands and think about the dollar-performance ratio...the extra money is well worth it. Speaking of performance, the RW 10 is an FTC rated 260 watts RMS, and 575 watts peak...that's more than enough juice to launce the copper cerametallic woofer into overdrive when you need it to. Just watch the rave scene in "Man on Fire" or the crash scene in "Flight of the Pheonix" and you'll know what I'm talking about...

Strengths:
Raw power, low frequency extension, reasonable accuracy with music, awesome SQ with movie soundtracks, installation flexibility, constantly variable crossover and phase control, volume control on the side of the cabinet...

Weaknesses:
Expensive for it's size/style, can sound a bit overblown (port turbulance) at high volumes (read as hearing-loss inducing volumes)...

Similar Products Used:
PSB, Paradigm, M&K, JBL, Cerwin Vega, Bose (Junk)

klipschman

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
i recently purchased a klipsch rw10 and i had the highest of expectations. Now i will admit that i knew going in that klipsch did not build the best subs under a 1000$, they are great but costlty. Now i read the other reviews posted here and i heard many different subs and i have to admit for music you have to bring it up to really hear it otherwise it is slightly subdued but once it gets going its fine but i must say this sub really comes through on movies where the explosions anbd effects are louder than at the theater i always find myself bringing it down on movies and up on music go figure. Build quality is there and so is resale valuer, the 5 year warranty is also a plus. So i was afraid that i had mande the wrong choice but i could have brought it back but i actually do believe it is a very good product that shines primarly for movie applications and games as well(it destroys on games try burnout 3 and you will understand). Klipsch are great products and i would recommend it over other name brands but i cvan also understand those who dont just love the look

Strengths:
makes your house shake, makes your house rattle, scares away animals and most humans

Weaknesses:
expensive, and heavy might not please everybody for music

Similar Products Used:
paradigm pdr10, ps2200, jbl and klispsch ksw series, bose,

jmon

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $350.00 from acousticsound design

Summary:
Well, I guess it makes sense that every manufacturer has their mid to low end models, this is no exception. The best part of the sub is the design. It sure looks nice. But after you plug it in and play the gamet of music and dvds, you feel like you've just been robbed at knifepoint. Klipsch should NEVER have their "reference" name to this line. If you're playing music at low volumes, and you have two small front speakers, it is a nice complement to this system. I feel the reproduction of the sound was spot on. After some adjusting the frequency where the sub took over, I thought it filled out the song nicely. The sub doesn't have a ton of power and isn't designed to crank through big beat after beat should you "turn it up" and it bottoms out real quick on movies. It's never going to give you that earth shattering feel of a 12 or 15in sub. As soon as the volume hits a certain level whether movies or music, you might as well turn it off, because the sound is really sloppy. You are constantly thinking, is this thing going to blow soon, cause it sounds like it's on the edge. After making the mistake of getting this, I did a ton of research before getting my new sub a velodyne spL 12 S2. The difference between the two is like a ferrari and an oldsmobile. For the $500 retail, the stores would be robbing you, but if you can pick it up for $200 and you know the downsides and your listening demands are music at low levels this isn't a bad sub. I've listened to the full line of Klipsch subs and even their top end reference line is very poor. Their floorstanding speakers are where they standout and it's OK to stick to that sometimes.

Strengths:
Music only listening at low volumes.

Weaknesses:
Very sloppy sounds and any volume over low and simply not made for movies other than steel magnolias.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch RSW10 Velodyne SPL 12 Series 2