Dali SWA 12 Subwoofers

Dali SWA 12 Subwoofers 

DESCRIPTION

Active subwoofer

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 10  
[Jun 08, 2003]
yu cheng
AudioPhile

Strength:

well built, srong. suitable for long listening.tight bass. fast and well controlled.

Weakness:

lacks impact,maybe. pity they didn't use heavy duty loudspeaker connectors.

I bought this sub as a result of the good reputation of Dali. When this sub came to me, I was astonished at its great handscraft.Yes, it is greatly built,though it is not very expensive.The sound is great, very suitable for music, and well controlled as well!However, for home theater, for home theater, you might think it lacks punches,as it is a sealed sub,but it is good for long listening. You don't feel tense and tired.

Similar Products Used:

klipsch ksw12

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 09, 2002]
BirgerC
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Well controlled. No port noise Price/Finish & musicality Quite small

Weakness:

Doesn’t say much below 35Hz Movie explosions and quakes are lacking (you hear them more than you feel them).

I have used the sub for LFE and C, LRS & RRS to relieve the speakers and front L & R to relieve the amplifier. This set up has worked ok. However, in my system it works more as a bass substitution as my front speakers (prev. DALI450 now AudioVektor M3 Signature) plays just as deep (that is around 35Hz, below that not much is happening). A couple of years back I ordered a QLN sub 12 to get a deeper bas better suited for movies. However I simply couldn’t accept the port noise it made and decided it wasn’t worth the extra buck – back it went (it was even bigger and uglier). If you are looking for sub to use with stand, wall or shelf speakers you should consider this sub. It may give you just that controlled bass you have been missing, and this without any port noise.

Similar Products Used:

QLN Sub 12, B&W SWR 1000.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
[Nov 16, 2000]
Tom Laaksonen
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Bum bum in hometheater use

Weakness:

Nothing i guess..

I use it whit Dali Royal`s, and i think t fit`s good with them.Hometheater use this sub rocks...It could go deeper, but i like it.In music it is very good too, if you have the right speakers.Go and listen it...There is also SWA-8, it is small, but i think it`s very good too, though it`s small.
It looks funny...But SWA-12 has more BUM BUM! ;)

Similar Products Used:

B&W ???? Too expensive if you want a good sub go Dali, not B&W...Dali sound better

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 28, 2001]
Geoff Costello
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Tight base. Awesome volume levels. Truely Musical

This is a amazing sub-woofer from Dali. Its almost as if it came from another planet then their smaller SWA-12 etc series with 120W RMS or less. This sub has a 1000W Peak, 350W RMD class D amplifier, is flat to 22Hz and goes way below that with gradual roll off and cam produce 115Db plus volumes. You can see it on their Web Site - the designer just said "lets go for it" and build something that can do concert level volumes so that NO ONE could complain about not having enough base.

Best of all it is very musical - complementing the music by adding an extra octave or two smoothly to the sound mix.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 1500

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 20, 2001]
markus mews
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

musicality, subtlety. clarity.

Weakness:

stupid light (hardly a huge issue, just get a permament marker) or invite some teenagers round.

used with cura ca5 bookshelfs on stands.

needs careful setup as with most subs.
once right (music) you can sit back and just forget its their at all. bass notes are clear, you can clearly hear the actual notes (types of bass sounds) as well as the tones. integrates pefectly with equal speakers. it goes deep (enough for me anyway - (thats quite a lot -i like jungle other good dance music styles , hip hop and the like, e.t.c) its good with a range of music styles and will go stupidly loud if you need - altough i never have it past 40% vol.its quick too, never behind a beat. i dont have a H.C set up yet but my t.v and D.V.D player (through stereo amp) suggest this sub is very good at this too. the rumble of exlposions and tank movements in saving private ryan can subtly un-nerve you - hence it goes deep enough for most.

the uk price is £600 pounds and i paid only £250, lets just say that if id paid £600 quid i'd still be very happy.

i don't know why this sub was never reviewed in the press - im not complaning though as it would not have been avalible for such a bargin price.

warmth even when your freezing.
one last thing - its design is sharp. The light is good at first until you realsie you can see everything in the room when the lights are off - someone didn't sleep very well on the last day of research at dali.

Similar Products Used:

listened to kef 30b

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 03, 2001]
Ole Sorensen
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very tight sound. Great control at all times.

Weakness:

As always this sub needs alot of adjusting during use. I tend to like more bass when watching movies and the volume knob is on the back, very hard to get to. Annoying blue light. Can't get the auto shut off to work.

I got this subwoofer to compensate for the lack of bass from my Mission 780 speakers. It works out great! The closed cabinet as compared to an open construction is the way to go unless you are looking for a deep, muddy but impressive rumble instead of bass.

It took me an hour or so the get it perfectly adjusted at first, but later it turns out I have to constantly adjust to different kinds of music. No big deal, kind of a nice challenge to get the bass just right. The volume knob should have been on the front though. The blue light on the front is too strong and will light up your room. I actually ended up painting it over with a marker!

When adjusted right in volume and frequency this subwoofer will give you very precise and deep bass. I tested with Tower of Power, Massive attack, various jazz tracks and I never came up with a real weakness.

I often find bass performance from speakers and subs to be fragmented into a heard and a felt part of the lower frequencies, with too little connection between the two. With this sub I don't really get that feeling. The sound is very natural and you won't get the feeling of the sub playing bass on the side.

Performs incredibly well in a small room in a combo with shelf speakers.

Similar Products Used:

B&W - tested various types.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Aug 16, 2001]
Alexander Olsson
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Nice, golden cherry look. Small

Weakness:

Speakernet

A very irritating thing is the speakernet. :( It vibrates ALOT, eaven if the volume is low. Make a irritating sound, so i have to remove the net if i am going to play it loud.:(

My main speaker is a pair of Dali Suite 3.5 the are VERY good, i can play VERY loud, with LOTS of bass (i like Trance/Techno) . With the sub i really shakes my room (The kitchen too)!

Similar Products Used:

------

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
[Feb 25, 2001]
jflying

A

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 20, 1999]
Zzandman
an Audio Enthusiast

I'm using this sub with my B&W Nautilus 805 and they work great togeather.This sub won't give you a massive bass experience but it plays very tight, clean and fast. I've also tried B&W ASW1000 but I think this sub fit's my Nautilus speakers better. The B&W is more "fluffy" and uncontrolled.
So if you want a clean and blending bass this one will sure do the job.
If the bass had gone a little bit deeper then I would give it 5 stars, but after all, it's a closed box construction.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Jul 31, 2001]
Vision Thing
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very tight, clean and fast bass.

Weakness:

None for the price & size.

This is an excellent subwoofer if you have small speakers (and room). Very good for music, OK for movies.
Will never be mistaken to an earthquake -- but then, all roomshaking subwoofers are in completely different size and price class.
I would very much like the volume control to be in front instead of back, but that is the only real flaw in this subwoofer.
Totally insignificant design opinion: I like the eerie bright blue power led very much, gives a nice futuristic feel to the otherwise boring black box...

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 1-10 of 10  

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