Sounded pretty good after acoustic damping.

Poor Quality. Amp just fried on me.

Sadly,I have to modify ( lower )my glowing review from less than 3 months ago. After lining all sides but the rear and not blocking the port with acoustic insulation, had good full bass for DVD and VHS. I was a happy pup. Tonight while watching Rules of Engagement during a quiet passage, heard a sudden steady rumble and popping. Figured it must be the tape, so I turned the volume on the sub down. Made no difference. I went cold as I realized the amp was gone. This was not an abused sub by any means; crossover at 80, volume at 3. Receiver volume never above 3 or 4 level positions, bass control flat. I knew the sub was only $99, but was still disappointed that it went. Hopefully Costco will not hassle on the replacement. But there will only be one more chance for this sub; Will save for Klipsch or Hsu if another one dies.

Easy to take apart and tweak. It's cheap. About 99.99 at Costco.

Port rattles at high volumes. Sub doesn't hit 20hz it only hits 30hz. Amp distortion level around .9%. Under .1% distortion cannot be heard. Not very loud without heavy modification.

I had been listening to this subwoofer/amplifier combination(KLH-AWS-120) for a few months and was never completely satisfied with its performance. It's always been a bit weak in volume and a bit boomy. The damn port rattled like hell whenever the volume level would approach anything close to enough bass to be heard over my main 15inch speakers.(Cheap Jensen Model Available at Sears) I reached the end of my sanity. Recently I couldn't take it anymore so I unscrewed the four screws holding the sub in and ripped out the cheap 1" thick(if that) packing material and replaced it with 3 1/2" thick home insulation material.(Yeah, the itchy pink stuff) I wasn't too particular about where I put the material. I shoved a lot of it directly behind where the woofer would be. Next I figured since the damn port rattled so much I would solve that with the most simple solution I could possibly think of. I took out the port. Yes, I stuck my hand in the box and shoved the plastic port right out of the back. It can't rattle if it's not there.(Right) I went one step further and decided to go for broke. I had a left over Pioneer car subwoofer that was rated at 100 watts rms(350 watt max) and could theoretically drop to 20hz.(I think its the no longer available, four year old TSW-26c. I got it on clearance at Circuit City for $19.99. It was a hell of a deal. A Kmart had a similar model that is the TSW-25A(I think). A 1996 model free air series sub. (It might work too) I put the TSW-26c in there and gave it a go. Wow!!!!! The amp didn't ignite(even after many hours) so I was pleased with that and the bass was thunderous.(In a corner of the room under my left front speaker) I never thought Billy Joel(Yes, Billy Joel) songs had so much damn bass.(Greatest Hits Volume 2 that is.) I'm not sure how the removal of the port might effect quality and the placement of the packing material might affect performance but there is a definate improvement here. My conclusion is that the KLH sub is garbage, along with the port, but the box and the amp are salvagable. Watch out for songs that require extremely tight rapid thumping bass. Those I think are a little tough on my new configuration. They don't sound entirely horrible though.(Try a bit of tweaking of the volume and crossover) Maybe a better, stronger car sub might handle it better. Maybe a free air sub would. If you plan on listening to the KLH subwoofer/amplifier combination without making some drastic modifications I think you will be disappointed. I made the changes and I love the improvement. Spend the 100 or so dollars and be prepared to have some fun with it.(with maybe a little extra cost) Good luck and don't expect a miracle. I give it 3 stars for value because it is cheap(only 100 dollar powered sub) and it does work. Without modification I give it an overall 2 because it has severe limitations that become evident at high volume levels.

Similar Products Used:

Various Car Subs

$99.00 and a big WHUMP!

?????????

After reading the reviews of this sub and the AudioSourse SW15 at Costco, I went to my local outlet expecting to pick up the AudioSource, though I really wanted the KLH. I was told they were out of the KLH. When I got there, however, the KLH was in stock, so I grabbed one. Thought the 10" would "fit" better in my 12x13 listening room.

Got home and wired it up to my Yamaha receiver, and WOW, what a difference. The gatlin gun / helicopter sequence in Matrix just ROCKS!

Will need to do a little tweaking of placement and controls, and I am not too sure if I am crazy about it with music only. However, I may not have things set up right just yet. (If someone could recommend a good calibration disk, would appreciate! Thanks!)


Either this was the best $99 I spent on my sound system, or I have never heard a "good" sub.!

System:

Yamaha R-V1105 receiver
Panasonic DVD-A120 DVD/CD player
Bose AM5 (originals)
Bose Center Channel speaker
Mitsubishi 35" tube
Mitsubishi S-VHS

Similar Products Used:

None

Price, sound quality

Makes poping noises at high volumes

I just bought one of these subs from bestbuy for 150 bucks, It sound pretty good and should probably be sold at a higher price. It sounds just as good as a sony 120 watt 12 and a JBL 150 watt 10 that I heard. And it is cheaper. I bought a KLH HT-91 home theater system and I replaced the sub that came with it with one of these and it sounds a whole lot better. I have a Technics SA-DX940 reciever two KLH 9915s a KLH HT-91 home theater system this sub and a Technics SL-MC4 CD changer and it sounds extremely good. The sub cant really be heard when my 15s are at an extremely high volume when listening to music but it is extremely good at low-medium volume and for home theater. I would highly reccomend this sub to anyone who is low on money and wants a pretty good sounding sub. But if you are a rich person I think that you should get the hell out of the KLH section and go read about some expensive velodyenes.

Similar Products Used:

JBL,Sony

After major reconstruction, the sub sounds beautiful with tight bass and alot of punch.

Before fixing it up, the sub was extremely boomy, and there was too much rattling at average volume. The bass was also very sloopy and just flat out bad.

This is a below average subwoofer if you dont open it up and do alot of work to it. I would give this sub a 1 rating if I didn't fix it up. Now the sound is absolutely breathtaking. I was so tired of keeping the volume low to avoid the rattling sound. Now I could pump it as high as I want and not have to worry about it. Putting the right material in the box along with some changes, you could end up with a much better sub. For 99 bucks and a major face lift on the sub, I can't be any happier.

Dont buy this sub and assume that it will kick ass, unless you've never heard of great bass.

If you want an awesome sub without having to make changes to it. I don't recommend buying this sub at all. In order to get breathtaking bass, you would have to spend at least 300 dollars.

I recommend this sub if you plan to do heavy reconstruction and take the risk involved.

Similar Products Used:

none

Good full sound, low price, active subwoofer

None

Previous review is right-- the Costco model is ASW-10-- which I picked up for $99.00. Easy hookup. I connected my old Bose bookshelf speakers to the ASW-10, and boom-- new life into an old system. Highly recommended for those on a budget. It's got crossover and volume controls on it so you can stay on friendly terms with your neighbors.

Similar Products Used:

None

Costco price = $99.00.

None worth mentioning

First, will preface by saying that I am not an audiophile. My main objective was to get a thumping bass for my home theater on a very limited budget. Was thinking about looking for something to improve or supplement the muddy bass coming from my AudioSource SW-15 when I came across this at Costco. The floor model sounded great. With Costco's great return policy the unbelievably low cost ($99.00) seemed too good to turn up. I grabbed the floor model (didn't feel like waiting for the next shipment). Now that I have it hooked up at home (attached to a wall mounted shelf and tucked behind my TV), I am completely happy with it. It's performance is far superior to the AudioSource SW-15 and is capable of supplying more thump than the human ear should be subjected to. I have the power set to just about 10 o'clock. It is capable of handling more, but I just want to shake the windows, not bust them.
Instead of being an enhancement for my AS-SW15, it has replaced it. (Have not opened it up to examine it's accoustic fill, interested in reading other's comments along these lines before taking that step.)

Similar Products Used:

Audiosource SW-15

Cost

Quality Control. First unit I took home produced a weak distorted bass. Replacement works great

Purchase at Costco for $99 so great value for a good sounding speaker. Plenty of power for moderate sized, (20'X 25') room that system is in. Good controls for setting up listening in the room. Have not heard popping at higher levels that was mentioned by other reviewers. Quite satisfied with this speaker in a moderatly priced,($1000) home music system.
Current System: Sony STR-DE635 Stero Receiver, Criterion DS-1 Speakers.

Similar Products Used:

None (1st powered sub owned).

None

Everything

This is a piece of crap. I had it for 3 freakin days and it died on me. I'm returning this today and getting the sony sub. DO NOT BUY THIS CRAP! Mine was the "B" series also. This does not even deserve 1 star.

STAY AWAY! SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR BETTER QUALITY AND RELIABILITY!

Similar Products Used:

None

Low price, decent sound

Flutters, limited low frequency, speakers was blown after 2 months

Upgraded from a Yamaha AV1 system to Technics components and Mirage HT set up (OM10, OM-C, OM-R). Overall system was a huge improvement, obviously.

- Speaker blew after about 2 months. Sending it back to KLH with the hopes that it will be repaired.

- Subwoofer would flutter in the opening sequence of Titan AE DVD. I guess, it was just overwhelmed?

- Low frequencies were not tight, somewhat boomy.

- Auto on feature was not effective (would not turn on).

Just got a Dahlquist PDQ 1200 to replace it (from eBay) and the difference is readily apparent. I paid $200 for the Dahlquist (with a 12inch woofer and Class D Amp, rated at 125watts). The lows on the Dahlquist are much tighter, stronger and it handles Titan AE, Gladiator and X-Men effortlessly. Ofcourse, the Dahlquist components are better and it did cost more...

Just for the record, I never had the sub at higher than 5 (out of 10 volume), either on my amp or the subwoofer volume control (both were actually set at 5).

While for $99 to $149 this is not bad, my suggestion would be to go on eBay and try and get a Dahlquist or BIC Venturi subwoofer for possibly the same amount or just a little more (note that for $200 I got a 12inch sub with a Class D amp (much better than a Class A/B in the KLH)). If the KLH works, its more than adequate and great for the price. However, the postings here does show that these KLH subs are not the most reliable out there...

Similar Products Used:

Dahlquist PDQ 1200