Tight punchy BASS!

LFE/LINE-IN input

I bought this subwoofer because of the rave reviews from this site and the sound and vision mag article. Not to mention that it completes my Klipsch HT speaker setup. KSB 2.1s for the fronts, KSB1.1s for the surround, SC-1 for the center and KSW-12 paired with my Pioneer Elite VSX-24TX THX Select receiver.

Hand's down this subwoofer is really a solid performer. Well that is if you configure it properly. That's why I wanted to post this as a few mention having problems with its connection.

When I first received this sub I initially used the LFE/LINE inputs. Thus my first impressions of this sub was rather poor. It took me some experimentation to get the best results. First thing USE THE SPEAKER LEVEL INPUTS!!! What worked for me (again take note of my receiver) is using speaker level inputs AND setting my SUB speaker setting in the receiver to "NO" and my Fronts to "LARGE" and center and surrounds to "SMALL". This will ensure all Bass and LFE signals to be diverted to the fronts. I have set my KSW-12 to 70Hz, 4.5 volume and O Phase. This is the best setting that properly calibrates with a test DVD with Avia (including LFE and Surround sweeps) and real life tests like Lost in Space and Godzilla.

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none

Solid build, Thumps hard!

Hard to setup, terrible manual

The KSW-12 is a great addition to any HT system. Other than difficulty in getting it setup(manual is terrible, see Klipsch's BB for info) the sub rocks. Have it at 5 in a 18 ft vaulted ceiling room and it performs great. I have Paradigm floor speakers and their large CC so I have front and center set to large and bass mgmt set to Front and Sub. Use a Y connector but might try speaker level soon to see if it improves any. Just wish I didn't live in an apt so I could crank it up more. Move it around your room to get best postioning, you'll be gald you did. Gets 5 stars for value, 4 for overall due to poor manual set up info.

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None

Bass, clean sound

Not found yet

May be I am a crazy guy. My friends called me a
little "Best Buy" or "Circuit City". Because, I bought
them I din't like them then put them in my store room.
However, not many brand names that were satisfied for
my ears. Do you believe that I am currently having 4
receivers:
Harman Kardon AVR 40
Sherwood Newcastle 925
Teac AG-V8050
Sony STR-1011 ( 1993 model)
Oakbrigde Digital Karaoke Amplefier 9999 (1997 model)
2 DVDs
JVC-701, Onkyo DV-C600
2 Tape desk:
Sony, JVC TD-W718 {recordable both tape)
1 Laser Disk
Panasonic multi laser disk LX-K 780 (karaoke)
2 CD ( 5 carousel)
JVC, Kenwood
5 nice VCRs
Mitsubishi, Sony, Panasonic.
--------------------------------------------------
SPEAKERS:
Wharfedale Shapphire 89 (main) My living room
Wharfedale Shappire center my living room
Wharfedale Shappire 83 (rear) my living room
BU-120 ( in store room)
Bose AM-5 Accoumasstic with stand (in store room)
Bose 301 Sonata (in store room)
Bose 4001 (in store)
JBL-J2060 (in store room)
JBL-music one ( my bed room)
JBL-Gmovie center&rear ( my bed room)
Klipsch KSB 3.1 My living room
Klipsch KMC center my living room
Cambridge Soundworks CSW-200 for my computer
Recoton W432 wireless speaker for my gargage.

KLIPSCH KSW-12, I can say one word. IT WAS MADE
MY DREAM COME TRUE. I don't want to say more, Because
59 people had been said for me. Althought I still
Velodyne CT-120. But Klipsch is more value for the
price and sound. Thanks. Hugh Lam from Atlanta.

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BU-120

Very Musical, good range of x-over points, nicely made, beefy amp

None revealed at this time

While waiting for Magnepan MMGs, I thought I'd pass the weeks looking for a suitable sub. My search turned up the ksw-12 and the Hsu VTF-2 as leading contenders. The Hsu has garnered exceptional professional reviews, but the lack of a local dealer for a demo made me opt for the Klipsch. The Klipsch, on the other hand, is very widely distributed. I was concerned briefly that it might be too mass market, but this is definitely a quality sub.

My criteria, especially with a revealing speaker like the MMG, was to find a musical sub that would not overpower the the MMGs already defined bass. Secondarily, I wanted something that could provide an LFE thrill when necessary. The Klipsch does both, but answers the more elusive music call quite well.

I read through the May 2000 S&V article comparing subs in the ksw-12 class extensively. The Klipsch finished, in that reviewer's opinion, middle of the pack. Yet, when I looked at the numerical findings, I failed to find significant difference with the top rated Hsu VTF-2. Granted, numbers do not tell the entire story, but I was not ready to disqualify the KSW-12.

I went and listened to a demo of the KSW-12 and liked what I heard, i.e. that it didn't overpower the music. Most dealers are not capable of demoing a sub properly and often exaggerate it or have it set up improperly. In other words, I still was not convinced that this was what I was looking for. The only way to tell would be to take one home.

So now I had a sub but the MMGs were still on the assembly line. My existing speakers, a pair of 15 year old Infinity 9 Kappas, each with two 12 in woofers, did not seem like a good set up for testing a sub. This proved to be wrong. Even with speakers that go down into the 20 hz range, the KSW-12 provided a quality that was previously absent. Musical reproduction now seemed more lifelike.

For HT, the sub also provides a quality that was never there, even in this non-bass shy setup. Where appropriate, bass vibration could be felt, but not too the point of being distracting or boomy. Again, this is just the polite sub behavior I was looking for.

As with most subs, it is virtually impossible to localize this thing. It sits off to a corner where I non-scientifically set it up, constrained by the length of my sub cable and outlet location. It never seems like sound is coming from the sub itself, but its presence is felt in the soundstage where it belongs. Klipsch intelligently puts an LED on the front of the sub that indicates that a signal is being received. I appreciate this feature as I can glance at the sub and be assured that it is on even though it appears to exhibit no presence of its own. Again, perfect behavior in my opinion.

As a result of its wide distribution, the KSW-12 is often available at discount. This makes the sub a 5 star product on value. Its polite, musical behavior which scales to the demands of LFE when needed, make it a 5 star sub period.

compact size, solid cabinet build, good overall performance

non-standard binding post spacing, cheap wooden woofer trim ring fell off.

Bought the Klipsch after returning a JBL 12" sub that died the instant I switched it on (check the review section for the JBL, shocking that an audio product could have so many problems. And one made in Canada, no less!). Fits nicely into the small corner space available for it and will rattle the knick-knacks on the mantle when called upon to do so. Weaknesses I noted aren't major, but you'll have to separate your spaced banana plug pairs (if you can, Radio Shack plugs don't come apart). Overall I'm glad I listened to the folks here who raved about this sub. It's a little gem.

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JBL, Fried Subwoofer

Very tight, responsive, and room shaking bass. Resonates very nicely in a medium sized room.

None that I can see.

This sub is of very nice quality and sounds terrific. I am using it with Infinity RS-5, CC-3, Qps-1 and a Kenwood VR407 tuner. It blends very nice with the other speakers and has a very tight natural sound to it. Not boomy and uncontrolled like the AR I listened too. It sounds a lot liket he Velodynes that I demo'd, but at half the price. I highly reccomend getting the MonsterCable Interlink 201 sub interconnects with gold passthrough cable. Makes a tremendous difference in sound quality, power, and deliverence. Just purchased at http://www.brandnamez.com for $310 plus $35 for shipping. Best price on the net that I found. Delivered very quickly and in sealed factory box. People on E-bay pay over a hundred dollars more than this. Highly Recommended speaker.

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Infinity sub, AR Sub, JL Audio subs,

Solid, quick bass.

I find myself adjusting the gain too much, probably the recievers fault.

Like a few others have said, don't bother with the KSW-10, I listened to the KSW-10 for a long time, at MAX gain and it HARDLY put any sound out. My home theater setup is in a pretty large room, so I needed something that would really pound, the KSW-12 did that, at only half gain on the dial, I am VERY impressed. Of course, you have to use both line inputs on the rear (stereo inputs) to get a noticeable amount of bass. But after upgrading my wire to Monster cable, the sound is so pure and responsive. The downward firing really makes the bass seem to cover the room... When movies call to rumble, man the KSW-12 shows it's stuff. Money verses performance on this subwoofer is incredible, the best for the money in my opinion.

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KSW-10

powerful, flexible hookup

none for me

I don't understand how the reviewer below got so little bass out of this 12 inch monster. He probably has the crossovers on the reciever and sub cancelling each other out. This beast can shake my entire 3 story house from the basement and still be musical. I have it hooked up both with the speaker level and LFE in. Sounds great with all the music I listen to and absoulutely POUNDS for movies. I love this sub.

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Yamaha 40 watt "sub"

Clean, deep bass that can handle the solid punch of rap music or the speed of korn/limp bizkit

no remote

This is a great sub. I live in a dorm at my university and the bass is more than enough to fill up my room and that of my neighbors!!! I have it hooked up to my mini system via a Monster subwoofer cable and it handles music quite well. I normally set it at 4 for normal music listening and up to 8 (out of 11) depending on what kind of earthquake I want to simulate. Whenever I want to show it off, I put in "Body Movin" from the Beastie Boys and my whole room shudders. As for placement, it's in a corner and partially obstructed by my dresser, which rattles and shakes like hell when I turn the sub up. I purchased it at At Your Service Electronics over the internet for 320 + 27 bucks for shipping. Pretty damn good for a $500 sub. Although, if you mind dealing with BS, don't buy from them. They were nice but were somewhat evasive in telling me the status of my order. But I let is go because I saved 180 bucks.

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tested JBL PB12 and PB10, Sony SAW120, DCM 10"

Clean, deep bass that can handle the solid punch of rap music or the speed of korn/limp bizkit

no remote

This is a great sub. I live in a dorm at my university and the bass is more than enough to fill up my room and that of my neighbors!!! I have it hooked up to my mini system via a Monster subwoofer cable and it handles music quite well. I normally set it at 4 for normal music listening and up to 8 (out of 11) depending on what kind of earthquake I want to simulate. Whenever I want to show it off, I put in "Body Movin" from the Beastie Boys and my whole room shudders. As for placement, it's in a corner and partially obstructed by my dresser, which rattles and shakes like hell when I turn the sub up. I purchased it at At Your Service Electronics over the internet for 320 + 27 bucks for shipping. Pretty damn good for a $500 sub. Although, if you mind dealing with BS, don't buy from them. They were nice but were somewhat evasive in telling me the status of my order. But I let is go because I saved 180 bucks.

Similar Products Used:

tested JBL PB12 and PB10, Sony SAW120, DCM 10"