Customer Reviews

KLH E-8FB 8" 100-Watt Front-Firing Powered Subwoofer (Black)

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"Tremor" is an appropriate name for this sub-woofer. It's capable of sufficient boom to compliment any small room setup. It does not produce what I would call "hand grenade" hits like Klipsch is able to produce, as this is more for rounding out the bass end of a system that has none.

For music, it does very well at rounding out the 120-60 hz range. I tested using various industrial tracks by Wumpscut, Combichrist, and others. The sub is capable of going down to 40hz, but the sound is not as clean or noticeable.

For gaming, it does just as well. During Mortal Kombat: Deception, it fleshed out the various hits and groans associated with it. However, for an MK player like myself, I enjoy those deep and hard hits that are present in the game. It was possible through higher gain and frequency tuning. So take note that what may be optimal for one application may not be for another. This is something to consider when putting the sub somewhere that could be hard to get to (like a cabinet space of my entertainment center).

I decided to give it a final test, the Galerians: Rion cgi animated movie. This film features lots of deep mid-range and punchy bass. The original Japanese soundtrack especially would make for an interesting test. It took maximum gain volume and some tuning to get an acceptible sound out of it. Even then, the opening sequence didn't sound as powerful as it should have. It was able to flesh out the various rumbles and shakes quite well, but thuds and hits throughout lacked sufficient punch.

Overall, for the dollar value of $80 it's worth it if you intend to apply it for a small room like mine (it's about 20' x 20'). For larger rooms and bigger sound systems, consider a higher-end option. It's does a good job of rounding out a system without a bass output. The sub appears to perform best for listening, pretty good for gaming, and performs not as well for movies. It will take some fine tuning going from listening to gaming or movies, so be wary of accessibility. It sounds like a bit of trouble doesn't it? Well really, it's not that bad. For a first time run-though, I suggest taking a little post-it note and put on the side of the sub what settings are best for which application. That way you spend all of 3 seconds tuning the next time and you're done.

Don't expect this sub to blow the doors off your house. But for music and movie sound tracks in a small to medium size room, this is definitely a subwoofer to consider. I was surprised by how clean tight the bass was, especially given the low price. It's only a few dollars more than cheap plastic computer game subs. The bottom end goes deep enough to handle Low Frequency Effects in movie sound tracks well in a small to medium size room. Heck, at this price you could buy two if you really need more rumble for volcanic eruptions, roller coasters, space shuttle lift offs, etc. But with just one, you can feel the groans of the sinking Titanic in your gut. I'm using mine with a set of Orb satellites in a small home theatre setup and it sounds great. I also have a set of two Orb satellites and an Orb sub on a music only system, and the 8-inch Orb sub is much better (think Sunfire class bass), but it's also more than 3 times the price. For a budget system, this KLH sub is a great value. And, it's small enough to tuck into a book shelf or other places that larger subs won't fit.

This is a nice little subwoofer. I am using this in my living room where I have a small Hi-Fi unit, it adds a nice level of bass to normal music, and a good bass line for the occasional movie that I may watch on that TV. If I had to guess I would say it could handle a small home theater room, but I don't use it for that. Good value, for a basic sub to add some bass.