Customer Reviews

KLH BB-II Powered 50-Watt Subwoofer

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After spending several weeks shopping for a decent low-end subwoofer for my home theatre system I had just about given up, everything I looked at was 200 dollars or more. The cheaper models were just that, cheap! I was ready to give up and just buy a new system that included a sub. Imagine my suprise to find this one at this price. I hooked it up in about 2 minutes, and to my suprise it was IMPRESSIVE. I popped "Twister" in the DVD and just about got shook off my chair. It has nice low end rumble while maintaining claitity and really made the walls vibrate. I tried it with my CD and stereo to the same results, clear delivery with the bass rumble that lets you feel the music. It made my lower end surround sound system seem much better than it really is. I would reccommend this to any one looking for a good inexpensive subwoofer to add on to their system.

For those of you with a stereo TV not wanting to spend the money on a surround sound amplifier, this self-powered sub-woofer is the ablolutely perfect companion to a DVD player, or even a stereo VCR for that matter. It lets you hear the very low frequency sounds that you usually only get at the movie theater. Because a DVD and VCR is only a player deck, and not an amplifier, it can't feed directly to any speakers. The signal has to go through an amplifier first. That's why the sub-woofer needs to be self powered; it plugs into 120 V and has it's own amplifer. You wouldn't need self-powered if you are comming from a stereo or surround sound amp. The first movie I rented was Patriot, and wow the very low frequency boom and rumble from the cannons was sounds I never heard at home before. It really adds fullness to the whole experience. Then I had to replay one of the battle seens with the TV sound off and only sub woofer on. It reminded me of being outside during a night-time thunderstorm, and hearing the rumble from distant thunder. Really cool. The one thing to note, since the sub-woofer has it's own amplifier and volume control knob, it's volume is adjusted seperate from your TV or stereo volume control. No big problem, just different. The perfect DVD companion to go with this sub woofer if you're in the market for a DVD, is Panasonic RV-30, because it has an unusual audio output plug for sub woofer, in addition to the normal left and right stereo outputs. It takes care of seperating the low freq for you, and since low freq is not directional, you only need one channel and one sub woofer, not two like stereo. Hope this helps. Andy

I recently bought one of those metallic looking micro systems. Although it sounded really good, my bass craving was not satisfied. I immediately realized the need for a subwoofer. This KLH subwoofer was the smallest one I found. For the price, I thought "what the heck" I'll give it a try! I just got it a couple of days ago and it did what I expected. So if you own one of those mini components and you want it to sound better, look no further, this is a pretty good entry level powered subwoofer. POSITIVES :o) *Price, biggest bang for your buck. *Size, you can place it almost anywhere *Versatility, small home theaters/mini components/PC's *Rugged Finish-- NEGATIVES :o( *It produces a subtle hum even when the source is turned off. *No automatic shut off. *The only cables included are for PC applications. *Can only compliment a small size room.

I hooked this up to my micro stereo in the bedroom to add a bit of bass. At first, I used the recommended connection method in the instructions (sub-out from amp to mono-in on the sub with single RCA) but there was no bass. So I used line out on the amp (L & R RCA) to L & R line-in on the sub to get booming bass. I have to keep it at 25% to not get complains from my apt neighbors.

Sound really deteriorates when you crank it (as does all non-audiophile quality speakers) but you never have to crank it high for relatively small spaces.

**Two warnings are the low hum from the sub when the power is on. Hum annoys me when I am trying to sleep. And the sub level can't be controlled by adjusting the volume on your stereo; you have to adjust sub level with the knob on the back (inconvenient if you store the sub behind furniture, etc.) Other than that, no complains and a thumb up!

This is a good subwoofer with a decent selection of options, for a reasonably low price. If you've never bought a subwoofer before and don't want to spend an arm and a leg, this is a good model to start out with.

I added this subwoofer to my home theater system and what a surprise! It's small enough to fit just about anywhere, can fill a moderate size room with tight solid bass, and the cabinet doesn't rattle at high volumes. I thought my large main speakers would drown it out, but the LFE channel sends different lows to the subwoofer that I never heard until now. This model lacks some of the fancy control features (which can be adjusted at the receiver level anyway), but it's a great buy for the performance. It fits very well into a 5.1 environment.

I bought this "little" subwoofer, and what i expected to hear was a little bit of a kick, but what i heard moved my VCR on top of my TV a little from vibration. This is an excellent product. Please, go ahead and purchase this item.

I recently setup a home theatre system in my guest bedroom. My demands weren't too high since it was not intended to be a "premier" system for me like I have in my living room and master bedroom (both equipped with much more expensive Polk, Yamaha and Altec Landsing subs). So, I didn't want to spend nearly that much on this system for the sub though.

While shopping, I came across this KLH BB-II for $29 each (closeout at Fry's). I decided to go ahead and buy 3 of them since they seemed to be constructed fairly well and they were so cheap. I suspected I would be returning them the next day assuming they would likely not sound very good.

I first hooked up a pair in the guest bedroom and adjusted the volume using Video Essentials as a guide. And then I put in several DVDs that I am familiar with (Phantom Menace, Ozzy Live, Elton John live, The Matrix, etc.).

What a nice surprise! I was immediately impressed. It's a fairly large room (20x25 feet) and the little subs made a tremendous difference. I was startled to hear them sound so tight and punchy without distortion and fairly loud levels. I can't say they were overpowering or anything, but I think that is partly the point. The fit in nicely and simply do what they are designed to do - handle the low end without being overt. They are definite keepers here for this room!

Then I took the remaining KLH BB-II I had purchased and hooked it up in my master bedroom - to see how it compared to the much higher wattage subs I've had in there in the past. I had even tried a 10" KLH powered sub in this room in the past and was very disappointed at the result (it sounded really bad to me).

But this BB-II model took my by surprise again. It may sound crazy, but I actually thought the KLH sounded better than anything I'd ever tried in there before. Better than the Polk, Yamaha, Altec Lansing (and of course the other KLH). I was very excited about it and plan to keep it there too. It just sounds smooth to me. It's not boomy or obnoxious. It sounds clean to my ears and I am very happy with my purchase!

Again, it may seem nutty, but these little subs really do perform great. They may not be the biggest and baddest, and certainly not appropriate for the extremely high-end crowd, but I honestly believe they compare favorably to many of the subs that are out there that cost several hundred dollars more unjustifiably. Just get them setup correctly and you'll be amazed at what they do for the price.

Highly recommended!

awesome sound and bass fills room with great sound, i suggest it to anybody who wants some kickin bass for their stereo.

I have been very happy with this little sub. I had some trouble in the beginning, but when I adjusted my receiver, the sub really pushed the bass out in a relatively large room. Maybe not for the audiophile and it won't break any low frequency records, but a wonderful addition to a basic home theater system.