KLH PSW8100-8 Down-Firing Powered Subwoofer

by KLH

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.8 x 11.8 x 12.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 24 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000J3Q8
• Item model number: OUTLET-PSW8100
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,101 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 19, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

As an alternative to large, full-range speakers or as an upgrade to an existing pair of smaller speakers, a subwoofer can make a lot of sense. Depending on your main speakers, having or not having a sub can mean the difference between merely watching videos or experiencing home theater. The KLH PSW8100-8 powered subwoofer is a solid and affordable entry-level subwoofer capable of slamming loads of bass to every last nook and cranny of your living room.

But while the PSW8100-8 offers deep bass and heavy power, it isn't necessarily the smoothest of subwoofers. (At this price range, you can't expect it to be.) We found it a bit difficult to integrate with our system if we weren't feeding it a dedicated subwoofer output, such as the ".1"-channel information from a Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1-channel source.

The phase-inversion switch--a great feature to find on a budget subwoofer--allowed the PSW8100-8 to sit farther from our speakers without sounding like it. One of the things that can happen when using multiple speakers in different locations is phase cancellation, where sound waves meet at different points in their wave cycles, nullifying each other when one's "peak" finds another's "valley." If the subwoofer sounds like it's not working, it could be because it's out of phase with the main speakers (in its current location at least). Inverting the phase by 180 degrees can sometimes bring the sounds more closely into alignment.

Using direct subwoofer feeds through the two-channel RCA inputs (the "left" plug serves both for mono feeds) shortened the setup and integration process considerably, readily providing the deep, tight bass the PSW8100-8 is capable of.

Pros:

• Good sound
• Easy setup
• Flexible inputs

Cons:

• Tricky integration when not using dedicated low-frequency outputs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Good Value, January 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: KLH PSW8100-8 Down-Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

When I first saw the price on this subwoofer I was a bitskeptical. I did not think that such a cheap subwoofer would be ableto deliver deep, clean, high quality bass (especially not down to 30hz). But I decided that I would buy it as part of my Dolby Digital home theater system. When I recieved it and set it up I was very pleased with what I got for such a low price. While it is by no means the best subwoofer out there, it delivers very good bass. Sound stays realitivly clean unless the volume is high, although it does often sound boomy. It does have deep bass, but not the deepest, it produces almost nothing below 50 hz, so consider the frequency range to be 150 - about 50 hz. If you are setting up a home theater system or upgrading a pair of weak speakers, you should seriously consider this subwoofer, especially if you do not want to spend a lot of money doing so.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best performance for this price, December 1, 1999

By 

Andrew Johnson (Fairbanks, Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: KLH PSW8100-8 Down-Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

As soon as I fired up the KLH PSW8100-8 sub, I was impressed. For the small price and small size, it pumps out loads of bass! At moderate volumes the bass is clean and loud. When played at very high volumes the "tightness" or transient response was degraded, however. Also the sub could produce almost no material under 50 Hz, which is still better than any other sub in the same price range that can produce the shear output of this one. For cheap, loud, clean, and fairly deep bass, this is an excelent solution.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent value, November 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: KLH PSW8100-8 Down-Firing Powered Subwoofer (Electronics)

I was skeptical at first because of the ridiculously low price, but it does exactly what is claimed. It goes very deep and is very clean. It does make a thump when it comes on, so when playing music lacking significant bass for more than 5 minutes at a stretch, it is best to defeat the auto-off feature, so that it will not automatically shut off and then come back on during the music. A trivail drawback once you figure out how to get around it. Several people advised me that a subwoofer so cheap could not possibly be any good. Absolutely not so. Unless you want to fill a stadium with thundering bass, this little puppy is ample.