Customer Reviews

Klipsch Synergy KSW12 12-inch 105-watt Powered Subwoofer

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having heard this sub while back, I have to agree with the first reviewer. It's acceptable for HT use, but poor for music; regardless of their nonsense about dynamic power.

Although, movies may get away with "large, short-term peaks of power", many music will demand nearly constant, power. In virtually all movies, special effects and sound tracks last only a few seconds; all most all of it is a dialog between the actors. Certainly, there is no bass in dialogs. Music is different. I mean, how often do you hear a couple note of bass, followed by few more notes several minutes later?

I'm not sure where some of the reviewers get their information, but there is no such thing as a "crisp & sharp" bass. Crisp & sharp implies, fast rise time, which means there are significant higher harmonic(high frequency) contents in the sound. Anyone who understand the concept of harmonics and Fourier series should understand this. The "crisp & sharp" part of the "bass" comes from the satellites. The most common reason why some bass sounds muddy/boomy is because of poor integration between the satellites and the sub or due to the standing waves caused by the sub-room interaction.

I also don't get how anyone can get "imaging" from a mono sub. Even if you use two subs, low frequency sounds are difficult to localize. This is the very reason why you can place the subs significant distance from the satellites.

The rattling of the object in the room has EVERYTHING to do with the bass, regardless of the distortion. Obviously, the reviewer has never experienced the room pressurized by two 15" subs driven by 1000+ watt pro-audio amplifier. You can barely hear it, but you will definitely feel it. If you have never heard/felt a real sub, then you really don't have a good reference point to judge the other subs. All you can do is note the significant improvement KSW-12 made over the original 8-inch "sub".

That being said, the KSW-12's low end of the frequency response is bit lacking for an "almost-high end sub". It seemed to struggle with the loud rap, as well as the classical music. For movies, it wasn't as bad. It handled most action scenes well, but combat scenes with exaggerated explosions, the sub clearly ran out of gas.

Objectively, the specs are some what misleading. Why would anyone spec the subs at 1/8-space? I've seen half and 1/4-space specs, but 1/8-space? Also, how dynamic is the "dynamic power"? This sounds too much like my plastic 2" 100 watt(PMPO) multimedia speakers I had back in college.

In short, KSW-12 has respectable volume, but is unsuitable for continuous music with significant bass content. It also doesn't have the low end impact. It's spec are completely unrealistic and you won't get anything near the listed spec in a typical living/family room playing music, or movies with heavy action sequences. In the end, it's only a bit better than a typical consumer level 12" sub.

I see some of the ratings talking about the music sound quality compared to less expensive units.

First of all, read the title of the item. It says Home Theater. I love the thundering response on this unit when I'm watching movies.

Second, once you get the settings right on the subwoofer and your amplifier, the sound it great for music too.

Replaced an old Onkyo sub with the Klipsch KSW-12 to mach the rest of the Klipsch speakers i have. A night and day difference compared to the Onkyo,i mostly use it for watching movies and it has more than enough power,shakes the couch from 15 feet away with more power to spare. Awesome sub,A++++++

I have Klipsch surround speakers in my family room and since it is a large room, I wanted a 12" subwoofer. I looked at and listened to several that were quite a bit more expensive. I am no audiophile, but to me the Klipsch sounded just as good as the more expensive ones. It made a tremendous difference in my sound. The only issue I have had is the size. It is so large I can't hide it in a cabinet or anything. But I would have had that problem with any 12" unit.

First of all, Klipsch is an awesome brand, and this particular product line is one of the best. These synergy speakers (produced between 1999 and 2004) sound better than the current reference line which is much more expensive (it is my personal opinion). There are people saying that this sub is not good for music. That is so not true. It is perfect for music! My main speakers (Klipsch SF-2) go down to 35Hz, so I always wanted to have a bit better frequency range. My point was not to get a loud and super powerful sub like those in the cars, but just an addition to my system for better frequency range to reproduce live music more accurate.

Anyway, this sub extends the sound down to 26Hz, and I listen to it at low volumes. I am witnessing a huge difference! Now my classical SACDs sound almost like a live concert! I remembered why I liked classical music so much - for it's incredible complexity and it's HUGE frequency range. To me the bass is of the same importance as the rest of the frequencies. It is sad that so many classical music fans do not have a sub. That is a tragedy. Get this one - it sounds incredible if you know how to properly set it up of course. Please, don't talk badly about this sub. It is your poorly recorded CDs that sounds like garbage, not the sub. This sub is great, and for this much money - it is a steal! Just remember... most of the pop music that you hear today is recorded by sound engineers that do not have a clue about what they are doing. Also, please, do some research on how to configure a sub. Believe me - it is an art to properly set it up.

Oh, and the last thing. This sub is actually a discontinued product. That means that this offer will not last forever. Why would you pay twice as much for a newer model?

I bought this sub based on the reputation of the company; BIG MISTAKE! Yes, the sub gives decent movie bass but it is almost useless with music. The bass produced by this sub is one note, slow and, although it hits fairly hard, it just doesn't hit you in the gut like it should, it is also somewhat boomy and the crossover is very loose. Overall: I PAID TOO MUCH FOR THIS THING and I am stuck with it. Again: it is decent, but that is all!

If anything I wish this didn't work so well. My husband loves to turn it up and make our house vibrate. I can't believe something so small makes such a BIG sound!

I have been using this unit primarily for music, set at a very low crossover point to fill in (not overpower) the lower hz drop from my smaller stereo units.

After a week's worth of fiddling with placement and other settings, I settled for performance that is adequate but by no means pleasing. I know that the low freqs are there, but they aren't tight or musical. I'd stop short of comparing the sloppiness to the one-note travesties that most x.1 computer or HTIB systems are, though. It's nowhere near that bad. On the other hand, the price point and heritage of this model indicate a greater amount of quality that I don't think is there.

If you are seeking a sub primarily for your tunes, do this - find a model with a SEALED (as in not ported) enclosure. This result is far, far more accurate. The ports on these HT subs are designed to stretch the 'boom' rather than the 'music.' Still, I've heard ported subs with far tighter bass than the KSW12.

If you don't know anything about speakers (and I don't know everything, either), you wouldn't believe me if I told you that I get far, FAR better musical performance out a EIGHT INCH sealed unit that takes up far less room and costs about $100 less on eBay than a used KSW12.

All of that said, the KSW12 does loosen even the stuff that's bolted to the floor, during movies. I happened to be watching "3:10 to Yuma" the other afternoon, and as a character was approaching a mining operation, several industrial booms just ripped through my room - probably the entire house. This scene was hardly a Matrix-type action fest, either. Overall, I'm impressed that the sub handles just about all HT with aplomb.

Therefore, I give it three stars. I'd give it four if it were marketed as a HT-only sub, because it does well enough in that capacity. Again, if you are seeking a sub that will satisfy both HT and your tunes, you can do better. You can also do much worse, of course. Hence the 3 stars.

I purchased two of these home subwoofers and they deliver bass that beats many other subs on the market at this price. For $300 dollars you can be assured that you are definitely getting more than you have paid for. Klipsh has always delivered a high quality of sound for their customers and now myself. I watch many movies, play many video games and listen to vast amounts of music. By my experience with this product it is definitely a good investment to impress your family, visitors, and most importantly, yourself. I have never had a problem with the off beat of music. The bass has hit everytime it should have. I would recommend this product to anyone who can afford the very low $300 price.

This subwoofer is the perfect addition to the SF-1 series tower speakers by Klipsch. When watching Star Wars the other day with my family, and there was a sudden explosion in the opening scene, someone asked if something had hit the house. I was proud to assure them that the sonic effect was being produced by this subwoofer.

Its completely configurable too, so if you have the sound turned down but you still want to feel those subsonic frequencies you can turn both the volume up and the cross over up, until you can hear it again.

Also, it turns itself off automatically if you play music that doesn't contain sub sonic frequencies, so all your music doesn't artificially boom.

When listening to Trance or House music it really shines and give your stereo a bigger than life sound.