drdiaboloco

>>>But, unfortunately, can be outdone by nearly any of the above for less $<<< Actually, all of the above subs are more expensive than the RW-12, near as I can tell... Except the snap-together Dayton and Klipsch's own Sub-12. I've not yet heard an Sub-12 and can't comment as to whether it "beats" the RW-12. As for the others? Some are very good indeed, but you seem to have a very poor opinion of the RW-12.

The RW-12 is a great sub, digs deep enough and is quite musical... And comes in well under your $700 limit.

Oh, to answer the original question, it sounds GREAT with music.

Well, of COURSE. You can apply this logic to practically anything... Why be a loser and own a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet when for only twice as much you can have a Ferrari F360 Spyder?? At some point the performance for the dollar equation has to be considered, and in this context the RW12 beats the RSW12 hands down. Yes, the RSW12 has a nicer finish, more power, and overall is a better sub... But what is the opportunity cost of that additional $500-$600? Not all of us can afford over a grand for a sub... Somwhere a line has to be drawn. That is why (for instance) I own a Mazda6 S instead of a BMW 540i.

Well I got mine from a bona-fide dealer for $550 all-in, meaning sales tax included. This dealer was already peeved at me for returning not one but two other subs, the Definitive ProSub 200TL (or something like that) and a floor model RSW-10... But third time's the charm, I guess. I like my RW-12 very much, and don't think you can do better for the money. As for the SVS, HSU, etc., noone ever seems to include the cost of getting the thing to your house. A year ago I called SVS and asked if I could pick up at the point of manufacture, and they gave me an emphatic "NO".

How about the option that (yet again) noone has suggested.... Klipsch RW-12. I brought mine home for $550 including sales tax, from a local authorized dealer with an actual return policy. I've already learned around this forum, I guess, that if you go Klipsch you'd better go RSW or you're not really "in the club". Just like the poor saps who buy the Synergy series... It may say Klipsch on the front but it's like you just bought a BMW 318 when a "real" fan gets the 325. In any case, the RW-12 sounds great and it sails in far enough under your price point that you can get a good cable.

I bought an RW-12 last week. I am happy with the purchase. I have it in a 3000cuft room and it will do a fine job vibrating your furniture. It won't hit as hard or as deep as the more expensive subs, but it does sound good and it will fill in the hole below the rolloff of your main speakers. In my case it's not a night-and-day difference as the main speakers are theoretically capable of something like 35hz at -3dB, but those last 15Hz now have their own driver and their own amp, so my system doesn't sound like it's struggling (I have the receiver's crossover set at 80Hz, actually). It's a good sub for a fair price, I got mine from an authorized dealer for $550 with tax. Just don't wait around for the SVS gang to compliment you on your purchase.

*Update* Returned the RSW-10 (looks like there was a problem with the active driver) and got the RW-12 instead, for $550 with tax. Nice sounding sub, roughly equivalent to the RSW-10, after setting it up all proper-like. It is not as good a sound as the RSW-10, but for what I paid I'm happy with it.

I find it ironic that this has gone on for three pages, the "Talk Klipsch on a Klipsch forum" stuff... And when I asked a question about a Klipsch product a couple of days ago, about the RW-12, I got exactly one response. People are more than happy to argue about whether or not you should mention other brands yet don't offer much input when a Klipsch product question arises... Guess I should've asked about an SVS instead (and I did, and got more responses).

Aha, but it wasn't $550, it was $599. The $550 was for the RW-12. After several hours of listenin', I would say that I'm impressed but for the rattling sound that the driver gets at certain frequencies (the active driver only)... and that danged rattling is unacceptable. It's not bottoming out or anything, it's a reedy, even farty sound that is quite obvious even from ten feet away (but there's no visible damage, it's not like the surround or the cone are ruptured or anything). It goes back tomorrow, either for a repair or a refund. I will say this, it does hit harder than I expected. LOTR Return of the King, the battle scenes in specific, were a wonder. DSOTM on SACD was pretty darned good, as was other pop music on CD with some good low bass. Too bad all doesn't seem well with this unit... I didn't even abuse it, never got it above -05 for movies or 00 for music on the Denon 3802 (after setting the levels properly, natch, zeroed out on the SW out level and only 1/3 or so on the vol control on the side of the unit, all speakers set to "small" and LFE Out only).

...and I bought it, with the stipulation that I could return it if I were unsatisfied. I wandered in to see what their "no s***" price was on the RW-12, which was $549... And then the salesman sez, "You know, we're selling our last RSW-10 for $599." After a lot of hemming and hawing, I took it home. It's sitting in my foyer. I'll post this before listening, but I'm lookin' for opinions... For later viewing, of course. RSW-10 or RW-12? Or... "Other"?

...what about the RW-12? Somehow this unit escaped my notice, and I guess I can add it to my list of possible suspects. Realistically, the retail price of this unit is my absolute top end $$$-wise, so any fantasies of PB2's must be discarded. Anyhoo... I've searched all the threads that include this sub, and it doesn't sound like it's gotten raves. Is it because the expectations were/are too high, or that the similarly priced subs from them thar internet-only companies simply beat it? The RW-12 seems to get the most column-inches here for being better than the KSW-12 (not a huge achievement, IMHO), cheaper than the RSW-12 (thank God), and is generally received with a lukewarm response. I am not a bass hog and have gotten on just fine without a sub of any kind ("serious sub" or otherwise) for over a year now. My main speakers can hit around 30-35hz at -3dB, and are in fact capable of giving my couch a shiver when playing LF music and movies, so maybe I don't NEED a "floor shaker". And frankly, I can't afford a grand for a sub, not least because I find myself actually spending less and less time watching TV and/or sitting in my LR listening to music... My darn job keeps me away from home too much. I guess I should mention that I was unimpressed by the DefTech ProSub-200TL in my listening room... Much to the annoyance of my local dealer, I might add, when I wandered back to the store sub-in-hand and got my refund. This unit, for those that don't know, is roughly equivalent in size (but not weight, the RW-12 is 15lbs heavier), power and price to an RW-12 (though I paid $450 for it), and the manufacturer's lies, errrr, specs quote a freq response of 3hz lower than the RW-12. It sounded fine, I guess, but I didn't feel it punch me in the gut in the manner that I'd hoped for and expected for a front-firing sub aimed right at my seating position. This is all a roundabout way of asking if anyone has any raves about the RW-12, and if so, how much off retail should I try to wrench out of my local dealers (there are two now!) before I walk? My defection to another brand of speaker notwithstanding, I still like Klipsch a lot and wonder if anyone has any real-world experience with this sub and can provide feedback. Thankee!

How about I just get myself adopted by the other poster who claims to have THREE RSW-15's? I can't even afford ONE! I thought maybe the two 10's would be easier to place, too, than the one 12. If you compute the displacement of each individual sub, the two 10's are about 90% the size of the 12... And the total amp power is the same. I was also worried about the sonic hole that the large openings in the back of the room leave, and maybe two sources would be better than one. Either way... Maybe I'll make sure I've paid my mortgage before I drop another grand.

Here's food for thought... Two of the new PB10-ISD's or one PB12-ISD/2? I have a room that's 3000cuft, but on one end of the room's back wall it exits into a completely open 8X8 opening into the dining room, and the other end of the back wall exits into the stairs going up to the second floor, with an 18' ceiling over the stairs... I'm thinking perhaps two of the newer, smaller subs would even out the very weird room response (and bass 'leakage') I will get with a single sub. Thoughts? Not to mention that the two subs will be less than that one big bruiser, at least before shipping is taken into account.

I have my doubts about the SF-3. A casual listen to them in BB a few weeks ago left me with the impression that they aren't any better, just bigger. Whatever you do, though, don't go for the SF-1... Those are a serious step down, unless maybe you would want to use them as the rear surrounds. The SC-1 is obviously a darn sight smaller than the SC-3, and overpriced IMHO at retail, but you can get a good-to-mint condition SC-1 for a hundred bucks on eBay. I have two, in fact, and if you want one send me an pm. I dunno, I have suspicions that the new, bigger Synergies are there primarily to impress the "bigger speakers must be better" crowd, and the older middle-of-the-line Synergies are better on a dollar-for-dollar basis, not to mention sounding better as well.