Klipsch SW-110 Review

[Groomlakearea51]

The SW-110 and it's "bigger brother", the SW-112 are the new non-digital display subs for home use that Klipsch started selling last year.

I selected the SW-110's for my applications.

I had considered a sub-woofer for the living room (Cornwalls, Belles and movies...), and for the bedroom (K'horns, LaScalas and my wife's SOAP channel BS..).

You figure why would I consider a sub with those speakers?

Well.... First off, those rooms are quite large, and the normal program listening material is at a considerable low volume (SPL). Until I began to turn up the volume to a level that bothered my wife, etc., the bass response was not strong (unless you were within 6-8 feet of the speakers...). When I say low volume, I mean not greater than about 1 out of 10 on the dial. Both rooms have an Onkyo 7.1 receiver and the volume knob is usually around 32 for most listening. For those rooms, one of my wife's complaints was always the "movie" thing. I call it the "U-571 Depth Charge Effects". K'horns, Cornwalls, Belles, etc. are good - really good -, but for that kind of stuff, I'll admit that a sub becomes necessary. Besides, she likes a nice movie once a week, etc., and she wants to hear it "like in the theater"....

The other thing I wanted to do is "wrap up" the Wall of Voodoo with a sub or two... basically to "assist" the Heresy's in the upper corners, and the KP-250's used as the "centers". Primary main speakers in the Wall are Klipschorns. Everything powered by McIntosh.

Well, after much research, testing (XW-300, Paradigm 15a, etc. etc.) in those two rooms and the man cave's Wall of Voodoo, I concluded that for me, a good efficient 10" or 12" sub would be what I required. The rooms are not so large as to require a 15", so the testing narrowed down to 10" and 12".

The "operational requirements" were that the sub must be "forward firing", and be ported to the front, and "performance compatible" with the Heritage series. In that respect, while other subs are good, I decided to stick with a Klipsch sub.

I also looked at the cost factor from two viewpoints. First, can a 10" do what I need vs a 12"? Yes it can. and the reason is that any sub enhancement must be consistent with the music, DTV, or movie material being played at any volume selected on the amp, but without being overpowering or "taking over".

Second, do I need the "glass top", or digital controls? Nope. One they are set correctly, why fool with them. The digital display and/or remote control stuff is nice, but not necessary.

Well I ordered the first two SW-110's, from an authorized Klipsch dealer (Audioclassics.com). And because I could not resist the temptation.... I put them in the man cave's "Wall of Voodoo" to start with. Just had to do it..... Could not resist it. SWMBO's lived without a sub this long, she can wait another week...

The result? Absolutely perfect for my application.

One SW-110 is run off the MA6500 which powers the KP-250's and the other SW-110 from the MA6500 which powers the Heresy's up on top of the K-horns. Individually, or in any combination, it's that particular area below about 50Hz which becomes appropriately noticeable.

They are driven from a discrete "pre-amp" out RCA pair from those amps. The amp's volume controls the Heresy's or KP-250's, respectively, but also controls the line signal to the SW-110's. The only trick required is to set the SW-110's to match the volume levels of the speakers. That being said, after much experimentation this week, I found that the best set-up is:

• Location: On the "long wall", on the floor, approximately 36-42" apart, underneath the KP-250's
• Phase: For both, 180
• Gain: for the KP-250's "0" or straight up. For the Heresy's, -3db (in between the up down mark and the first tick mark to the left).
• Crossover: 80Hz for the KP250's (they end at 70Hz), and 60Hz for the Heresy's (they end around 45Hz)
• This produces the most natural sound without the bass being boomy or overwhelming.
• I did test them at +3, +6 and +9 dB, but way too much bass. .

They will be removed from the MA6500's in about a week, and powered by a McIntosh C42 pre-amp. That will allow me to control them completely independent of the K'horns, KP's and Heresy's. basically allow me to "tweak" them for particular program material or music genres regardless of the primary speaker volume levels.

Build quality is very good. The finish is similar to the "Pro", textured, semi-gloss black. Grill is nice, small and unobtrusive Klipsch badge top center. Does not appear to have any problems with the connector pins being too small or prone to breakage.

Any CON remarks?: I have a problem with one of the on-auto-off switches not turning off after the amp is shut down on one of them. I called Klipsch and advised them of this and may ask for them to send me another sub amp. Minor detail, but a PIA, nevertheless.

Apart from that, the man cave's Wall of Voodoo "project" works perfectly. I did test one with the Klipschorns. Only difference is that you set the crossover at 40Hz, and the gain needs to be +3dB. Otherwise, the K'horn's K-33/CW-1526 woofer will overwhelm the sub at anything above low volumes.

The next two for the living room and master bedroom were ordered from Klipsch Direct, and will arrive next week on Monday. They will be set at 50Hz for the living room's Cornwalls and Belles; the bedroom's will be set to 45 Hz for the LaScalas and Klipschorns. Gain in those two rooms will be +3dB as the rooms are much larger and the normal material listening volume is relatively low.

All in all, very, very good. Does exactly what I want; compatible with Heritage, and in particular if you are looking to solve the Heresy (and to some degree, the LaScala) low bass response in a cost effective manner.

[H]

[CECAA850]

Great, informative review Marshall. The Heritage line really benefits from a good sub, especially in HT applications. They really round out the bottom end nicely. [Y]