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Klipsch subwoofer match for my system?


BATMAN5892

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Hey, new to the forum and this is my first post. I'm looking for some advice for a subwoofer.  I just started building my system and I got great deals on my towers and receiver. I'm in the process of looking for a subwoofer that is powerful enough to go with my system.  I have heard the RSW-10, a friend of mine has one and it sounded great, but with smaller speakers.  I'm worried something like that might not be enough for my system though.  With my mains being the KG 5.5 and surrounds Epic Series CF-2, I'll have plenty of bass for most, but the wife and I love a lot of bass.  We will use this system for both home theater and music.  I saw the SW-311 has dropped in price tp around $600 and that's about what I want to spend for one that size.  Do you think it would be enough to keep up, or would it take 2 of them?  Should I go with a RSW-12 or RSW-15, or even a RT-10D or RT-12D if I can find one? I want to keep to Klipsch and not really trying to build my own.  I figured the RSW or RT series would be the best but they are harder to find.  Any suggestions as to what a good match would be? Thanks in advance for any input.

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Welcome to the forum. Sw-311 are gonna be exactly what you think. Wouldn't hardly be able to keep up. And way overpriced at 600. Rsw-15 would be great if you found one. New r-115sw are pretty great subs for movies. You can find them new for a very good price. Not much more than the sw-311 and I promise you it will smoke them.

Now let me be the good forum member I am and give you the truth. Klipsch has made some descent subs. But there are better out there for your money. A pair is great if you want even bass for more seats. All depends on your real budget and what kid of bass you are expecting. If you and the wife like bass a lot then a pair of Svs pb-2000's would be sweet. You get a discount from them when buying duals. The cylinder subs they sell take up very little room if size is an issue. Two pc-2000's would be great too. Plus they have really changed the look of them for the better. Let us know a budget and expectation, movie music usage ratio, room size, and, volumes you like to be capable of and we can give you a better answer.

I know you said you liked a Klipsch sub and that is why I addressed that first but since you came here asking for advice I feel the need to at least mention it. If no one had ever done the same for me if prolly still own there rsw-10d's and I would have absolutely no clue what SUB bass really was.

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My ideal budget would be 600-800. We watch a lot of movies and play video games so the ratio would be atleast 80/20 movies and games to music. I'll have to check the room size since we are moving into the house next week. I've heard a lot about SVS so I'll look into them. I want the biggest, best bang for buck. I figured the RSW-15 would do the trick if I found one in my budget. Thanks for the input!

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If you want the biggest best bang for your buck if steer clear of Klipsch and get a ID sub. Svs pb-2000, hsu vtf-15h mk 2, psa 15" of some sort. Not familiar with their models anymore. I'd look and read into those three with your budget. All are at the top or a bit over your budget. Otherwise patience and the used market is the way to go.

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Guest srobak

If you were going for music only, I would tell you to save a bunch of money and just get a Sub-12, as it easily reaches down far enough for most recorded music.  But - as you are also wanting to do HT with it - I have to go along with some of the others and suggest the R-115SW as it reaches down to 18Hz at -3, or go with an SVS or an HSU.  Personal preference of them all is the HSU VTF-15H (either series) as it hits 16Hz and is under a grand. 

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Thanks for all the input. I have built a sub box from scratch for my truck, so I know I can build one for the house. I'll look around and look into the ones listed. If we can't find anything we want I'll look into building a box for a sub and amp.

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Unless your room is huge one R-115SW will do the trick, there are better options at higher prices but the R-115SW is decent and if the name is a must would be my choice. If you have a very large room or desire more you can always add another down the road.

 

The Sub 12 was mentioned also, not a good sub for music and needs to be crossed very low as it gets muddy very quickly over 40 Hz.

 

Building is a great option too but be sure to find a good match for your system, frequency extension is not the only specification to consider when choosing a subwoofer.

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If you were going for music only, I would tell you to save a bunch of money and just get a Sub-12, as it easily reaches down far enough for most recorded music. But - as you are also wanting to do HT with it - I have to go along with some of the others and suggest the R-115SW as it reaches down to 18Hz at -3, or go with an SVS or an HSU. Personal preference of them all is the HSU VTF-15H (either series) as it hits 16Hz and is under a grand.

man not sure what kind of music you listen to but as Jason said the sub-12 is absolutely AWFUL sounding above 40hz as it is very muddy and boomy.
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Unless your room is huge one R-115SW will do the trick, there are better options at higher prices but the R-115SW is decent and if the name is a must would be my choice. If you have a very large room or desire more you can always add another down the road.

I don't really agree with this, it may be ok for being a gentleman while helping towers out with a subtle foundaton on music, but for movies the sub-bass doesn't really open up nicely until you get two in there. They are more directional than I'd like as well, so only having one can make the room sound lopsided. I have a 15x20 room with 9' ceilings and tried about every combination possible in there. But yeah, of course, if budget dictates then one will get you started. I just don't think that two is only necessary with very large rooms as stated. Two should be the goal from the beginning in my opinion, even in relatively small rooms.

Edited by MetropolisLakeOutfitters
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I'm seriously considering building then.  I may go over a bit on my budget, but building 2 subwoofers sounds like the best thing to do.  I get 25% off on building materials anyway, so why not.  Is there a certain amp/subwoofer combo that seems to be the best with DIY subwoofers?

Edited by MHarbour
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I'm seriously considering building then.  I may go over a bit on my budget, but building 2 subwoofers sounds like the best thing to do.  I get 25% off on building materials anyway, so why not.  Is there a certain amp/subwoofer combo that seems to be the best with DIY subwoofers?

iNuke 3K/6K is real easy and very popular.

subs... lots of ones that would work fine. Dayton Reference/Ultimax and Stereo Integrity HT/HST are about the most popular. Just depends on how big you want to go and how much you want to spend.

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I like the idea of a Dayton Audio SPA1000 and Dayton Ultimax 18".  I could build two boxes, and finish one with the sub and amp for now.  Maybe in a couple months add the second amp and sub into the 2nd box.  The room isn't very big, I haven't measured yet but my estimate is 16x11 with 9ft ceiling.  I doubt we'd need the 2nd subwoofer but we could turn them down a little and level out the bass.  We are only living in this house for a few years until we build our own, so I'm planning for a bigger room later on as well.

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Guest srobak

 

 

man not sure what kind of music you listen to but as Jason said the sub-12 is absolutely AWFUL sounding above 40hz as it is very muddy and boomy.

 

Well I never said it wouldn't need a little eq massaging or some dsp - but once done it does just fine.  It also helps to have mains (like RF-6x, 7, 8x) that can dig pretty deep too in order to take care of the lower mid-bass so the sub doesn't need to reach so high.  

 

 

iNuke 3K/6K is real easy and very popular.

 

It's popular because it is cheap, and it's cheap for a reason.  I've seen a few people in a few different audio forums who keep trying to power these amazing DIY or passive subs with Behringer amps - and it always leaves me scratching my head.  You guys do realize that Behringer is the GPX/Kraco/Koss/MTX/iPodEarbuds of the professional audio world, right?  Like I said - it's cheap for a reason.  It always cracks me up when I see guys who spend thousands on the rest of their gear - yet they buy a throwaway amp for what is arguably the most demanding portion of their sound spectrum. :) 

Edited by srobak
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It's popular because it is cheap, and it's cheap for a reason.  I've seen a few people in a few different audio forums who keep trying to power these amazing DIY or passive subs with Behringer amps - and it always leaves me scratching my head.  You guys do realize that Behringer is the GPX/Kraco/Koss/MTX/iPodEarbuds of the professional audio world, right?  Like I said - it's cheap for a reason.  It always cracks me up when I see guys who spend thousands on the rest of their gear - yet the buy a throwaway amp for what is arguably the most demanding portion of their sound spectrum. :)

I've been in bands, I've seen plenty of crap Behringer stuff, and obviously I was skeptical due to that. It works fine though. It's not like you'd be hurting for power with the iNukes, I can bottom my ultimax 18's out with them. I wouldn't use them for mains/highs due to the distortion of the class D stuff which is high enough that they won't even publish it, but for sub work they're perfectly fine. If you're trying to knock walls down at 5 hz that's a different story but I feel comfortable in saying that my amp is not the weak link in my sub setup.

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