Mike Frankel Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 I want to add a sub to my setup in the making and the guy I bought my KLF-C-7 from says that the only good sub is a passive one powered by a seoperate amp. He says that all active subs do no last long because they all rattle the amps loose and are shot after a few years. I was looking at the KSW 15 vs the RSW 15. I have been told by Klipsch techs that the RSW 15 is constructed to withstand any vibrations and that it will bring the house down with the sound. Which way to go active or passive? BTW I have Forte II's in the front, a KLF Cc-7 coming for the center, and am considering RS-7's for the side and either 2 more KLF C-7's or SB-3's or RB5II's for the back. Which would be the best match? I want to keep all the surrounds with 8" woofers to match the KLF C-7. I think I am getting a Denon 3803 to power the lot. How does that sound, anyone? Thanks to all who have helped so far. I'm getting there slowly, but surely. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesgoff Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 Go active! all we sell at our store are active subs and they last just as long as ones with seperate amps. plus you don't have to worry about matching amps to subs. We have the rsw15 in our ultimate dispay and it rocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Frankel Posted April 17, 2003 Author Share Posted April 17, 2003 Hi: Where is your Store? I a, in Flagstaff, Arizona. Are you anywhere nearby? Thanks for the advice. MIke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 Mike, This should be in the subwoofer section. As far as the amps rattling loose, that's complete bull. Even in the off chance that it does happen, all it takes is a minute with a screw driver. Passive vs active... One is not better than the other, take a look at http://www.svsubwoofers.com/ FAQ section. Passive: -More space taken up by amplifier -Instead of running an RCA cable you can run thinner speaker wire -You can experiment with different amplifiers -If you find a good deal on an amp, you save some money Active: -Less space taken up by amplifier -Instead of running an speaker wire you can run thicker RCA cable -You can't experiment with different amplifiers -If you find a good deal on an amp, it doesn't matter. There's really no sonic benefit from going passive or active, it all depends on the actual driver and the enclosure design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesgoff Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 I work in St. Louis but we have over 50 stores and there are few around you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Frankel Posted April 17, 2003 Author Share Posted April 17, 2003 I would also love to know what the advantage of having two subwoofers, (as indicated in the Klipsch manuals) vs. having one are? Except for the obvious more bass! Also Wesgoff, you neglected to twell methe name of your store so I can look for one around mwe. Thanks again to all. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 Frankie is right, there are no sonic difference going active or passive. I went passive for two reasons: First my two subs require 50' of cable, Two runs of 12 Ga Home Depot special is a lot cheaper than a 50' RCA cable. Second and most important, I am a component FREAK. I want to try different amps and whatnot in the future and DO NOT like to be tied down what so ever in my life long audio quest. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesgoff Posted April 19, 2003 Share Posted April 19, 2003 yeh, I guess that might help. Ultimate Electronics (ultimateelectronics.com) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted April 19, 2003 Share Posted April 19, 2003 I've noticed they have UE up in the Quad cities (Moline, Davenport) too, yet none in Kansas City! Pretty cool stores. We do have Brandsmart though. Just not nearly as big as UE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted April 20, 2003 Share Posted April 20, 2003 Mike F., The Denon 3803 is a very good mid priced receiver,plenty of features and good sound quality.Built quality is fine too. As for KSW15 VS RSW15,there is really not much to compare the RSW15 is way superior on all points but one,price. With the RSW15 you have no more boomy,droning bass as you would with the KSW15,the built quality is a few notches better with the RSW15.The RSW15 goes deeper and with power,amp power to woofer capability the RSW15 has a great lead over the weakling KSW15. Given the choice I would go with the RSW15,unless I had a beer budget and was forced at gun point to get the KSW15.Even then I may refuse to get the KSW. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor2 Posted April 20, 2003 Share Posted April 20, 2003 Mike I also use Forte II's for mains. For music I seldom use the sub. For movies with a lot of explosions it does me just fine. It may not shake the house down but it will rattle the windows. I now am using KG5.5's for center and rears. For movies I like this setup a lot. For music I just use the Forte's. For a fes years I used KSB 3.1's for rears and had no problem with them. If it was my money I would put more of my money in speakers then in subs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug C Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 On the question of 1 sub or 2, I find two smaller subs to be better than one big one. In other words I would opt for two good $750 subs over one big $1,500 sub. All rooms are different and so critical to the quality of bass you will achieve. Just about any big sub in any room will get boomy if you turn the volume up high enough. If you have a good quality sub the boomy tendency will be created by room induced low frequency peaks and nulls and not the sub itself. I find two subs placed separately helps to smooth out frequency response (minimize room induced peaks & nulls) in many rooms. The net result for me is that I am able to pump more bass energy into the room with less room induced boom. More natural sounding smooth bass. Smaller subs are generally easier to place. My 18" Velodyne is a monster. I find the SVS subs very easy to move and place due to their relatively small footprint. Most active subs like the SVS active line have all the controls built in. I would not buy a sub without a variable phase control. The 0-180 degree phase toggle switch provided on many subs just does not cut it. An example: If I set the phase on my two SVS to 180 degrees the subs and main speakers cancel each other over a broad frequency range (bad). If I set the sub phase to 0 degrees there is still quiet a bit of cancelation in the 90-100 Hz range (about 10 Db down from average). If I set the phase to about 30 degrees (variable phase control) SPL in the 90-100 Hz range is only down about 3 Db (a big improvement). Smooth room response is kind of like a smooth highway. If the road is smooth you can pour the power to it and go fast with a smooth ride. If you have peaks & dips the road will be bumpy (in the case of room response Boomy) as hell and you have to let off the gas. In either case the result will not be as satisfying. Doug C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 ---------------- On 4/19/2003 5:21:13 PM wesgoff wrote: ... Klipsch KG 5.5 fronts Klipsch KV 3 center Klipsch KSB 3.1 rears Infinity Ref. rear center ... ---------------- To digress from the topic: Hey wesgoff you need to get a "real" center that can better keep up with those KG5.5s. See: http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=33655&sessionID={912322D0-5A66-44AB-BC44-6D2C3438FFD4} You can move your KV-3 back to your rear center. It wouldn't be a perfect for those KSB 3.1s but it would be better than the Inifinity you are currently using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesgoff Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 Yeh, I know that now, but I paid $350 for all 3 fronts so I not to disappionted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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