007 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 This sub is just as impressibe as anyone would want it to be. It even improved the ultras more noticeable then I expected. My jaw dropped.. The 8 inch driver gives it low frequencies much like the ultras. Its like adding another ultra sub, just not quite as powerful. I cant even tell you how loud it got, its ridicules for multimedia! 2 of these things is overkill and I cant wait to get my second one! I'll write a lot more about it once I play with it some more. But at first I plugged in the SWS link and it was really weak. I think I set the phase wrong or something, but it just was not getting any input! I had the SWS at max and the ultras sub at -9 and the ultra still sounded louder. Perhaps it was the phase or something like that, but then I decided to try method 2, using the stereo bypass and WOW everything started shaking. The SWS beats even the 4.1 sub. Hooking this up to the 2.1s could be overkill unless you set it right. I just turned my 2.1 sub off, there was no point for it, by the time the sws got past 8-oclock it was too base heavy for the 2s, lol. BTW the control pod starts at 6-oclock and goes all the way around to 4, almost a 360. Speaking of which, it is VERY nice, completely finished, top and bottom with soft rubber. It stuck to my glass desk like glue and it has a wicked cool blue on light. Overall the SWS is a lot like the ultra in terms of sound, and power. In fact each ultra driver is only 85 watts RMS while this one pushes 100. So in fact, its driving the driver harder then the ultra, but there is only one. But like I said, it complements the ultra well with matching NONE THX logo(which imo looks better then the ultra thx one) and slotted port. The color is slightly darker, more like the GMX subs. Other then that, the sucker is HEAVY as sin, 33lbs. The 4.1s with all 4 speakers are only 33lbs. so that will tell you something. Its got a lot of features in the back and its very versatile, I can hook this up to any mm system even home theater with no adaptors. Truly a great unite to own. I will write more about it if people wish. I dont have any sound testing hardware, but I have tons-o multimedia speakers to test it with (4 altec sets and 4 klipsch sets). Anyway I was just exciting to hear it so I wanted to write a brief summery of my first impressive. If you in any way whosoever you have the urge for slightly more bass, the SWS feeds that crave very well for very cheap. I cant believe this thing was only 100 dollars. To be honest, it works best with the ultras. They are the only system I can turn the SWS up full without killing the sats, rofl. However the real beauty about the SWS is you can turn down your main sub and adjust the SWS exactly how you want it, I would set the crossover at 60 and let the SWS do the base, give more power to your sats and save your amp from being pushed so hard. This would be great for the 2.1s or 4.1s and especially good for to weak amped GMX system. I cant wait to see what this does to the GMX 5.1s. I will test that in a few days. I asked ears if he thought the B4 would match the ultra + 16 sws. After hearing just 1 SWS with the ultra I would be not bet on the B4. I have never heard the B4, Im sure its capable of killing small children, but the SWS is impressive never the less. It definitely does not disappoint. Oh btw, i also wondering what the box looked like, nothing special, its white with black letters and no pic. Its not cool like the other PM boxes, I figured someone might want to know that, at least I did, maybe im crazy, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manuel Delaflor Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 DO you have the 4.1's sub for a direct comparo? What about an SPL meter to do some measurement? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 ---------------- On 12/23/2003 4:09:28 AM 007 wrote: This sub is just as impressibe as anyone would want it to be. It even improved the ultras more noticeable then I expected. My jaw dropped.. The 8 inch driver gives it low frequencies much like the ultras. Its like adding another ultra sub, just not quite as powerful. I cant even tell you how loud it got, its ridicules for multimedia! 2 of these things is overkill and I cant wait to get my second one! I'll write a lot more about it once I play with it some more. But at first I plugged in the SWS link and it was really weak. I think I set the phase wrong or something, but it just was not getting any input! I had the SWS at max and the ultras sub at -9 and the ultra still sounded louder. Perhaps it was the phase or something like that, but then I decided to try method 2, using the stereo bypass and WOW everything started shaking. The SWS beats even the 4.1 sub. ---------------- oh the sws link on the back of the klipsch is directly proportional to the bass. since it is a lfe (low frequnecy effects) line out and you put it on -9 the signal going out is going to be nothing too... just a thought and now that i think of it i might as well do the same by bypassing the sws before the ultra and not the sws link.... and to think i sorta waited for the ultra because the sws link........ Oh and how do i know that the sws link is directly proportion, i tested on my altec lansing ada885, try it since u have a couple. get a rca cable and plug it into the altec and then put at -9 and the 0 and the +9, the altec will be as loud as u set the bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007 Posted December 23, 2003 Author Share Posted December 23, 2003 right, i just learned about that, thx for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InnovaZero Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 007, trust me. The B4 subwoofer in the 16-40hz area...would destroy large planets (B4 is cap. of 130db at 31.5hz and at 20hz it will still do 115db). The "Wall of bass" will not even touch it down low. Now in the 45-70hz area (midbass)...your organs and ears will go bye bye within mins. (125-150db) But thats not nearly as low as 20 or 30hz. But Yes, the SWS is a impressive little 8"er. Its moves quite a bit of air for one, nice long throw driver. Its adds a good deal of punch to anyones system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 before you get another sws 007 get the dd5.1 absolutely beautiful, makes the mp3 and such sound wonderful!!! it sound dynamics make it alot better and also it cures the turtle beach card problem where the soundcard is not as loud as others. at 60 my ears cannot handle the warmth of the mids, the pure highs, and the strong bass... my limit used to be 70 for a minute or two now im afraid of 60. and there no problem with the turtle beach as u expressed before. it handles the center, as i said it in that flaming thread with the ear, the dd5.1 decodes to the 5.1 and the soundcard just sends the signal. absolutely wonderful the dd5.1 and i didn't even open the sws yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 hey 007 did you notice that the ultra's sub doesn't seem to be as loud as before with the sws linked up through the standard cable and not the sws link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Point Blank Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 Guys can you please type in complete sentences? I can barely understand some of you. Anyway, it sounds like a great investment. I love how loud my home theater sub is, but it doesnt like being loud at below 40Hz for some odd reason. My 4.1's go lower. I was surprised. If my new set up still doesnt make this thing shine, I might put some money in to add SWS's to my set up. I would buy the 5.1's, but my 4.1's are doing the job just fine. Just needs more bass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GooseChaser Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 ---------------- On 12/24/2003 3:03:13 AM Point Blank wrote: Guys can you please type in complete sentences? I can barely understand some of you. Anyway, it sounds like a great investment. I love how loud my home theater sub is, but it doesnt like being loud at below 40Hz for some odd reason. My 4.1's go lower. I was surprised. If my new set up still doesnt make this thing shine, I might put some money in to add SWS's to my set up. I would buy the 5.1's, but my 4.1's are doing the job just fine. Just needs more bass...---------------- Dude, you are killing me, return the Sony and get two SWS! Here's a link to some SPL tests Justin did. As the charts will show, when pushed right behind the point of port noise, the SWS is as loud as the Original Promedia 5.1 subwoofer. The SWS will hit lower than the 4.1's and get louder without distortion. http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=38042&sessionID={12F21F4F-3678-4DEB-955C-C43A2007B8B1}/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Point Blank Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 You dont think a sound card will help this thing at all? I am sorry I am killing you, but I have to test this thing out with something thats actually good. It all will arrive friday. I will have it up and running that same day. Then I can test it out... Aw goddamn it who am I kidding... Ok man how long would it take to ship 2 SWS's? I would need them at home because if I took them to college my friends would kill me. My 4.1's already upset people in the next wing because they can hear it, despite my thoughts of it not being strong enough... I go back to college the 4th of january. Time is of importance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GooseChaser Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 ---------------- On 12/24/2003 3:36:17 AM Point Blank wrote: I would need them at home because if I took them to college my friends would kill me. My 4.1's already upset people in the next wing because they can hear it, despite my thoughts of it not being strong enough... I go back to college the 4th of january. Time is of importance. ---------------- I don't get it, you bought the sony to leave it back home? In any case, adding a subwoofer or two doesn't mean you HAVE to play it louder than you usually do. Adding a couple of SWS will give you better extension and you'll have the ability to play much louder than a single 4.1 subwoofer in special occasions or if you just don't give a damn. You should call klipsch ASAP and find out if they can be delivered by the 4th. ---------------- On 12/24/2003 3:36:17 AM Point Blank wrote: You dont think a sound card will help this thing at all? ---------------- Nope. It's the Sony that sucks, plain and simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Point Blank Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 Well man I gotta leave it at home! Any more bass at college and I will be written up by the staff people. My RA is already unhappy with some of the songs I play at the volumes I do. I also want to know that these SWS's will perform as well as my main system sub does at college. Youd think, that for 2 6.5 inch drivers, that it wouldnt be able to reach what it does... Damn I love my system. I just dont want to miss out on this deal! 99 bucks man. I waited for it. Also, I highly doubt it will take two weeks to ship 2 SWS's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007 Posted December 24, 2003 Author Share Posted December 24, 2003 My favorite part about the SWS is like the ultras it touches 30-25hrz zone quite nice with less distortion (port noise) Its a very nice sounding sub. Far better then 4.1 dual 6.5's with the tube port. Granted the SWS nor the ultra can hit that 25 zone very loud however teamed up they do a much better job. My only complaint about the SWS is that the sws link cord is really short, 2 feet. So I will be forced to buy a new one. However the control pod is really long, at least 12 feet. Question about the santa cruz, i noticed it only has 4 channel digital out. I mean granted its only thu one wire, but it says "digital 4.1", not "digital 5.1" What is that crap all about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 ---------------- On 12/24/2003 5:19:27 AM 007 wrote: My favorite part about the SWS is like the ultras it touches 30-25hrz zone quite nice with less distortion (port noise) Its a very nice sounding sub. Far better then 4.1 dual 6.5's with the tube port. Granted the SWS nor the ultra can hit that 25 zone very loud however teamed up they do a much better job. My only complaint about the SWS is that the sws link cord is really short, 2 feet. So I will be forced to buy a new one. However the control pod is really long, at least 12 feet. Question about the santa cruz, i noticed it only has 4 channel digital out. I mean granted its only thu one wire, but it says "digital 4.1", not "digital 5.1" What is that crap all about? ---------------- i guess you didn't see my post on the flame war with theears review. I'll repost here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 "Oh also, I will defiantly not use a santacruz with a digital decoder, for it only has 4 channel digital out for some reason, which i find very weird. " 007 "was optimized for the dell 8200 thx model that had the altec lansing ada885 model, i know this because i brought one.......... but what i believe is that the decoder will make it 5.1 using the sp/dif cable as i believe the sound card just sends out a digital signal and it is up to the stereo amp or say the dd5.1 to decode to 5.1 that is just my guess.... as my altec lansing ada 885 decodes the digital signal not the santa cruz card as that just outputs a digital signal" Me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 hmmm never mind seems like the dd5.1 on stereo does not use the center speaker, or maybe that is just how stereo works? on prologic it uses the center Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Point Blank Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 ---------------- On 12/24/2003 5:19:27 AM 007 wrote: My favorite part about the SWS is like the ultras it touches 30-25hrz zone quite nice with less distortion (port noise) Its a very nice sounding sub. Far better then 4.1 dual 6.5's with the tube port. Granted the SWS nor the ultra can hit that 25 zone very loud however teamed up they do a much better job. My only complaint about the SWS is that the sws link cord is really short, 2 feet. So I will be forced to buy a new one. However the control pod is really long, at least 12 feet. Question about the santa cruz, i noticed it only has 4 channel digital out. I mean granted its only thu one wire, but it says "digital 4.1", not "digital 5.1" What is that crap all about? ---------------- I must ask you. What is the cable that goes from the SWS link to anywhere else? Male RCA to Male RCA? If I have SWS's I am not going to deal with short cords... If the cable I mentioned will do it, I will be at radioshack within the next hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 24, 2003 Share Posted December 24, 2003 male rca cable connect the ultra sws link to the sws. But I as 007 have seem to notice you do not get any output if you put the sws with the sws link. The sws linked first then the ultra link to the sws is the best way, though i noticed that the ultra's bass drops somewhat. If that is a good thing im not sure as the ultra speakers go deeper then the sws, but i guess it takes strain off the ultras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007 Posted December 24, 2003 Author Share Posted December 24, 2003 Using the SWS link is just as loud but it matches your system, so you you have to turn your system up loud to hear the SWS. the bass control on the main system will also control the SWS, which is cool. Just leave the SWS at default 12-o-clock and it should be good. In the end the SWS link is really what you want to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asphix Posted December 26, 2003 Share Posted December 26, 2003 I have a promedia 5.1 (non ultra) and just got an SWS for chirstmas along with a dd-5.1. Right now I'm extremely dissapointed wiht the dd-5.1 and will contact klipsch to see if they will take it back in exchange for another SWS, but I'll explain that later. I want to see first if any of you guys are experiencing a problem I'm having wiht my SWS. Heres the problem, Being I have a non ultra promedia 5.1 i dont have the SWS output on my main sub, so i need to run each sterio 1/8" jack to the sws and then to my promedia sub. It works great and is REALLY loud. However when I test my channel separation through my SB audigy 2, the left channel tests fine, so does the center, the right appears to be a little low volume, then the surround left comes out of the front right at an extremely low volume, and the surround right is normal level. Can one of you guys hook up your system in that manner to see if you get the same issue? Its a pain in the rear to have to send this stuff back, but my guess is that the lines inside the SWS are crossed and its screwing up my channels. If i just connect from my PC to my PROMEDIA sub, the channel separation is perfect. Now on to the dd 5.1, I got it because I have an external TV tuner, and I like the fact that it has a remote control, and all the nifty features on it. I wanted to connect my computer through it, but when I do so the audio levels are horrible. I'll have my volume level in windows at MAX, my promedia volume at 80, and the dd-5.1 volume at -0db (max) and its only maybe half of what the volume output is when I have my promedias hooked up straight to my computer. I tried hooking up a PS2 and I was getting the same crappy audio levels. And same when I hooked up my TV tuner. I even disabled my Audigy2, and enabled my onboard soundcard (c-media) which has SPDIF optical/coaxle out, and hooked the sucker up wiht the coaxle and same crappy audio levels. Has anyone else also had this problem or similar problems? I know all my wires are hooked up correctly, I have years of experience with audio equipment, and am using all the connectors provided by with the products except for some monster cable 1.8" sterio- sterio RCA cables to get the audio from my computer/tv tuner. Right now my dd 5.1 is packed up and ready to be shipped back to klipsch, and I might have to do the same for the SWS because of this channel separation issue, but I want to check up on here and see if anyone has any suggestions or quick fixes that I might not have thought about, or maybe its because the dd-5.1 is converting a sterio signal to 5.1 so it is weaker? I'm not sure.. im confused.. all i know is this isnt how i expected these things to work.. garbled channel separation and an output volume cut by more than 1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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