Under $1000 Subwoofer Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[schan1269]

A movie to add to your testing. Separates the contenders from the pretenders...

The Guillotines

 

[Craig Chase]

Schan1269 - Thanks for the suggestion. A Blu Ray copy is ordered. Getting movie ideas is a wonderful thing, so if anyone else has one, please chime in. I can only watch Tron so many times .. .

 

[schan1269]

No problem. I use that as a demo as to "why you need full range speakers, everywhere".

It contains 30hz(at times a bit lower) in all channels with .1 content dipping to 15hz. If you "read the review, over there..." the scene most talked about...is best left to the largest speakers you have...connected everywhere. AVR set "straight"(or through...anyway, bypassing bass management) and let every speaker sweat it out.

Another..."Ode to Joy" from Immortal Beloved. There is a decent Vevo track from that part of the movie to give you an idea. Even as good as that is...the BD craps all over it.

 

[Sam Posten]

IB is one of the most underrated films ever. Agreed on OTJ

 

[Craig Chase]

Immortal Beloved is on order. Thanks again for the suggestion!

 

[Craig Chase]

Klipsch R-115SW Subwoofer:


The R-115SW is Klipsch Corporation's answer to the affordable, high output subwoofer system. It retails for $900, and can regularly be found for $720 including delivery to one's home (US contiguous 48 states). This places it on the lower end, in terms of price, of subwoofers in this thread.


Specifications are as follows:




Frequency Response:
18Hz-125Hz +/-3dB
MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT:
122dB
AMPLIFIER:
All digital
AMPLIFIER POWER:
400W / 800W
DRIVE COMPONENTS:
15" (38.1 cm) long-throw copper spun cerametallic, front-firing woofer
ENCLOSURE MATERIAL:
MDF
ENCLOSURE TYPE:
Bass Reflex
INPUTS:
L/R line-level/LFE RCA jacks, Wireless WA-2 Port
HEIGHT:
21.5" / 54.61 cm
WIDTH:
19.5" / 49.53 cm
DEPTH:
22.3" / 56.64 cm
WEIGHT:
75.4 lbs / 34.2 kg
FINISH:
Brushed Black Polymer Veneer
FEATURES:
Gain, Lowpass, Phase, Auto Power
PHASE:
Switchable 0-180 degrees



As will always be done for each subwoofer, the R-115SW was unpacked and placed in the back corner of the room. After calibrating using the Audyssey XT-32 from a Marantz 7008 receiver, this response was taken from the listening position. As with the SVS, the response extended to well below 20 Hz, in line with the 18 Hz "floor" Klipsch promises in its spec sheet.

It's also a good looking subwoofer, even with the grill off:

Serious listening will start Wednesday night, after giving it some break in time. Casual listening tests have already demonstrated it can put out some serious bass. A half hour with Tron earlier had the room shaking, and the Klipsch is already off to a great start.

 

[Craig Chase]

Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus from How To Train Your Dragon takes on the Klipsch R-115SW.


Seadragonus ... the BIG dragon ... is the bass star of the show. There are two key scenes, when he emerges from his cave, and when he crashes into the ground. A good subwoofer will make it feel as if the room is coming down, and the Klipsch R-115SW does a solid job at this, especially for its $700-$900 price point. It was felt in the chest, the room shuddered, and there was no bottoming nor chuffing noted.


Subjectively, it seemed a bit more potent than did the SVS, especially in the mid bass slam. The SVS felt as if it was a bit deeper, which is not a surprise, with its larger interior volume mated to a 12 inch driver, it's tuned a bit lower (to my ears - we will do some close microphone testing at a later date to confirm). The movie is full of great bass, and other fun scenes include when Toothless "shoots" his fire blasts: One should feel a punch in the chest, and the Klipsch excelled here.


The arena fight scenes include many thuds when a dragon hits the floor, and each was felt with that deep bass ripple we all love. The summary for HTTYD is the R-115SW will deliver serious chops for a not so serious price.


The R-115SW is off to a nice start. We did receive "The Guillotines" this week, and hope to fire it up tonight.

 

[Craig Chase]

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

The Guillotines movie was the plan for last night, but as my son wants to watch it with me, and he was otherwise occupied, Ghost Protocol was a good "plan B".


THE scene in this movie is the multiple detonations of the Kremlin. Many subwoofers whimper away and crawl into a corner, but not the R-115SW. The room shook, the percussions were felt, and a smile was on my face. Once again, the Klipsch exceeded expectations. Gunfire scenes, which Ghost Protocol has by the dozen, were all powerful, punchy and tuneful.


The movie also has quite a few music driven scenes, and all sounded great, especially in the "humble Indian home", where the bass player was clear and with just the right amount of weight.


It was striking just how LOUD this subwoofer can play in the 20-50 Hz range. The Kremlin scene has some of that "ripple effect" bass that most subs in this price range will give a "taste", but the Klipsch gives a "RIPPPPPPPLE" into the room. You actually feel the wave. Keep in mind, all of this is listening and "looking", but I would not be surprise to find that this driver can move 2 inches, peak to peak, or darn close to it.


As an aside, I will be busy with clients for my day job until next Thursday, so it will probably be a week before the next update - and I will be looking forward to getting back to the Klipsch and putting a serious beating on it with several more movies next Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

[TroyH4]

Craig, this is an awesome thread you have goin here... love the thoughts on each sub you're going over along with examples of the material you're playing that make each sub shine. Like your input on how the subs are reacting to really low bass portions of the soundtracks too.

I think I mentioned earlier in my post that my room is quite small and a sub like the Klipsch would be more than enough sub to satisfy me.

Keep'em coming!

 

[Craig Chase]

Troy - Thanks for the note. It is input from forum members which drives these tests. What information does everyone consider to be valuable? What new movies should be tried? How To Train Your Dragon 2 is on the list.


Some additional testing that will be done as we get into the winter:


1. The latest Omni Mic has a lot of new features. I am going to play with it (near future - definitely before Christmas) to see if we can "capture" the response on some of the tougher movie scenes so a graph can be posted to "show" how deep each sub reaches in a scene.


2. I had a custom built preamp level switcher made, so doing instant A/B comparisons between two subs on music will be possible. This would be fun at a GTG.


Let's look at the two subwoofers that are here now: The PC-2000 and the R-115SW. They are both apt performers, especially for the price. They also sound quite different from each other. Both subwoofers already merit a solid recommendation, but they are also likely to appeal to different people for different reasons.


We will attempt to delve into those reasons as we get into winter.


I will be back on Thursday from a business conference, and any subwoofer recommendations would be appreciated. "See" you guys in 5 days!

 

[Brendostunes]

Thank you Craig!!!

Fantastic reviews, always enjoy your EQ. graphs. Cant wait for the tests of our favorite I.D. company.


Another Blueray for the list Oz Great and Powerful.

 

[Craig Chase]

Hi Guys ... not only was it a good business trip, I managed to spend some time at a high end audio store. This place has the most impressive array of equipment I have ever seen in a store.


Here is a partial list:


JL Audio Gotham - $13,000 (plus full line)

Magico Q3 - $36,000 (a "mid range model for them)

B&W 803 Diamond (series 3) - $17,000 (plus full line)

Sonus Faber - several models

GoldenEar

Paradigm

McIntosh - including the $2000 Monobloc Tube amps. You HAVE to see these guys!


Had a great chat with the top salesman, told him about this thread. As soon as he heard Brick and Mortar would be up against the ID companies, things went cold. The manager was suddenly not interested in talking.


I was ready to purchase a GoldenEar Forcefield 4 on the spot for testing, but was instead asked to leave. I gave the manager my card, and told him I would be interested if he changes his mind. It was really a bummer, as the store was drop dead gorgeous. I was even ready to get a pair of Magnepans, too.


One Internet Direct company has also refused to sell a product to me for this review process. Yes, I could have someone do a "straw purchase", but as this is for fun, I am not going to go behind anyone's back.


Two companies suggested that I wait until Black Friday and see what the specials are. By the first week in December, we will have finished the line up for this winter's testing. If you don't see a product here from any of the well known ID companies, it's because the company elected not to participate by letting me buy the product.


Some more punishment will be doled out on the Klipsch R-115SW tonight.

 

[Craig Chase]

A quick update: The movies the past two nights were Man of Steel and Oblivion. Oblivion has many potent bass scenes - the drones firing, explosions ... etc ... but the best is a descending sine wave when Jack Harper is falling. It's intense and goes deep ... somewhat like the deep bass tone in the THX intro from years ago, but deeper.


The Klipsch shook the room with each scene, and with authority. We really need to get a Hsu 15 inch sub here for comparison, as this Klipsch is very impressive.

 

[Craig Chase]

The Klipsch R-115SW tackles Tron: Legacy


And it REALLY tackled Tron! From the scene where Sam is transported into the digital domain ... "descending WHOMP" .... through the airborne transporters, the bike scenes, the air battle ... the Klipsch consistently shook the room with DEEP, palpable bass.


It still manifest more midbass than does the SVS, and seems more powerful overall, the SVS still takes Tron a bit deeper. There's an element of "sealed vs. ported" in the sound qualities / bass feel of the two subwoofers.


The SVS is quite powerful, and extends DEEP, but with less authority than the Klipsch. Once again, the long throw driver, tuned higher, Klipsch subwoofer makes more of a menacing growl in bass than does the SVS.


The SVS, almost as a sealed sub will do, gives that extension that the Klipsch misses. The SVS advantage is harder to hear, but it is there.


Keep in mind, our room is 25x24x8.5 feet.


For the Klipsch, at $720 delivered, to hit this level of mayhem in our room is remarkable. For "this room", if I was spending $800 or less on a sub, the Klipsch is currently the clear leader, for primarily movie bass.


In a smaller room, the SVS will likely have some advantages - it will extend even deeper, and the need for ultra high SPL is far less. For example: A 20x14x8 foot room is still pretty large, but is less than 45 percent of the internal volume of the test room. The PC-2000 will shine even more in that room.


Both subwoofers are very impressive in their ability to deliver clean, powerful bass.

 

[TroyH4]

Craig, really wondering if this Klipsch would be too much sub for my small room 13x14x9?
I know you answered this question already, but after many online owner reviews, and your findings, this thing kicks serious arse.

 

[Craig Chase]

Troy - The Klipsch won't be too much subwoofer at all. Properly calibrate, it will give you a 16 Hz floor, maybe lower, and with lots of headroom. What is your time frame for getting a new sub?

 

[Brendostunes]

Thanks Craig, glad to hear the Klipsch is such an apt performer. Maybe the upgrades they have dome in the last couple years are for the better.

I started with Klipsch before I knew of Axiom, I now find their cone tweeters to shrill for my liking. They updated their Reference and THX lines in the beginning 2015 only know as I'm still on their mailing list.


Have you seen The Expendables3 yet, lots of action and old action movie faces to go with it.

 

[TroyH4]

Craig, thanks for the reassurance I have to take care of some bills first before my wife will let me go spend pleasure money on equipment. But this Klipsch is at the top of my list as of now. My receiver which I have already is the Elite SC-95. Still need to buy speakers all around and would like to go Atmos of course but not sure which config I want to do it in.... either 5.1.4 or 7.1.4 (?). I think my little room would sound amazing. Most likely front projection as well.


Keep those testing results coming!

 

[Craig Chase]

Brendostunes - We have not watched Expendables 3 yet, but will likely do so over the winter. Try putting a bit of felt on the top of the horn (waveguide) on your Klipsch, and "see" if that helps the harshness. They tend to ring, and also have a spike in the 5000 Hz range.


Troy - If you are not in a hurry, wait until we check out the Hsu 15 inch sub. In sealed mode, it may just be a killer sub in your room.


The PC-2000 should also be on your list, unless the styling is not to your liking. It's going to be an excellent sub in a room like yours.

 

[Brendostunes]

Thanks Craig will try the felt.
Have moved my klipsch to the bedroom for kids bedtime movies. Now use All Axiom in my livingroom 7.2 M80 as fronts, VP160, M3 front height and M22 side surround with a SVS PC100 and a cheapo Vector Research sub.
Needless to say my upgraditis is anticipating the E.P.350 reviews hopefully Ian and Andrew have a 12 that compares to the 15inch. Sadly HSU is not available here in Canada too much for shipping they will not even send one due to costs. Though they sound great with all their options.
Another movie recommended by Tam {Exlabdriver} on the other forum, Terminator Genesis for frequent LFE.