Klipsch RP-1400SW 14" at $700 or RSL 12S 12" at $800 or Monolith M15 used $750. Who wins?

G

gaby95

Audioholic
I am curious..you would think th Klipsch is the better option based on the price and size right now BUT, trying to evaluate the 1600 REVIEW measurements to guess the 1400 but there are many variables that makes it hard to do. I would guess the 12S will have more authority in the lower Hz like under 30hz and surely lower and the Klipsch should have more output in the mids. But that is just my guess.

Any opinions on those?
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
My guess is that they are probably closer in deep bass than you might expect. The Klipsch might have a somewhat higher tuning frequency than the RSL, I would guess 20Hz or just above. So I think that the RSL might have an advantage below 20Hz to 25Hz but not above. I would expect the Klipsch to have more mid-bass punch. I think you would be pretty happy with either one.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Agree with shady, but would definitely choose the rsl.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
I'd rather support RSL than Klipsch. What's the prize? :)
I’d much rather support RSL too. Based on history, I can’t imagine a Klipsch subwoofer being better than the RSL, although it does seem they’ve focused on performance a little more lately. I’m sure their amps won’t last though, even if the subs perform ok.
 
K

kini

Full Audioholic
I’d much rather support RSL too. Based on history, I can’t imagine a Klipsch subwoofer being better than the RSL, although it does seem they’ve focused on performance a little more lately. I’m sure their amps won’t last though, even if the subs perform ok.
I believe they (Klipsch) warranty the amps for 5 years now.
 
G

gaby95

Audioholic
What about a Monolith M15 V1 for $750 from a local? That would seem to outclass both of the these but the issues reported of amps before, worries me



PS Added the Monolith option.
 
isolar8001

isolar8001

Audioholic General
One thing you will never see is RSL selling anything they make for half off like Klipsch does.
I'm sure the Klipsch sub makes a lot of boom boom.....for a while anyhow.

As an RSL owner of various products, I can tell you that they are probably the best value on the market for the quality you get for the price you pay....Klipsch is Klipsch.

The Speedwoofer 12S is a real freak...comparing it to other subs near its price range is almost pointless.
 
G

gaby95

Audioholic
One thing you will never see is RSL selling anything they make for half off like Klipsch does.
I'm sure the Klipsch sub makes a lot of boom boom.....for a while anyhow.

As an RSL owner of various products, I can tell you that they are probably the best value on the market for the quality you get for the price you pay....Klipsch is Klipsch.
Yeah I narrowed it down now to the 12s new for $800 or a local "like new" Monolith M15 for $750.
 
isolar8001

isolar8001

Audioholic General
Yeah I narrowed it down now to the 12s new for $800 or a local "like new" Monolith M15 for $750.
Same deal as the Klipsch...Im sure it goes boom pretty good...is it the same quality as an RSL ? Oh hell no....
Monolith makes decent products though. They aren't RSL.
 
G

gaby95

Audioholic
Same deal as the Klipsch...Im sure it goes boom pretty good...is it the same quality as an RSL ? Oh hell no....
Monolith makes decent products though. They aren't RSL.
I am curious in what way it the 12s beats the Monolithj?
Thanks
 
isolar8001

isolar8001

Audioholic General
I am curious in what way it the 12s beats the Monolithj?
Thanks
Didn't say anything about one "beating" the other....That Monolith performs well.
Both were reviewed here, and the RSL is 500 dollars cheaper when not being sold as used.
Personally, I would go with the RSL.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
I am curious in what way it the 12s beats the Monolithj?
Thanks
The Monolith would be a solid option. You will always run into potential Amp problems regardless who you order from.
I haven't really heard too many problems recently, but there is no telling how old that Sub actually is, whether it would be concerning or not.

If you are truly considering this, I would wait to see what they offer up this weekend. We've seen some pretty great prices on their Subs and the Monolith 12" would be an excellent option, especially on sale.
I would take that over Klipsh or the RSL.
 
G

gaby95

Audioholic
Didn't say anything about one "beating" the other....
Well you did say "Monolith makes decent products though. They aren't RSL. " So I thought the between the lines message was very clear but ok then.
Thanks
 
G

gaby95

Audioholic
The Monolith would be a solid option. You will always run into potential Amp problems regardless who you order from.
I haven't really heard too many problems recently, but there is no telling how old that Sub actually is, whether it would be concerning or not.

If you are truly considering this, I would wait to see what they offer up this weekend. We've seen some pretty great prices on their Subs and the Monolith 12" would be an excellent option, especially on sale.
I would take that over Klipsh or the RSL.
I no longer consider the Klipsch in the race but in the 12" range I would think the 12s is not easy to beat. Why would you take the Monolith 12 over it?
 
isolar8001

isolar8001

Audioholic General
Well you did say "Monolith makes decent products though. They aren't RSL. " So I thought the between the lines message was very clear but ok then.
Thanks
Performance wise, they are similar....build wise, I don't have a Monolith to compare.
Shady says both are very well made.
But, you don't see RSL discounting to the extreme like Monolith and Klipsch do.
That says something....to me anyhow.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
I no longer consider the Klipsch in the race but in the 12" range I would think the 12s is not easy to beat. Why would you take the Monolith 12 over it?
Over RSL? Personal preference and the THX Certification and what that means for clean output. I'm uncertain if Claridy is the OEM for Monolith on the newer versions of the Subs, but they are very skilled at building very good quality gear. Not that RSL isn't... But this is where my preference steps in. ;)
 
G

gaby95

Audioholic
Performance wise, they are similar....build wise, I don't have a Monolith to compare.
Shady says both are very well made.
But, you don't see RSL discounting to the extreme like Monolith and Klipsch do.
That says something....to me anyhow.
ON the AVSForum thread so far people is tellig me to stay away from them..that is pretty odd in a thread dedicated to Monolith subs. Due to the amp basically and the pain getting it replaced.
I have read many threads and usually you get a lot of fanboys defending the brand for each particular thread so that is a red flag for sure.
 
isolar8001

isolar8001

Audioholic General
ON the AVSForum thread so far people is tellig me to stay away from them..that is pretty odd in a thread dedicated to Monolith subs. Due to the amp basically and the pain getting it replaced.
I have read many threads and usually you get a lot of fanboys defending the brand for each particular thread so that is a red flag for sure.
That is telling. AVS is where you can read hundreds of tales of Klipsch sub amps biting the dust also.

One thing you never have seen and probably never will, is someone bad mouthing any RSL product....for any reason. They truly are one of the few unicorn companies out there.
 

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