Klipsch SW-115 Subwoofer Preview

[admin]

If Klipsch's thought was to design and sell a sub that could take on the Internet Direct brands head to head, they've succeeded. While a 2 foot by 2 foot by 20" tall sub wrapped in vinyl might be a tough sell for the ladies, bassheads are going to flip for it. At $850 MSRP (and certainly destined to go on sale at some point), it is a lot of sub for a little money. Bragging a 15" driver, front firing slot port, a 400 watt amp, and a -3dB point at 18Hz, the new Klipsch SW-115 is ready to play. And it plays for keeps. Based on their published spec, we are making an educated guess this sub will earn our "Large Room" Bassaholic rating but we will of course reserve final judgement once we get our hands on a review unit to test.

Discuss "Klipsch SW-115 Subwoofer Preview" here. Read the article.

 

[timoteo]

70lbs!!? Thats it?.....thats not a good sign!

 

[homwerk]

Hmm, well, the PB12-NSD only weights 66 pounds so maybe there is still hope? I will say that I would have guessed a 15" would weigh significantly more than a 12".

 

[smurphy522]

Thankfully - from the photo at least it appears they have gone with the 2 prong power cable. A good way to avoid the dreaded hum.

 

[kini]

Hmm, well, the PB12-NSD only weights 66 pounds so maybe there is still hope? I will say that I would have guessed a 15" would weigh significantly more than a 12".

The Cadence 15" is listed at 88 pounds.

Velodyne EQ Max 15" is listed at "approximately" 75 pounds shipping weight.

 

[abjonesiii]

I've demoed the SW112 and was rather satisfied. I hope the 115 is a serious sub. I love Klipsch but they can drop the ball when it comes to subs.

 

[Revboden]

Huh...

If klipsch is going to play with the ID big boys they better learn how to design a slot port. The ratio on that one is absurd. It's going to detune/compress at high output. But on the bright side you'll be able to use it as a hair dryer.

 

[bikdav]

70lbs!!? Thats it?.....thats not a good sign!

Yea, that was my first thought. Then again, the old Velodyne CHT-15 and CT150 were not way much heavier than this one. Yet, anytime I heard them, they still rocked the house. I hope to hear this Klipsch SW-115 somewhere in my area.

 

[gotchaforce]

Only way this sub will be worth a damn is when it gets the inevitable huge price drop at vanns or bestbuy to sub $500... pick it up then

 

[bikdav]

Well. O.K. But ......

Only way this sub will be worth a damn is when it gets the inevitable huge price drop at vanns or bestbuy to sub $500... pick it up then

I want to hear it somewhere first before I put forth any opinions.

 

[chrisrazzzz]

Klipsch SW-115 Subwoofer

You've got the dimensions of the subwoofer wrong, at least according to Klipsch's website. They are 19 and 3/4 inches high x 17 and a half inches wide and 26 inches deep.
With that said.....I plan to buy one as soon as possible!

 

[Zer0K3wL]

If klipsch is going to play with the ID big boys they better learn how to design a slot port. The ratio on that one is absurd. It's going to detune/compress at high output. But on the bright side you'll be able to use it as a hair dryer.

If your arm is strong enough yeah

 

[timoteo]

I just recently saw the little brother of the SW-115, the SW-112. I was not impressed with the finish. The cheap vinyl wrap was pealing up on the edges & the amp looked very cheap. The knobs/switches were small & flimsy. There were no adjustments to fine tune the enclosure to speak of & it was pretty hollow sounding when I knocked on it. I was hoping for a better product in this line but unfortunately it was as I was expecting.

As far as performance?...well either something was wrong with the amp or it was hooked up wrong because all it did was hum real loud. The employee & I kept fiddling with the cables trying to get it to work right but were never able to. So I cant comment on the performance.

I did however like the cone material used on the driver. I'm not a fan of the reversed roll surround though but that's just personal taste & shouldn't harm the performance in any way. The cone material seemed to have a similar feel to the Rohacell used on the B&W 800 series speakers. Very stiff & light. I doubt it's the same or as good as the materials that are used in the 800 series based on the price difference between the Klipsch sub & the B&W speakers but again that's speculation.

Overall the fit & finish were underwhelming to me & actually turned me off. I'm still open to having my mind changed if I heard it & was impressed. But to be honest, I'm reluctant to think that would happen