Scared of this Klipsch rw-12d

The 12rd is a well liked sub around this forum and tests well, for 279-299 its hard to beat, for best bang for the buck, Mated to the polk 70 the SQ of the 12rd won't be a problem, you can Xover the mains to sub at 40hz just for that added punch and take that load off your amp. Port noise is only a real problem with movies as many times there is deep lowend output without any masking, thus port noise could be heard, but thats only if the sub is pushed past its design limits. The 12rd can handle your size room easly if corner loaded. This sub will rattle stuff in your room if its not nailed down!!

Agreed.

OP, what makes you think it's "sketchy" or "volatile"?

I've got the same question as the OP. I've got Tsi400 fronts and a CS20 center in a 19x16x8 room. I'm torn between the RW-12d at 299 or doing a 15" DIY build to give me a little extra low-end extension that would cost around $450. I am completely new to quality low-end sound. Has anyone heard both the RW-12d (with +/- 3dB at 24Hz) and something that digs to 18Hz +/- 1dB? How much am I going to miss that low end below 24 if I jump on the Klipsch? I'll likely be impressed with the output of the Klipsch compared to my Onkyo HTIB sub right now, but if that extra low-end will really improve my movie watching and music listening experience, I may consider spending the extra cash. Any thoughts on this incredibly open ended question are greatly appreciated.

For $300, this sub is pretty good. It's not a big seller at its normal price ($500, not the insane $1000 Newegg claims), but it is a good value at $300. I got one when it was on sale last year and the quality is more than good enough for what I need.

Obviously if you can spend $500+ you can get much better subs from the ID places people here like, but that's also a 67% increase in price

the only way you will hear unwanted noises is if you find its limits, and that is a big IF. when not at its limits, it puts out great quality bass imo. if what you say is true, that you prefer "quality, moderate volume sound", this is for you. of course if you get upwards of 500$ there are better options, but this sub held its own against some of those subs as well, placed middle pack in a comparison. at $300, this is the one to get. pull the trigger and dont look back.

Bought this sub about a month ago at $329. Great sounding IMO. I have not heard the port noise others have reported even tho I've had it pretty loud.

I agree with everyone here. Have had some experience with this sub recently, you really can't beat the klipcsh for the money. Go for it.

For starters I suggest dual subs and I would also suggest saving a few hundies and getting an Outlaw LFM-1 Plus. Then you can save up and add another plus and that will give you some fantastic bass.

Not sure if you saw my post in your thread but how do you like the dual RW12's. Is there a big difference going from one to two? What about nulls & voids in the room?

I researched for a long time before buying this Klipsch RW 12d. In my opinion you will not find a better sub for $500-$600, maybe equal but not better. I have had mine up very loud shaking me and the walls hard and never heard any rattle or other unwanted noise from it. I have only heard one "high end" sub in a decent demo and while it was great I do not think I am missing much. (if you don't regularly drive Bently's your Cadillac won't leave you disappointed) I am a happy customer.

I agree with the rest... If you are at the $300 to the door price point this sub is about as good as it gets.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1426307/klipsch-rw-12d-pair-vs-jamo-sub-650-pair-vs-dayton-audio-titanic-mk-iii-sealed-sub-pair-subwoofer-g2g/0_20

Well here's a comparison for your question that might prove helpful


This sub is a win at $300, it placed midpack in a 2007 professional shootout against subs that cost $600-$900.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article/shootout-five-mid-price-subwoofers



The port noise, creaking sound occurs when you take it past its limits. It's limits aren't weak. If you are hearing port noise, you should have bought into the next category of sub with a 15" driver (~ around $750 to $1300 subs), because a typical $500 - $600 sub isn't going to get you much more spl or usable depth than this Klipsch. The current offerings from HSU, Outlaw, and the like are better, but at this closeout price you can buy two of these Klipsch unit for the same cash. Since they are discontinued --- one must assume they'd run out of stock sooner or later to sell at this price --- but they've been on and off sale constantly for the last year or two --- so who knows. My brother has two...In my opinion pretty unbeatable for the price --- unless you find some other close out type deal. (like the Jamo 650 sub which was available in MUCH fewer quantities while it lasted)
Edited by Archaea - 11/7/12 at 10:27pm

I am loving having two of them. it is a little bit louder but the bass is so much more even throughout the room. its great. i can also feel it a little more too since there are two 12s pushing air instead of just one. you will love it if you get another one.

Just got mine today.

Set it to "movie", "flat", "lfe mode" and 0 dB.
Ran Audussey. Was surprised it turned the sub down to - 7 dB and most of the speakers to + 5 dB.
At that rate it was not very loud but there were lows not heard before with my other 10 inch sub.
Will need to turn it up some but I don't plan on pushing it anytime soon.

The outer shipping box had me worried at first (UPS) but the inner box turned out to be OK.

Try setting it on depth mode, turning the sub down some, rerun audyssey, then watch the movie again. Depth mode is flatter to a lower frequency

Use punch mode for music

I got mine today. After running YPAO and then making the corrections to it's calibration, I can say that for movies, it's not too shabby for the price. Thus far, I can't say the same for music. The output is surprisingly lacking punch, and what is there isn't too clean. I think I will grab another before I give up on these units. Maybe dialing two of them down a bit will work better in my relatively large room. Since the price went back up this week, I am kinda expecting them to blow out the rest of their inventory for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. If not, hello Dr. Hsu/ SVS.

looks like the price went back up on these subs.. any idea if they will go back on sale next week for black friday or cyber monday?

Wow. I don't know what to say. I have read arguments by many people that are much smarter than myself stating that speaker "break-in" is a myth. Up until tonight, I believed the same. When I first fired this sub up, the musical performance was pretty bad. After testing it with some LFE from several different sources for a couple of hours, I returned to music. The difference was night and day. I have always believed the train of thought that presumes that your "ears" break in, rather than the speakers, but I was actually able to quantify the change by two different SPL meters. The sound got smoother, but it also got stronger after breaking in.

I have to say that I am much more satisfied with this sub than I was earlier today. I was really upset about it at first. I am definitely going to get a 2nd, if and when they go on sale again.

I tend to think most of the break-in happens (when it happens) in the first few hours, then some benefit may happen at ten times that number of hours. Maybe the latter is more psychological. Who knows? But certainly does seem some benefit to break-in.

For all those of you that bought (or are buying) two, what are you considering for placement? I see the pic above which is one on either side of the TV. Definitely an option for me. Also wondering about putting one behind our sectional couch? Or might that be too prominent unless it were turned down?

Either do a sub crawl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV3oLLMgS-M or just experiment with different positions. What works in one home may/ probably will not work in another.
If your limited in your placement options you'll just have to do the best you can and live with it.