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Klipsch RW-12d vs HSU STF-2

post #1 of 7
3/13/13 at 11:35pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, I'm fairly new to the forums, but upon doing numerous searches, this one keeps popping up, so it would seem like it's the best resource for home theater help. I bought a used Sunfire True Subwoofer MK 2 a few years ago, and the amp finally decided to die. Anyway, I need to replace it, but I'm in no real hurry, as I can deal with sub-less sound for a few weeks to a month if I have to. Here's what I have so far:
Harmon Kardon AVR 354
Klipsch RC-52 Center Channel
Polk Monitor 50 Front Speakers
Bose 301V Rear Speakers
Its a 15x15 room, with the TV being in one corner, and the couch in about the middle of that. I have about $400 to replace it, and from what I've seen both the subs in the title would do the trick. That being said, at Newegg the Klipsch is $300 shipped, whereas the HSU is $400. My real dilemma is if the extra $100 would be worth it. I mainly listen to music, with a fair amount of movies and TV mixed in. With that being said, my main criteria is a clean sounding sub, that will produce a good movie viewing experience. If there's another sub you guys would recommend, I'm open to those suggestions as well, but I need to stick to my budget so I cant go too much over the $400. Thanks in advance!
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post #2 of 7
3/14/13 at 7:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zpliptzy View Post

Hi, I'm fairly new to the forums, but upon doing numerous searches, this one keeps popping up, so it would seem like it's the best resource for home theater help. I bought a used Sunfire True Subwoofer MK 2 a few years ago, and the amp finally decided to die. Anyway, I need to replace it, but I'm in no real hurry, as I can deal with sub-less sound for a few weeks to a month if I have to. Here's what I have so far:
Harmon Kardon AVR 354
Klipsch RC-52 Center Channel
Polk Monitor 50 Front Speakers
Bose 301V Rear Speakers
Its a 15x15 room, with the TV being in one corner, and the couch in about the middle of that. I have about $400 to replace it, and from what I've seen both the subs in the title would do the trick. That being said, at Newegg the Klipsch is $300 shipped, whereas the HSU is $400. My real dilemma is if the extra $100 would be worth it. I mainly listen to music, with a fair amount of movies and TV mixed in. With that being said, my main criteria is a clean sounding sub, that will produce a good movie viewing experience. If there's another sub you guys would recommend, I'm open to those suggestions as well, but I need to stick to my budget so I cant go too much over the $400. Thanks in advance!

Hi, I've had the STF-2 that I just recently sold along with some other speakers. I had the STF-2 in my bedroom, which is roughly the size as your room (give or take a foot in either dimension) and it sounded great in there. I had it tucked in a corner and the bass was reasonably deep and well rounded and accurate enough. I sort of regretted selling it, so I was also on the hunt for another cost-effective sub. I ended up ordering the Klipsch based mainly on the hype on these forums, so I guess I'll find out soon enough if it is better. I've read somewhere that the Klipsch will have more output and as deep bass extension as the STF-2. Hopefully I'll get it dialed in right once it gets here. My only concern is the reliability and quality control as I've never owned a Klipsch sub before and there were other owners who experienced some odd issues like loose port tubes. I had the STF-2 for about 8 years without any trouble whatsoever.

For now I have an STF-1 filling in where the STF-2 was, and while decent, I think I'm asking too much out of that little sub in that room.

Have you considered going used with that budget? Since you're in no hurry I'm sure you can snag a sub that's a step or two above the ones you're considering. As for me, I chose the Klipsch because I wanted to try something different and couldn't resist the discounted price!
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post #3 of 7
3/14/13 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlim123 View Post

Hi, I've had the STF-2 that I just recently sold along with some other speakers. I had the STF-2 in my bedroom, which is roughly the size as your room (give or take a foot in either dimension) and it sounded great in there. I had it tucked in a corner and the bass was reasonably deep and well rounded and accurate enough. I sort of regretted selling it, so I was also on the hunt for another cost-effective sub. I ended up ordering the Klipsch based mainly on the hype on these forums, so I guess I'll find out soon enough if it is better. I've read somewhere that the Klipsch will have more output and as deep bass extension as the STF-2. Hopefully I'll get it dialed in right once it gets here. My only concern is the reliability and quality control as I've never owned a Klipsch sub before and there were other owners who experienced some odd issues like loose port tubes. I had the STF-2 for about 8 years without any trouble whatsoever.

For now I have an STF-1 filling in where the STF-2 was, and while decent, I think I'm asking too much out of that little sub in that room.

Have you considered going used with that budget? Since you're in no hurry I'm sure you can snag a sub that's a step or two above the ones you're considering. As for me, I chose the Klipsch because I wanted to try something different and couldn't resist the discounted price!

I wanna get a new sub-I'd like to get more than 5 years out of this sub, and I think buying used was my problem. I loved my MK 2, but I cant find parts for it anywhere, and Sunfire discontinued it, so I'm kinda out of luck with it. Regardless, the more I think about it, the more the Klipsch seems to be the better choice. Unless somebody else has another sub that could perhaps meet my needs, I think I'll get the Klipsch. I'll for sure post here about it, comparisons and such.
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post #4 of 7
3/14/13 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zpliptzy View Post

I wanna get a new sub-I'd like to get more than 5 years out of this sub, and I think buying used was my problem. I loved my MK 2, but I cant find parts for it anywhere, and Sunfire discontinued it, so I'm kinda out of luck with it. Regardless, the more I think about it, the more the Klipsch seems to be the better choice. Unless somebody else has another sub that could perhaps meet my needs, I think I'll get the Klipsch. I'll for sure post here about it, comparisons and such.

Excellent! I'm crossing my fingers that both of ours don't have any problems and that they're as good as advertised!
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post #5 of 7
3/30/13 at 3:05pm
Thread Starter 
So, as promised, the comparisons with my new RW-12d vs the Sunfire True Subwoofer MKII. First, keep in mind I've not heard any subs that are too expensive, so I dont have much to compare to, other than these subs pretty much, and my car subs (2 10" Alpine type R's). That being said, I've quite enjoyed the RW-12d. It's got a sound that can fill my room with rich bass, and sound large enough to satisfy me. The MKII was just louder, and could handle sustained passages of bass much better-which is reflected in the amp power ratings, so I was expecting that. They're both different classes of subs, so it's hard to say what I prefer. The RW-12d handles movies better, and the MKII really shined with the music I listen to (Dubstep/alt rock). The RW-12d shakes my house much more, oddly enough. I attribute that to the 12" vs 10" woofers. Also, the RW-12d is about 4x larger, so if space constraints are an issue, it shouldnt be considered. All things considered however, I'm quite happy with my purchase, and it's an adequate replacement.
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post #6 of 7
3/31/13 at 5:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zpliptzy View Post

The RW-12d shakes my house much more, oddly enough. I attribute that to the 12" vs 10" woofers.

Or could be the ported vs sealed design. Could be the Sunfire has rolled off a lot in output by the time it gets to the <30hz range, whereas the RW-12 is more linear into the mid-20s in output.
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post #7 of 7
3/31/13 at 6:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 View Post

Or could be the ported vs sealed design. Could be the Sunfire has rolled off a lot in output by the time it gets to the <30hz range, whereas the RW-12 is more linear into the mid-20s in output.
You know, I hadnt even considered the ported vs sealed aspect, but that's definitely true.
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