Having owned the previous version of the KSW15 which was the KSW300 I must say the improvement is ten times over. First noticeable difference is the cabinet has been reduced in size by 20% also the cabinet is no where near as hollow sonding, it is solid. Second noticable improvement is the feet of this sub woofer the original ksw300 had terrible feet (two pieces of wood guled together on each corner) now ther are soild plastic feet on each corner. Third is the throw one the 15" woofer it is about twice the distance. Forth the bass port is now located in the rear which makes is much easier to position the sub woofer. Last but not least is a power lite located on the front of the unit built into the klipsch emblem which tells you if the unit is on standby or actually on. Overall the music end of this sub is still not very good but for home theater applications in the $700 price point this is the best sub I have listened to so far. I have owened velodyne, boston acoustics, infinity and now klipsch and for home theater applications it is absolutly the best.

Just installed KSW-15 in a system with Klipsch LaScala. I had been using a Paridigm PW-2200. The Klipsch played louder and as low with less strain. The price was also $250 less. (paid 499 at JandR.com) It is still breaking in. At this time I would give it 4 stars.

I have to totally disagree with poster Gabriel on many levels. Yes, the Klipsch is massive bang for the buck. Yes, I'd give it four stars, BUT: It is comparing a 15" driver to a 12" [Paradigm PW-2200]. Klipsch's Own specs indicate sharp cutoff before 24hz [trails off at 30 actually] It is more efficient, and moves more midbass air than the Paradigm but do not be fooled. The PW-2200 is flat to 18hz. It has lower distortion and higher output at 20hz than the Klipsch. Also, it has better definition [control] at the bottom octave than the Klipsch does. The Klipsch may seem a more exciting a/v sub, but for music it doesn't quite cut it detail wise. Heroic output aside, the coherency is not up to the Pw-2200 for music, but the PW-2200 comes within a few db [oh about 3] of the Klipsch for a/v output.
I give the Klipsch 4 stars as an A/V sub for the price [the Paradigm gets 4 stars as A/v because of it's lower extension] and as a music sub the Klipsch gets 3 stars for the price, wheras the Paradigm Pw-2200 gets 5.

Power, Sound Quality, Awesome LFE on DVD, Ease of Use and Set-up.

None worth the mention

I shopped for a sub for 3 months before settling on the Klipsch KSW-15. While I really liked the Paradigm PW-2200 and the Velodyne 15", for the money, the KSW-15 is probably the best 15" sub out there. I've had no problems with my Klipsch. I have a very large listening area (33'x 23') with a 24' vaulted ceiling so I needed a sub with the power and size to handle this room. I placed my sub in a corner along the front wall where my TV is located. All I can say is the KSW-15 accomdates my room with ease. I only have the sub power level set to about the 10 o'clock range and even then this sub rattles the windows in my house. Some reviewers have said this sub is boomy, but mine is crisp and sharp. While I use the sub mostly for home theater (I have it hooked directly to the LFE output on my receiver), I like the why it handles music sources too. This sub is probably too big for an average sized room---consider the KSW-12 or KSW-10. This is my first sub and in all honesty, you can't go wrong with the KSW-15---especially for the money.
My System:
Yamaha RXV-795
Toshiba SD3100 DVD (will upgrade soon to progressive scan)
Paradigm Monitor 9's (mains)
Paradigm CC350 (center)
Paradigm Mini Monitors (rears)
Panasonic CT36HX41 HDTV
Tributaries Cables

Similar Products Used:

Listened to Velodyne, Paradigm, Infinity, Polk and JBL

Great,tight bass, especially for movies

None yet

Just hooked this bass up last night and so far I am very impressed. I had a 12 inch digital designs that would always bottom out during U-571 and certain shots in the matrix but last night I stretched it's feet so to say, and it was everything I had hoped for. I will continue to play with this and if I can think of anything negative I will give another review, but right now it's 5-star

Similar Products Used:

infinity, digital designs

Solid bass output.

Hard to position adn find a good spot where this works best. I hate the little toggle switched in back. I prefer the slide switched as in the KSW-300.

Well, call me crazy, I liked my Klipsch KSW-300 so much, that I decided to add another 15" er. Oh boy, I watched Armegeddon...and now I feel like I've been sitting in a vibrating massage chair for hours. I got nothing but tight hard hitting bass from the pair. The KSW-300 is up front to the right a little next to my HDTV (Sony KWP-65HD1), and the KSW-15 is sort of to the rear left. Either of them physically in a corner. Don't want to over do it. The room is 28' x 25'...so it's quite big. I've matched it with Klipsch RS-3 Center. NHT Super Ones as front effects, and Monitor Audio Silver 5's up front and Silver 3's in back all driven from my DSP-A1.
Honestly, I'm glad I bought another one. KSW30 is crossed at 40hz, and the KSW15 at 65hz..blends so well. Both set to 8 on the dial.

One things I liked about the KSW-15 is that you do not need a ground terminator like the KSW-300 so minimize the hum noise in idle. The 15 has the 2 wire power cord attached right to the sub. Whereas the 300 is a 3 prong (computer power cord) that you have to attach. The new one is alot cleaner looking at the plug power outlet. The orange 3 to 2 prong adapter just doesn't cut it. Oh well.

All in all this sub so far meets my expectations that the 300 set (clean hard hitting precise bass). No regrets here. I'd get one is you have a chance.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch KSW-300

BASS, BASS, BASS

So Far None Found

The reference system provides so much more detail on CDs that I have listened to for years. I would recommend the RF3s and the complete sytem to anyone looking for a great sound at a really good price.

The System:
RF3s $569
RS3s $389
RC3 $249
KSW15 $439


Just to let you also know, I am going back to www.acousticsounddesign.com to upgrade my receiver and DVD player-They give you FREE SHIPPING if you post a review using their name!

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Pioneer

Unbelievable thumping bass that annoys my parents and shakes the house

I get yelled at to turn down the bass

I've had this sub for about a month or so and it has been a huge plus to my system. I only use it to listen to music and it has worked out for every kind of music, including rap, rock, techno/trance and anything else with bass. Unlike some of the other people who reviewed this sub, I think that it sounds great for music and can keep up with fast pace beats just fine. Being only 17, I love to play my music loud, and this sub has no problems with hitting deep bass hard and loud when it needs to. I have had no problems at all, and would reccomend this product to anyone who wants to add a big kick to their music.

Can anyone compare this product to the Acoustic Research s500

I dont know which one to get

Thanks in advance for any information

Good definition, much better music performance than I anticipated, Lots of output, Lots of hook-up options including an unflitered LFE input, Pre-amp outputs with selectable 50Hz/100Hz crossover, Best performer at the price paid

Doesn't go as low as some other 15 inchers, Cabinet could be more heavily built

I could not find a better performing sub less than $500. The output of this sub is excellent and surprisingly music performance is way above average. Other 15 inchers I heard sound like 15 inchers, slow and flabbly. The KSW15 is much quicker than most others, perhaps due to its light paper-treated cone. I directly compared it to the Paradigm PW2000 and found the Klipsch sounded a little more musical. The Paradigm was great and could really deliver the lowest frequencies on movies. I also liked the fact that the Paradigm weighed so much more, and obviously has an overbuilt cabinet. I would have actually picked the Paradigm if the dealer would come down to within $100 of the Klipsch. They couldn't so I ordered the Klipsch for $434 delivered.

After finding the best position and calibrating the sub, I listened closely knowing that showroom performance can be quit different than in your own home. My KSW12 did a good job but the KSW15 topped it in every category. I really appreciated the fact that KSW15 includes an unfiltered LFE input. I have a Marantz SR7000 hooked up via sub out and L and R pre-outs. With this hook up I can enjoy music in Source Direct mode with the sub on due to the L and R pre-outs carrying the bass frequencies. (I spent a great deal of time calibrating the crossover to my Paradigm Minimonitors finally settling on 70Hz.) The unfiltered LFE is used during movies and avoids the double crossover predicament when speakers are set to “Small”.

With the KSW12 I often noticed port noise when the material went really low and when driven hard. The KSW15 has no such problems and stays in control at high levels.

With music performance the Klispch KSW12 did a pretty good job, but still often sounded too “sub-woofery”. I have found there are only a few large subs that do a good job of music, and to my pleasure, the KSW15 does. It is balanced, quick, and has excellent pitch detail. This was a pleasant surprise as most ported subs don’t do justice to music.

Klipsch somehow figured out how to make that large driver work well with both music and movies, a difficult task. The only other sub I listened to that could do justice to both but even better was the Paradigm Servo-15. I just can’t see spending $1000 more for just a little better dual-purpose performance. I have never heard an SVS or HSU sub so I can’t really comment on how this sub measures up against them. I’m sure they’re probably better, but again, the price difference is just too great for me.

If you are in search for really great bargain, then these Klipsch subs, especially the KSW-15, should be auditioned, preferably in home. Still you'll be hard pressed to find the level of performance Klipsch puts out at such a reasonable price, discounted of course.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm PS1200, PW2200, Servo 15, Klipsch KSW-12, Polk Audio PSW650, Velodyn CT-120 and 150