Klipsch R-100sw Subwoofer Review
It turned out that Klipsch is a master of horn speakers and very good at making subwoofers. Like this R-100SW subwoofer, regardless of its appearance, artistry, and quality, convenience, sound, etc., have a performance that exceeds its price. More importantly, its price is not high, and most consumers can easily own it. It can be said to be the best choice for a high-quality home theater subwoofer.
Design
First, look at Klipsch R-100SW 10 Subwoofer from the appearance. Its appearance is not special. It is similar to the general subwoofer. But it does not look simple at all, mainly because the R-100SW looks a bit retro texture. Its dust-proof grille is not a common fine-mesh net but a coarse-grain woven cloth with a more grainy layer. When the grille is installed, R-100SW can have more visual changes. All in all, R-100SW makes you don’t need to hide it in the corner because it is a small personality decoration, which makes the home furnishings richer.
Klipsch R-100SW belongs to the Reference series under Klipsch. The series has three active subwoofers, including R-120SW, R-100SW, and R-8SW. The difference lies in the size of the woofer used. R-120SW is a 12-inch active subwoofer. 100SW is 10 inches, and R-8SW is 8 inches. I think 10 inches is a convenient size. That means that small and medium spaces can be very convenient to be fit in, and larger spaces can also be well handled. It is pretty flexible.
Feature
Klipsch R-100SW Powered subwoofer is equipped with a 10-inch IMG (Injection Molded Graphite) driver, which means that the diaphragm is made of injection-molded graphite. According to Klipsch, the IMG diaphragm is very light but very strong, so the distortion is extremely low, providing a clean, deep low frequency.
In addition to the single unit, the amplifier equipped with the active subwoofer is also very important. R-100SW has a built-in 150-watt Class D power module with an instantaneous peak value of up to 300 watts. It has a bass-reflex hole placed at the rear with a frequency response from 32Hz to 120Hz.
R-100SW adopts RCA high-level input and can adjust the volume and crossover point through the knob on the back. Klipsch R-100SW subwoofer has a switch to switch the phase of 0 degree/180 degree. In addition, R-100SW also has a standby function, which can detect signal input and automatically turn it on, taking into account power-saving and ease of use.
Sound Performance
I use the Accuphase E470 integrated amplifier. The channel setting was a 2.1 channel setting. The main channel was Dynaudio Special 40 bookshelf speakers. I did not use the automatic channel setting function of Accuphase E470 but directly set the crossover point to 80Hz, let the speaker be responsible for the frequency above 80Hz, and give the low frequency below 80Hz to R-100SW. I try not to use the DSP or low-frequency processing function of the surround amplifier to restore the original performance of the speaker and subwoofer.
I play a few movies and music clips. The first advantage of Klipsch R-100SW that impresses me is its durability. It can be turned on very loudly, but it does not appear to be out of balance. And its performance also comfortable. Many subwoofers of comparable prices are not as powerful. When the special effects in movies are played at high volume, the sound often becomes muddy, abrupt, and loses the original balance. R-100SW is away from this problem.
Take the 2016 Dolby Atmos test film as an example, the thunder in the “Amaze” segment and the spaceship flying by in the “Horizon.” I played it at a very high volume. The R-100SW can still perform good low-frequency clarity. The sense of hierarchy and the balance of the low-frequency scale and volume are outstanding, and there will be no low-frequency bulge. It can be seen that the performance and control of the single unit are above the standard.
Why is it so crucial for subwoofers to sustain high volume? Because consumers buy subwoofers primarily for watching movies, and the low frequencies in movies are special effects, not natural sounds, and the test for subwoofers is particularly harsh.
In addition to the ease of passing the parts, as mentioned earlier, R-100SW Subwoofer has a good low-frequency texture when playing music. Listen to the electronic music “London Elektricity.” Through the playback of R-100SW, you can hear the trajectory of the bass line is very clear, with sufficient volume, but not bloated. The pedalling speed of the bass drum is satisfactory. It makes me feel the solid strength and compact energy and constantly piled up an enthusiastic but well-measured atmosphere, making this electronic music sound very enjoyable.
Conclusion
The low-frequency extension is natural enough, and the frequency response is flat enough, which are also important indicators for judging whether the subwoofer is good or bad. The Klipsch R-100SW has a high-quality performance that exceeds its price value. That makes R-100SW easy to integrate with the entire system, and you won’t even feel the existence of a subwoofer.
You can feel the majestic sound field scale and balanced frequency band distribution, making the sound richer and more complete. It can be seen that good low frequency is not necessarily expensive. As long as you pick the right thing, you can quickly get the high-quality, low frequency.
Klipsch R-100sw Subwoofer Specs
- FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 32Hz – 120Hz +/- 3dB
- MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT: 112 dB
- AMPLIFIER: All Digital
- AMPLIFIER POWER (CONT/PEAK): 150W/300W
- AMPLIFIER FEATURES: Volume, Low-pass, 0/180 phase, Auto Power On
- DRIVER COMPONENTS: 10” high excursion spun-copper IMG woofer
- ENCLOSURE MATERIAL: MDF
- ENCLOSURE TYPE: Bass-Reflex via rear-firing port
- INPUTS: Line level/LFE RCA jacks
- HEIGHT: 14.5” (368 mm)
- WIDTH: 12.5” (318 mm)
- DEPTH: 16.4” (417 mm)
- WEIGHT: 24 lbs (10.9 kg)
- FINISHES: Black Textured Wood Grain Vinyl
