Description
Add robust bass impact to movies and music with the black Klipsch R-12SW 12″ Subwoofer. This front-firing subwoofer features a 12″ copper-spun woofer and delivers up to 400W of power. With a frequency response of 29 – 120 Hz, this model is equipped to handle a wide variety of listening material. Integrated low pass crossover and phase control settings allow you to optimize the sound of the subwoofer in your listening environment. For installation flexibility, LFE and line level inputs are onboard.
From the manufacturer
THAT QUIVER YOU FEEL IS LOVE…AND BASS.
The R-12SW features a 12-inch copper-spun IMG driver that provides a remarkably low-frequency response with minimal cone breakup and distortion.
ALL-DIGITAL AMPLIFIER
The built-in all-digital amplifier delivers ample power with high efficiency and true-to-source accuracy in reproduction. The low pass crossover and phase control allow you to blend the subwoofer’s low-frequency tones with other Klipsch speakers as well as establish the ideal level of bass.
FLEXIBLE PLACEMENT
Thanks to its front-firing driver and all digital amplifier, this high-performance subwoofer can be put anywhere in your room of choice.
GrownazzMan –
It does sound ok. It’s when you are not actively using it the problems start.I want to make it clear that I been wanting a Klipsch sub for a long time. I resisted buying a cheaper lesser brand for months. My expectations were prepared to be disappointed as everything in 2020 has been. And for 1 day I was over the moon happy with this product. It was the very next morning that I could hear a low hum from the sub. At first I thought I forgot to put in Auto power on mode. It was in auto. I moved the switch to On, no change same hum. Off position no hum. So I ordered a major over kill of a RCA cable thinking I may have damaged the old one during the install somehow. I removed the old rca from the sub and the hum stopped. I removed the other end from my receiver thinking it may be loopback ground issue between the 2 devices. I then plugged in the sub side back in. The hum was instant and even louder. From what I am seeing on Klipsch’s forum and many others is the same issue. It’s not a defect it’s working exactly as intended! What the actual F*#@!!!!This sub’s Amp design is garbage.The problem is the subs 2 (3rd is ground) prong power cord which means the Amps power section is using a floating ground. When you connect your RCA cable the sub will make a low 60ish hz Hum. This is even before its even connected to your receiver (so not a loopback ground issue with anything but itself). Took a lot of forum hunting to understand the issue. No magic RCA cable is going to fix this. I have tried several high end cables and they made zero difference. Odds are like me you will not notice right away. As you will be busy making it hum on purpose playing movies and music. It’s later when it should be in sleep mode you will hear the hum. Same cables different amp with 3 prong power cable no hum. If you don’t mind the constant hum the sub will do its job and make loads of bass. Above 80hz the enclosure will resonate a bit, but from a few feet away it’s not that noticeable.
Jack black –
I just don’t know about Klipsch anymoreSorry Klipsch mine was broke out of the box called in to talk to your support all the lines was busy waited about a hour for a phone call back and the guy listen to the high pitch sound it was making trough all my other kilpsch speakers and told me I got one with a bad amp he hinted around like I’m not the first person with this problem and believe this or not when I took it back to the UPS store for the return the girl at the counter said this was the second one of these that came in this week I don’t no if I want to chance getting another I love Klipsch but I went to Best buy and was looking at the Klipsch subs and the guy told me they have been getting them back also with bad amps
Phil R. –
House Shaking BassThis thing is awesome. I made a big mistake when I traded away my old Boston Acoustics XB6 subwoofer a few years ago. I purchased an Onkyo 7.1 speaker set and was using just the sub that came with it… it did okay, but bottomed out very easily. I finally decided it needed to be replaced, so I went with this Klipsch based on reviews I read here. It arrived well within the stated delivery window, and was up and running in less than 5 minutes. Let me tell you, this thing goes loud and deep. It shakes the walls! You know that scene in Game of Thrones where they blow up all of the ships? I thought it was going to wake the neighborhood! There’s virtually no break-in period. It sounded great from the first minute. It’s aesthetically pleasing, too. The veneer almost looks like black brushed aluminum, and the golden cone is nice to look at. And the cost is less than my old Boston that I had missed so much. Worth the buy! Go for it!Update 9/24/16: Well, after three months of normal use, the driver developed a rattle. It sounded like wires slapping the inside of the box,so I took the driver out, taped down any loose wires I saw, and plugged it back in. Still rattled. It was the driver itself. It still put out plenty of bass, but that rattle was annoying. I contacted the seller, and they basically said, sorry. Can’t help. Window is closed. Contact the manufacturer. I asked if they were an authorized Klipsch dealer (because Klipsch’s website says they only warranty items bought from authorized dealers) and got no answer. So I contacted Klipsch. They said nope, we won’t honor the warranty because Bubba Goo Goods is not an authorized Klipsch dealer, and we can’t vouch for them or their equipment. But, they did sell me a replacement woofer for $84. Three business days later, it arrived and I installed it. Rattle is fixed. Just wanted people to be warned. Amazon pricing is great, and we take advantage of the deals, but buyer beware. Amazon can be like the TJ Maxx of the internet. The prices are lower for a reason.Update 5/2/18: The replacement driver I purchased directly from Klipsch is still going strong. I haven’t had another issue with the sub or any of its components since the rattle incident. I am still very pleased with this sub.
Dan –
Simply Amazing!I’m not just an audiophile, I record and produce music as well. I have a fairly well-equipped home studio, which includes a professional reference-level monitor system, with a very high quality (and high price-point) sub. I never thought I would hear a consumer-level sub for a home stereo system that sounds as good as my studio-grade sub. But, I was wrong. This Klipsch 12 inch sub is very impressive. Great tone, and captures not just the sound, but the feel of the lowest lows in your music and movies. Several previous reviews describe this sub as musical. I would agree, but it goes farther than that. It’s hard to find a sub that produces both a “tight” bass sound, while also being “smooth.” My prior home stereo sub produced a “tight” bass sound but was harsh a times and because of the smaller speaker size, would occasionally sound distorted when trying to produce the very low frequencies at nominal volume. No distortion with this sub. If you are wondering whether a 12 inch woofer it too big, it’s not. The size of the speaker helps it to easily reproduce very low frequencies without distortion, and without having to crank the volume to get the effect you want.
Pseudonym –
Alles richtig gemacht !!!…Weil der Packetmann Schweißperlen auf der Stirn hatte….(ist doch recht groß das Ding, sammt Karton 😂), das Frauchen die Hände übern Kopf zusammenschlägt und die Augen verdreht, und der Untermieter (zum Glück die eigene Mutti) beim probehören auf einmal in der Tür steht und mir gefühlte fünf Minuten lang nen Vogel zeigt…🤷♂️, das ich mit fug und recht behaupten kann….Ja…. Alles richtig gemacht.Das Teil ist der Hammer. Verarbeitung, Preis und der abrundtiefe Bass.Und natürlich der super schnelle Versand.
Kevin Schmitz –
8,3 auf der Richterskalajunge junge was soll ich sagen…. die Erdbebenmaschine ist jetzt seit einer Woche in Betrieb und ich bin mehr als zufrieden. Hatte vorher das Teufel Concept C aber das ist eine ganz andere Liga hier. Ich muss nur noch eine Lösung für die vibrierenden Türklinken finden. Mein Wohnzimmer misst ca. 20qm – wie es bei größeren Räumen aussieht kann ich nicht beurteilen, habe den Subwoofer aber auch gerade mal 1/3 aufgedreht.
Hector Lavoe –
Für mich hats klanglich nicht gepasstSubwoofer zu bewerten ist immer sehr schwierig. Persönlicher Geschmack, Raumsituation, Raummoden, vorhandene Lautsprecher, …. Klanglich fand ich den Canton AS 85.3 SC jedoch besser – meine subjektive Meinung. Ich denke, das der Subwoofer grundsätzlich gut ist – für mich hats klanglich jedoch nicht gepasst.
Sam –
perfectI live on the fourth floor of my university accommodation. You can feel the main door shake all the way on the first floor. The only downside to this product is that I keep getting emailed noise complaints… whoops.
Laurence R. Hunt –
A stunning bargain – don’t miss the chance!This is not Klipsch’s newest 12″ sub. It was first listed in 2014. It has been replaced by the Klipsch R120 SW 12″ 400W Powered Subwoofer (July 15 2018 — I also have one of these in my living room system), but it sells at twice the current listed price for the R12SW. If you can get this at half the price of the newer model, as I did, it is the buy of the year in subwoofers! I had planned to buy the older 10″ model, but for $100 more, the 12″ is a steal. I now have two of these at home (one upstairs and one in the basement), and for my needs in those sound systems, it totally outperforms. For anyone who is alert to Klipsch quality, this is almost a “have to buy” item. 5 stars.