Klipsch R-120SW Active Subwoofer Review

Klipsch R-120SW Active Subwoofer Review

We tested the Klipsch R-120SW active subwoofer a few weeks ago. The testing took place in a renovated family house in Telki, Pest County. One of our company’s repeat customers was keen to know more about the performance of the Klipsch subwoofer freshly purchased for his home cinema, and invited us to his home for testing. The owner,Tamás Szikszai-Horváth, is gradually developing his home cinema system. Corner bass traps, ceiling and wall mounted diffuser and front acoustic panels provided the ideal sound for the room. In order to achieve a real cinematic experience, we have proposed to place acoustic curtains in front of the large window surfaces to further improve acoustics, and create the required darkness for the cinema room with special woven home textiles.

Let’s look at the subwoofer

Klipsch has been manufacturing speakers since 1946, so they are not beginners in this matter. The side of the 120SW speaker box is about half a meter long, and the 30cm wide subwoofer has a brass colour. The MDF speaker housing is covered in black, glossy vinyl, which is scratch-resistant and also keeps fingerprints away, which is a very pleasant surprise, as it makes it even easier to keep the speaker clean. The reinforced box reduces unpleasant resonances almost completely. Rubber feet protect the parquet from scratches. The rigid, lightweight, concave, copper-vaporized membrane (IMG-Injection Molded Graphite) subwoofer is powered by a 400-watt digital amplifier. The LED on the front panel indicates if the subwoofer is on or off.

On the back of the box, there is a very large reflex opening that significantly reduces turbulence and distortions, a frequency control, power and other buttons, as well as a phase changer. The L / R line for stereo amplifiers and the LFE connectors for AV amplifiers are also located on the back, and frequency can also be adjusted. The frequency transmission is 29-120 Hz, the power is 200/400 Watt, the maximum sound pressure is 116 dB. Large black spikes guarantee complete insulation from the floor. The minimalist design is eye-catching and fits easily into virtually any room with any style and furnishings. The speaker weighs 14kg, which may make it feel a little heavy. If we had to score the design, we would clearly give 5 out of 5 points.

The rehearsal

We started testing the subwoofer with classical music. We listened to the song Torreador from Bizet’s Carmen 3/4 act opera. The Klipsch subwoofer performed wonderfully. We could hear full-bodied, powerful and clear bass tones, the wind and other instruments sounded also perfect, witnessed an incredible faithful sound, at the same time a little too controlled, but it didn’t spoil the other frequency ranges. Then we put on some more recent music, and were not disappointed how Dua Lipa’s hit, Pysical, sounded: the bass tones radiated by the subwoofer were penetrating, natural, and no distortions noted at high volumes. Subwoofers usually play a very decisive role in home cinemas performance, therefore, we shall be cautious when choosing one. Following the audio test we screened the movie Aquaman from 2018 starring the matinée idol Jason Momoa. The sounds of Klipsch’s subwoofer gave a perfectly realistic feeling winding us too, the splashing of water sounded as naturalistic as in real life, as if the protagonist had jumped into the water in our immediate vicinity. The soundtracks and sound effects were also absolutely clear and detailed.

While watching the 2018 action movie Tomb Raider, the authentic and truthful sound and the very beautiful and balanced basses made us became active participants of the adventure. The sound of the Half-Blood Prince, a Harry Potter movie from 2009, was coloured and crystal clear with wonderful soundtracks, and the subwoofer did not overwhelm the mid and treble tones.

Advantages and disadvantages

  The Klipsch R-120SW subwoofer has several advantages in its price range:

-clear, distortion-free bass tones

-creates a real cinematic experience

-perfect for listening to music as well

-beautiful workmanship

-scratches and fingerprint resistant

The only drawbacks are the relatively large mass and the fact that sounds below 29 Hz are a little difficult to hear.

Summary

Overall, the Klipsch subwoofer is a very attractive, high-performance, fair accessory for home theatres. Basses are full, realistic and controlled, so they don’t spoil the other frequencies. Absolutely worth the price. If it were to be evaluated, we would give it a score of 4.9 points on a scale of 1-5.

G.H.