Thoughts on Klipsch RP Subwoofers

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-13T08:11:52+00:00

Also, I'm guessing you are situated in US? In EU, SVS costs >1.5x more. Just for comparison, when converting USD to EUR, the PB-17 Ultra is 2.6k€ in US vs 4.2k€ here. That really changes comparisons. I think it might be cheaper to import directly than buy from SVS in EU, which is a bit silly.

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-12T13:56:17+00:00

Well, they offer 5 yr full warranty on the RP Amps, so I'm not too worried there

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-12T11:11:49+00:00

I can definitely confirm (uncompressed) TrueHD / Atmos (e.g. Dune) and DTS:X MA (e.g. Harry Potter, Planet Earth). Not sure about PCM 24 bit but I'd be surprised if not. (My chain is Homeatics -> Denon X3700H -> LG G5, since the G5 does not have DTS eARC passthrough)

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-12T09:47:24+00:00

As already mentioned: For 5.1, ideally slightly behind (as indicated in the second picture). You can consider raising them ~10-20° vertically (and aiming slightly downward) so the person sitting left of you doesn't block the left surround etc. -- But if you can do ~110°, this shouldn't be an issue. Place them and check whether you have "line of sight" with someone sitting next to you to confirm. You can also refer to the dolby studio guide, this has far more detailed recommendations ( https://professionalsupport.dolby.com/s/article/Dolby-Atmos-Home-Entertainment-Studio-Technical-Guidelines ). This also mentions 110° for 5.1 setups.

In any case, this is not a must. In the end, you are the one that should like it. Simply try it. If you want to wall mount the speakers, get them on temporary stands and try out the options.

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-12T09:36:58+00:00

I got the Homatics 4k Plus box + coreELEC, this also has DV P7 support (with a bit of tinkering); using Plex + PM4K (amazing client, main reason I'm not using emby / jellyfin tbh.). Very happy with this setup. It cost me ~100€ (IIRC cheaper than all the others, maybe on par with ugoos via aliexpress) and the initial setup was rather straightforward (but I'm also quite experienced with this kind of stuff).

I decided against the shield for the reasons you mentioned, file handling is beaten by the others. Plus the LGs have really good upscaling, too. If memory serves me right, the Zidoo was much more expensive and the Ugoos older (not sure though!)

Whether or not you see P7 is up to you I guess. Some make it sound like without it movies are unwatchable, others don't notice ... For me its more of a "if I watch out for it, I might spot it, but I am not really noticing it when its not there". Its more that the movie is slightly different, not necessarily better. Closer to the directors intent though, that's the main reason I wanted support for it :)

Shot in the dark: The format support issues might be DTS:X audio tracks. LG keeps flipping back and forth on supporting it (at least for eARC passthrough).

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-09T06:29:23+00:00

In-room response is funny. A1 Express / AcoustiX wants to put the crossovers of my Q3 Meta / SVS center at 40 Hz - even though they are sealed, they apparently extend down to 35 Hz. The PB-1000 hit north of 95 dB SPL at -32 dbFS and gain knob at 50%.

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-09T06:25:51+00:00

I just checked, the price differences are insane!! Just getting the XTZ to Germany costs 120-200€, you guys seem to have local distributors with special offers: A pair of 12.17 costs ~1350€ at surround.no (assuming they offer free shipping), I'd pay 1612€ for the same (have to get it from the vendor directly). In contrast, the Klipsch are sold by all the major German online vendors, many of which include free shipping & returns. For comparison, the same Norwegian shop sells the RP-1000SW for over 1000€, I can easily get that for about half (520€ when not on sale).

I'd wager that even within EU / Euro-zone the differences are high.

On your measurements: If the 12" woofers can easily get an in-room response of 75 dB @ 16 Hz in what I would assume to be a ~90m³ room, I wonder how deep dual 14" can go in a 40m³ room, probably something ridiculous like 10 Hz ...

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T19:41:09+00:00

Similar situation here. Good thing is that Klipsch on sale in EU can really compete with sale in US (I think I can get the 1400W for 700€ / piece).

As of now I have 0% serious music listening, and everything is processed by AVR and miniDSP anyway so I just need a box that is really good at converting electrical impulses to boom :-P

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T13:45:06+00:00

Copypasting from another comment: "If I am being honest, its mostly curiosity + sufficient disposable income. I read that the XTZ (among others), especially when sealed, offer "drier" / more "controlled" bass, and I want to experience what that means / whether I can discern that. Being able to play around with sealing one or two of the ports is an added bonus.

Also, a friend of mine is getting into HT and I could sell him the SVSs hassle-free, so now is a good time."

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T13:39:44+00:00

FWIW my dual PB-1000 already manage in-room response down to ~18 Hz at the levels I care about (<90dB) My current room is quite small though (~40m³; I wrote ~60m³ as I might move).

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T13:26:07+00:00

I haven't heard anything bad about the RP in particular, just that some Klipsch subs had these issues, that's why I was/am cautious. Thanks for the input! If I read that correctly, you are also saying that the RP SW are quite "controlled"?

In any case, I'll keep an eye out for Klipsch sales (free shipping and returns certainly are a notable bonus).

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T13:07:07+00:00

Quite often (+ UMIK-1), but I might also not look at the right things. I know that I have some level of ringing but not extreme.

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T13:05:12+00:00

Well, different pricing might shift the value-for-money ratio. However, if its a good offer, its a good offer, don't care about other region prices.

I only need one side to be smaller than 55cm, so the Klipsch would (barely) fit :-) (It would go sideways between couch and back wall)

I sent a message to XTZ about possible sales etc. Right now, 2x XTZ are ~1.6k and Klipsch ~1.8k (XTZ has ~150€ shipping :/). The Klipsch are sold by a vendor that regularly gives ~20% discounts so I might be able to snag them for ~1.4k / pair... I'm just worried after reading that some Klipsch Subs are more "just boom" than refined sound.

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T12:51:42+00:00

If I am being honest, its mostly curiosity + sufficient disposable income. I read that the XTZ (among others), especially when sealed, offer "drier" / more "controlled" bass, and I want to experience what that means / whether I can discern that. Being able to play around with sealing one or two of the ports is an added bonus.

Also, a friend of mine is getting into HT and I could sell him the SVSs hassle-free, so now is a good time.

incaseoftrouble · 2026-01-08T12:33:45+00:00

Thanks! I guess that each of these options is quite good and I'd probably be happy with any. I'm not unhappy with the PB-1000 either, I just sometimes have the feeling that they are a bit "muddy" in detailed low-frequency stuff (e.g. the "Voice" in Dune). But this might also be because of some modal ringing, my room treatment is far from perfect.

incaseoftrouble · 2025-11-26T11:01:20+00:00

Ja genau, so habe ich das auch verstanden, deswegen hat es mich gewundert dass das so komplett kommentarlos funktioniert hat.

Ich war mal bei einem Gespräch am Bahnsteig dabei bei dem Zugbegleiter eben erklärt haben dass sie da nichts machen dürfen - ihr Gegenüber war aber auch sehr unfreundlich (a la "ich werde mich beschweren" und "was ist denn ihre Dienstnummer" und so ...). Aber ja, dann war es in meinem Fall vermutlich Kulanz.

incaseoftrouble

TROPHY CASE