Klipsch SW-450

With the temperature dropping I've found myself spending more time in my basement. Half my basement is finished, the other half has my weights and laundry facilities. I have a decent stereo/TV setup with the 61" LCD and "old school" speakers as the Renter calls them (each has two 10" woofers, a 6.5" and a horn, standing four feet tall and weighing 120 lbs each). But when watching sports or movies lately, while extremely loud and crisp, all the sound was coming from in front of me. It wasn't horrible but it was still lacking something. How did I fix it?

First, I got really drunk. One of those 10:00 am deals.

Then I had the Renter take me to Best Buy. It didn't take me long to find what I wanted. When I'm drunk money becomes no object. I was going to get the biggest, baddest subwoofer that they carried. Looking back on the whole experience, thank goodness it only cost me $450.

I found the Klipsch SW-450 which had a 10" woofer with a 450 watt class D amplifier (200 watts RMS). In the wearhouse setting that most Best Buys pose, I couldn't really get a good sense of how it would perform but again, I was on a mission and I was going to get their biggest, baddest model. I also picked up some cheap surround speakers and the necessary cables and wires.

I got it home and hooked it up in minutes with the subwoofer cable sprawled out across the basement floor. Aesthetics really aren't my thing when I first get a new toy. I placed it behind the couch against the wall hoping it would balance out the front speakers a bit. I put one of my favorite movies in and fast forwarded to a good action scene.

Then I crapped myself.

At only a quarter on the volume knob the Klipsch SW-450 rocked my whole basement. I had to turn the volume down in order to balance out the sound front to back. The Renter just sat there and rolled her eyes. "Really?" It might have been a little loud. I got a stiffy. Then I crapped myself again.

My whole purchase at Best Buy totalled just under $650 and they had a holliday special of 0% apr for 18 months. I can handle $36 a month for all the ball smacking bass my new toy puts out. It's really quite amazing. I haven't put the surround speakers up yet but should get to that this weekend since the Packers have a bye week.

But then there's the post-purchase reflection. Was it really worth it? Did I really need it? No and no, but it's still fucking awesome to watch movies and feel the bass from anywhere in the room (or house for that matter). It's a keeper.

But I'm a cheap bastard. Now, knowing that I'm payng $1 a day for the awesome setup, I've been forcing myself to the basement so I get my $1 worth. Every night.

I've been a zombie all week staying up till after midnight watching movies I've seen eight times already. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, they're all a blur in my head as I couldn't differentiate one from the other if my life depended on it. And of course, staying up past midnight means I've been drinking past midnight. I've had some rather rough mornings.

If you're looking for a subwoofer for your home I'd highly recommend the Klipsch SW-450. If you live in an apartment, don't even think about it. If you didn't know your neighbors before you will certainly meet them if you buy one of these. And no, Klipsch has not compensated me one dime for this review.

(Note to Fred Klipsch, CEO of Klipsch: I'd take a 30-pack of Milwaukee's Best if you offered.)