Question Klipsch SPL-150/Monolith Plus/XTZ 12.17 Edge - Which to buy?

Parawind

Standard Member
Joined
May 3, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
10
Points
3
Age
36
Location
Ireland
Hi everyone,

Background:
Long term lurker here in need of some advice/suggestions. So I finally decided to upgrade my existing 5.1 setup after 10 years. Current setup is Monitor Audio Vectors with a tiny VW8 sub. Its been a great system which was perfect while I was renting but now that I have a larger living room in my new home its time to build a proper system.

Usage:
I split pretty evenly between Music(Fast pace EDM and Heavy Metal with a lot of Double Bass) /Gaming (modern & retro)/Movies and while I have done plenty of research the one thing that i can't decide on is the Sub. I am planning to go dual sub but I'll be getting one sub to start.

Room Size: 8ft (H) x 18ft (W) x 13ft (L)

Planned Speakers:
Centre: Klipsch RP-600C
Left/Right: Klipsch RP-8000F
Surrounds & Rears: Klipsch RP-500M

Current Options:
Klipsch SPL-150 - €700
BK Electronics Monolith Plus - €800
XTZ 12.17 Edge - €630
SVS SB2000 Pro - €1200

These prices might look strange but what complicates things is that i am based in Ireland which means I have pretty limited options available to begin with and this isn't helped by a terrible sterling exchange rate and high shipping costs (assuming they will even ship, most places won't)

Ruled out
XXLS400 - seemed like it might be the way to go but I see BK have supply chain issues for this at the moment.


The Details/Questions?

Any of these will be a huge upgrade on what I currently have but I am struggling with the seemingly age old problem of wanting tight base response for music and good low bass LFE extension for movies.

Given the 8000f floor standers will already be able to deliver good bass down to 32hz for music would pairing it with the Monolith plus for the better low bass extension be the right choice (depending on crossover) or would it potentially cause me issues with music in the 20hz-32hz range?

The Klipsch seems like the best option as it seems to be well regarded for its price point, fixes the problems with r-115sw, gives me enough low base extension and seems to be musically responsive for a ported sub and given its also the cheapest of the options it makes economical sense.

The Monolith Plus seems to be the best for movies, but everything i read in terms of music just says get the xxls400 without much detail. Is the music performance something that I would even notice with this sub? (I am by no means an audiophile)

The XTZ 12.17 Edge is a curious one, the price point is great but how does it compare with the regular XTZ 12.17? I can't find many review of the Edge version and I also have seen reports of issues with this particular sub. I am also slight suspicious of the discounted price. Does it compare with the Monolith?

I know the SVS are really well regarded but in Europe their price point seems to put them out of consideration, where i could have Dual of the other 3 subs for a similar price. Are they really that much better?

So you can see why i am driving myself mad.
 
The Edge version is supposed to be better but you would need someone who has had both to comment. I think it improved some bits mentioned in the review of the previous version
 
I have done a lot more research now, from what i have seen the Edge seems to be really good value and a good all rounder. But he Klipsch SPL-150 having the larger driver seems to allow it to out match the Edge in terms of depth while also providing a good punch for music.

I have also discovered the very tempting Arendal 1961 1v which looks like it has the potential to be a bit of a gamechanger. It can got for €999, with a 5 Year warranty (woofer & amp), according to some of the reviews can go to 15hz without distortion and allows for 3 stored eq profiles so can easily switch for music playback.

The only problem is that there seems to be very few owners or impressions online of the sub bar a handful of reviews to really tell if it would be worth the 300 euro price difference.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom