Klipsch The Sixes has that vintage vibe and will look great as a pair of powered speakers for your desktop stereo system. They also come with a plethora of features and provide plenty of value to their users. The Sixes has its own built-in power amplifier which makes it ideal for listeners who have limited space and budget since you don’t need to buy an additional amp to drive these loudspeakers.
Bookshelf speakers such as Klipsch The Sixes usually have limited bass performances, meaning they are unable to deliver very deep low frequencies. Even if you are mainly using The Sixes for music playbacks, you might miss out on some deep bass details from time to time and this is why adding an active subwoofer would be a good idea. The question now is which subwoofer to go for?
Table of Contents
Sound Characteristics of Klipsch The Sixes
As mentioned earlier, Klipsch The Sixes comes with many features, and fortunately one of them will be a subwoofer output. This allows us to connect an active subwoofer directly to the Klipsch powered speakers. Other notable features will be the built-in phono preamp which is great for turntable users. The speakers’ Bluetooth connection will be useful for listeners who prefer wireless music streaming. Klipsch The Sixes even comes with an in-built D/A converter and it supports up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution, the digital connections will come in handy as well.
It has a 6.5″ long-throw woofer with a rear-firing bass port and above the woofer, will be the 1″ titanium tweeter matched with the iconic Tractrix horn. The frequency response is 40Hz to 20kHz (-3dB) and this shows the Klipsch The Sixes can reach quite deep into the bass extension which is impressive for a speaker of its size. When been played, these bookshelf speakers are able to produce bass with sufficient weight and the delivery is agile as well. It doesn’t sound bloated or boomy, the bass performance of Klipsch The Sixes is simply clean.
More Details on Klipsch The Sixes at Amazon
The low ends are detailed and well-textured too, but the subsonic bass performances are not authoritative and prominent enough though. We do suggest integrating a sealed cabinet subwoofer as it will suit Klipsch The Sixes’ articulate bass delivery and is more ideal for music playbacks. The ported subwoofer would be more suitable for a stereo sound system being used for music, movie, and gaming. Ported subs are capable of producing a higher amount of bass than a sealed sub of the same caliber but slightly lack behind when it comes to bass accuracy, articulation, and agility. Another reason to get a sealed subwoofer is due to how seamless the Klipsch The Sixes tweeter and woofer work together. The speed of a high-quality sealed sub will keep pace with the speakers and provide full-range sound reproductions seamlessly.
How deep you need a subwoofer to reach will be worthy of your consideration. Typically, an action movie can go down to 20Hz or more, and you will need a powerful sub to produce this level of subterranean bass frequencies. The more powerful the subwoofer is, the higher it will cost and you should set a budget that you are comfortable with. You will also need floor space for the new sub and might want to find out how much available space you have currently. This will determine how big of a subwoofer you can accommodate. The larger the listening room, the bigger of a subwoofer you may need.
Klipsch The Sixes have a neutral sonic character with a touch of warmth and sound smoother than expected. There is no point in time where we find The Sixes sounded cringe. Their level of clarity is impressive as well and doesn’t sound unnatural. It is definitely worth it to partner Klipsch The Sixes to a high-performance subwoofer. You should take a look at the list of the best subwoofers to partner up with Klipsch The Sixes which we have prepared for you below.
Klipsch The Sixes Specifications
- RMS Power Output: 100 Watts
- Drivers: 1″ (25mm) Titanium Tweeter with Tractrix horn, 6.5″ Long-Throw Woofer
- Frequency Response: 40Hz-20kHz (-3dB)
- Wireless: Bluetooth
- Audio Inputs: RCA, Optical, USB. Stereo minijack
- Audio Outputs: Subwoofer Out
Best Active Subwoofers for Klipsch The Sixes
The Klipsch SPL-100 is a solid performer with up to 450 Watts of peak power. This is a 10″ subwoofer with an exclusive port technology that reduces port noises and enables the SPL-100 to deliver clean subsonic low ends. The sound signatures of the Klipsch SPL-100 will allow the sub to match seamlessly with the Klipsch The Sixes. This may be a 10″ ported subwoofer but it could go loud when it needs to. You can go wireless by using the Klipsch WA-2 accessory which is optional and there is a cost to it.
More Details on Klipsch SPL-100 at Amazon
If you are looking for a powerful sealed subwoofer with up to 820+ Watts of peak power then check out the high-performance entry-level SVS SB-1000 Pro. It has a 12″ bass driver and is capable of delivering low frequencies down to 20Hz. The bass delivery of the SB-1000 Pro is agile and articulate, making it a suitable match with your Klipsch The Sixes. The SVS SB-1000 Pro is sanely priced and it is worth every single penny invested.
More Info about SVS SB-1000 Pro at Amazon
Rythmik Audio L12 is another incredible entry-level sealed subwoofer to go for and its amazing bass performance will be a great match with your Klipsch The Sixes especially when it comes to music playbacks. The Rythmik Audio L12 is one of the fastest entry-level subwoofers in its price range, all thanks to the Direct Servo technology the sub is using. The speed of the L12 sealed subwoofer allows it to keep pace with The Sixes powered speakers every step of the way, without ever sounding bloated or loose.
The SVS PB-1000 Pro is an exceptional entry-level ported subwoofer and is certainly one of the best subs to go for at this price range. It has high bass outputs and could produce below 20Hz subterranean bass frequencies. This makes it ideal for watching action flicks or movies with very deep low frequencies such as the Batman trilogy. The powerful subsonic bass performances of the PB-1000 Pro will be a worthy match to your Klipsch The Sixes. It also has a notable feature where you can switch the SVS PB-1000 Pro to “Sealed” mode which will provide slightly tighter low-end delivery.
More Info about the SVS PB-1000 Pro at Amazon
For listeners who prefer a 12″ subwoofer made by Klipsch Audio Technologies then you might want to take a look at Klipsch R-120SW. Since the 12″ ported sub is made by the same company as your Klipsch The Sixes powered speakers, they should work together seamlessly, delivering powerful and clean full-range sound reproduction. The frequency response is 29Hz-120Hz (+/-3dB) and uses an amplifier capable of providing up to 400W of peak power. If you need a sub that can dig deeper into the bass extension, please check out the above-mentioned subwoofers.
More Information on Klipsch R-120SW at Amazon
This subwoofer is for listeners who have a tight budget or are just not willing to spend too much on an active sub. The Polk Audio PSW10 is a very highly rated budget subwoofer and received tons of positive reviews. This is a ported sub with a 10″ Dynamic Balance woofer and has up to 100 Watts of peak power. The PSW10 has a surprisingly clean and tight bass performance which matches well with the Klipsch The Sixes. The taut bass delivery of the Polk Audio sub can be punchy at times but we don’t recommend pushing it too much.
More Info on Polk Audio PSW10 at Amazon
To Sum It Up
There’s no need to audition all the listed subwoofers, you can shortlist a few of them based on your budget or other requirements. If budget is not an issue, you might want to explore more subwoofer models from these 2 companies, SVS and Rythmik Audio. They specialize in making high-performance active subwoofers and are worth your time to have a further look.
