Kali Audio Subwoofer the WS-12 – Punching a 10 on the Richter Scale!

Im not kidding with this title, the Kali Audio WS-12 is not for the faint of heart. Batten down the hatches and crawl under the nearest table for this seismic, chest pumping, take your breath away subwoofer!

This Kali Audio Subwoofer is a bit of a chameleon. Those crazy R&D engineers at Kali have designed this to be a dual pourpose tool for both studio and live aplications. The WS-12 is a 1000W powered subwoofer for the studio and the stage. With frequency extension down to 23 Hz and 123 dB max SPL, it provides authoritative low end in any setting. It is made to be used with any near- or mid-field studio monitors, as well as with small portable PA systems in a live setting. I have only had the ability to provide a review for studio application. I purchased this Kali Audio Subwoofer to pair with my Kali Audio IN-8 V2 studio monitors that I reviewed in an earlier post (click for link to review).

Power Packed Performance.

The 12 in WS-12 stands for a 12″ woofer that eats 1000 watts peak power and 500 watts continuous, driven by a class D amplifier. With a frequency response of 23Hz – 160 Hz, this box can provide some serious depth to your music or multi-channel surround mix. I imagine it can hold its own in a small venue live application as well. The front is a nice simplistic metal grate for strong protection of the woofer. Travel ready.

One blue LED bulb will glow throughout your dark studio to let you know it’s there ready for action. It turns red when in standby mode. When the WS-12 does not have input signal for 20 minutes the sub goes into standby. After about 10 seconds of input signal, the WS-12 “Wakes up”.Kali Audio has packed the back panel of this sub with connection points for XLR L/R in and XLR L/R out, RCA L/R, and a footswitch jack to enter the subwoofer into standby mode. There is a volume knob and Kali’s ever cool frequency “dipswitch” panel that allows you to custom tailor the WS-12 to you unique room/speaker setup. Even though I purchased this to work with my Kali IN-8 V2’s, I opted to use the 80Hz crossover instead of the recommended setting for the IN-8 V2’s. Take the time to listen to your room.

I’ll say I probably did not have to have a subwoofer for my small room, much less this behemoth of a speaker. But WTF. I love deep bass. Especially what today’s producers are doing with new music. Sometimes it’s just a presence, other times a mule kick to the chest. I am sure this sub would be a great compliment to any set of studio monitors, with the right crossover settings. But paired with the Kali Audio IN-8 V2’s super wide stereo imaging, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

I should admit that I am using Sonarworks SoundID Reference speaker calibration software. It really turns the whole system into something heavenly. As I mentioned above, the Kali Audio subwoofer WS-12 holds its own with or without any of the aforementioned. I feel you should be adding a subwoofer to your system to compliment the sound stage. The whole picture. It is a tool. And like any tool, if you know how to use it you will get the most out of it.

Can you hear that BASS?

Funny enough, the first track I pulled up is not something that would normally come to mind when thinking subwoofer. Peter Gabriels track “Sledgehammer”. Tony Levin’s bass track moves so well around that song. And his use of an octave pedal on a fretless bass brings in that sub low end. Olivia Rodrigo’s “jealousy, jealousy” was next. The Fender P-Bass that opens the song just rocks. The WS-12 has no problem reproducing warm low end. And backed by all that power, you find you have to make sure it’s not overwhelming by being placed in a corner or an untreated room.

Imagine Dragons, Billie Eilish, Keith Urban, Korn, Jelly Roll, Depeche Mode, STP, Halsey, NIN. Pop/Rap/Rock/Country/Folk/Electronic. No problem. It really brings a “complete” feel to everything you play through it.

Kali Audio Subwoofer enjoyment level – 5 stars

I am very happy with the Kali Audio subwoofer WS-12. It was a luxury purchase for me, and works great with Kali’s speakers. It appears to be a popular solution in surround setups, and maybe small live venues. If you have the opportunity to check it out, I would suggest doing so if you are in the market for a strong full featured subwoofer.
I picked mine up at Zzounds and payed for it in 6 installments of $133 with no credit check! The above link is an affiliate link, and I must disclose that if you click on it and make a purchase I could become rich beyond my wildest dreams! But seriously, if you purchase through the affiliate link I could receive a commission on any product’s purchased. So thank you!