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I'm a mobile Dj and I was looking for a sub to make my Mackie Thumps sound better. I didn't want an okay sub though. I wanted a great sound quality as well. Then I heard the QSC KW181. OMG! This thing sounds like the Bugatti of subs!!! PLUS, it has wheels attached for extra ease with transport. Even though this sub can easily fill a room 3000 square feet, I'm waiting to buy another. Hands down best purchase this year.

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As an owner of a high end mobile DJ service for several decades, I've been through may speakers systems over the years. These are the absolute best 18" powered subwoofers that money can buy. I pair them with either the QSC K12's or QSC KW152's. These Subs make for a killer mobile DJ sound system that is unsurpassed. Buy with confidence, QSC is the best of 2015.

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I recently purchased a QSC KW181 after using a K-Sub for the bottom end of my 7 pc dance/wedding band and DJ PA rig (including 4 K10s) for 2 years. We used a K-Sub, which is plenty punchy and super portable, but the KW181 makes a world of difference, especially for DJ gigs. It adds that punch on the bottom end for today's popular dance music, and makes a live band's bass drum sound like a cannon! I use one Sub and 2 tops for most wedding gigs, smaller venues, and both subs and 4 tops for larger gigs, and this little PA simply blows people away with the clarity and quality of sound that it delivers! Plus, it, along with the rest of all my gear will fit in the back a Dodge Grand Caravan! Yeah!! No more trailer and a gas guzzling suburban to tow it all around! I highly recommend buying the cases too, as all my QSC gear looks brand new after 2 yrs of rolling in and out of many gigs in the cases. Do yourself a favor and get one...or two..you won't regret it!

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This is a great powered sub. I bought this unit a few weeks ago and used it at two DJ events. I paired them with the K12's and they sound GREAT together. It brings a loud, clean, clear sound. I love it. I mix Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul, Disco, and Reggae genres.

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great product, I would buy another, and I already have. I am excited to hear the two subs together. I used to use a B-52 ACT18 powered sub 1200 watt, and this 1000 watt is 30 pounds lighter as well as louder.

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I am the sound engineer for two local bands. We played at Raley Field in Sacramento and the two KW181's and two KW153's filled up the entire outfield from the stage set up at second base. Many people came up to me and complemented the quality of the sound from so far away. My other band, a Pink Floyd tribute band played at the new outdoor amphitheater in Folsom, CA. The KW181's set off car alarms in a parking lot about 100 feet away and 90 degrees from the stage. I am running the speakers through a DBX DriveRack PX on custom setting because the KW series is no on DBX's preset list. I am constantly complemented on the quality of the sound from these speakers. The covers are a little pricey but are high quality and well worth the price. I have had no warranty issues after 9 months of use. The wheels on the base units are great!

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these lil 80+ pound beasts should not be putting out the deep bass and SPL that they do for their size and both of them on a single Furman power strip..They replaced my much larger jbl 718xlf...they are much louder,more sensitive to your input and more portable (they fit under a table). Amazing power compression,maintained a hefty 132db for 6 hours straight and hit the 135db mark at limit at 50hz...except when used outdoors where they sunshine played a roll and they maintained 130db and peaked at 133db at 50hz after 4 hours! The built in casters have been a godsend (no more rock n roller cart for me). They have yet to rattle even when playing hard hitting reggae riddims.Get the QSC cases as they even cover the amplifier when being transported so if you're rolling over a wet surface the casters don't spray liquid on the amp unit. My entire DJ Crew has these as their subs and work an average 5 days a week each and no problems ever on any of them..The have a habit of singing La Roux when you're rolling into your gig though.. "I'll beeee Bulllleeet Proof!" and they so are..

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I've used them all, I previously had a JBL PRX728s double 18". The JBL is untouchable, but was way too big for the average gig. I bought the Yamaha DXS15 as a downsize but I was not impressed with it after a year. It was good for weddings, but just not loud enough for club use. So I bought the QSC, which weighs a similar amount as the Yamaha, but is WAY louder. QSC KW181 is the king of portable subwoofers.

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I bought this pa for our band. We chose the kw153 for tops because of the wider frequency range which can be very important in live sound. Originally I tried getting by with just one sub and it did an ok job, but nothing to write home about, just not quite enough umph. So I bought another one to go with it and WOW. I have been playing in bands since 1979 and have had many pa systems and done many gigs. The use of this system generates praises from the listeners out in the audience which is not something I am used to. Most people have no idea about sound or sound quality, What is impressive about the system is that you can feel the base. I have heard from several listeners at our gigs that they think it's cool that they can feel the bass. This system moves some air and that is what I wanted. It does not have to be loud to feel it. It is 1000 watts rms not peak, it is 2000 watts peak and that is some serious beef. In our market with a pair of kw181 with a pair of kw153's we have the best pa going. We actually have other bands wanting to rent the system from us for their gigs. The sound of the bass is tight focused and very punchy. It's not mushy and boingy like so many subs out there. Connectivity is more than we need and the built in wheels are a definite must. It's a small package with a big bang. It's expensive yes but in my experience you get what you pay for and in pro audio it does not pay to go cheap if you care about good sound. QSC has not made any compromises in this sub. It is worth every penny. I have owned lots of subs and none of them come close to this. Don't take my word for it, go listen to one of these and you will know right away how different they are. They really stand out from the rest. in this price range.

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Bought 2 of these bad boys for a bar/club that I dj in every week and they sound AMAZING , they do not clip or distort at all!!! I believe they sound better than the EV ekx series after hearing the EV ekx series every week (another dj has them)

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I now have a pair of these kw181 subs, The sound is incredible they are the truth. They are monsters The bass deep and very hard.I shake every building I enter.

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buy the matching kw181 and k12s and your set. best investment i've ever made.Thank You zzounds for making this an easy purchase!!

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Unit arrived just 3 hours before show time on 2/1/2016. After unpacking the unit I was a bit worried, How can this little light weight box out perform my Behringer Eurolive B1800HP that I literally ABUSE 5 nights a week to the point where it gets warm in the back and at times you can smell a hint of burning plastic (in the Behringer unit). I pull the Unit out take a good look at it and then put it in the QSC cover that I also purchased and began to pack the car for my show... I was very nervous due to the fact that I never take untested gear to a show ever but we had enough of lugging the 120lb behringer around and decided we needed a break. I get to my show set everything up and begin to play music and couldn't believe the smoothness and over all quality of bass provided by this unit. very tight and punchy as well as accurate and fast response. I do wish i had better control of the cut off frequencies but the unit does a fine job on it's own. I've only used it twice so far and my second time was the true test due to the fact the walls are very thin at this place and there are very bad standing waves there so this room was for sure the determining factor of my review. I did have to adust the low freq. levels on my mixer a little more and i did manage to get the unit to clip a little but that was from gaining the bass on my EQ and the KW181 handled it like it was no problem and never tripped out, in fact if the sub wasn't next to my DJ booth the whole night I don't believe I would've noticed anything. This is a great Sub and works well for the size and weight. I't is incredibly expensive but worth every penny. A replacement for the brand new Cerwin Vega P1800SX I purchased before this one and the Cerwin didn't last an hour in the second room I mentioned without constantly clipping and then literally burning the amp out. this thing takes the same beating that my 40 lb heavier 2300 watt unit does every night and it never even warmed up!!! Love it. Hope this review helps you guys and thanks Zzounds!!!

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This sub is more then amazing. I have to of them and can do a small room of 50 people with one to a large room of 400 with both. the quality and durability is outstanding. It can be used as a stand alone sub or you can add a powered sub optimizer to get maximum performance from this unit. I totally recommend this and I have no draw backs or complaints I can think of at this time. A must buy item!!!

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As a mobile DJ these subs are the best investment. Other subs which perform similarly cost 2-3 times as much and are far heavier. The lightweight aspect will impress you as much as the heart throbbing bass. The quality of the sound is impressive. 2 of these subs will more than satisfy most large venues. Pair these up with the KW152 and you WILL sound the way you envisioned when you set out in this industry. This review is strictly for mobile DJ's with a focus on nightclubs, larger venue bars, weddings receptions, and parties. Do yourself a favor, make the investment, and you'll soon be known as the guy to go to when people plan to party.

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I have got four of these paired with a set of K12 and we have never had a show that we were not complemented on the overall sound of our rig, plenty of bottom end and punch right where you need it, Highly recommended !!!

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This sub has the everything you ask for.... Power, size, weight, casters, kick and super low response. Got one and thanks to zzounds play as you pay, had to get another! Had the JBL's first, constant fan running was annoying. These QSC's have no fan running unless you really push them hard, then it engages the super quiet fan. Thanks QSC!

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I'll be satified for a long time, and I replace it with the same before anything. I wass looking at the ksub but I'm glad I went this route I like the wheels and the weight the most, and of course the sound.

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I am a sound engineer and tech. at a casino in Vegas, but a hardcore musician at heart. I made the decision on the QSC Active 18's because of product and price.. The main reason why I chose QSC, is I have torn down the K12's for maintenance, and like the way the product is put together, the abuse dj's have done to these things in 108 to 110 degree temperatures, inside another enclosure throughout the whole summer months is jaw dropping. Seemingly the toyota corolla of small pa speakers... Of COURSE sound! LOL The clarity of the amp and speaker combo is amazing for what they are priced at and again the abuse they take. So I figured what the heck, I need subs that can push air. When I unboxed the units, I was happy to see a tight box with a rhino lined protective coating, real casters that roll on carpet, and concrete, light enough to be able to handle by myself, yet heavy enough they punch, and stay quiet! Now for ZZounds... I was shocked zzounds approved my order, I have rough (real) rough credit, and zzounds took a chance on me, and once they approved my order, BAM! these things were at my house two days later, unbelievable... So I am happy all the way around, they function like a company should, I am a happy musician, and I am happy with the product as an end user... so cool... ( yes, after re-reading my review, it does look fake, or that I am an outside sales guy, but I'm not, just a fairly normal HAPPY customer!!!)

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I bought one of these for our band to go with a pair of KW 153's. I thought one would do but no. I had to buy another one. Now this PA is moving some air. It's small, and it has a huge sound. It's plenty loud for small to medium venues, anything larger and we hire the job out. The real high light of this PA is the sound quality. We play in the Bellingham WA area and I am convinced we have the best sounding PA going right now. We have other bands wanting to rent it from us for their gigs. It's a killer PA

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The best powered subwoofer on the market…especially paired with the KW152s…I did a gig with 500 ppl in attendance…I added 2 K10s to the setup and you would have thought there were 12 speakers….the sound was fantastic. I have been a EV fan for more than 17 years….nobody could have convinced me there was anything better. This was a great investment….EVERYTHING fits into my expedition with room to spare…before these speakers I was setting up passive 2 EVs T252s and 2 EV MTL-1s…had to rent a trailer…spend more for quality and sound you can't go wrong.

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I have used this sub for 2 gigs so far and was shocked on ow much better my setup sounds with this sub. I am currently running K10 tops with this sub and the K10's are holding up very well with this sub. I got some really good compliments on how well my setup sounded. I would definitely recommend this sub to anyone that is thinking about it. You will be very impressed with how this sub sounds!

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I DJ at a restaurant that hires for Reverse Happy Hours and I have to bring my own system. It's a pretty big space to cover, (about 1500 sqft) and this sub packs a lot of power. I play Hip Hop and House Music and the dance floor packs up more just because my audience can "Feel" the music now because of this sub. Ive been telling my other friends to buy it, so that we can couple them up.

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One word...AMAZING! The sound quality is outstanding and I use a dbx drive rack to bring out even more bass and crisp sound to each and every event.

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A guy came to and ask what kind of spekre are these i can hear them 3 blocks away At this i only had 1 KW181 with 2 K8 out side. I almost gave up on them i did't know how to set them up. But i had virus so now i own 2 love thwm

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unreal how much this speaker will put out. small dj system and it was an upgrade from b52 system I had. the weight to sound ratio is unmatched

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This is by far the most versatile and best sounding sub in its class. The size and portability make it feel like a 10" sub but the sound and frequency response rivals that of any 18" sub on the market. We use it for both live wedding band and DJ applications week in and week out and it never fails. The sound is always spot on. Thanks to the balance and tightness I've noticed way fewer problems with bass traps and rumble in certain rooms as well.

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You heard the rest. now hear the best! This beast is the best subwoofer I've ever heard! People say that they cost 2 much, but rest assure, you will be more than happy. Looking to buy another in another month! ZZ Sounds is also the best... thanks guys!!!

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I haven't been djing for very long and I'm glad I made the decision to go with the kw181. I had a chance to hook up and try the k-sub and that sold me to get one,but I didn't want to be cdisappointed so I made sure thats what I wanted. But then when I went wto try it at my local GC in a bigger building and I don't know if it was the way they had it tuned but it sounded like crap and that's what made me look at the kw181 and let me tell ya this bad boy was built this way for a reason. The price scared me at first but when I got it and sampled it out and then had my first gigWith it I was amazed of the bass that was coming out from it. All I gotTo say is if stand real close to it and your bump'n that dance floor be ready to make dem girls want more from you with you VIBRATING the shit out of them.

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Wow! I was a little hesitant and skeptical when I decided to plunk down $1500 for one speaker. I read reviews and watched as many reviews as possible on YouTube. I currently have the Yamaha DSR112s so I thought the logical choice was to purchase the matching DSR 118s. It's a good thing I checked the KWs out, and I'm so glad I went this route. You will not be disappointed! It did have a rocky start though. The sub was only a week old when I used it on my first gig. After one hour, the sub turned off. Needless to say, I was not happy. I called QSC the following day, and they had me bring it in. I needed it for Friday and they repaired the sub in two days! It turned out to be a bad module. Things happen but I cannot thank QSC enough. The customer service is awesome & no one in the industry can match their warranty. I highly recommend the KW181 and QSC for their outstanding customer service and warranty!

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it is in fact a bit heavy, but with good quality comes weight. Have absoloutely no complaints. not enough sound has never been an issue.

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If you are thinking about getting this sub don't hesitate any longer, this beast is amazing!!! I've had may sub brands this one is truly the best.

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Great sounding speaker, light weigh for a power sub. Thanks QSC

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I had an old 15" Samson that was 500 watts that I had gotten from a cousin that dj's and I use the mackie th15a thumps as my tops. These two and the kw181 Match well for a small to medium venue. But when I started to use the kw181...... It was like night and day not only because of more power but the smoothness of the bass even in outdoors it was still sounded crisp and clean like it was in side a a venue. I was glad I went with my gut feeling to buy this sub the other alternative was the k sub but I did my homework and this was the better one. IT hits so hard it turns me on!!!!! But I do have to say it sure is pricy......that is he only reason I haven't bought the matching tops yet I'm hopping their is a 12 payment play soon for them!!!!!

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The transaction with zZounds was easy and fast. The Play as you Pay approach really works for me and the expedited shipping was a great added bonus. Now, the QSC KW181 is a beast of a sub! Great low (and sub low) end performance. The sound is tight and there's lots of headroom when you need to crank it. As a DJ, this sub was a great compliment to my other QSC speakers. I can't imagine anything better for my needs.

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WAWWWW THE SAUND IS AMAZING

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It's a compact Cerwin Vega, earthquake - I am very happy with my purchase --- especially right now -- free/rebate for speaker cover

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QSC is a must for all Professional Wedding DJs, bands, and muysic groups. I've used, owned, and have heard many different Pro systems including JBL, Marathon Pro, Yamaha, Behringer, Mackie, and EV. Now ... dont get me wrong all these other brands souns great, but to my liking, they don't sound SPECTACULAR! QSC has the capacity to go full volume without peaking or distorting. Other brands just cant do that. QSC Sound Quality is OUTSTANDING! I've gotten lots of good feedback from customers stating how great the sound quality is. I use 2 - K10 loudspeakers, and 1 - KW181 Sub. I enjoy going to the bathroom during wedding events and hear the clarity of sound from afar, and the clean thumping from the bass that my QSC system has to offer. Powered subs and speakers is a great convenience and easy to setup for mobile events. Weighs about 65 lbs so its not to hard for me to load up my truck by myself. Stop buying anything else .. "Buy QSC ... you'll love it, it's a guaratee"

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I have two of these Subs ....They do a really great job .....we use them in a Rocking Country Band .... We have played to as many as 300 in a mid sized club TURNED UP TO 60 % and these subs done the trick !! Also we have Played shows outside and they done well ...they are not a long throw sub ......but dont let these subs fool you . they cover very well . Our setup is this ...We use 2 k 12s as side fills ...and the KW 181s and the KW 153s as our mains ...It is a great system ....

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I purchased pair of kw152's as soon as i hooked them both up together i knew i was going to keep them ,in my opinion i love them i would like 2 more , I thought i was going to feel the same way about the kw181 subwoofer , i read numerous reviews about how great the kw181s are , again in my opinion thumbs down, not impressed at all, no wow factor and these may be advertised as light infact they are awkward and heavy ,shipping weight is 111 pounds , not happy about the bass output when paired with the kw152..To give you an idea if you already own kw152s if you leave them in deep mode the k181 does not out preform the kw152 dont get me wrong it adds a little (key word ) little more bass or solidness . when i pushed them to over power the 152s they shut completely off and reset themselves 5 times in 20 seconds , i was listening to (of all things donna summers) song lucky , dont figure qsc speakers didnt like disco , i played anything from frank zappa ,ozzy , to taylor swift , relived the 60's to present trying to like the kw181 so i didnt have to pack it up and return it , i just cant seem to justify this speaker for the 1400.00 dollar price tag . i also was looking at the yorkville ls801 and their ls2100 , wish i had waited , im just not happy with this overrated speaker i sat right in front of this sub 4-5 foot away it did not blow me away like others say , may I add i tested these in my 14 x 25 living room in a 1600 sq foot house.

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I set my gain at 2 '0' clock and it kick hard and clean.I can feel it inside and it make the floor trimble..lots of complements at end of night..this put my 2 jbl jrx 118 sp sub to shame..and it lighter and well built.

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Bought two of these with the covers. They are indeed HEAVY. One will get the job done. I use my KW181 with my brand new K12.2s. Most of the rooms I play in are completed submerged in quality QSC sound. I'm running a TouchMix as well. No complaints over here. The sub punches well above its weight. You FEEL the low end better than anything in its price range.

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UPDATES.I am happy to inform you that I have just added one more sub to the system on 6/17/2013..from ZZsound on 6/17/2013..customer service is 2nd to NONE

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very very happy

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just received my k181,used on me set friday night and its was like the new bully on the block just moved in, how you like me know ... can,t wait to order my second one in a few months

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WOW WOW WOW.....this is it.....hooked this bad bout up and had my entire house rocking...OMG....well work it.....Im a mobile DJ and I only need one of these....WOW WOW WOW...

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purchased kw181 4 months about and was blown away and well as the competition. Ordered another last week to match then added 2 EV 15 top's and I must say this setup is a game changer.....class all by myself....Love it love it.......LOVE it.....wow

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Monster of a Sub......Head & Shoulders above any other sub ive had or heard.....simply AWESOME...

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