SubwoofersSubwoofers
Triad Gold Monitor Speakers and Silver Subwoofer
- Written by Chris Heinonen
- Published on 24 April 2013
Last year, I had a chance to pay a visit to Triad Speakers, which is located in my home town of Portland, OR. They showed how their speakers are designed and built, from the very beginning, to prototype testing, to building and shipping the final product. Unfortunately, the one opportunity that wasn't available at the factory was the chance to listen to their speakers, as they were doing a complete redesign of their listening room from the studs up. On my way out, they let me take home a pair of In Room Gold Monitors and an In Room Silver DSP Subwoofer for review. Now knowing how they were built and designed, I was certainly looking forward to hearing how they sounded.
NHT B-10d Subwoofer
- Written by Dr. David A.Rich
- Published on 27 March 2013
The world is saturated with subwoofers, many of which have a peak in frequency response to enhance movie sound tracks at the detriment of music. Tuned to have a bandpass response, the movie-inclined subwoofers limit the low frequency extension at usable SPLs. The frequency peak may persist, even if a first-class electronic room EQ is in the loop, especially if the room is sized and the subwoofer is positioned so a modal resonance peak occurs near this frequency. Here, we review the NHT B-10d, which has a 10" woofer and 300 watts of BASH amplification.
Sunfire SDS-10 Subwoofer
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 14 April 2011
Sunfire didn't build the first small subwoofer, but they did begin the trend towards small, powerful subwoofers, characterized by having drivers with long excursion and high power class D amplifiers. The SDS-10 is the 10" model in a line that also has 8" and 12" versions. It uses a front-firing driver with a 10" down-firing passive radiator. The amplifier is rated at 250 watts RMS. For $500 MSRP, I was pretty amazed at its performance. It won't crack the plaster, but it will party hard.
KEN KREISEL DXD-12012 Dual 12" Push-Pull Subwoofer
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 07 November 2012
Ken Kreisel of M&K sold his company years ago, and it continues to thrive. Now he is back, selling subwoofers and speakers mainly to the pro market, under the company name KEN KREISEL. The DXD-12012 is the foundation for a subwoofer system that, when combined as two subs, one on top of the other (called the DUO) or more (sixteen subs, called the QUATTRO-QUATTRO), produces the kind of SPL that movie and music studios need when they are in post-production. However, what differentiates the DXD-12012 from other subs is its accuracy.
Velodyne DD-18+ Subwoofer
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 21 March 2011
Just when you think a product can't get any better, it gets better. Velodyne, renown manufacturer of subwoofers from the very small to the very large, has released its latest very large sub, the DD-18+. It has a 1,250 watt RMS power amplifier (3,000 watts peak) and a frequency response of 14.4 Hz -120 Hz ± 3 dB. The magnet, at 40 pounds, weighs as much as some small subwoofers themselves. The subwoofer uses a Windows software interface, via USB, for setting the room EQ, and the bench test results are the best I have ever seen from Velodyne.
Paradigm SUB 1 Subwoofer
- Written by Chris Heinonen
- Published on 02 May 2012
One can never be too rich, too good looking, or have too much bass. The first two axioms are ones that unfortunately I cannot test out myself, but the third is one that I am willing to get a shot. For years Paradigm has delivered some award winning, room rattling subwoofers. The SUB 2 is their most powerful subwoofer, and the SUB 1 isn't far behind. In fact, either one of these top notch subs can blow you out of the room.
Paradigm Reference Seismic 110 Subwoofer
- Written by Ross Jones
- Published on 20 January 2011
I described the last Paradigm Reference sub I reviewed, the Reference Signature Sub 25, as the "Mother of All Subwoofers". Then Paradigm came out with the even more massive SUB 1 and SUB 2 models. So when I agreed to review the Seismic 110, a small barrel-shaped sub that measures barely 13" in any direction, my expectations were set accordingly.
Emotiva X-Ref 12 Subwoofer
- Written by Ross Jones
- Published on 25 April 2012
Emotiva is a U.S. based Internet-direct manufacturer, known primarily for their high-power solid-state amplifiers. However, Emotiva makes other products, including three different lines of speakers, and several subwoofers. In this case, we review the X-Ref subwoofer, which has a 12" driver and 600 watts of amplifier power, all at a very reasonable price.
Paradigm Reference Signature SUB 2 Subwoofer
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 15 November 2010
Paradigm, renown manufacturer of most catagories of A/V products, has released their latest subwoofer line, called the SUB 1 and SUB 2. These two subwoofers are part of their Reference Signature line of speakers and subs. Both are hexagonal in shape, with six drivers (8" in the SUB 1 and 10" in the SUB 2), having two drivers arranged vertically on three of the six sides, alternating sides with drivers and sides without drivers. They are sealed enclosures, and both have amplifiers with power heretofore not seen in any subwoofers. The amplifier can be powered by 120 V AC or 240 V AC. At 120 V, the amplifier outputs 3,000 watts RMS, and at 240 V, it will output a whopping 4,500 watts RMS and 9,000 watts peak. The SUB 2, which is reviewed here, weighs 230 pounds. Its performance is truly magnificent, with a price tag worthy of its design: $8,999 for Cherry or Black Ash finishes, and $9,499 for the Piano Black Premium finish.
Crystal Acoustics TX-12SUB THX Ultra2 Certified Subwoofer
- Written by Ross Jones
- Published on 04 January 2012
Crystal Acoustics is an Internet-direct manufacturer that specializes in THX certified 5.1 and 7.1 systems.
Velodyne MiniVee Subwoofer
- Written by Ross Jones
- Published on 08 April 2010
When you think of subwoofer manufacturers—and we're talking about companies that pay the bills making and selling subwoofers—Velodyne is one of the first names that comes to mind. Since 1983, Velodyne has produced an extensive range of highly regarded subs, including its Digital Drive series and "1812" subwoofers. They also make small subs, in this review, we cover their MiniVee, which uses an 8" driver.
