Subwoofers & Crossovers:
A:
JL Audio Active Home Audio Subwoofer Crossover: $3500
The CR-1 crossover has continuously variable high- and low-pass filters built around two banks of precision Linkwitz-Riley filters that can be set for 12 or 24dB/octave via. Front panel switch. Upon encountering the CR-1, Larry Greenhill “wondered where it had been all [his] life;” he’s been using it ever since. “It’s beautifully made, sonically transparent, performs a critical role in the optimal setup of subwoofrs, and has ergonomic bypass and mute functions that let you immediately hear the sonic iprovements of good bass management.” (Vol.39 No.11 WWW) JL Audio Fathom v2 Powered Subwoofers–10" Gloss: $4200
This relatively small—16" × 13" × 17"—impeccably finished, powered, sealed-box subwoofer uses a 10" cone woofer and a 1.1kW class-D amplifier. The low-pass filter’s turnover frequency can be set between 30Hz and 130Hz with 12dB or 24dB/octave slopes. There is no high-pass filter, but the latest, multiband version of JL’s Digital Automatic Room Optimization (D.A.R.O.) processor is included (a microphone is supplied), which Kalman Rubinson found impressively useful. Driving multiple JL subs from the LFE output of his multichannel server, Rubinson perceived more solidity and definition in the pedal tones with an organ recording and an expanded dynamic scale. For listening in stereo, where an LFE output was not available, Rubinson used JL Audio’s CR-1 Active Subwoofer Crossover and decided that its bass management was subjectively more satisfying than simply having a subwoofer playing the LFE channel on multichannel music recordings. “The JL f110v2 is a mighty mite of a sub, conceding little to its larger brothers,” he concluded. (Vol.43 No.8 WWW) REL No.31: $9000
This massive, stackable, powered subwoofer uses a 12" driver with a carbon-fiber cone in a sealed enclosure, powered by a 900W class-D amplifier. It has both high-level and line-level inputs. Controls include crossover frequency and polarity switchable between 0° and 180°. Rogier van Bakel auditioned a pair of No.31s with his Focal Scala Utopia EVO speakers, with the crossover set to a low 29Hz. Although the full-range Focals extend to 27Hz, –6dB, van Bakel found that with the REL subwoofers the bottom note of a motif played on a synthesizer was not only louder; he felt it more, both physically and emotionally. “Its thrum was more fleshed out and menacing.” Sonny Rollins’s saxophone took on extra palpability with the RELs in the system: “I could better hear his breath pushing through the reed, preceding the brassy shimmer of each note as it left the bell.” van Bakel had expected the two No.31s to bring increased force to the lowest reaches of his system’s performance, and they did that, unflappably. “But the RELs also imbued the midrange with an extra dollop of clarity that you might not expect from what most of us regard as an LFE augmenter. In some music, they increased air,” he concluded. (Vol.48 No.3 WWW)
Wilson Audio Specialties LōKē: $12,000 in standard finish
This powered subwoofer is intended to be paired with Wilson’s smaller loudspeakers and other speakers of similar size. The 10" woofer is powered by a 500W Dayton Audio class-D amplifier. There are balanced and single-ended inputs and DSP settings include volume; high-pass, low-pass, and subsonic filters; a two-band parametric equalizer; and phase (0–180°). The LōKē comes with a standard power cable, spikes, Wilson’s Acoustic Diodes, and various installation tools. Jason Victor Serinus used a pair of LōKēs with his Wilson Alexia V loudspeakers, commenting that “you don’t need golden ears to hear that low bass grows stronger and more focused when the LōKēs are engaged.” But what did surprise him was that the LōKēs did more than reinforce the Alexia V’s deep bass. As airy and 3D as an organ recital recorded in London’s Royal Albert Hall sounded through the Alexia Vs by themselves, “the sense of a vast hall increased noticeably” with the LōKēs operating. “As the soundstage grew deeper, wider, and more coherent, as soundstage boundaries became more evident, as air between and around instruments and voices increased and the quality of music reproduction rose to mesmerizing levels, my appreciation for the transformative potential of the LōKē grew exponentially,” he concluded. (Vol.46 No.11 WWW) B: JL Audio E–Sub Powered Subwoofer: $2400 in Gloss, $2200 10" in Ash
One step down from JL Audio’s Fathom series is the Florida company’s E-Sub line, the entry-level model of which is the e110 in black ash finish. (Add $200 for gloss black.) The self-powered (specced at 1200W RMS) e110 sports a 10" driver and pairs of RCA inputs and outputs. With the sub’s crossover engaged, the output jacks provide a 24dB/octave, Linkwitz-Riley–filtered high-pass signal; when the crossover is defeated, they provide a buffered version of the same signal that appears on the e110’s input jacks. Controls include level, filter defeat, filter frequency, polarity, and variable phase; the e110’s specified frequency response is 25116Hz, ±1.5dB (3dB at 23Hz). Kalman Rubinson, who relied on Audyssey and Dirac Live software for EQ chores, found that, in his room, “useful response was maintained to below 15Hz. Pretty impressive for a pair of 10" drivers!” And although, as Rubinson observed, “two 10" subs couldn’t ‘load’ the room” as his larger subs did, the E-Subs offered “deep, powerful bass.” (Vol.39 No.9 WWW) KEF KC62: $1699.99
This minuscule—10" × 10" × 10"—powered subwoofer weighs 30.9 lb and uses KEF’s unique force-canceling, bipolar Uni-Core drive-unit, which has two opposed 6.5" diaphragms with concentrically sleeved voice-coils sharing a common magnetic pole-piece. The aluminum enclosure acts as the heatsink for the internal amplification and the KC62 includes line-level (RCA) and speaker-level inputs (Phoenix connector) and a variable (40Hz–120Hz) high-pass–filtered line-level (RCA) output. There are five DSP room-placement profiles: Room (for positioning away from walls); Wall (for next to a wall but not in a corner); Corner; Cabinet (near a corner, inside a cabinet); and Apartment (which reduces the level of the KC62’s lowest frequencies). With Falcon’s “Gold Badge” LS3/5as, Herb Reichert noted that after some experimentation with settings and placement, as well as extending the minimonitors’ low frequencies, the KC62 improved the speakers’ midrange presence and spaciousness in ways that made it easier for him to look into the sound-space and stay focused on performances. “Instruments and voices sounded bigger, more physical, and easier to ‘see’ with the KC62 engaged.” He also achieved excellent results with Magnepan .7s and KEF LS50s and concluded that the KC62 “took an already great speaker and made it greater. Isn’t that what a subwoofer is supposed to do?” Class rating reflects limited output power. (Vol.44 No.6 WWW)
KEF KC92: $2499.99
This small, versatile powered subwoofer uses two drivers braced back-to-back, with a claimed response down to 11Hz and a maximum SPL of 110dB. This is achieved using the “Music Integrity Engine,” a suite of custom DSP algorithms that include “Intelligent Bass Extension” (iBX) to monitor signal level and content to modulate output level and frequency response. Kalman Rubinson tried a pair of KC92s with KEF LS60, KEF Blade Two Meta, and PS Audio aspen FR5 speakers, tweaking the settings using the KEF App, both by ear and by using a microphone and REW. (The KEF app asks if you are using one or two KC92s and, if using two, it lets you choose to use them either as a stereo pair or in mono by sending both channels of bass to both subwoofers. It then guides you through all the setup parameters, including the high-pass filter for the sub.) Rubinson got superb, full-range in-room sound with all three types of speakers, writing that the KC92’s construction, design, and feature set easily distinguish them from less expensive subwoofers, and he questioned whether pricier ones could offer higher performance given their size limitations. “The KEF KC92 is a sweet spot for subs.” (Vol.48 No.1 WWW) SVS 3000 SB-3000 R|Evolution: $1299.99
This relatively small, powered, sealed-box subwoofer features a 1200W class-D amplifier and a versatile DSP engine, controlled with an app available for iOS and Android devices, that can be used to adjust crossover frequency, output level, phase, and polarity. There’s also a “Room Gain Compensation” setting, which sets a high-pass filter to restrict rumble nodes caused by room-subwoofer interactions. Stereo balanced and single-ended RCA inputs are summed to mono and digitized, and there is an RCA pass-through output. Tom Fine auditioned this subwoofer with SVS’s Ultras Evolution Bookshelf standmounts (see Loudspeakers), using the app to set the Low Pass Filter to 80Hz with a –12dB/octave slope and wrote that there was noticeable added heft and movement of air in the room without the subwoofer seeming to poke out away from the speakers. “It was like the whole system got bigger and the speakers seemed like they were floorstanding.” (Vol.49 No.9 WWW) Deletions
Harbeth Nelson, replaced by newer model not yet reviewed.
The CR-1 crossover has continuously variable high- and low-pass filters built around two banks of precision Linkwitz-Riley filters that can be set for 12 or 24dB/octave via. Front panel switch. Upon encountering the CR-1, Larry Greenhill “wondered where it had been all [his] life;” he’s been using it ever since. “It’s beautifully made, sonically transparent, performs a critical role in the optimal setup of subwoofrs, and has ergonomic bypass and mute functions that let you immediately hear the sonic iprovements of good bass management.” (Vol.39 No.11 WWW) JL Audio Fathom v2 Powered Subwoofers–10" Gloss: $4200
This relatively small—16" × 13" × 17"—impeccably finished, powered, sealed-box subwoofer uses a 10" cone woofer and a 1.1kW class-D amplifier. The low-pass filter’s turnover frequency can be set between 30Hz and 130Hz with 12dB or 24dB/octave slopes. There is no high-pass filter, but the latest, multiband version of JL’s Digital Automatic Room Optimization (D.A.R.O.) processor is included (a microphone is supplied), which Kalman Rubinson found impressively useful. Driving multiple JL subs from the LFE output of his multichannel server, Rubinson perceived more solidity and definition in the pedal tones with an organ recording and an expanded dynamic scale. For listening in stereo, where an LFE output was not available, Rubinson used JL Audio’s CR-1 Active Subwoofer Crossover and decided that its bass management was subjectively more satisfying than simply having a subwoofer playing the LFE channel on multichannel music recordings. “The JL f110v2 is a mighty mite of a sub, conceding little to its larger brothers,” he concluded. (Vol.43 No.8 WWW) REL No.31: $9000
This massive, stackable, powered subwoofer uses a 12" driver with a carbon-fiber cone in a sealed enclosure, powered by a 900W class-D amplifier. It has both high-level and line-level inputs. Controls include crossover frequency and polarity switchable between 0° and 180°. Rogier van Bakel auditioned a pair of No.31s with his Focal Scala Utopia EVO speakers, with the crossover set to a low 29Hz. Although the full-range Focals extend to 27Hz, –6dB, van Bakel found that with the REL subwoofers the bottom note of a motif played on a synthesizer was not only louder; he felt it more, both physically and emotionally. “Its thrum was more fleshed out and menacing.” Sonny Rollins’s saxophone took on extra palpability with the RELs in the system: “I could better hear his breath pushing through the reed, preceding the brassy shimmer of each note as it left the bell.” van Bakel had expected the two No.31s to bring increased force to the lowest reaches of his system’s performance, and they did that, unflappably. “But the RELs also imbued the midrange with an extra dollop of clarity that you might not expect from what most of us regard as an LFE augmenter. In some music, they increased air,” he concluded. (Vol.48 No.3 WWW)
This powered subwoofer is intended to be paired with Wilson’s smaller loudspeakers and other speakers of similar size. The 10" woofer is powered by a 500W Dayton Audio class-D amplifier. There are balanced and single-ended inputs and DSP settings include volume; high-pass, low-pass, and subsonic filters; a two-band parametric equalizer; and phase (0–180°). The LōKē comes with a standard power cable, spikes, Wilson’s Acoustic Diodes, and various installation tools. Jason Victor Serinus used a pair of LōKēs with his Wilson Alexia V loudspeakers, commenting that “you don’t need golden ears to hear that low bass grows stronger and more focused when the LōKēs are engaged.” But what did surprise him was that the LōKēs did more than reinforce the Alexia V’s deep bass. As airy and 3D as an organ recital recorded in London’s Royal Albert Hall sounded through the Alexia Vs by themselves, “the sense of a vast hall increased noticeably” with the LōKēs operating. “As the soundstage grew deeper, wider, and more coherent, as soundstage boundaries became more evident, as air between and around instruments and voices increased and the quality of music reproduction rose to mesmerizing levels, my appreciation for the transformative potential of the LōKē grew exponentially,” he concluded. (Vol.46 No.11 WWW) B: JL Audio E–Sub Powered Subwoofer: $2400 in Gloss, $2200 10" in Ash
One step down from JL Audio’s Fathom series is the Florida company’s E-Sub line, the entry-level model of which is the e110 in black ash finish. (Add $200 for gloss black.) The self-powered (specced at 1200W RMS) e110 sports a 10" driver and pairs of RCA inputs and outputs. With the sub’s crossover engaged, the output jacks provide a 24dB/octave, Linkwitz-Riley–filtered high-pass signal; when the crossover is defeated, they provide a buffered version of the same signal that appears on the e110’s input jacks. Controls include level, filter defeat, filter frequency, polarity, and variable phase; the e110’s specified frequency response is 25116Hz, ±1.5dB (3dB at 23Hz). Kalman Rubinson, who relied on Audyssey and Dirac Live software for EQ chores, found that, in his room, “useful response was maintained to below 15Hz. Pretty impressive for a pair of 10" drivers!” And although, as Rubinson observed, “two 10" subs couldn’t ‘load’ the room” as his larger subs did, the E-Subs offered “deep, powerful bass.” (Vol.39 No.9 WWW) KEF KC62: $1699.99
This minuscule—10" × 10" × 10"—powered subwoofer weighs 30.9 lb and uses KEF’s unique force-canceling, bipolar Uni-Core drive-unit, which has two opposed 6.5" diaphragms with concentrically sleeved voice-coils sharing a common magnetic pole-piece. The aluminum enclosure acts as the heatsink for the internal amplification and the KC62 includes line-level (RCA) and speaker-level inputs (Phoenix connector) and a variable (40Hz–120Hz) high-pass–filtered line-level (RCA) output. There are five DSP room-placement profiles: Room (for positioning away from walls); Wall (for next to a wall but not in a corner); Corner; Cabinet (near a corner, inside a cabinet); and Apartment (which reduces the level of the KC62’s lowest frequencies). With Falcon’s “Gold Badge” LS3/5as, Herb Reichert noted that after some experimentation with settings and placement, as well as extending the minimonitors’ low frequencies, the KC62 improved the speakers’ midrange presence and spaciousness in ways that made it easier for him to look into the sound-space and stay focused on performances. “Instruments and voices sounded bigger, more physical, and easier to ‘see’ with the KC62 engaged.” He also achieved excellent results with Magnepan .7s and KEF LS50s and concluded that the KC62 “took an already great speaker and made it greater. Isn’t that what a subwoofer is supposed to do?” Class rating reflects limited output power. (Vol.44 No.6 WWW)
This small, versatile powered subwoofer uses two drivers braced back-to-back, with a claimed response down to 11Hz and a maximum SPL of 110dB. This is achieved using the “Music Integrity Engine,” a suite of custom DSP algorithms that include “Intelligent Bass Extension” (iBX) to monitor signal level and content to modulate output level and frequency response. Kalman Rubinson tried a pair of KC92s with KEF LS60, KEF Blade Two Meta, and PS Audio aspen FR5 speakers, tweaking the settings using the KEF App, both by ear and by using a microphone and REW. (The KEF app asks if you are using one or two KC92s and, if using two, it lets you choose to use them either as a stereo pair or in mono by sending both channels of bass to both subwoofers. It then guides you through all the setup parameters, including the high-pass filter for the sub.) Rubinson got superb, full-range in-room sound with all three types of speakers, writing that the KC92’s construction, design, and feature set easily distinguish them from less expensive subwoofers, and he questioned whether pricier ones could offer higher performance given their size limitations. “The KEF KC92 is a sweet spot for subs.” (Vol.48 No.1 WWW) SVS 3000 SB-3000 R|Evolution: $1299.99
This relatively small, powered, sealed-box subwoofer features a 1200W class-D amplifier and a versatile DSP engine, controlled with an app available for iOS and Android devices, that can be used to adjust crossover frequency, output level, phase, and polarity. There’s also a “Room Gain Compensation” setting, which sets a high-pass filter to restrict rumble nodes caused by room-subwoofer interactions. Stereo balanced and single-ended RCA inputs are summed to mono and digitized, and there is an RCA pass-through output. Tom Fine auditioned this subwoofer with SVS’s Ultras Evolution Bookshelf standmounts (see Loudspeakers), using the app to set the Low Pass Filter to 80Hz with a –12dB/octave slope and wrote that there was noticeable added heft and movement of air in the room without the subwoofer seeming to poke out away from the speakers. “It was like the whole system got bigger and the speakers seemed like they were floorstanding.” (Vol.49 No.9 WWW) Deletions
Harbeth Nelson, replaced by newer model not yet reviewed.
