RSS
The Legend of El Pipe-O
It's not every day you see a 12 foot tall subwoofer named after a bong. El Pipe-O is a project from back in 2002 by none other than Nelson Pass of legendary amplifier company Pass Labs. Pass Labs recently licensed its amp technology to a little company called Texas Instruments so, yeah, this guy has pedigree. Here's a description of the hit from the dual 21 inch woofers:
Funny things happen when your speakers are flat to 13 Hz. You have to be careful about your tone arm, your windows, your neighbors, and your bowels.
Awesome. Testing the limits?
The occasion of firing these up called for another party, during which we drank a lot of Cabernet and then decided to test the power handling claims of the woofer manufacturer.
The power handling appeared to be accurate considering they exploded two of the woofers during their drunken revelry. El Pipe-O is a DIY project so check out the link for a guide on how to build one of these beasts for yourself. If you're interested in the science behind speaker design and bass theory, this is a must read.
COMMENTS (1) | Permalink | Subwoofers $1 to 4k | Posted by Josh Ray on Apr 12 '06
Axiom M80 Review
6Moons throws some Blue Moon awards Axiom's way for killer budget products. If there were an award for the biggest freakin' sub, Axiom's EP600 would win that too. The Axiom EP600 comes in at 45" tall, 15" wide and 17" deep with a price of $1780. Bass shoots all the way down to 15Hz from its single 12" driver. John Potis says this:
...at Axiom's asking price of $1,780, it's a bargain. And when combined with the M80s for stereo in a very large room or for home theater, it's an outright steal. On its own or as part of an Axiom system, the EP600 too gets an enthusiastic recommendation. When taken in its entirety -- features, performance and price --, I don't know if it even has any competition.
Mighty big praise. Their statement M80 speakers run $1300 a pair and get some love as well. Check out the review for all the goods.
Axiom M80 and EP600 Review [6Moons]
| Permalink | Speakers $1k-2k , Subwoofers $1 to 4k | Posted by Josh Ray on Mar 13 '06
Tyler Pro Dynamics
Tyler Acoustics, if you haven't heard of them, is known for taking the most expensive drivers available (that aren't diamond) and putting them in reasonably priced packages. Most of the reviews say at one point or another, "Tyler uses the same drivers in their $1000 speaker as in so-and-so's $10k speaker!" Not that drivers make or break the speaker, but they sure can't hurt.
In any case, Tyler has released a new line called the Pro Dynamics line using the pro drivers (gasp!) from Eminence. Unlike their regular speakers with Seas drivers and average sensitivity, the Pro Dynamics family sports up to 101dB which means you can use smurfish amplification, 1 watt if you so desire. And, as you can see, they're freakin' huge.
Worth mentioning, Tyler rocked Vegas with their speakers in 3 different rooms. Dave Clark at PFO raved about the Tyler/Jolida room with the PD-20s, saying: "These REALLY, REALLY rocked and at that price could get a lot of people (young ones that like to rock) into audio."
Above is the Pro Dynamics PD-20 with 42-20k Hz going for $2800 a pair. The PD-10 uses only one 12" bass driver for 45-20k and a price of $1600pr. There's also the PD-80 with double 15"s and double 10"s for $5200pr as well as the 15" sub above with 1000 watts of juice for $1800 each.
Temporary info
Tyler Acoustics Home
Update: Dave changed his name recently.
| Permalink | Speakers $1k-2k , Speakers $2k-5k , Subwoofers $1 to 4k | Posted by Josh Ray on Feb 15 '06
Vegas - Zu
Man, did Zu put on a rocking show. Probably the most elaborate room (next to Totem with their animal skins covering every last inch of wall space), Zu rocked a projector hooked up to an Apple G5 tower running off of iTunes. The big screen was actually a second display (the first was run by Adam of Zu - pic next page) that displayed the iTunes Visualizer for all kinds of trippy effects. Sadly, camera flash and projectors don't mix, but it was definitely a great time.
Shown are the Zu Definitions at $9k with four 10" subwoofers on the back. Providing the juice are Audiopax Model 88s that change colors every show (they were green at Zu's VTV room, though I didn't get a pic). On the next page, the $2800 Druids in a custom red finish that you can order if you like (for a small fee) with a Yamamoto integrated pumping all of 2 watts and a Consonance Droplet CD player. Later, Zu brought out a Sony disc changer painted the same red as everything else. Gotta keep it real.
Also, keep an eye out for a new baby subwoofer from Zu. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention it, but if Adam or Sean ask, don't say I told you. It's like their larger $2500 Method sub (dual 12" drivers in a sealed enclosure) but with double 10s and smaller than it has any right to be. Really, it's super small and, if the rumors are anything to go by, pumps killer, tight bass below 20Hz. How? Sealed enclosure, low excursion, high sensitivity. Yeah, I don't know how all the magic works but look for the new Zu tyke around a grand and a half.
When the daily traffic died down, Dallas of Zu would bust out a full Technics rig for some very un-CES turntablism. Hooked up to the Definitions, it was pretty sick, to say the least. I'm sad I wasn't able to spend more time in the room (Vegas called) but I look forward to more counter culture music at the Stereophile/VTV show mid year. Can I see a show hands who want Zu to put on a rocking hi-fi concert in your area? These are the kinds of demos that will bring the fresh blood in.
Permalink | | Posted to Speakers $2k-5k | Speakers $5k-10k | Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Cabasse Baltic II Speakers and Thor II Subwoofer
French audio company Cabasse makes a wide range of products but none are as strange or elicit as much awe as their "eyeball on a stick" $8000 Baltic II. Single point source, the eye is actually three different speakers in one package with the different rings resonating to create a complete image. Coaxial (multiple rings) and full-range drivers are used by a few different manufacturers to achieve single point source magic that elicits fanatical devotion from their fans. Don't go talking smack about single point source unless you want a bloody nose.
And, guess what, Stereophile talks just a tad bit of smack. Because, see, at 80Hz to 22kHz, we're not talking monster bass extension for the Batlic II, or any bass extension for that matter. The $2500 Thor II comes in to take over but, like any sub/sat matching, problems ensue. Moreover, the nature of the eye makes placement a beast. Combined with the bass issues, these are definitely not beginner speakers. Be prepared for a couple dozen trips from couch to sub adjusting the sub/sat crossover. But, hey, when everything gels, you're in for a treat.
Cabasse Baltic II and Thor Subwoofer Review [Stereophile]
Cabasse Home
Permalink | | Posted to Speakers $5k-10k | Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Vandersteen 1C Speaker System Review
Ever-boring looking, Vandersteen Audio's 1C speaker system gets reviewed by Home Theater Magazine. To quickly sum up, the Vandersteen's aren't the easiest to place or match with the subwoofer, but once everything is set up correctly:
"...you'd be hard-pressed to find a set of musical, dynamically alive, spatially coherent speakers or a sub with the V2W's feel-it-in-your-gut bass slam."
The subwoofer goes for $1295 with the left and right 1C towers at $785 a pair, the VCC-5 center at $1995 and the VSM-1 surrounds at $949 a pair. Interesting the surrounds are more expensive than the fronts...
Vandersteen 1C Speaker System [Home Theater Mag]
Vandersteen Audio Home
Permalink | | Posted to Speakers under $1k | Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Sunfire ContraBass Control Subwoofer
"Vibration Free" is the claim of Sunfire's new in-wall ContraBass subwoofer. Using 10" drivers and a system akin to servo-controlled motors, the vibrations normally associated with subwoofers is eliminated, or so they claim.
Price runs $2995 and will be available in December. Interestingly, a paintable grill is included to allow visual blending into your walls. A paintable grill? Doesn't sound very kosher to my audiophile ears. Then again, you're not using an in-wall subwoofer for an audiophile system anyway. But, hey, putting a monstrous beast in your den may simply not be an option so then the ContraBass may be your ticket.
Sunfire Home [via Audio/Video Revolution]
Permalink | | Posted to Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Thiel SmartSub SS1 Subwoofer
Check out this choice quote of the Thiel SmartSub ss1 Subwoofer. Remember, it costs $2900...
"I compared the Thiel SmartSub SS1 with the Hsu Research VTF-3 ($849)...The SmartSub SS1 sounded tighter and cleaner than any other subwoofer I’ve had in the house."
Yeah, no kidding! Come on, dude, where are the copious comparisons and shootouts with equipment that isn't 29.27% of the price??? Yeesh, anyway, the "smart" part of "smartsub" means you dial in the distances the sub sits from the rear and side walls. Then, the little elf inside the sub tunes the output to eliminate bass boom and flab. The reviewer, to his credit, does a bunch of tests and says it works well, but if Thiel's elf is better than, say, Velodyne's elf shall remain a mystery.
Thiel SmartSub SS1 Subwoofer [Home Theater and Sound]
Thiel Home
Permalink | | Posted to Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Meridian Digital subwoofers
Mighty impressive looking, isn't it? Not very, but what the new Meridian subwoofers do is pretty unique. As far as I know, they are the only "digital" subs in the market. Meaning, rather than send a sub-line out or connect them between the speakers and amp, you connect the Meridian right to your source.
Contained within the black box is a DAC and a G-class amplifier. Truth be told, I have no idea what G-class is, but it's got it. Meridian champions the DAC/amp approach inside all of their speakers and usually gets pretty high reviews for it. Not sure what this means for a subwoofer, but if a digital sub is what you've been dying for, then die no more. Single 12" driver SW1600 runs $3945 while the double 12" SW5500 goes for $4995.
Meridian [via Soundstage]
Permalink | | Posted to Subwoofers $1 to 4k | Subwoofers $4k and up
Velodyne SPL-R Subwoofers
See that little remote on top of that subwoofer? That is a 6-band digital equalizer and microphone sitting atop the Velodyne SPL-R series of subwoofers. While not completely new, this is the first time I've seen a complete subwoofer EQ system that can be considered affordable.
How does it work? Push a button, a tone is played, the mic picks it and and the system automatically adjusts all the levels to best suit your room, killing bass boom and other nastiness. There are a number of different options to tailor the sub to the different listening situations (music, movies, etc).
Three subs are part of the SPL-R range differing only in driver size: 8", 10" and 12". 1000 watts of class D power provides the juice. If you want to see what all the talk is about, prices run $1249 to $1800 and come in black, maple and cherry.
Velodyne SPL-R Subwoofers [via Positive Feedback]
Permalink | | Posted to Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Axiom EP500 Subwoofer Review
We posted about the Axiom EP600 and EP500 earlier and here's the first review of the EP500. It's a kind of funny review from Vince Hanada of Home Theater & Sound in that, after going through all the technological attributes of the Axiom and how it stands apart from the crowd, Vince couldn't hear a damn thing different between the Axiom and the Paradigm Reference Seismic 12 ($1700), nor the Outlaw Audio LFM-1, priced at $579 (save for absolute bottom-end bass extension).
The real test came to which sub shook the most plaster off the walls. Of course, comparing three ported subs (rather than sealed subs) it's no surprise really that it all comes down to brute force. That said, the Axiom plays louder than anything else at the price point. As for smooth bass, it seemed to mate well with speakers, but with DVD tests, rather than music, it's hard to judge the ultimate sonic qualities.
Axiom EP500 Subwoofer Review [Home Theater & Sound]
Axiom Home
Permalink | | Posted to Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Zu Cable Method Subwoofer Review
Standing at 35" high and sporting two 15" drivers, Zu Cable's massive $2500 Method subwoofer gets excellent reviews from 6Moons Srajan who proclaims:
"The Method is about effortlessness, quality and quantity. It's about low distortion and accurate timing."
Meaning the Method is damn fast. Just like the Zu Druid and Zu Tone we posted about earlier, the Method goes for the high-efficiency, low power route. In this case, the two 15 inchers are 96dB efficient and powered by 100 onboard watts. Traditionally, 100 watts is nothing in the super-subwoofer arena. But when going for speed, accuracy and low distortion, the quality of the watts is more important than the amount. Or, as some say, it's not the size that maters, but how you use it.
Zu Method Subwoofer Review [6Moons]
Zu Cable Home
Permalink | | Posted to Subwoofers $1 to 4k
Axiom EP600 and EP500 Subwoofers
Now that is one tall subwoofer. 45.5 inches high with a 12 inch driver and 600 watts of power, Axiom's new EP600 is claimed to hit a smooth 17Hz with +/- 1.5dB (that's damn smooth). Additionally, the EP500 (the EP600's squat sibling) won Audioholic's best subwoofer of 2004.
Overall, Axiom has been blowing up the reviews and winning many awards. As for asthetics, they'll custom finish your new tree-trunk subwoofer with a number of different woods or colors. If you're looking for the deepest of the deep, check out Axiom's internet retail site. Price runs $1750 for the EP600 and $1150 for the EP500.
Axiom EP600 and EP500 Subwoofers [Audioholics introduction to EP600 and EP500]
Axiom Audio Home [currently lacking info on the EP600]
Permalink | | Posted to Subwoofers $1 to 4k
