Subwoofers

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Richard Stevenson  |  Jun 21, 2024  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomendWith a new range of subwoofers to sample, Richard Stevenson naturally opted for the flagship 15in model

Heading up a trio of new premium subwoofers from British brand Monitor Audio, the Anthra W15 arrived at my home cinema via a puce-face courier struggling under the weight. It came in one of the smallest boxes I've seen for a 15in sub, suggesting a model with the density of a small star, plus instant appeal for anyone turned off by the trend of big-driver bassmakers having equally gargantuan cabinets...

Steve Withers  |  Apr 23, 2024  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomend The R212s is a very capable subwoofer that manages to deliver plenty of blunt force trauma while being nimble and responsive when faced with sudden transients. Think of somebody with a bricklayer's shoulders and a ballerina's feet and you get the idea...
Richard Stevenson  |  Apr 10, 2024  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomendThe Impact X Series is Velodyne's take on high-value subwoofery; all the LFE spills without the frills. Available in 10in, 12in and 15in variants, the theme is front-firing single-driver subwoofers with big amplifiers in 'functionally' styled ported cabinets. The 12in model tested here is the Goldilocks of the series, combining a punchy 12in long-throw driver with a 300W class A/B amp
Richard Stevenson  |  Jun 06, 2023  |  0 comments
As naming protocols go, a Reference product designation based on the number of years you have been in business has limitations… Yet there is very little else limited about REL's No.31, which hit drawing boards 31 years after founder Richard Lord created his first sub with a high-level input for stereo systems.

Fast-forward through all the boring R&D, testing and development stuff, and the No.31 is a fully-fledged £7,000 beast of a subwoofer...

Richard Stevenson  |  Apr 28, 2023  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomendThe middle model in MartinLogan’s five-strong Dynamo series of active subwoofers, the 800X is a svelte little box of joy. Core specifications are right on the money, with the sealed enclosure featuring a 600W peak-rated Class D amp, a single 10in driver and both line-level and speaker-level analogue connections. There's then Bluetooth connectivity for MartinLogan's Sub Control app (iOS and Android), an input for the company's £200 approx SWT-X wireless module, and ARC EQ calibration...
Steve Withers  |  Jan 20, 2023  |  0 comments
hcc_recommendedREL has upgraded its HT range of home cinema-focused subwoofers, but do they live up to their catchy nicknames? Steve Withers finds out

REL has long touted its ability to make subwoofers that work equally well with music and movies – but if you're only interested in home cinema, the HT Series is for you. This range is specifically designed to slot into a multichannel speaker system, dropping the high-level Neutrik Speakon connectors to concentrate on LFE signals from an AV processor or receiver.

Mark Craven  |  Nov 12, 2022  |  0 comments
hccrefstatusbadgeWhoever said the best things come in small packages likely hadn't met this 2 x 15in, 92kg subwoofer, reckons Mark Craven – and the D215s is a brilliant blend of brains and brawn

Perlisten Audio certainly knows how to make an entrance. A new brand out of Wisconsin in the US, it debuted with its S Series loudspeaker range (HCC #331), which culminates in the £16,000 S7t floorstanders, and to avoid the trap of only appealing to music lovers, it delivered a range of subwoofers to match. The biggest of the bunch is the D215s, auditioned here.

Richard Stevenson  |  Sep 28, 2022  |  0 comments
hccbestbuybadgev3REL's home cinema-centric subwoofer range returns, once again with a 'no-frills, all the spills' ethos. Richard Stevenson plays fast and deep with the 15in HT/1510

REL's dedicated Home Theatre (HT) Series subs have been winning over home cinema enthusiasts for a few years now, with a three-strong lineup in 10in, 12in and 15in guises packing 300W, 500W and 800W amps, respectively. The naming protocol is genius too; HT/1003, HT/1205 and the original flagship HT/1508 (HCC #296) came to our auditoriums with the suffix 'Predator'. So in just one word the company gives you a big clue about what to expect, the HT Series models being more affordable than REL's dual-purpose music/cinema subs, and focused on maximum LFE bangs for your buck.

Steve Withers  |  Jul 22, 2022  |  0 comments
hccrefstatusbadgeThe flagship model in M&K's upgraded X+ Series is the first of its subwoofers to be certified THX Dominus. Steve Withers hires a forklift and checks it out

All speakers operate on the same basic principle of generating sound by physically moving air. The bigger the driver, the more air being shifted and the lower the frequencies. At the end of the day there's no replacement for displacement, so if you want big bass you need a big woofer.

Mark Craven  |  Jul 01, 2022  |  0 comments
hccrefstatusbadgeThe performance of some high-end speakers from a new US brand makes Mark Craven sit up and listen

With so many speaker brands competing in the home cinema/hi-fi markets, it can sometimes be hard to muster real enthusiasm when another one comes along. Yet Perlisten Audio, a new company from Wisconsin in the US, has arrived with a potent offering that immediately stands out. It helps, of course, that Perlisten debuts with a fully-formed range of models that will suit system builders, including subwoofers and height/surround cabinets.

Steve Withers  |  Jun 02, 2022  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomendKEF applies Newton's Third Law to its mid-range dual-driver bassmaker, which leaves Steve Withers searching for his lab coat and Godzilla disc

If you managed to stay awake during physics classes at school, you might remember Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states – in essence – that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It's a principle of classical mechanics that's been embraced by speaker and subwoofer manufacturers, allowing them to engineer a force-cancelling design to reduce cabinet vibrations and increase the maximum output.

Mark Craven  |  Dec 03, 2021  |  0 comments
hcchighreccomendThanks to its monster 15in driver, Velodyne Acoustics' new sealed subwoofer gives Mark Craven a taste of the low life

Long-term AV fans will remember Velodyne. Once the go-to for superior, face-melting subwoofers, the American company picked up awards left, right and centre for its range of bassmakers, particularly the flagship DD+ series, which peaked with a terrifying 18in model.

Mark Craven  |  Oct 15, 2021  |  0 comments
Since launching in the late 1990s, American company SVS has developed a reputation for home cinema subwoofers that blend high performance with bargain price tags. And the 3000 Micro, its dinkiest model yet and priced £900, continues that trend.
Steve Withers  |  Sep 13, 2021  |  0 comments
hccbestbuybadgev3How has SVS managed to get so much bass out of a sealed cabinet so compact and so affordable? Steve Withers falls in love with the SB-1000 Pro

Since 1999 American company SVS has built a formidable reputation by mainly focusing on one thing – manufacturing powerful home cinema subwoofers that don't cost the earth. It has some beefy models in its lineup, topping out at the 16-Ultra Series (ported and sealed models with 16in woofers), but the SB-1000 Pro is a timely reminder that amongst the pricier, bigger boom boxes, it can still knock up a compact sealed unit with a sub-£700 ticket. And why wouldn't it? Models like this sell like hot cakes.

Mark Craven  |  Jun 11, 2021  |  0 comments
hccbestbuybadgev3Mark Craven admires the brains behind this brawny, bijou bassmaker

KEF's new subwoofer is calling out for a slick nickname. From the brand that brought us the Blade and Muon speakers, plus The Reference range, comes the ...KC62. This moniker makes it sound like something that's fallen off a spreadsheet rather than what it is, which is arguably the coolest subwoofer I've ever had a chance to play around with. Maybe it will grow its own nickname over time, like KEF's 'Eggs'. It's certainly a cracker.

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