High Level

Although connecting up a REL subwoofer is easy, it is different from other subwoofers. Rather than taking the output from your preamp or amplifier subwoofer output sockets (which the Classic 99 can also do), it derives its signal from the positive speaker output terminals of the amp (or one or both of the speakers, if that is easier) and the cable provided plugs into the Neutrik socket on the rear of the subwoofer. This means the sub gets the same signal as your main speakers, which, says UK sales director Rob Hunt, helps integration. REL say you will get the best results using the High Level connection.

No digital signal processing, often used to achieve a flat response, is used in any REL subwoofer. This is because one of REL’s main design criteria is impulse response and they believe that DSP is too slow. As owner John Hunter told me: “I say to people ‘do you know how slow DSP is?’ Our subwoofers are blindingly fast. If we’re not faster than the [main] speakers, then we’re holding the parade up.”

Rob Hunt ran me through the setup process. He first adjusted the phase of the sub (in my system, best at 180º), then gain, which worked best in my room (19ft x 13ft) and system (Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister amp and Russell K Red 120Se speakers) five clicks up from zero, and finally crossover frequency. REL do not disclose what frequency that is, but for me two clicks up from zero did the trick. But don’t worry, your retailer will do all this for you and if not, there are helpful videos on the REL website. Every set up and configuration is different so don’t expect yours to be the same as these settings.

Epiphany

I have to admit that throughout my reviewing career I took little interest in subwoofers as I thought “I don’t need more bass”. But when I attended a recent public demo by Rob at my local retailer, I was astonished at how the sub improved the system musically throughout the whole frequency band, and even made it easier to follow delicate cymbal and hi-hat riffs. A subwoofer improving cymbals?! This is why I was so keen to try the Classic 99 in my system.

I asked REL owner John Hunter how their subs improve more than just the bass. He said that if you let things roll off from around 40Hz, many fundamentals in the music and all the harmonics that derive from them are lost. All notes, he says, have a low frequency component.

Proof of the pudding

From the first few notes of every track I played, the inclusion of the subwoofer brought a noticeable improvement. On Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Racing in the Streets’ from Darkness on the Edge of Town, the piano was more real, with more space around it, and his voice was cleaner and more emotive. Drum rimshots were crisper and sharper, while the bass line when it kicked in was not only deeper, but tighter and easier to follow.

Next I deliberately chose Stephen Fearing’s Fear of Climbing (from Rega), which is just voice and acoustic guitar with no bass guitar or bass synth. On ‘Red Lights in the Rain’, his voice was far more open and you could hear how his voice wavered in places and how he pushed certain notes, while his guitar was more open and I could hear better how notes were shaped, his fingers moving along the strings and when he slapped the guitar body. The guitar also had far more body and weight.

Similarly, on Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Lo Siento Mi Vida’, the two guitars on the intro had more presence and space around them with more note shape detail, while her vocals were more open and natural, revealing the nuances of her delivery and conveying the power when she really pushed a note, with less harshness.

On a favourite track from sax legend Dave Koz, I could not only hear more of how he was shaping each note, but also more fine percussion detail. The bass line of course had more weight and was tighter and really moved along better. That degree of insight into what musicians are playing also shone through on guitarist Peter White’s ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ (from Groovin’), when fast runs of notes became clearer and better defined.

It’s not just about the bass

If you need to improve your system’s bass quality or quantity, then of course the REL Classic 99 can do that with ease. But I suspect most people do not realise that it will also improve the sound as a whole, giving more insights and presence to percussion, drumkit, sax, guitar and vocals on tracks you thought you knew well. 

It’s not all about the bass. As John Hunter told me: “We are talking about wholesale improvements of the entire system. Just making deeper bass would be a thousand times easier than what we do.”

The Classic 99 does all of this for a remarkable £1,799. You could spend twice that much on cables! If you have not yet discovered what a sub can do for your system, try the Classic 99. I am sure it will not disappoint and I recommend it most enthusiastically.   

Specs & Pricing

Type: Sealed box subwoofer with built-in amplifier

Driver complement: 12in amended pulp-on-paper downward-firing woofer with steel chassis and carbon fibre centre cap

Frequency response: -6dB at 24Hz

Input connectors: High Level Neutrik Speakon, low level RCA, LFE RCA

Amplifier: 450 watt Class D

Wireless capability: HT-Air MkII wireless or AirshipII (sold separately)

Dimensions (HxWxD): 534mm x 400mm x 350mm

Weight: 22.4kg

Finishes: Walnut veneer only

Accessories supplied: Mains lead, 10m Neutrik Speakon lead

Price: £1,799, $1,899, €2,199

Manufacturer: REL Acoustics Ltd

https://rel.net

Five Most Significant Product Introductions

Aequo Audio, based in Holland, has been in business for about a decade but is unfamiliar to many North American audiophiles, me included. This could be about to change. The company is poised to introduce two new loudspeakers, the Adamantis passive 3-way ($37,900) and the Ensium 500-watt bass-assisted 3-way ($44,900) that represent the first commercial implementation of a Nanotech material called Diluvite MMC. This “metal matrix composite” has unique physical properties that Aequo has leveraged to both sonic and aesthetic advantage. Diluvite is an extremely inert material that converts vibration into heat: Rapping your knuckles on the enclosure results in an dull thud (and sore knuckles.) In addition to minimizing cabinet resonances, Diluvite can be readily formed into “complex organic shapes” that aren’t just easy on the eyes but also serve to further control vibration. At High End 2025, with the Ensium driven by Westminster Lab electronics, an unidentified recording of Saint-Säens’ Danse macabre manifested rich orchestral textures, great imaging, and plenty of musical detail.

The 3-way, four-driver Magico S2 ($34,000/pair for Softek finish; $39,100 for gloss finish) has replaced the 2-way S1 at the “bottom” of the brand’s S Series. In physical size and sound, the new model has much more in common with the current S3 than the now-retired S1 but is less visually imposing. (It’s also between $11,450 and $13,400 cheaper than the S3.) Sonically, the S2 is every bit a Magico—fast, well-balanced across the frequency spectrum, with a characteristically lean but never cool aural presentation. Over the course of a 15-minute audition in Munich, it was obvious that the new speaker does well spatially, with vocals imaging way out into the room.

Estelon has added to its A series of more affordable products—the floorstanding Aura (€17,500/pair) became available in 2023—with the Aurelia (€14,900/pair, €17,900/pair with stands), the Aurelia Centre (€7500) and the Aurus subwoofer (€13,500). Other than Aura, these “real world” Estelons don’t have the sensual curves that characterize the bigger models, and their enclosures are made of a thermoformed mineral composite rather than crushed marble material used to cast the Extremes, Forzas, and other much costlier models. But you are definitely not slumming if you decide to own a pair of the standmount Aurelias, not aesthetically and not sonically. As played at the Munich show with MSB electronics, they manifested the detail retrieval, tonal consistency, and ease of presentation associated with their larger brethren. And note, tech bros: Instead of traditional stands (€3000/pair) to put on the floor, for the same price you can get an elegant version to support the Auras on a desk or countertop. That should be one helluva nearfield listening experience, though I doubt you’ll get much work done.

The Lithuanian loudspeaker manufacturer Silent Pound—don’t ask about the name; I haven’t a clue—brought two speaker models to Munich, the floorstanding Challenger II (€28,000) and the Bloom stand-mount (€14,900.) Both are designed with the same fundamental principle in mind: “Silence the Room” is the Silent Pound motto. Two key design features serve to minimize room interference. First, a unique dipole bass transducer reduces the amount of acoustic energy radiating into the listening space by close to 5dB. Second, a patent-pending midrange enclosure promotes a highly dimensional presentation and, to my ears, an exceptional evenness of top-to-bottom frequency response. In a very small room, I requested some very dynamic and bass-heavy material (large-scale symphonic music, big band, etc.)—and, if blindfolded, would have thought I was listening to a bigger speaker in a much larger space, far away from any room boundaries. I texted RH to come and hear the Bloom, and he was similarly impressed. Silent Pound has dealers in 14 countries, though not as yet in North America. Cofounder and CTO Audrius Balciunas told me the company is working to address that deficiency.

Voxativ’s Alberich bass module was designed to accompany their Hagen back-loaded horn mini-monitor. Together, they comprise the Alberich² System, a modular full-range loudspeaker with a frequency response of 20–33,000Hz and a price starting at €17,900. (In case you’re not a German opera buff, Alberich and Hagan are the father/son villains in Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle.) The Alberich² is an active design, with a 500-watt Class D amplifier on board, and there is, as well, the capacity for a user to adjust several key parameters—level, crossover frequency, and phase—to optimize performance in a specific listening environment.

Auspicious Debuts

When audiophiles think of the ELAC brand, they may think of the Andrew Jones era and the many lower priced models that are currently sold by Music Direct, Crutchfield, and B&H. These are, for sure, products with a high performance-to-price ratio. Many are unaware that ELAC is a German company with a history dating back close to a century, and their catalog includes plenty of pricy, no-compromise gear. The latest example is the Concentro M807 (€22,000/pair) that was proudly introduced at High End 2025. It’s an elegantly contoured 4-way bass-reflex design, weighing in at 137 pounds per side. The high-midrange element is comprised of six small drivers, arranged concentrically around ELAC’s venerable JET 6c AMT tweeter. 4.5” low-midrange drivers are positioned above and below that grouping, and there are two downward-firing 10” woofers. A selector on the rear panel allows the user to choose one of five modes that alter the mix of direct and diffuse sound to best suit the room’s acoustic character.

Manger Audio’s p2 (€15,600 per pair) isn’t a new speaker but sports a redesigned version of the Manger driver, the “bending wave” transducer invented by the brand’s founder, Joseph W. Manger (1929–2016.) His daughter, Daniela, an engineer who has run the company for decades, explained that the latest interation utilized in all Manger models has a stronger motor system, revised damping parameters, and a redesigned chassis—all resulting in improved linearity, less distortion, and superior dynamics. The Manger driver operates from 340 to 4500Hz and is mated in the p2 with a traditional 8” woofer in a sealed enclosure. Manger had plenty of quality vinyl on hand with which to demo the speaker; the familiar Reference Recordings Symphonic Dances (Oue/Minnesota) sounded terrific.

The Piega Premium 801 ($10,000 per pair) is the first product from the Swiss manufacturer to feature a horn-loaded ribbon tweeter, a good-sized one that operates down to 2500Hz, positioned above five identical-appearing cones, one of which is a midrange transducer, two are woofers, and two are passive radiators. Bass was certainly authoritative. This is an active loudspeaker design with functions that can be controlled with the supplied remote.

A new Dutch company, Sphinx Audio-Engineering is on the verge of releasing two loudspeaker models, the Element 3and the Element 5. Both invoke ancient Egypt with an exquisite, sculpted appearance, the enclosures fabricated from a “stone-like material” not unlike the Corian^® utilized for kitchen countertops. The price of the smaller Element 3 is expected to be $38,000–$40,000 per pair. Sphinx isn’t actually a new brand, having been first established in the 1980s but now “reimagined” thanks to the resources of Siltech and Crystal Cable. The enclosure is ported to the front, featuring a proprietary system to optimize bass performance known as “Zero Gravity” that targets compression artifacts to reduce distortion. Bass output is adjustable with rear-panel switches; LF output is rated down to 23Hz.

My friend and colleague Alan Taffel had positive things to say about the PMC Prophecy7 he heard at AXPONA this year, and I was equally impressed with the British manufacturer’s Prophecy9 ($12,999/pair.) Extended bass is produced by a pair of custom-built high excursion 5” woofers implemented in a transmission-line design, combined with a patented airflow technology (“LaminairX”) that greatly reduces the audibility of port chuffing. Soft dome tweeter and midrange drivers are housed in a profiled baffle with a unique waveguide. Prophecy speakers are used at the Teldex studios in Berlin, and the company representative proudly played two Haydn selection recorded there—one for chorus and orchestra, the other a keyboard concerto—to great effect.

In the Auer Acoustics room, I was handed a small block of tankwood, a compressed natural wood product that’s used to construct the cabinets of the company’s Versura line of loudspeakers, including the top-of-the-line V4 (€45,000/pair.) The stuff is dense and heavy, and although the speaker doesn’t visually overpower a room—the front baffle is less than 9” wide— each V4 weighs well over 200 pounds. Bass is prodigious but articulate, down to 20Hz, we’re told. Yet the speaker can be light on its feet: Nothing got in the way of appreciating the pyrotechnics of a solo violin playing a Paganini etude.

The Wilson Benesch Horizon ($39,000) had actually debuted in the UK earlier this year, but Munich was its first appearance at an audio show outside of England. The Horizon is the least costly model in Wilson Benesch’s reference line of floorstanders, sharing technologies utilized in the company’s most ambitious products. The room was very noisy but, from what I could hear of L’histoire du soldat, powered by Lumin amplification, the Horizons demonstrated the characteristic dynamic nuance and tonal accuracy of other speakers from this elite manufacturer.

Wolf von Langa (the man) was playing his Wolf von Langa Sensitivity+ standmount speaker ($11,000/pair, plus $1000 for stands), a two-way design that eschews his favored field-coil technology to bring a top-notch product to market at a lower price. The driver complement includes an AMT tweeter, a cone midrange, and two passive radiator woofers. For a small speaker, dynamics were excellent.

Revival Audio, located in the Alsace region of France, had its newest product on hand, the Atalante 7 Évo (€9390/pair.) The speaker definitely has a retro look to it—boxy, with a furiniture-like dark wood finish. It’s another 3-way, this one sporting a 15” woofer with an unusual basalt sandwich construction. The –6dB low-frequency output was 23Hz, and bass performance was subjectively very good: A walking acoustic bass line was even and well-deliniated. A robust stand that gets the 32-inch-tall speaker up another foot in the air is included in the price.

Among the least expensive speakers I came across at High End 2025 were the Triangle Borea BR04 bookshelf model, at $550/pair, with stands an additional $279/pair. It’s a 2-way model that actually can be located on a bookcase, countertop, or workdesk because the port faces forward. The tweeter is a 25mm device that’s crossed over to a 6” mid/bass driver; the frequency response is given as 44Hz to 22kHz. Unusual at this price point is that there are two sets of binding posts per speaker, and biwiring is an option. Vocals had considerable presence, and synth bass had gratifying impact and extension.

Scansonic is a sort of minor league affiliate of Raido Acoustics offering four lines of loudspeakers—L, M, MB, and Q. The MB and Q series products are built in Denmark by the same people who craft Raidhos. The M series products are made in China, a fact that Scansonic seems to obsfuscate in its slick brochure. It shouldn’t matter, as the M models are also built to a high standard…but audiophiles can have biases against Asian-made gear. The M30.2 sits at the top of the M series line, a robust 3-way floorstander priced at €3500/pair. The speaker stands 43” tall and weighs about 55 pounds. The drive units include a neodymnium ribbon tweeter, a 4” mid/woofer with a honeycomb cone, two 6.5” woofers, also with honycomb membranes, and two passive bass radiators with paper diaphragms. With Vivaldi, pop, big band, and large-scale orchestral fare—with anything you threw at them—the M30.2s sounded excellent when played loudly. I would strongly suggest you don’t worry about the China aspect if this is your budget for full-range loudspeakers.

One reason High End 2026 will be held in Vienna is that the Munich Olympic Center simply can’t accommodate everyone who wants to strut their stuff on the world’s biggest stage for perfectionist audio. In recent years, an increasing number of brands excluded from the MOC have set up shop across the street at MotorWorld München, a large automotive-oriented mall with shops, restuarants, hotels, meeting rooms, and, of course, hundreds of rare and valuable cars to purchase or just oggle. Certainly, the oddest Motorworld exhibit space is a decomissioned railway car outside the main building in which I found the small loudspeaker manufacturer Airplain. (That’s right: A company called Airplain in a railway car at MotorWorld—trains, planes, and automobiles.) Their Model 5 (€20,000/pair) had an AMT tweeter positioned in a relatively tall but slender baffle above four 4” Purifi cones; the speaker delivered a satisfying rendition of my go-to orchestral test track, Bernard Haitink’s 2010 performance of the Allegretto from Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15. It was well worth the trek over from the MOC, though it will be nice to, presumably, have everything under one roof next year.

In Other News

I was told that the OePhi Reference 3, made in Denmark and heard in its near-finished form at High End 2025, will sell in North America for around $20,000 per pair. High frequencies are handled by a 1.5cm true ribbon tweeter that’s mounted in a sub-enclosure that protrudes from the main structure of the cabinet. Combined with a midrange driver and a pair of woofers sourced from Purifi, the system functions from 25 to 40,000Hz, providing an easy load for the hARtmonoblock amplifiers that were driving it via OePhi’s own cables. The simple oak finish was beautifully executed. Another prototype that seems promising is The Pylon Audio Amethyst Gamma, an all-out audiophile effort from an established Polish manufacturer. The speaker is striking in appearance—the enclosure is wood applied to a composite material. The drivers were designed in house and the sound was noteworthy for a complete lack of coloration and excellent front-to-back layering. The company representative steadfastly declined to give even a ballpark estimate of the expected price.

Among the most distinctive-looking products in any category were those from Once Custom Sound, a brand established in Turkey (I defy you to name another Turkish loudspeaker manufacturer.) These curvy, whimsically shaped transducers included the Nar, priced at €24,900/pair. Exotic as it appeared, the Nar is fairly conventional in its design, with drivers sourced from ScanSpeak— a 7” Illuminator paper cone woofer and a ¾” ring dome tweeter.

Among the strangest back stories I encountered at High End 2025 was that of the Indiana Line Utah 8 (€1650/pair). The brand came into being in the late 1970s in Salt Lake City and subsequently moved to Indiana. But it wasn’t economically feasible to make loudspeakers at a low price point in the U.S., and the company went under. It was subsequently resuscitated by an Italian firm, Alcor, who kept the name because it was felt that an American association would be good for sales. In 2006, the brand was taken over by another entity—Coral—and Indiana Line has established itself as one of the best known Italian loudspeaker brands (even if the typical owner has no idea where Indiana or Utah can be found on a map.) The Utah 8s may be pretty pedestrian looking but, sonically, they represent good value— a worthy consideration for a home-theater installation or in a fledgling audiophile’s first system.

Qobuz Connect

Well ahead of High End 2025, industry attendees were invited to a 90-minute press conference to be given by Qobuz, promising that a consequential announcement would be forthcoming. Although I secretly hoped that Qobuz might be telling the assembly about plans for streaming full-resolution immersive content—a Dolby TrueHD Atmos option—most in the audience of several hundred industry people were already aware that this would be the official roll-out of Qobuz Connect, a technology that’s been in the beta-testing phase for some time now, and aims to make the streaming experience more user-friendly.

Several representatives from the company recounted Qobuz’s history since its founding in 2007, contrasting its business model and operating practices to those of a certain malignant Goliath—Qobuz will never have a free, ad-supported subscription option, they pay the rights holders of the music they stream more generously, there’s an emphasis on non-compressed content—and reported on the growth of the service’s utilization in various markets. (The word “Spotify” wasn’t uttered for at least the first 20 minutes of the presentation.) Qobuz launched in the United States on Valentine’s Day, 2019, and American subscribers now account for 23% of Qobuz’s audience—more than in France, where the company is based. But there were some issues that could make using the service clunky, especially if a listener used multiple devices in the course of their music consumption.

Qobuz Control centralizes music control for subscribers, controlling playback with the Qobuz app, regardless of where the service is being used. It will be easy to switch between different devices—say, from a portable, headphone-based system to one’s serious indoor rig—without missing a beat, so to speak. The playback queue is synchronized across all of one’s devices, and optimal audio quality is assured. Access to all the editorial content, provided by the human curators that work for Qobuz, will be available, whatever device is being utilized. Around 60 hi-fi brands have already signed on and will be providing owners with the necessary firmware updates. The service is available to Quboz subscribers with the Studio or Sublime plans at no additional cost over what they’re currently paying.

Immersive Audio at High End 2025
The (Very) Good, the (Not too) Bad, and the Ugly

To this point, immersive audio demonstrations at audio shows have been a big disappointment, not making a good case at all to audiophiles with little or no experience with spatial music of any kind. There were four such demos at the Munich show, and I heard three of them; scheduling problems precluded my attending the one offered by Lyngdorf Audio, which I certainly regret.

Over at MotorWorld, Cabasse was playing a new product called The Pearl Theater. The system is “scalable,” in the sense that the user decides how many channels he or she wants. For $9990, one gets a 5.1.2 speaker complement—seven identical 7.5cm spherical satellites and a subwoofer, plus a versatile AV receiver and two peripheral 50-watt amplifiers that communicate wirelessly with the main unit to power the surround and height channels. The presentation began with Mad Max on screen, never a good sign, the high-ceilinged, rather reflective space progressively filling with automotive mayhem and explosions. On the video monitor, I noted a chamber music demo option, which I requested, to be rewarded with the most incoherent performance of (I think) Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet I’ve ever heard—too loud, with absolutely no sense of an ensemble playing together in a real space. I fled.

SVS did better in one of the small prefab listening rooms (“cabins”) in Halle 3. The 5.1.2 loudspeaker array (all SVS, of course) included two Ultra Evolution Titan floorstanders in front ($4000), an Ultra Evolution Center ($800), two Ultra Evolution Nanos ($900) for surrounds, two Ultra Evolution Elevations ($900) as height channels, and a pair of SB17-Ultra RIEvolution subwoofers ($2700 each.) The AV receiver was a Marantz Cinema 40 ($3500) and discs were played on a vintage Oppo. The demo began with a movie (A Star Is Born) but soon made its way to a Steve Wilson immersive mix that gave much more of a sense of the potential for spatial music to provide an audiophile experience.

But there was a full-bore immersive audio experience at High End 2025 for a lucky few who had planned ahead and signed up for Kii Audio’s demo in a large Black Box Theater kind of space, accessorized with abstract, dimly glowing sculptural forms suspended from the high ceiling. The small number of reserved spots had been long claimed by the time the show began (there were seats for 20 at a time and the Munich show reportedly had close to 23,000 visitors this year), but I showed up anyway on Friday morning to beg and plead. The guy at the door pointed to an empty seat in the back row and I sat down just as the lights were going down.

The 7.1.4 speaker array included a trio of Kii Three speakers for the front left, center, and right channels with BXT active bass stands, plus a total of eight Kii Sevens for the surrounds, rears, and four height channels. (The total estimated cost of the loudspeakers was €80,000.) A Lyngdorf MP60 processor ($15,600) sent signal to the powered speakers via Ethernet.

With only the dim illumination afforded by those hanging sculptures, the music began. I had no idea of what to expect but recognized it immediately—an audio show staple of recent years, “Liberty” by the Norwegian singer/pianist/songwriter Anette Askvik. Askvik’s pure, plaintive, unadorned vocal, sparingly accompanied by electric piano, cello, sax, and minimal percussion, filled the space completely, enveloping the audience in a sensual embrace. It was ineffably beautiful. A second song by the same artist followed, then the house lights came up to a round of appreciative applause. And there she was in a bright yellow dress—Askvik herself, along with the engineer responsible for the immersive mix. She spoke convincingly about how she felt the engineering we’d just experienced had advanced the musical meaning of her music.

The Pure Audio Blu-ray disc, which holds both 7.1.4 Atmos and Auro-3D versions of the program, as well as 5.1 DTS-HD and high-resolution LPCM stereo programs was on sale at a booth near the theater and I practically flung my credit card in the direction of the salesman without asking the price. This is progress. This is good.

ANDREW QUINT’S BEST OF SHOW

Best Sound (Cost no object)

The Clarisys Room. No question. This system, featuring the six module Clarisys Audio Atrium loudspeakers ($785,000) plus VAC electronics, an Accuphase DF75 active crossover, Pink Faun and Lampizator digital components, a Kronos/MySonic Lab analog front end, and AudioQuest cables, was bound to impress simply for its complexity, cost, and ability to render large-scale music without any suggestion of stress or compression. But it may have been the natural rendering of space that was most impressive: I felt as if I could get up from my seat and walk forward among the orchestral players or big band musicians I was listening to. Remarkably, the effect was just as good with small groups. This was as convincing a simulacrum of live music—any kind of live music—as I’ve ever heard.

Best Sound (Cost considered)

In the Real (Audio) World where most of us live, the capacity to play music that’s loud and low is an eternal challenge. If the family or condo association doesn’t constrain you, the typical listening room will. The speakers from Silent Pound—both the Bloom stand mount (€14,900) and the Challenger II floorstander (€28,000) take the room out of the equation, without any room treatment, to a remarkable degree.

Most Significant Trend

Maybe it was just some sort of sampling error but, 60 years after Oskar Heil invented the technology, it seems like utilization of Air-Motion Transformer (AMT) high-frequency drivers, is becoming increasing common. Even just a decade ago, they were sort of exotic. I don’t think I heard the word “beryllium” spoken once the entire weekend.

Most Random Demonstration Music Trend

For as long as I can remember, female jazz vocals have been the favorite genre in stereo stores and audio shows, so much so that it’s become a cliché. For some reason, deep-voiced men were all the rage in Munich. If I hear “16 Tons” one more time, I can’t be responsible for my actions. Is the antidote and hour or two of Nora and Diana?

The new Sub is an active design featuring audiophile electronics that include a powerful 1200 W amplifier. Its multiple parameters are controlled remotely via either an app installed on a smartphone or tablet, or via a dedicated web page. Multiple connection possibilities enable it to be integrated easily into a wide variety of audio systems as well as making it eminently suitable for high quality home cinema installations. 

The Alumine Sub adheres to Stenheim’s acclaimed design philosophy with an all-aluminium construction and ingenious internal chambering, which contains three distinct volumes. It also continues Stenheim’s track record of achieving truly surprising performance from comparatively modest external dimensions. This is thanks in no small part to the Sub’s clever isobaric design, which maintains a constant pressure between the two drivers to lower distortion levels and minimize the overall size. The acoustic alignment design also ensures superior dynamics throughout the frequency range, giving fast attack and response, characteristics that typify the Stenheim sound and breathe life into the music. 

The Alumine Sub will be shown at Munich High-End in the Stenheim room, Atrium 4.2 F213, and is already available to order. 

5000 R|Evolution subwoofer drivers are built to handle the most punishing playback while rendering even the subtlest sonic details with refinement at peak and moderate listening levels. The proprietary SVS design features a long-throw parabolic NBR surround for extreme excursion, sound pressure levels, and longevity. A lightweight and rigid glass fiber laminated dustcap moves massive amounts of air to create tactile sonic energy without sacrificing control.

Maximizing the driver’s potential is a first-ever 2,000 Watts Continuous, 5,000+ Watts Peak dual mono-block STA-2000D Class-D amplifier. Each amplifier powers one of the dual voice coils to increase the current into the motor while asserting pinpoint control and increasing output potential. Eight 60-amp 200-volt MOSFETs deliver near-limitless power to ensure peak performance with the most demanding content, with the benefit of Class D efficiency.

Given the amplifier’s output potential, SVS designers needed an equally capable power supply to accommodate the limits of a typical 15-amp home AC circuit. 5000 R|Evolution subwoofers have an answer for this, too. An onboard AC line conditioner with power factor correction stabilizes the incoming voltage, corrects waveform distortions, and eliminates electromagnetic and radio interference. By doing so, it continuously optimizes signal quality while ensuring the subwoofers remain impervious to voltage fluctuations.

While the benefits of DSP remain absent from many subwoofers on the market, SVS harnessed the fathomless power of the new amplifier platform with the most sophisticated DSP ever deployed in a home subwoofer to optimize all aspects of performance and usability. The 295MHz Analog Devices DSP orchestrates every function of the amplifier to shape in-room response and stabilize AC voltage delivery while managing a multi-point thermal and current monitoring system for optimal performance and efficiency. Advanced digital audio processing and DACs (Digital-to-Analog Converters) with 120 dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio provide greater headroom, lower noise, and acoustic linearity.

Calibration of the 5000 R|Evolution series is managed via the most comprehensive subwoofer control smartphone app available. The SVS app features controls for volume, low pass filter, phase, polarity, six parametric equalizers, room gain compensation, port tuning (PB-5000 R|Evolution only), power management settings, and more. There are also three convenient memory presets for fast and easy system adjustments to match your listening preferences.

“SVS has always been about bringing reference experiences to broader audiences. While other manufacturers are still chasing benchmarks we established with the flagship 17-Ultra R|Evolution Series, we raised the bar and redefined what is possible at even lower prices with the 5000 R|Evolution Series,” said Gary Yacoubian, SVS President. “From the performance specs to the advanced tuning and control and user experience, 5000 R|Evolution defines its class. The finest subwoofer technology available is now accessible to more audiophiles and home theater fans than ever.”

Quick specs and details on U.S. pricing are included below. Both models are now shipping in the US and will be available internationally within the next month.

• SB-5000 R|Evolution – sealed cabinet
  • Frequency Response:
    • 17Hz to 280Hz +/-3dB
  • Dimensions (w/ grille):
    • 18.3” (465mm) H x 17.8” (453mm) W x 19.5” (495mm) D
  • US MSRP:
    • Premium Black Ash: $1,999.99
    • Piano Gloss Black: $2,099.99
• PB-5000 R|Evolution – ported cabinet
  • Frequency Response:
    • 15Hz to 180Hz +/-3dB (standard mode – all ports open)
    • 13Hz to 180Hz +/-3dB (extended mode – 2 ports open)
    • 16Hz to 270Hz +/-3dB (sealed mode – all ports sealed)
  • Dimensions (w/ grille):
    • 23.4” (595mm) H X 20.5” (520mm) W X 28.7” (727mm) D
  • US MSRP:
    • Premium Black Ash: $2,499.99
    • Piano Gloss Black: $2,699.99

Finish options include Piano Gloss Black and Premium Black Ash finishes.

Coming soon to the 5000 R|Evolution subwoofers is Auto EQ Subwoofer Room Correction. Using the SVS app and the built-in microphone on a user’s smartphone, the feature applies equalization filters, capitalizes on available room gain, and optimizes in-room frequency response at main listening positions for optimal in-room performance. The simple process requires just a few steps and achieves pristine fidelity by resolving all the acoustic issues caused by your room in a few easy steps. Auto EQ Subwoofer Room Correction will be available via an over-the-air app and firmware update coming soon.

All SVS products are backed by a five-year unconditional warranty, 45-day in-home trial, fast and free shipping, expert lifetime support, SoundPoints loyalty program, and all the guarantees of the SVS Customer Bill of Rights.

McIntosh PS1K Subwoofer

At the heart of the massive new PS1K subwoofer are two 13″ drivers featuring McIntosh’s proprietary  Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP^®) Magnetic Circuit Design, which reduces distortion and improves power handling. The woofers incorporate multi-layer carbon-fiber cones for superior rigidity and resist flex even at high outputs. The PS1K is driven by two 500-watt Class D amplifiers. A sealed box design and nearly 1.5″-thick enclosure baffle assist to eliminate port noise and vibration. With balanced and unbalanced subwoofer connections, adjustable filters, and parametric EQ, it can be fine-tuned to suit individual listening environments and preferences. McIntosh’s signature  Power Guard^®  and  Sentry Monitor  technologies are built into the PS1K to protect against overloading and short circuits. Additionally, the PS1K’s eco-friendly signal-sensing and Power Control technology enhance convenience and power management. With a sleek high-gloss black finish, carbon trim, and an aluminum base.
Price: $35,000.  mcintoshlabs.com

REL T/7x

$1099

A special round of applause is due this mini-sub for music lovers. The T/7x is even faster and tighter than its forbear, yet remains tonally supple, with well-defined timbres. It’s also remarkably potent for a single, forward-firing 8″ driver augmented by a quick-reacting, downward-firing 10″ passive radiator (and a smooth 200W Class AB amp). The sumptuous high-gloss lacquered enclosure with aluminum accents has inputs for high-level Neutrik Speakon (cable included), plus low-level RCA and LFE. A little classic. NG, 265

GoldenEar SuperSub X

$1750

Almost impossibly small but packing dual active drivers and twin passive radiators plus 1500W of Class D DSP-controlled power, the little X captures the realism of the concert hall, imparting a well-anchored foundation that extends into the low-30Hz range (even touching the upper 20s). Bass is full-bodied and controlled and exhibits the requisite bloom and resonant sustain expected of a subwoofer in the bottom octaves. It will mate superbly with a wide range of compacts and smaller floorstanders and fit into almost any room. Home cinema anyone? You betcha. A subwoofer of estimable shock and slam and musical subtlety that’s also a bargain, to boot. NG, 286

JL Audio e110/e112

$1900–$2100/$2500–$2700 depending on finish

Before he got the hefty, little e110 with 10″ driver (the e112 comes with a 12″ woof), JV was anything but a fan of subwoofers, which always seemed to take more away in midrange transparency, tone color, and resolution than they paid back in bass-range extension, detail, and power. Crossed over at the right frequency—which is easy to do with the instructions that JL Audio provides and the unit’s manifold built-in controls—the e110 is the very first sub he’s heard that doesn’t screw up the sound of the main speaker. Rather it seems to extend that sound into the bottom octaves, producing the highest low-level resolution of bass timbres and textures from any transducer of his experience. JV, 244; RH, 252

GoldenEar SuperSub XXL

$2750

Sandy Gross, the founder of GoldenEar, has crammed an astounding amount of technology into this fairly diminutive subwoofer, including a 1600W switching amplifier that is controlled by a 56-bit DSP device operating at 192kHz. Add two 12″ long-throw active drivers and two infrasonic drivers and you have a recipe for a powerful, bone-crushing sub. No matter the source material—rock, pop, or classical—the XXL will deliver a deep and tuneful foundation that helps create an airier and wider soundstage. There are faster and more powerful subwoofers out there (at three to four times the cost) but the XXL will never produce less than satisfying performance in almost any audio system. JHb, 264

Built for Versatility and Seamless Integration

Designed to complement McIntosh speakers but versatile enough for any high-end system, the PS1K offers flexible inputs and outputs to easily integrate with any stereo or home theater setup. With balanced and unbalanced subwoofer connections, adjustable filters, and parametric EQ, it can be fine-tuned to suit individual listening environments and preferences.

Protection and Longevity in Every Detail

McIntosh’s signature Power Guard® and Sentry Monitor technologies are built into the PS1K to protect against overloading and short circuits, ensuring reliable, long-term performance. Additionally, the PS1K’s ecofriendly signal sensing and Power Control technology enhance convenience and power management.

A Visual and Sonic Statement

With a sleek high-gloss black finish, carbon trim, and an aluminum base, the PS1K not only performs at the highest level but also looks stunning. Glide feet for hard floors and spikes for carpets ensure stable placement in any room.

AVAILABILITY, PRICING & ASSETS

The PS1K is available in late October 2024 through authorized McIntosh dealers with an MSRP $35,000 USD / $50,000 CAD / €41,999 EUR including VAT / £35,995 GBP including VAT.

Amplifier Power

Most subwoofers include an integral power amplifier. Such subwoofers are sometimes called “active” or “powered.” A subwoofer with no internal amplification is called a passive subwoofer. When looking at the amplifier power ratings, keep in mind that manufacturers don’t always adhere to the same criteria for specifying the amplifier’s output power. For example, some manufacturers will provide the RMS rating, which you can think of as the power the amplifier can produce continuously. By contrast, the peak-power rating indicates the amplifier’s output power for very short bursts. Consequently, two subwoofers made by different manufacturers may both be rated at “1000W,” but one of those ratings is RMS, or continuous power, while the other can produce that 1000W only on peaks. The first subwoofer’s amplifier is in reality much more powerful than the second subwoofer’s amplifier even though they look identical “on paper.” The amplifier-power specs in this directory were provided by the respective manufacturers, and thus include a mix of RMS and peak-power ratings. When looking at subwoofer amplifier power ratings, read the fine print.

Frequency Response

This is the range of frequencies the subwoofer can reproduce. In full-range speakers (not subwoofers) we’re interested in how low the speaker goes in the bass and how high in the treble. But with subwoofers, it’s the first number—bass extension—that’s more important. Just as manufacturers don’t rate their amplifier power using the same criteria, subwoofer manufacturers don’t adhere to the same standards when specifying a subwoofer’s frequency response. For example, two subs may both have the same frequency response specification of 28Hz–300Hz, but the output from one sub may be attenuated (reduced in level) by 3dB at 28Hz, while the second sub’s output at 28Hz may be attenuated by 10dB. The first sub will produce deeper bass than the second sub even though they have identical frequency-response specs. When a manufacturer publishes a tolerance along with the frequency response, such as ±3dB, you can be sure that it’s an honest measurement.

DSP

Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is the manipulation of audio signals by performing mathematical computation. DSP can be used in subwoofers to achieve flatter frequency response, and to correct for driver misbehavior. Some subwoofers include integral DSP room-correction, a feature that measures the response of the subwoofer in your particular room and then creates a custom filter that removes the peaks and dips in the frequency response at your listening position.

Wireless

Some subwoofers can be connected wirelessly to your audio system. This is a convenient feature if you plan to position the subwoofer at the back of a room or if a cable would have crossed a doorway or hall.

App Control

A new breed of subwoofers can be controlled by a smartphone app. Such controls include level, phase, equalization, and DSP.

JL Audio Fathom f110 v2/f112 v2/f113v2,   $4000/$5000/$6000

Wilson Audio Loke, $8950

Generating the sonic muscle behind the most powerful and highest fidelity SVS subwoofers ever is a unique dual mono-block STA-2800D Class-D amplifier with MOSFET output stage. Each amplifier drives one of the dual voice coils to increase the power into the motor while asserting pinpoint control and maximizing output potential. Eight 60 Amp 200 Volt MOSFETs deliver extreme high current for reference-level output with maximum efficiency.

Given the amplifier’s output potential, SVS designers needed an equally capable power supply to accommodate the limits of a typical 15-amp home AC circuit.17-Ultra R|Evolution subwoofers have an answer for this too. An onboard AC line conditioner with power factor correction stabilizes the incoming voltage, corrects waveform distortions, and eliminates electromagnetic and radio interference. By doing so, it continuously optimizes signal quality while ensuring the subwoofers remain impervious to voltage fluctuations.

While DSP remains absent from many subwoofers in the market, SVS integrated the most sophisticated DSP ever to optimize all aspects of performance and usability. The 295MHz Analog Devices DSP orchestrates every function of the amplifier to shape in-room response and stabilize AC voltage delivery while managing a multi-point thermal and current monitoring system for optimal performance and efficiency. In addition, advanced digital audio processing and DACs (Digital-to-Analog Converters) with 120 dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio provide greater headroom, lower noise, and pristine fidelity.

Calibration of the 17-Ultra R|Evolution series is managed via the most comprehensive subwoofer control smartphone app available. The SVS app features controls for volume, low pass filter, phase, polarity, six parametric equalizers, room gain compensation, port tuning (PB17-Ultra R|Evolution only), power management settings, and more. There are also three convenient memory presets for fast and easy system adjustments to match your listening preferences.

Also new to the 17-Ultra R|Evolution subwoofers is the intuitive Auto EQ Subwoofer Room Correction. Using the SVS app and the built-in microphone on a user’s smartphone, the feature applies equalization filters, capitalizes on available room gain, and optimizes in-room frequency response at main listening positions for optimal in-room performance. The simple process requires just a few steps and achieves pristine fidelity by resolving all the acoustic issues caused by your room in a few easy steps. Auto EQ Subwoofer Room Correction will be available via an over-the-air app and firmware update coming soon.

“SVS is a restless company. We are never satisfied with making modest improvements just for the sake of launching a new product,” said Gary Yacoubian, SVS President. “That restlessness is what fueled the top to bottom advancements of our flagship 17-Ultra R|Evolution subwoofers. Literally every part of the ecosystem was reimagined to achieve an unprecedented level of low frequency performance and world class user experience. They truly represent a quantum leap forward in subwoofer design and I could not be prouder of what our team accomplished.”

Details and U.S. pricing are below, both models are now shipping in the US.

• SB17-Ultra R|Evolution – sealed cabinet – $2,499.99
• PB17-Ultra R|Evolution – ported cabinet – $2,999.99

Finish options include Piano Gloss Black and Premium Black Oak Wood Veneer finishes.

All SVS products are backed by a five-year unconditional warranty, 45-day in-home trial, fast and free shipping, expert lifetime support, SoundPoints loyalty program, and all the guarantees of the SVS Customer Bill of Rights.