While some may say that adding a subwoofer to an electrostatic full-range speaker system is blasphemy (or at least created smeared and disconnected midrange tones), but MartinLogan is here to prove you wrong with its flagship subwoofer, the Descent I, which features the company's proprietary TriLinear, Balanced Force driver configuration and advanced triple-servo monitoring and control system.Weighing a substantial 105 lbs, the Descent i Subwoofer from MartinLogan has three amplifiers which peak out a system total 2100W, though with the three amps at a much lower 250W each, the total harmonic distortion (THD) is already at 0.24%.  These three amps feed into three identical drivers -- high-performance 10" aluminum cones -- which are mounted precisely 120 degrees apart from each other.  The idea here is that their individual reaction force vectors will exactly cancel, all but eliminating cabinet resonance and ...

Velodyne Acoustics is arguably the most well known subwoofer manufacturer in the world.  In the early 1980’s, a Velodyne subwoofer was simply the subwoofer to own.  If you wanted the best subwoofer made, you purchased a Velodyne - end of story.  At that time, the Velodyne ULD Series set the standard in subwoofer design and everyone soon wanted to purchase the big subwoofer that looked like a coffee table.  By the time the 1990’s rolled around, home theater became all the rage and Dolby Digital and DTS, both 5.1 configurations with left front, center front, right front, left surround, right surround, and a separate low frequency effects (LFE) channel for deep bass, almost made owning a subwoofer mandatory.   Subwoofer demand grew, but subwoofer cabinet size began to shrink.  Companies like Velodyne started to design compact subwoofers with output levels that ...

A friend of mine likes to tell the story of someone who has too much money. It seems he had an acquaintance who was planning on upgrading a home theater system and wanted to jettison his old gear quickly. Instead of trying to sell it – or even donate it – he was just going to push it all to the curb and let any interested party have dibs. The first to go was a Velodyne subwoofer that had nary a blemish. When my buddy heard the news, he soon paid a visit and came away with a sweet subwoofer and not a dollar lighter. That same speaker has been proudly pumping out the bass for more than three years in its new home. Oh, were it always that easy to “adopt” speakers. When I received Velodyne's Optimum-10 subwoofer, I ...

The Dynamo 1000 is the largest subwoofer in the Dynamo line, and is especially suited for those with larger viewing rooms.  As the name implies, MartinLogan’s massive sub has a peak output of a full 1,000 watts, double that of the 500 watt RMS.  Designed with efficiency in mind, the Dynamo 1000 uses variable audio tracking power supplies to drive its class AB output stage.  MartinLogan says that this not only provides lower distortion and less noise than a traditional class D amp, but that it delivers a true 500 watts of continuous power. MartinLogan uses what they call an advanced-technology driver in tandem with a 12 inch diaphragm to deliver sound with high clarity and a low amount of distortion.  The cone is a poly material that blends with MartinLogan’s electrostatic panel and Advanced Thin-Film technologies. MartinLogan’s Dynamo 1000 boasts a ...

Polk’s DSW Pro 600, the spiritual successor to the much beloved PSW 505 sub, is a powered subwoofer capable of working in both front-firing and down firing modes. The DSW Pro 600 is the most powerful sub in Polk’s DSW Pro line.  It sports a 12” woofer comprised of Composite Polypropylene Cones, and rubber, rather than foam surrounds.  The MDF constructed cabinet is heavily braced to ensure a minimum of cabinet boom, and the slot loaded port helps to eliminate unwanted air noises. A 250 watt continuous (500 watt peak) amplifier powers the Pro 600.  The DSW series uses what Polk refers to as an Intelligent Digital Amplifier, which cuts down on the amount of power used while operating at low volumes or in standby mode. The DSW Pro 600 also utilizes Feed Forward anti-distortion technology to help cut down on unwanted ...