Foreword / YouTube Video Review
This speaker was loaned to me for review by the manufacturer. The manufacturer did not see the review before public release. If you are interested in purchasing these, please consider doing so through the below affiliate link:
The review on this website is a brief overview and summary of the objective performance of this speaker. It is not intended to be a deep dive. More so, this is information for those who prefer “just the facts” and prefer to have the data without the filler.
However, for those who want more - a more detailed explanation of the objective performance, and my subjective evaluation (what I heard, what I liked, etc) - please watch the below video where I go more in-depth. Additionally, my CEA-2010 test results can be viewed directly via my Google Sheet here.
Information
The current price for this subwoofer is $1199 USD direct from the manufacturer.
- Woofer 12.2”
- Enclosure Vented
- Enclosure material High Density Fiberboard (HDF)
- Amplifier Avalanche 550IQ, 550W RMS
- Power cable 1.5 meters
- Frequency response
- EQ1 16-200Hz (+/-3dB)
- EQ2 20-200Hz (+/-3dB)
- Dimensions without feet 54.5H x 39.0W x 50.0D cm
- Dimensions with feet 55.7H x 39.0W x 50.0D cm
- Weight 36.1 kg
Test Setup/Conditions:
All measurements - other than CEA-2010 - are provided as full-space anechoic @ 1 meter. This means frequency response, distortion and group delay were taken outdoors with the SPL referenced to a distance of 1 meter.
Frequency Response
The below shows the response in (4) different modes:
- Sealed EQ1
- Sealed EQ2
- Ported EQ1
- Ported EQ2
Both EQ1 (sealed and ported) modes yield the more linear response with the -3dB at approximately 35Hz (if referenced to 100Hz, given the response trends downward from here). While vented mode does provide about 1dB more output there is little difference otherwise (for example, the rolloff rate is practically the same). If needing to cross this subwoofer up to 150Hz make sure to note the mild resonance at this frequency.
Group Delay Comparison
Max SPL / Compression
The following test was ran at 3 input voltages:
- 0.01 Volt RMS
- 0.10 Volt RMS
- 2.50 Volt RMS
The frequency response of each is provided below for comparison and understanding of the built-in limiting function that typically attenuates low frequency with higher SPL.
Max SPL is approximately 107dB @ 1m free-field (not groundplane). You can see the max output compresses below 50Hz, increasing in compression going lower in frequency. In this case, compared to the blue line at 84dB, the max SPL is attenuated approximately 5dB at 30Hz and ~8dB at 20Hz.
Distortion at Max SPL
CEA-2010 Test Results
CEA-2010-A: Weighted and Limited Maximum Peak SPL (dB) SPL referenced to 2-meters in Half Space (2 pi)
Speaker | 12.5 Hz | 16 Hz | 20 Hz | 25 Hz | 31.5 Hz | 40 Hz | 50 Hz | 63 Hz | 80 Hz | 100 Hz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arendal 1961 1V | No Test | 101.8 | 104.3 | 107.2 | 111.3 | 113.5 | 116.1 | 117.2 | 117.3 | 116.2 |
Note: All the above data is from my spreadsheet which can viewed directly here.
Parting / Random Thoughts
Good output with most potent output being above 40/50Hz. Many DSP features to tailor the sound for your room without the absolute need for external DSP (though, of course the latter would provide finer tuning capability wrt equalization).
Support / Contribute
If you find this review helpful and want to help support the cause that would be AWESOME! There are a few ways you can do so below. Your support helps me pay for new items to test, hardware, miscellaneous items needed for testing, new speakers to review and costs of the site’s server space and bandwidth. Any help is very much appreciated.
Join my Patreon: Become a Patron!
Shopping
If you are shopping at any of the following stores then please consider using my generic affiliate links below to make the purchase through.
Purchases through these links can earn me a small commission - at no additional cost to you - and help me continue to provide the community with free content and reviews. Doesn’t matter if it’s a TV from Crutchfield, budget speakers from Audio Advice or a pair of socks from Amazon, just use the link above before you make your purchase. Thank you!