Subwoofers — Loewe KLANG SUB5

The klang sub5 is the larger of the two wireless subwoofers in Loewe's klang audio family, intended to add a home cinema bass foundation to a Loewe television or soundbar. The design avoids a single large cone and instead uses a round, drum-shaped body with a 360 degree layout, wrapped in basalt grey acoustic fabric and topped with a lacquered stainless steel plate. List prices have been GBP 599 in the UK and about EUR 736 in Europe.

Key specs that matter

Six drivers of 6 inches each are fitted around the circumference - two active woofers and four passive radiators - giving a total diaphragm area of more than 1,000 cm2. A Class D amplifier supplies 180 W RMS, stated by Loewe as 360 W total music power. The acoustic frequency range is 35 Hz to 150 Hz at plus or minus 3 dB, while the electrical range of the amplifier stage runs from 10 Hz to 200 Hz within 1 dB. Total harmonic distortion is given as below 1 percent at 1 W. The enclosure measures 380 mm wide, 214 mm high and 380 mm deep and weighs 8.8 kg.

Engineering and use context

Loewe chose a multi-driver array over a single large woofer, placing the units in a hexagonal, point-symmetrical arrangement, so the moving masses on opposite sides work against each other and cancel reaction forces. Loewe claims this makes the cabinet free of vibration and oscillation at roughly half the size of a conventional subwoofer design. The enclosure is a closed type loaded by the passive membranes rather than a port, and the maker cites a high level of damping inside. Signal arrives through the Loewe Wireless Digital Audio Link, a proprietary radio connection that the company describes as lossless and free of latency, jitter and echo even with Dolby Atmos material from the soundbar, so the sub needs only a mains cable and can be placed anywhere in the room. Several units can be used together in larger spaces, and the felt side wrap uses an acoustically transparent fabric.

Pairing

Loewe lists the klang bar3 mr and klang bar5 mr as the soundbars that pair with the sub5 over the wireless link, and compatible Loewe TVs can feed it directly without a bar. For other equipment there is a 3.5 mm input, and a source with RCA outputs needs an RCA to 3.5 mm cable.

Alternatives

The Loewe klang sub1 is the smaller wireless subwoofer in the same range, rated at 160 W music power from two 4 inch woofers and four 4 inch passive radiators.