Subwoofers — Piega PS 101

The PS 101 is an active subwoofer from Piega SA of Horgen, Switzerland, built to add low bass under the brand's passive and wireless speakers or to take the LFE channel of a home cinema system. It uses a pair of woofers in a vented enclosure and carries its own amplifier and crossover, so it can be connected to almost any amplifier or AV receiver. The UK list price is GBP 2,600.

Key specs that matter

Two 220 mm LDB bass drivers do the work. Piega describes them as having a very low-loss suspension and a very stiff membrane that moves as a piston. The integrated amplifier is rated at 150 W RMS, with 300 W given as the peak figure. The lower limit of the frequency range is 28 Hz at minus 3 dB, and both the upper limit and the sensitivity are adjustable. The cabinet is 42 cm high, 36 cm wide and 40 cm deep, and it weighs 22 kg.

Engineering and use context

Piega calls the vented bass reflex layout of the cabinet highly efficient. The rear terminal field is laid out for three connection methods. A stereo line input takes a preamp signal, and a matching line output feeds the satellites through a high pass filter that can be set to 60, 80 or 100 Hz with a slide switch, chosen according to the size of those speakers. A separate LFE input skips the internal low pass stage, so the crossover knob has no effect when this input is used, and it is meant solely for a receiver's dedicated subwoofer output. Two pairs of high-level terminals accept speaker cables with or without banana plugs and pick up the amplified signal directly from the power amp outputs. On the panel are a level control, a crossover knob that sets the upper frequency limit, and a phase switch between 0 and 180 degrees to match the sub to the main speakers. An Auto On switch puts the unit in automatic standby, so the sub turns itself on with incoming music and back off once it ends, whereas in the On setting it stays powered permanently. The cabinet comes in silver, black or white varnish, each with a matching cover.

Pairing

An integrated amplifier without a pre out can still drive the PS 101 through the high-level inputs, while a preamplifier or streamer with line outputs can use the stereo line path and the built-in high pass to relieve small stand-mount speakers of deep bass. For home theatre, the LFE socket takes the receiver's sub channel, with crossover handled by the receiver.

Alternatives

The Piega Sub Medium is a sealed alternative in a round aluminium housing, using two 200 mm drivers driven by Class D electronics over a quoted range of 18 to 160 Hz.