Subwoofers — Ascendo SUB1-S

The SUB1-S is a passive subwoofer from Ascendo, the German loudspeaker company with production in Franconia, and pairs the SUB1 cabinet with a dedicated stainless steel base. Ascendo listed it as a bass extension for its System M and System Z floorstanders, and an SE version was offered as the partner for the SE reference versions of those speakers. An ACTIVE package added one DNA 1000.2 HE amplifier, or the HE.SE for the SUB1-S.SE ACTIVE, and the model now appears on the company's product history page among earlier designs.

Key specs that matter

Ascendo describes the principle as a passive bandpass-supported subwoofer. The internal driver is a 28 cm chassis with a HexaCone honeycomb membrane, the same size and membrane type as the inner bass chassis of the System M-S. Nominal impedance is 6 ohm, and power handling is 650 W programme minimum when the sub is integrated into a system. The cabinet on its own is 40 cm wide, 55 cm high and 65 cm deep, at 34 kg. With the base fitted the sub grows to 45 x 63 x 65 cm and 56 kg, and the base alone is 45 x 6 x 65 cm and 22 kg. Standard cabinet finish is black piano lacquer, other piano lacquer colours can be ordered, and the base is polished to a high gloss.

Engineering and use context

Placing the driver inside the enclosure and loading it through a bandpass chamber keeps the cone out of sight behind the cabinet front. The SUB-S base combines polished stainless steel with stainless steel and ceramic decouplers, so the heavy cabinet is isolated from the floor rather than resting on it directly. Si-Wiring terminals mean a single pair of speaker cables per sub.

Pairing

Because the passive SUB1-S has no amplifier of its own, it needs a separate channel able to drive its load. In the ACTIVE package that role goes to the DNA 1000.2 HE, a DSP amplifier that Ascendo rates at 1,000 W sinus when bridged to mono, and which can instead run as a 2 x 500 W stereo or double-mono unit. Both input and output channels can be adjusted on it, it is operated from a web browser, and it can pass audio over the AVB network to other Ascendo amplifiers, active speakers and subwoofers. The amplifier housing is 360 x 155 x 255 mm.

Alternatives

The Ascendo SMSG 15 is a fully active sealed subwoofer with a 38 cm neodymium driver and a built-in amplifier.