Subwoofers — Monitor Audio Vestra W15

The Vestra W15 is the largest subwoofer in the Vestra series from Monitor Audio, the British loudspeaker maker active since 1972. It is an active design with a 381 mm driver, a class D amplifier and DSP equalisation, and it sits above the sealed Vestra W12. In the UK it sold for GBP 900. Monitor Audio gives a 5-year warranty, and two finishes are listed - Matte Black and Matte White.

Key specs that matter

Drive unit complement is one 381 mm high linear-excursion triple suspension driver with a C-CAM cone. Bass alignment is ported. Amplifier output is 500 W instantaneous (RMS) from a high-efficiency class D amplifier. Frequency response is 17 - 200 Hz (in-room, -6 dB), and maximum usable SPL is 117 dB peak (CTA-2010-B, Z-weighted, half-space). Its low-pass filter is variable from 32 to 200 Hz (-6 dB). Phase is selected by a 0° and 180° toggle switch. Input impedance is 47 kOhms. Power consumption is 120 W at one eighth of maximum output, and mains input is universal, 85 - 265 V AC at 50 - 60 Hz. External dimensions with all accessories fitted are 540 x 526 x 556 mm (H x W x D), and weight is 30.3 kg. A cloth-covered grille is supplied.

Engineering and use context

C-CAM stands for Ceramic Coated Aluminium Magnesium, the cone material Monitor Audio uses in this driver. According to the company, the triple-layer suspension gives greater control when the driver is driven to full excursion. A rigid, reflex-loaded enclosure houses the driver, whereas the smaller W12 uses a sealed box.

Equalisation is set in DSP, with three pre-set modes named Impact, Movie and Music. Auto music sensing switches the W15 on when the line-level signal exceeds 3 mV and returns it to standby after 20 minutes without signal. On the input side there are stereo unbalanced RCA sockets, an unbalanced RCA LFE input and a 12 V trigger input on a 3.5 mm mono jack.

Pairing

An AV receiver or processor connects to the LFE input. A stereo amplifier or preamplifier with line-level outputs connects to the stereo RCA inputs. A source with a 12 V trigger output can switch the subwoofer on and off. Monitor Audio lists the Bronze 300 7G floorstanding speaker and the Bronze Centre 7G as related products.

Alternatives

The Vestra W12 is the sealed model of the series, with a 305 mm driver, the same 500 W amplifier and a maximum SPL of 115 dB.