Сабвуферы — AUER ACOUSTICS Gravis SU18

The Gravis SU18 is the bigger of the two powered bass units that AUER ACOUSTICS of Amerang in Bavaria introduced alongside its first loudspeaker families. The company, set up in 2021 by entrepreneur Robert Auer and originally trading as RA Acoustics, showed the Gravis pair together with the Magna and Parabola towers at the Hifideluxe exhibition in the Munich Marriott hotel on 10 to 12 May 2024. At launch the SU18 cost EUR 11,000 each.

Key specs that matter

An 18-inch woofer is the core of the design, powered by an amplifier module rated at 1,000 W. Signal processing is handled by an onboard DSP, and the enclosure is fully closed, the same principle AUER applies to every speaker it builds, including the towers it was designed to accompany. Like its smaller sibling, it follows the front-fire principle, with the driver radiating directly from the face of the cabinet.

Engineering and use context

The enclosure is cut from solid Panzerholz, known in English as tankwood. AUER describes it as a material produced under very high pressure that joins the qualities of natural wood with the precision and uniformity of synthetic material technology. The maker chose it to obtain low-resonance cabinets with the smallest possible tolerances and high stability over many years. Each speaker is assembled by hand at the Amerang manufactory, and the material for every part of a cabinet is selected according to its acoustic requirement. AUER credits the use of DSP control in a sealed box for the ability of the Gravis subwoofers to work well in many different rooms. Before starting the loudspeaker business, Robert Auer built up a manufacturer of plastic transport and storage products, and today he leads research and development at AUER ACOUSTICS himself.

Pairing

The two Gravis models were created to support the Magna and Parabola ranges, which together with them made up a first catalogue of seven models. The Magna R2 and R3 are semi-active floorstanders with integrated subwoofers, launched at EUR 58,000 and EUR 70,000 per pair. On the R3, two rear-mounted 32 cm Revelator woofers under DSP control reach 20 Hz at plus or minus 3 dB in a closed cabinet. The Parabola range completes the picture with three fully passive towers, the S1, S2 and S3, launched between EUR 20,000 and 40,000 per pair.

Alternatives

The AUER ACOUSTICS Gravis SU12 is the compact option, with a 12-inch driver, a 70 kg weight and a launch price of EUR 9,000 per unit.