Сабвуферы — VAF Research Gravitas 12

The Gravitas 12 is a powered subwoofer handmade by VAF Research in Adelaide, Australia. It replaces the earlier Gravitas 0.5, and VAF describes the concept as the original Gravitas split in two so that each half fits into a normal living space. Like the rest of the VAF range it is made to order in the VAF workshop, with a wait of about 12 weeks from order to delivery. The Australian price is AUD 3,499 per unit in either Textured Black or Textured White.

Key specs that matter

A single 330 mm long-stroke woofer with a papyrus cone works in a bass reflex enclosure and is driven by a 500 W RMS digital amplifier with an integrated DSP engine. VAF gives a frequency range of 19 Hz to 250 Hz, with the -3 dB point at 19 Hz. The cabinet measures 380 mm wide, 525 mm high and 420 mm deep, and one unit weighs 26 kg. Connections include stereo or mono line-level inputs and outputs on both XLR and RCA, a detachable IEC mains cord and signal-sensing auto on and off. Front-end controls cover variable phase, blend frequency, gain, a variable high-pass filter, a variable low-pass filter and parametric EQ. Coverage is a 1-year transferable guarantee on the whole unit and 3 years on the electronics.

Engineering and use context

VAF states that the papyrus long-stroke driver produces deeper and more linear low bass than the woofer in the old 0.5. Inside the cabinet, four partitions brace the walls so that no panel is left unsupported over a span of more than 130 mm. To give a sense of scale, VAF calculates that when reproducing the lowest note of a four-string bass at full output, one Gravitas 12 moves over 5,000 litres of air in less than 60 seconds. The programmable DSP adds a multi-layer digital compression minimiser and phase optimisation. The outputs are buffered at unity gain, so several subwoofers can be daisy-chained on one line-level feed - VAF supports 2 up to 10 units in its Multi Point Bass (MPB) approach, which spreads low frequencies more evenly across a room than a single box.

Pairing

The unit accepts the LFE signal from a surround receiver or processor in a home theatre, or a stereo line feed from a preamplifier. For stereo use the digital high-pass output lets the Gravitas 12 act as an active crossover, taking the deepest bass away from the main loudspeakers so that their amplifier and woofers carry less of the bass load. Two or more units in an MPB layout suit larger rooms or multichannel setups.

Alternatives

The VAF MPB SW4 MKII is a smaller and less costly subwoofer in the current VAF range.