Сабвуферы — Nola Nola Subwoofer

The Nola Subwoofer is the powered low-frequency unit from Nola, the loudspeaker brand of Accent Speaker Technology in the USA. Nola introduced it at CES 2016 as the bass section of the Brio Trio, a three-piece package in which it works under a pair of compact open baffle satellites, and it can equally be added to other main speakers in a stereo or multichannel system.

Key specs that matter

The unit uses one 8-inch long-throw driver with high power handling, mounted in a sealed enclosure. It is driven by a built-in Class A/B amplifier rated at 250 watts. Rated response runs from 28 Hz to 180 Hz at -3 dB. The cabinet measures 30.5 x 30.5 x 43.2 cm, with a weight of about 18 kg. The Brio Trio package, subwoofer and satellite pair together, was priced at USD 3,500 in gloss black.

Engineering and use context

Nola chose Class A/B for the amplifier instead of the Class D topology that most powered subwoofers use, and the circuit is a smaller version of the amplifier fitted to the larger Nola T Bolt subwoofer. Level and crossover frequency are both continuously variable, with the crossover adjustable between 40 Hz and 180 Hz at a slope of 24 dB per octave. A switchable EQ adds 6 dB at 35 Hz, and a phase switch helps align the output with the main speakers. Because the enclosure is sealed and all radiation is front firing, Nola states that the unit is flexible in where it can be placed in the room.

Pairing

Both line-level RCA and speaker-level inputs are provided, so the subwoofer can take a signal from a preamplifier output or straight from the speaker terminals when the amplifier in use lacks a subwoofer output. A single unit can combine both channels of a two-channel system into one bass channel, while two units can be used to keep the bass in stereo. The high crossover ceiling makes the unit a match for small satellites or bookshelf speakers whose own low-frequency reach ends well above the subwoofer range.

In its original Brio Trio role it sits under two satellites measuring 30.5 x 14 x 14 cm, which weigh about 5.4 kg as a pair, have 90 dB sensitivity and an 8 ohm impedance. Each satellite combines an open baffle mounting with an enclosure-mounted driver in what Nola calls a 1.5-way layout, and the complete three-piece system is rated from 28 Hz to 20 kHz.

Alternatives

The larger Nola T Bolt subwoofer uses a bigger version of the same Class A/B amplifier design.