Сабвуферы — Vandersteen Audio V2W

The V2W is a powered subwoofer from Vandersteen of Hanford, California, and one of two models in the company's 2W series. Where its sibling takes a high-level feed from a power amplifier, the V2W accepts line-level signals only and is aimed at home theatre systems in which a processor or receiver sends bass to a dedicated subwoofer channel. It is made in the USA and listed from USD 4,260 each.

Key specs that matter

Three 8-inch drivers with critically damped long-fibre cones and butyl rubber surrounds share the work. Each uses a heavy-duty 1.5-inch four-layer voice coil built to cope with high temperatures and a 1.13 kg high-gauss magnet structure. A 300 W amplifier with no current limiting powers them. Output is 3 dB down at 20 Hz and at 80 Hz. The enclosure measures 457 x 470 x 432 mm and weighs 36 kg net.

Engineering and use context

The built-in amplifier uses feed-forward error correction, a technique intended to cancel distortion before it reaches the drivers rather than correcting it afterwards through conventional feedback. The cabinet is made of medium density fibreboard, and its internal bracing was refined through FFT analysis and listening tests to reduce panel resonances. Vandersteen specifies a first-order crossover at 80 Hz on the subwoofer side, with an external high-pass filter placed between preamplifier and power amplifier and matched to the power amplifier input impedance. A level control lets the output be matched to main speakers rated anywhere between 82 dB and 100 dB sensitivity.

Pairing

Signal arrives through an RCA line-level input connected to the sub out of a theatre receiver or processor, and banana plugs are included in the box. Both a normal and an inverted phase input are provided, and the sensitivity control means the subwoofer output on a digital processor can be left near the top of its range. Vandersteen suggests two kinds of partner. Large main speakers work best when their frequency and phase response extends at least an octave below the crossover point, while smaller speakers with limited bass extension gain the most from having the lowest octaves handed off to the subwoofer. In larger multichannel setups Vandersteen describes using a V2W for the LFE channel while four or more high-level 2Wq units take the bass of the main and surround channels.

Alternatives

The Vandersteen 2Wq is the high-level sibling in the series and adds a bass contour control that sets Q between 0.5 and 1.2.