Сабвуферы — ELAC Varro RS500

The Varro RS500 is the compact model of ELAC's Reference series within the Varro subwoofer family, sold as the RS500-SB in satin black. The Reference pair sits between the vented PS models and the Dual Reference designs, and the RS500 arrived in March 2023 at USD 1,299.98, or EUR 1,299 in Europe. The family was engineered under ELAC chief technology officer Joe Riggi, and ELAC takes the Varro name from a Latin term meaning durable and strong.

Key specs that matter

A single 10-inch woofer with a HEX surround and a sandwich aluminium cone is housed in a closed box. Its BASH amplifier is specified at 500 W RMS into 4 ohm and twice that for peaks. ELAC specifies 18 to 150 Hz anechoic and 15 to 150 Hz in room, with a maximum SPL of 108 dB at 1 m. The low-pass range spans 40 to 150 Hz. The cube measures 381 mm in height, 360 mm in width and 387 mm in depth and weighs 20.8 kg. Standby use is under 2 W.

Engineering and use context

The HEX surround is meant to give the cone more linear excursion with lower distortion, and the voice coil grows to 2.5 inches from the 2 inches of the PS models. Sealing the box instead of porting it gives a smaller cabinet for the same driver, and the extra amplifier power makes up for the loss of port output. The rear panel carries RCA line inputs, a speaker level input, a 12 V trigger, an Ethernet socket for integration with home automation, a USB socket for software updates and a wireless pair button. A built-in receiver works with the ELAC AirX2 transmitter, and up to three subwoofers can be paired with one transmitter. To make the trigger active, the power mode must be switched to 12 V in the ELAC Sub Control 3.0 app, after which any input between 5 and 12 V powers the amplifier and 0 V turns it off. The same app sets phase, delay, crossover and presets. Four spikes, a grille and a power cord come in the box. New firmware is copied to a FAT32 USB stick and installs automatically when the subwoofer is switched on with the stick inserted. Assembly takes place in China to an ELAC design, and ELAC Americas gives one year of warranty in North America.

Pairing

A speaker level input means the RS500 can join a stereo system built around an integrated or power amplifier that has no pre-out - the amplifier's speaker terminals feed both the sub and the main speakers. In a cinema setup, one RCA cable from the receiver's sub pre-out is enough. The small footprint suits bookshelf speakers in rooms of about 20 m2.

Alternatives

The ELAC Varro RS700 is the larger Reference model, pairing a 12-inch woofer with 700 W RMS and 111 dB maximum output.