Size matters

By Anonymous -

 B&W ASW855 15" Powered Subwoofer

Sometimes in life, we have to find things out the hard way. We all hope to have a perfect track record of learning from others’ mistakes or heeding the advice of the experienced, but something about the human spirit spurs us to trust only what we can measure and analyze.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but I tried for the longest time to get an 8” subwoofer to make enough bass in my listening room. And like asking grass to not be green (Purple Hulls reference), I was expecting the mighty little wonder to do things he simply couldn’t. My measurement and analysis of my own happiness about my system was that I was not happy about it.

I could have paid attention to the myriad articles, forum posts and conversational advice online about subwoofers, and I could have enjoyed benefits of using a large driver for the task.

I don’t know what it is about me. I guess I’m pretty stubborn with some things. I thought that if I tried an exotic design or implement a bunch of DSP and tack on a very powerful amp that I could make this little cone push some serious air.

And to an extent, my tweaks did push the limits of what the 8-incher can do.

But then I came to work one day and tested a 15” B&W ASW855 subwoofer that is about half the size of my coffee table.

And I learned the lesson. I heard it for myself. People, hear me now: Bass waves are huge. You need a huge driver to properly load a large room with accurate bass. Period!!

It’s always going to be a balance between acceptable size of the subwoofer box for domestic tranquility, and acceptable size of the driver for best sound.

B&W knows this game well. That’s why they put a state-of-the-art, beefy 15” driver into a curvaceous, stunning cabinet like we have here. The lines on the corners help it to look smaller than it is, and the lovely wood finish seems like it would jibe with a lot of decor motifs.

I’d could wrap this blog up with hyperbolic superlatives for the sound quality, calling it “subterranean,” “earth shattering,” “soul rattling” or “vomit-inducing” but that’s not what we’re after in an audiophile subwoofer. A jackhammer in the living room could pull off that kind of unmusical spectacle, as could the LFE channel on a popular Blu-Ray blockbuster.

No, this subwoofer is more refined that that, and it sounds as powerful and graceful as it looks. Truly one of the best sealed subs I’ve listened to or tested here at The Music Room.

Hear it for yourself when you bring this gorgeous “Cherrywood” beauty into your music chamber. I won’t even say I told you so.


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