Audio Video News

Big speaker boxes are the bane of interior decorators. They've been battling with audiophiles for decades. Home theater, with its reliance on huge powered subwoofers to create realistic bass, has expanded the war.

To the rescue comes Atlantic Technology, with a THX-Ultra certified subwoofer designed to go in the wall, leaving floor space open. It's also designed to deliver big bass---without a big box.

Atlantic Technology has introduced the world¹s first in-wall subwoofer system that meets stringent THX Ultra requirements. Measuring 84" H x 14" W x 3.5" D, the Sub 8 fits into a 2x4 studded wall cavity. A grille approximately 18" x 9" covers the woofer module and protrudes only 1.5" from the surface of the finished sheetrock. Great bass is made possible by "painstaking acoustic design and the use of sophisticated electronic processing make this the most flexible subwoofer on the market," states a December 26 announcement. The Sub 8 has been cleverly designed to accommodate "both correction of room acoustic anomalies, and variations in the bass response of different program materials."

The Sub 8's rigidly-braced MDF enclosure should be fitted into the space between normal 2" x 4" studs before the sheetrock is applied to the wall. Each assembly includes dual 8-inch long-throw woofers with stiff composite molded graphite cones, the pair offering the equivalent drive area of a single 12" woofer, but with better control and lower distortion. Each 8" woofer has a 1.5" vented voice coil in an eight pound motor, driven by an SA 700 THX Ultra servo controlled amplifier/parametric equalizer, delivering 350 watts RMS to each of the two channels.

The Sub 8's response can be carefully tailored for the room it's in thanks to a single band parametric equalizer that can be set to attenuate any problem frequency between 25 Hz and 125 Hz, and a four-position phase control (0, 90, 180,and 270 degrees), said to be "remarkably effective in dealing with interactions between the subwoofer(s)." Five preset EQ curves are claimed to enhance both music and soundtrack reproduction, and a "late night" listening curve (ie, lowered volume) alters the bass response by boosting the mid-bass frequencies. Setup and use is easy with the supplied infrared remote control A test and calibration CD is included with each subwoofer system.

A single woofer is also available with a dedicated single-channel SA 350 unit, rated at 350 Watts RMS. Input to each Sub 8 is via RCA line level or speaker level input. Prices: A single Sub 8 and SA 350 amplifier will sell at approximately $2200. The THX Ultra, dual Sub 8 and SA 700 combination will be $3600.