Frequency response (at 2 meters) Front left/right: 96 Hz to 20 kHz ±4.8 dB Subwoofer: 17 Hz to 163 Hz ±3.0 dB

Sensitivity (SPL at 1 meter with 2.8 volts of pink-noise input) Front left/right: 90 dB

Impedance (minimum/nominal) Front left/right: 3.4/4 ohm

Bass limits (lowest frequency and maximum SPL with limit of 10% distortion at 2 meters in a large room) Front left/right: 40 Hz at 79 dB Subwoofer: LFE 20 Hz at 83 dB

101 dB average SPL from 25 to 62 Hz 107 dB maximum SPL at 50 Hz Bandwidth Uniformity 94%

All of the curves in the frequency-response graph are weighted to reflect how sound arrives at a listener's ears with normal speaker placement. Measurements were made at a full 2 meters with the SCS4 on a 6-foot stand, which gives anechoic results to 200 Hz including full effects of cabinet diffraction and front panel reflections.

The SCS4 has falling low frequency response yet is still capable of providing low distortion sound pressure at 40 Hz. Directivity is tightly controlled, but basic response shows an octave-wide dip of 5 dB between 4 and 8 kHz and a 1.5-dB elevation between 500 and 1,500 Hz. Impedance is relatively low but shouldn't present a problem to most electronics. The SS1 Smartsub Bass Limits were measured with it placed in the optimal corner of a 7,500-cubic-foot room. In a smaller room, users can expect 2 to 3 Hz deeper extension and up to 3 dB higher sound-pressure level (SPL). Bass Limits and frequency response were tested with both the LFE Input and the Passive Crossover.

The subwoofer has relatively extended low frequency extension at low sound pressure levels but its overall dynamics are just average. The Passive Crossover begins rolling off response by 12 dB per octave at 75 Hz, which reduces upper bandwidth artifacts by about 15 dB. The Sidewall response function simply increases output centered on 32 Hz by 1.9 dB at the 1.0 position, 3.4 dB at 1.5, 4.0 dB at 2.0, and 4.2 dB at 2.5. In a similar fashion, the Rear Wall function increases output over the whole subwoofer bandwidth by 2.2 dB at the 0.5 position, 3.6 dB at the 1.0, 4 dB at 1.5, and 4.2 dB at 2.0. Bass Limits were essentially identical using either the LFE Input or the Passive Crossover, although there was some difference in the frequency of maximum SPL (107 dB @ 32 Hz for Passive and 107 dB at 50 Hz for LFE) between the two inputs.

- Tom Nousaine