The SW218XAV2 is a very high SPL-powered subwoofer system featuring some of the most advanced technologies for low-frequency reproduction. Its unique and innovative design is based on a configuration that can be defined as a Manifolded Transmission Line. It uses the manifold of the front side of the cones to maximize the mutual coupling between the two drivers while loading the back of the cone with a large-size transmission line that creates a transmission path from the back of the transducers to the front. This innovative configuration does not use any large resonant cavity to load the speaker to get the lower octave, significantly reducing pressure decay time inside the enclosure, with large advantages in terms of definition both at the lowest end and the upper bass. Its working principle is a hybrid combination of a short transmission line and an over-damped reflex load. Moreover, the maximization of the mutual coupling between the drivers increases the speed of the transient response while maximizing the overall energy efficiency.
Transducers
The SW218XAV2 subwoofer system is equipped with two high-power 18” (460mm) transducers capable of very long excursion (up to 30mm peak-to-peak) and featuring a a large displacement suspension system. These transducers use Tetracoil technology, where two different, axially separated magnetic gaps and two inside-outside 100mm (4” ) diameter voice coils are wound on the same former and suspended evenly in the two magnetic gaps. This creates an equivalent voice coil diameter greater than 6”, resulting in a larger heat dissipation area for and increased power handling. Additional key advantages of the Tetracoil technology are also minimized distortion and a very symmetric and flat inductance curve. Cones are made of very high-stiffness fibreglass reinforced paper, featuring also invisible water-repellent treatment.
System Concepts and Performance
The SW218XAV2 represents an innovative subwoofer design that features unprecedented performances in terms of low-frequency definition and a “punchy” feeling in the upper bass range. The combination of accuracy in acoustic transient response coupled with the latest technology in transducer linearity, signal processing and power amplifiers allows the SW218XAV2 to deliver unprecedented low-frequency reproduction quality with a solid deep end, together with very fast and accurate bass response.
Signal Processing and Power Amplifiers
The system processing is based on the CORE2 DSP platform designed by the PROEL R&D Laboratories using one of the most advanced SHARC DSP for audio applications. It features 40bit floating point resolution and top-quality 24bit AD/DA converters, for perfect signal integrity, a dynamic range in excess of 110dB and a superior sonic performance. Thanks to its massive processing power, the CORE2 platform is capable of providing the most sophisticated algorithms for speaker processing, together with remote control and networking capability. The PRONET AX control software, working on a solid and reliable CANBUS-based network protocol, provides an intuitive interface for the remote control of the whole system, with the possibility of EQing, delaying, increasing the protections and monitoring the status of the amplifier.
The SW218XAV2 is powered by a new generation of CLASS D power amplifiers with digitally-controlled SMPS and the latest generation single-stage PFC. The innovative technology used for these amplifiers offers performances at the top of the range, such as a superior sound definition at any audio frequency, very high dynamics also for low-level signals and very low distortion even at the maximum power. The superior sound quality can be compared with top-of-the-range AB-class analog systems, while the SW218XAV2 power modules feature higher dynamics, very compact size and lightweight and efficiency above 90%. The power module employed for powering the SW218XAV2 delivers in an ultra-compact package a maximum power of 4000W and features PFC (Power Factor Correction), a technology able to guarantee always the highest level of power regardless of any eventual fluctuations of the power supply.