Брошюра для Thiel ss1

N E W R E V I E W S

The SmartSub

line includes four
models, the SS1,
SS2, SS3 and SS4.
They share com-
mon technologies
and design con-
cepts, but differ in
cabinet and woofer
size. All of the
models provide
superb bass repro-
duction, but the
larger subwoofers
can fill the most
spacious home the-
aters. That said, for
this review I am
using the second
model up in the
line,

the SS2,

which boasts two 10-inch woofers, and
can accommodate rooms up to 4,000
cubic feet. The SS3 features twin 12-
inch woofers, and a pair of 15-inch
woofers supplies the muscle for the
290-pound SS4. Looking for something
a bit smaller for a more intimate home

A

t first blush, you might expect that any reasonably
accomplished subwoofer will have what it takes to sat-
isfy your bass desires. No doubt, all of the bigger subs
produce room-shaking rumble, but the double whammy

of room acoustics and the complexity of interfacing a

subwoofer with your main speakers too often render untoward bass
boom and bloat.With the introduction of Thiel Audio’s fleet of rad-
ically new SmartSub subwoofers, help is on the way. By the time
Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy” is over, the company’s highly adaptable
SS2 subwoofer is ready to rock my world.

Jim Thiel, the  co-

founder and chief prod-
uct designer of Thiel
Audio, could have built a
“me-too” subwoofer by
simply stuffing a large
woofer and a powerful
amplifier into a massive
cabinet as many of his
competitors have done.
He instead confronted
the pitfalls of bass reproduc-
tion, spending four years on
research that resulted in two
U.S. patents. The patents cover
the SmartSub’s design break-
throughs—the abilities to
match precisely the sub-
woofer's response to the char-
acteristics of the main speakers,
and to compensate for the
effect that a room’s shape and
construction have on bass
reproduction. The patent cov-
erage includes the design con-
cept, not just the circuitry. So
yes, as its appellation suggests,
the SmartSub is downright

clever. The advantages of this elegantly
proportioned and meticulously finished
subwoofer are more than skin-deep.

BYE-BYE,BA-DA

BOOM

THIEL’S SMARTSUB THINKS FOR ITSELF.

BY STEVE GUTTENBERG

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

IMPACT PHOTOGRAPHY AND DAVID CUBINE

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