Our Mission
Our mission was to build a home theatre subwoofer that had the positive characteristics of both sealed and ported subwoofers combined in one, while eliminating the negative aspects of both.
The Pro's and Con's of Subwoofer enclosures
Generally speaking there are two types of subwoofer: Sealed subwoofers and a ported subwoofers. Sealed subwoofers are generally tighter sounding however due to the fact that the box is sealed
a sealed subwoofer requires a higher power amplifier and/or larger diameter woofer to generate good bottom end response. Sealed subwoofers also suffer from rapid low frequency roll off due to their sealed nature.
Ported Subwoofers aim to extend the low frequencies of the speaker by introducing a tuned port. This decreases the air resistance on the woofer and allows for lower powered amplifiers and smaller woofers to be used
and still get the required SPL and bottom end response. The introduction of this port however trades SPL at the cost of clarity. A lot of ported subwoofers sound muddy and a common phenomenon is port chuffing and driver flapping
when driven too hard.
Our Goals
Our main goals were to take the positive aspects of the sealed subwoofer (tight sound, fast response, good control) as well as the positive aspects of the ported sub (good bottom end extension, lower amplifier requirements, smaller woofer requirements).
We also wanted to elimiate the poor aspects of the sealed sub (high power requirements, large woofer requirement, fast bottom end roll off) and the ported sub (Lack of clarity, port chuffing at high SPL).
We wanted the design to be simple, and not require complex electronics, such as dynamic level adjusters, in order to achieve our desired goals.
The Design
Our research led us into the world of transmission line speakers. TL speakers have been around for a long time however we did not find anyone who extended the TL concepts to a home theatre subwoofer design.
TL designs are typically very smooth sounding and have fantastic transient response coupled with amazing bass extension. This sounded perfect for our prototype. We designed and built the prototype and nicknamed it the "Labryinth 10", after its 10" driver and Labryinth box design.
How does it sound?To be frank, we couldn't believe our ears.The quality of the sound coming from the sub is fantastic. You could feel the pluck of bass guitars in your chest. The low resonance of double basses and cellos that you normally only hear live came to life right in the living room. The most amazing thing was the transient response. The sub had no problems dealing with the fast changes in bass tones. This was something that was totally missing with both the sealed and ported subs we had heard previously. We felt that we had been missing out on the main part of music. We haven't even mentioned movies... But I want to hear with my own ears
Absolutely! We wouldn't have it any other way. Tranmission Acoustics is currently looking to partner with existing hi-fi businesses to enable our customers to hear before buying. We wouldn't buy speakers without listening to them properly first. We wouldn't expect you to do so either.
If you are reading this, and you are interested in listening to the TL - please drop us an email - we will let you know when the TL is in stores ready for audition.
TL Speakers are big, right?
The short answer is yes, but compared to what?
Due to the TL design, our sub stacks up at around 1.1 metres tall. This is significantly taller than most other subwoofers. That sounds big, but considering most tower speakers are this high, we figure when stood next to most commercial tower speakers, the height of the TL is insignificant. Our TL takes up around the same floor space as a normal sub - its 32 cm wide by 42cm deep.
To accomodate the fact that this sub is big and is certainly not something one should hide in a corner - we have gone the extra mile to make the sub look fantastic. This means all natural wood veneers - just like furniture. Want a TL that will compliment your coffee table or other home cinema decor? Sure! No Problem! We build every subwoofer by hand - just for you - you can choose the veneer.
How do I get one?
Drop us an email at: sales@transmissionacoustics.com
Remember: Transmission Acoustics builds every subwoofer by hand. We put the same effort and care into creating your subwoofer as do for our own. |
