Subwoofer Reviews

I chose to use Monitor Audio R952s and Celestion SL600s to audition the Samson & Delilah combination, as both speakers feature the bass quality I like: a very fast, tight low end, with very well-defined leading edges to the sound. Both speakers are free from upper-bass overhang; although the ultimate weight of bass-guitar tone may not be there, the considerable degree of clarity very easily allows the listener to identify the type of instrument and how it is played, both factors germane to the music.

Auditioning involved the following permutations and combinations of equipment: the main system used Krell amplification, KRS2/KSA-50; the subwoofers were driven first by a single Sumo Polaris power amplifier, then by two Polaris amps in bridged-mono mode. Speaker cables and interconnect were Monster M1 and M1000 respectively, though Mission speaker cable was used for the subwoofers.

Source components included a Mission PCM 7000 CD player (used both direct and driving a Sony DAS-703ES outboard decoder from its digital output), a Linn Sondek/Ittok/Troika combination (with the latest composite armboard) sitting on a Sound Organization table, an LP12/SME V/Koetsu Red player sitting on a RATA Torlyte stand, and a trusty Revox A77 to play my own master tapes.—John Atkinson