Wilson LoKe subwoofer Page 2

Features, setup, and phase
Rather than repeating every feature and setup parameter detailed in the LōKē's online manual (footnote 8), I'll highlight those I found most important. But first this: While it's true that placing LōKēs near room boundaries and corners provides even more bass reinforcement, care must be taken to avoid introducing upper-bass colorations caused by overloading upper-bass room modes.

Subwoofers come, broadly, in two varieties: those that operate entirely in the analog realm and those that digitize the music. The LōKē is in the latter category (footnote 9). Controls on LōKē's rear amplifier panel include an input-level switch, a power-mode switch, a Feature Setup knob, and a main power switch. The input-level switch lets you choose between Normal and Hi-Level, which attenuates input signals by –6dB. The power-mode switch lets you choose between On and Auto; the latter setting puts the amplifier into standby after 20 minutes without an input signal. The clickable Feature Setup knob lets you adjust the LōKē's many DSP features, and a small LCD display facilitates setup. The panel also features balanced and unbalanced analog inputs and (line-level) outputs, an IEC connector, and a USB control connector.

The DSP settings accessible via the Feature Setup knob include volume; high-pass (footnote 10), low-pass, and subsonic filters; a two-band parametric equalizer; and phase (0–180°). Each LōKē comes with a standard power cable, spikes, Wilson's Acoustic Diodes, and various installation tools.

Wilson recommends placing a pair of LōKēs on the same arc as the front baffles of the main speakers—the same distance from the listening position—but the only space available in my room was near the sidewalls a bit ahead of the Alexia Vs. Peter did the installation. I missed some of it—fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, dogs must be walked or there's mud in my eye—but I was present to provide feedback, turn knobs, and hold the 110lb subs steady as Peter adjusted the Acoustic Diode supports and leveled the LōKēs.

Before the dogs and I took our stroll, I asked Peter if he could set the crossover point high enough to enable the LōKēs to compensate for the bass dip in my room that begins around 63Hz. When he tried, he could not make the subwoofers disappear. No doubt the bass sounded egregiously overemphasized and generally out of whack. Eventually, he settled on a crossover point of 38Hz.

In dialing in the phase, Peter listened for maximum amplitude; his goal was to ensure that music from the subs and the main speakers arrived at the listening position at the same moment. "You can feather the phase one way or the other to get the LōKē to sing with the main speaker," Peter said. "It's hard to describe what I'm looking for at 40Hz, but it's like when you're on a boat that has two engines and you throttle the engines, you can hear this sort of synchronous 'bing' when the two engines lock in and become precisely one pitch. If you vary the rpm by as little as 25 one way or the other, they no longer do that. That's what I'm looking for in the woofer. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear where the two drivers seem to be locked in. But first, you must have all the other basic parameters set, including the amplitude and volume. If one is too loud, the phase won't lock in properly. But when they're matched correctly and the crossover frequency has been set, phase is the final adjustment."

The cable and power conundrum
Are premium power cables and interconnects advantageous with subwoofers? "Good design should reward the listener the more they put into it," said Daryl, who uses Shunyata power cables and a Shunyata conditioner with the subwoofers in his own system. He cautioned, though, that results will depend on a host of factors. "If the room is clean, you have room treatment, and the setup is ideal, you will hear cable differences more readily. But this is a product that you may need to squeeze into a corner behind plants or under a desk. Even with standard power cords, you'll hear an immediate improvement. But good power cables can reduce any kind of potential hum. The cleaner the power, the cleaner the LōKēs will sound."

Peter added, "Using the LōKēs with their supplied power cables and nominal balanced interconnects"—that would include the pair of Mogami 2534 XLR cables my friend Peter Schwartzman loaned me for the installation—"will suffice to show what the woofers can add to a system such as yours. Of course, you or any other end user is welcome to go as far as they would like in the pursuit of a higher level of performance. But given the limited band pass of the woofer's application, hugely expensive cabling might not yield as much of a sonic benefit as it would in full-range applications."

Eager to discover the difference better power cables might make, I decided to try two discontinued Nordost Valhalla power cables that were not currently in use. Addressing the power source, however, was not possible. The only outlets available to me were neither on my dedicated line nor anywhere near my AudioQuest and Stromtank power devices. At least the electrical wiring had been changed from aluminum to copper, and I had made some other changes that further cleaned up power. While Daryl never mentioned interconnects, this inveterate audiophile could not help but wonder if improving them would also make a difference. My replacement for the loaner Mogamis, two 5m Nordost Blue Heaven subwoofer cables with XLR terminations, arrived at the end of the review period (footnote 11).

Let the music begin
A musical selection Peter used for setup was an organ rendition of "Davy Jones" from Hans Zimmer's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, performed by Anna Lapwood on her EP Midnight Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall (24/96 MQA, Sony/Tidal). Engineered by Mike Hatch, the recording captures the space and less-than-silent backdrop of Royal Albert Hall, the distance between mikes and organ, and the instrument's myriad mechanical sounds. The three-minute, 37-second track begins with chimelike sounds in the organ's high register. Then the music dives deeper and deeper until it delivers deep bass strong enough to test any system. Ultimately, it returns to those lovely atmospheric twinkles before ending with the sound of the hall.

Even before the phase was set, we compared listening with the subs on and off. To paraphrase Bob Dylan's memorable line from "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," you don't need golden ears to hear that low bass grows stronger and more focused when the LōKēs are engaged.

But the LōKēs did more than reinforce the Alexia V's deep bass. As airy and 3D as "Davy Jones" sounded through the Alexia Vs by themselves, the sense of a vast hall (designed to hold 8000 people) increased noticeably when the LōKēs were engaged. My jaw dropped.

Peter's jaw dropped, too, when, after we had adjusted phase, I insisted on switching from the supplied power cables to Nordost Valhalla. The improvement in deep bass focus, solidity, and color was quite noticeable and musically spot on. It is enlightening to affirm that power cables can make a difference even when only low frequencies are involved, even with class-D amplifiers like the one in the LōKē.

The sound improved further when I switched subwoofer interconnects from Mogami 2534 to Nordost Blue Heaven. A soundstage that was already awesome in depth and width grew further and delivered the most convincing depiction of you-are-there room boundaries I've heard from my system.

The time was ripe for a favorite bass assault, the second movement of the Shostakovich Symphony No.11 from Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra's superb recording of Shostakovich Symphonies Nos.4 & 11 "The Year 1905" (24/96 FLAC, DG/Qobuz). The LōKēs provided an impressive improvement in deep bass and soundstage depth. With the Valhalla power cables, bass grew tauter and gained color. Soundstage depth and realism improved. Changing the interconnects added impact and color, individual elements within the soundstage cohered better, the depth of the soundstage became more convincing, and the apparent boundaries of the recording venue (Boston's Symphony Hall) solidified.

How audible would the improvement be on a recording consisting solely of soprano and piano? The lowest note on a standard piano descends to 27.5Hz, but the piano part on soprano Sandrine Piau's recording of Carl Loewe's lieder "Ach neige, du Schmerzenreiche," from Chimère (24/96 MQA, Alpha/Tidal), rarely dips into the low bass. Yet as soon as I turned on the LōKēs, voice and piano moved farther back, with more believable space between the instrument and the singer, and more vivid colors in the piano.

Nor was this effect limited to stereo recordings. When I cued up soprano Maria Callas's incomparably powerful 1954 mono recording of Boito's great spinto aria "L'altra note in fondo al mare," from Mefistofele, on the remastered Callas Sings Operatic Arias (24/96 MQA, Warner Classics/Tidal), air, depth, and realism increased.

Returning to stereo, vocalist Rosa Passos and bassist Ron Carter's 2003 recording of Jobim's "Insensatez" from Entre Amigos (16/44.1 FLAC, Chesky/Tidal), with guitarist Lula Galvão and percussionist Paulo Braga, has never sounded remotely as good in my music room as it did with the LōKēs in the system. Every bass note was focused, with believable color.

One of the biggest revelations arrived via the DSD files of the live recording of the world premiere of Reinbert de Leeuw's 46-minute symphony Der nächtliche Wanderer, conducted by the composer (DSD, Challenge Classics CC72957). Reviewed elsewhere in this issue, this tour de force for onstage and offstage orchestra and tape accompaniment is an acoustic triumph for Jan Stellingwerff's original sound engineering, Northstar Recording Services' audio restoration, and Bert van der Wolf and Oude Avenhuis's editing and remastering. Rarely will you encounter a modern digital recording with so large and deep a soundstage, such pinpoint imaging, and such involving stage noise: The sound of the dog barking in the distance at the start and close is surprisingly true-to-life. The LōKēs' assistance enhanced impact and depth of the percussion and delivered a mesmerizing sense of you-are-there realism. My husband, who prefers to lie on the living room couch and listen to music through earbuds while cuddling with three adoring dogs, paid a rare visit to the listening room and sat in transfixed silence, unable to move. With the LōKēs engaged, every new instrumental or taped sound—every beat of the drum—impressed as a major event.

Beyond the Woof
What makes this review different from virtually all others I've written over the decades is that the LōKē is the first subwoofer I've ever tried in my system. As much as every review is a journey of discovery, this one was unique in that I was learning for the first time, without benefit of comparison, how much more than woofing cleanly, with authority, a fine subwoofer can accomplish.

I expected bass to be bigger, deeper, and more fleshed out with the LōKē. That it certainly was. What I did not expect was the ability of Wilson's smallest subwoofer to enhance every aspect of the listening experience—especially the sense of space. As the soundstage grew deeper, wider, and more coherent, as soundstage boundaries became more evident, as air between and around instruments and voices increased and the quality of music reproduction rose to mesmerizing levels, my appreciation for the transformative potential of the LōKē grew exponentially.

Audition the LōKē. Throw all your favorite music at it, and give it a major bass workout. Turn it on and off and on again and discover for yourself what a difference it makes. If your room and speakers are appropriate for its size and power and your budget allows, it's hard to imagine that you won't be tempted to invite Thor's little brother into your system for a long stay. My highest recommendation.


Footnote 8: See wilsonaudio.com/media/1299/LoKe-Owners-Manual.pdf.

Footnote 9: Music passing through from input to output presumably remains in the analog realm, but the music that finds its way to the LōKē's 10" woofer is digitized.—Jim Austin

Footnote 10: The high-pass filter affects only the line-level output.

Footnote 11: While the Blue Heavens were on their way, I checked in with speaker setup wiz Gary Bruestle of Seattle dealership Definitive Audio. Gary told me that better interconnects would make a difference.

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ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
teched58's picture

How does this affordable Wilson subwoofer compare to other subwoofers?

In other words, is there anything that separates it from the pack, making it worth the high increment in cost compared to competitive offerings? If it's worth it, that's fine, but before purchasing I'd like to be sure that I'm getting my money's worth, and that the money is not just going to its very nice, shiny automobile paint job.

PeterG's picture

Tune Tot owner here, so I am not shy about paying Wilson prices. But I have to agree that this review is only half complete, or maybe less. Like many subwoofer reviews, this tells us only that (surprise!) a sub is better than no sub. Also not optimal to review these in JVS's system. Sure it's great to know they can add to his already world-beating speakers. But the real question is how do these do with their intended use--paired with Tune Tots or at least other stand-mounts), and compared to other high end subs.

heihei's picture

Interesting review. I've long been a fan of using subs - my system consists of a pair of Wilson Benesch Resolutions and a pair of Torus subs - especially for the point you make about adding air to the system. More recently I have been using a miniDSP and class-D amps to create a bespoke cross-over and filter rather than WB's analogue cross-overs and this has given a much more linear bass response.

Glotz's picture

Stereo subs blend more beautifully, especially with high-level controls from JL Audio or REL (others I'm sure too).

More air, depth of field perspective, stage width (based on sub positioning), better phase performance and less gain needed on the mains (even more so with external crossovers).

Better bass response means wider bandwidth and greater presence of treble and midrange- but through the omission of the trebles in the sub. When you extend the bass range deeper, there is a concomitant increase in percieved HF 'air' (if the speaker is capable).

For me, it really comes down to another box playing in sympathy with the mains and those subs only producing the bass range. The psychoacoustic effect is that the treble and phase effects are now aurally exaggerated in the main speakers by the omission of the trebles missing in the subs themselves. We hear it this way because the subs are missing this mirror image of the sound without the treble emanating from the subs as well. It's really not only about what's added, but what is removed from a 'quad' surround set up. To hear it and experience it over years is to know.

It makes Magneplanar 1.7i's sound like 2 pairs are set up instead of one. I find that when high-level (signal from the power amp or main amps) is employed in a stereo pair, the subs actually perform a surround-like effect that extends the stage another 2x, based on wall to speaker distances. Dipolar and bipolar speakers enjoy even greater space by connecting the two images together (sub and main on each side with stereo pairs).

To turn off the subs while the Maggies are playing is akin to turning off the dipolar back wave of the 1.7i itself. It's like a blanket was placed on the wall behind the speakers when the subs are off.

Kudos to JVS for reviewing this and getting to heart of these gains from subwoofers. Oh and I disagree with Jim / JA2- subs are directional and the difference between 2 of them blended appropriately with the mains vs. one is completely ear-opening.

It may be a result of high-level implementation, but it is definitely directional, as the subs extend upward to meet the speaker cross-over roll-off if the cutoff on the sub is correctly dialed-in. Move a single sub from corner to corner and back to the middle and you get three different presentations from either of the positions.

Glotz's picture

That some subs like the REL are run full-range but only produce bass. The presence of treble is still there, but so down in output, it merely reinforces the presentation in the main speakers. It is a trick on our ears, but a Really effective one. And it does indeed resemble surround sound- just a 'broken' variant of it. Lol.

Ortofan's picture

... high frequency (treble) output from these REL subwoofers:

https://audio.com.pl/testy/kino-domowe/subwoofery/2575-rel-t-5i-t-7i-t-9i

Glotz's picture

These subs are run full range. There is treble and midrange content going to the subs.

The addition of the subs as 'bass-only surround sound speakers' playing the same signal as the main speakers causes an aural effect of pushing the midrange and treble into a larger sphere around the main speaker's placement.

We perceive this as increased HF air. REL's and JL Audio run high-level are different than the way the Loki was designed and intended to be implemented-

Low bass is LōKē's raison d'être. "In my large room, we cross over our subs at 44Hz," Daryl said. "We don't ask them to produce sweetness in the midrange or harmonic expression in the high frequencies. We ask them to push air very effectively."

The REL's run high-level do have other obvious audible additives that for the 'absolute sound (of live)" listener create a more believable experience.

I view the Wilson approach as 'accuracy to sources'. To posit one is better than the other is like accounting for taste. They serve 2 different listeners.

Glotz's picture

Show final roll-off of one of the T series subs at 350hz!

That's high and can produce fundamentals elsewhere in the spectrum.

Glotz's picture

I don't agree with summing two subs. Discrete stereo always increases image specificity and depth of field perspective. I'm a bit surprised at Mr. Wilson's statement here.

Anton's picture

Kudos, amigo!

Glotz's picture

I wasn't high for that post! Lmao...

georgehifi's picture

I have a pair of GoldenEar Triton Two's which have the rep of great low bass, but when I added a pair of old Yamaha YTS-SW305's from 35hz down, the sound took on a marked improvement in dimensionality.
https://tinyurl.com/ywt9ts4u

Cheers George

bhkat's picture

Ten percent distortion at 90dB at 40Hz seems a tad high for a $9,000 subwoofer.

call me Artie's picture

Regarding Footnote 9 (Jim Austin) and the main text.
In no case that I am aware of can signal arrive at any conventional driver (10 inch or otherwise) in digital form. I suspect what you mean might be that the signal is digitised at entry to the sub-woofer to allow for DSP response and phase shaping. It would then have to be re-converted to analogue form before the input to the built-in Dayton amplifier which would send an analogue signal (i.e. Volts and Amps) to the drivers. An exciting possible alternative (I don't believe it to be so) might be that the signal remains digital in the Dayton amps and is only converted back to analogue at the power amplifier output stage. This would be an example of the almost mythical "true digital power amp". Another reasonable term for this concept is a "power DAC" where amplification is truly digital (not class-D, that's about power supplies) and the D/A conversion is done at the power amp output stage.

call me Artie's picture

Reply to self and Jim...
I imagine you are correct when you suggest that the signal to the main speakers passes thru un-digitised. This is really common topology. Just tap off the low-frequencies into an ultra-high input impedance op-amp and leave the full frequency range analogue for the main system. It works really well because the ear is relatively insensitive to distortion in the low-frequency range.
It's a bit aesthetically sub-optimal in a 2023 digital system because the analogue conversion is done way back in the equipment chain by what we refer to as "the DAC". It's not really pretty to have to add another whole round of A/D then D/A. Much nicer to stay in one domain when there. Nevertheless, as I said, it works fine for low-frequencies.
The ideal approach is to stay in one domain as long as possible. If you have an analogue source and it's possible to stay in the analogue domain all the way to the speakers, then you will get an optimal signal-integrity result. Conversely, if you enter the digital domain for any reason, then the optimal design is to stay in the digital domain until the final possible stage. This is the power-amp output to the speakers, which must be analogue.
Hence my reference above to the ideal and semi-mythical "Power DAC". I understand it was tried a few times in the early 2000's with great results. However it's an un-sellable proposition right now since everyone is heavily dedicated to their existing DACs and analogue power amps. Plus, of course, no use for analogue systems...

teched58's picture

I don't understand. The Loke costs $8,950. Dayton plate amps cost $500 tops. There's a disconnect here. The article says the Dayton amp used by Wilson is off the shelf with only minor modifications.

Utopianemo's picture

That plate amp is less than $350 on parts express.

Indydan's picture

Has Paul Miller taken over measurement duties from John Atkinson?
I believe this is the first time I see Paul Miller in Stereophile.
Retirement for JA1? :-)

John Atkinson's picture
Indydan wrote:
Has Paul Miller taken over measurement duties from John Atkinson? I believe this is the first time I see Paul Miller in Stereophile. Retirement for JA1? :-)

I'm still here :-)

As JVS lives 3000 miles from me and Paul had already measured the LoKe for Stereophile's sister magazine Hi-Fi News, it made logistical sense to publish Paul's measurements with this review.

John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile

Indydan's picture

Looking forward to more of your work.

avanti1960's picture

providing measurements! Been looking for subwoofer reviews to include them for quite a while.
What would be even better would be to measure the cabinet resonance too, a very important attribute for subwoofers in terms of sound quality, freedom from localization and ability to avoid coloring the midrange of the main speakers.
Maybe you could measure the enclosure resonance of your next subwoofer review-
pretty sure the 110 lb! 10 inch LoKe subwoofer is reasonably solid :).

David Harper's picture

Anyone who would pay $9000 for something as overpriced and unimportant as a home stereo subwoofer desperately needs to get a life.

Ortofan's picture

... McIntosh PS2K.

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/subwoofers/PS2K

It's priced at $50,000. Really.

Utopianemo's picture

$50,000 is ridiculous for a sub, sure, but it’s a significantly better value proposition than the Lōkē. You know how many Lōkēs you’d need to purchase to get the excursion and overall output as the McK? A lot more than $50,000 worth, to be sure.

Glotz's picture

it's laughable.

There are many people that can afford this sub. Others cannot.

Anton's picture

Otherwise, where would they get, really, 18,000 for a proper pair of woofers?

georgehifi's picture

"McIntosh PS2K. https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/subwoofers/PS2K
It's priced at $50,000. Really."

Aussie's have simple a saying about this sort of thing.
"THAT'S BULLSHIT"

Cheers George

ChrisS's picture

...Aussies spoke the King's English?!

MatthewT's picture

Those stupid meters on everything?

georgehifi's picture

All the McIntosh employees have them embedded in their foreheads and walk around like bots.

Cheers George

Anton's picture

A McIntosh meter on the forehead is the new Medusa piercing.

bhkat's picture

For those who aren't outraged enough, Louis Vuitton is about to debut a million dollar handbag designed by their ahem "diverse" creative director.

Utopianemo's picture

JVS can be forgiven for the myopic, overly gushy review on account of his assertion that the Lōkē is ‘the first sub he’s tried in his system’. For those of us who regularly use subwoofers, you’ll have to excuse the skepticism.

Frankly, paying almost $9,000 for a 10” subwoofer that uses a sub-$350 plate amp from Parts Express, and only adds about 10Hz of lower extension to the speakers Wilson intends these to be used for….it’s borderline fraudulent.

jellyfish's picture

and it also begs the question, can reviewers really hear the difference between a cheapo amp and an ultra expensive one for sub bass

dumbo's picture

I mean if Wilson is already dipping into the Parts-Express catalog for the plate Amp then a budget version should be offered without all the lipstick.

Wilson should be ashamed of themselves but I doubt they are. In their defense, automotive grade paint is expensive.

Glad to see some subs show up here with measurements though. Thanks for that Stereophile. Keep'em coming.

Please add some reviews of the REL offerings. I would love to see how they stack up in terms of measured performance as well. Will their loyal deep pocket fan base be disappointed, that is the question. Lol

Marecki's picture

For those who aren't outraged enough, Louis Vuitton is about to debut a million dollar handbag designed by their ahem "diverse" creative director.
________________
https://sexia.pl/k,wibratory.html

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