Good things do come in small packages and bigger is no longer better when it comes to bass.
British audio manufacturer KEF has released a new subwoofer technology called Uni-Core, designed specifically to close the gap between size versus performance.
In its latest subwoofer, which features the new technology, KEF is promising “high-level performance while reducing the subwoofer or speaker cabinet volume significantly”.
The key to KEF’s super-compact cabinet being able to put out a hefty amount of precise and gutsy bass is the use of dual opposed “force-cancelling” drivers that are concentrically arranged and share a single motor. Each driver uses a differently sized voice coil and these overlap within the assembly, allowing for extremely compact cabinet designs compared to conventional subwoofers.
According to KEF, the reduced space provides the drivers with greater excursion than “an equivalent-sized, force-cancelling design” and therefore allows “more output and depth”.
It’s no easy feat, as KEF’s Head of R&D, Dr Jack Oclee-Brown, explains. “To deliver deep and loud bass from a compact product is a big engineering challenge,” he says. “The Uni-Core is a breakthrough technology for KEF because it allows us to pack two drivers into a tighter space without compromising their performance.”
So how much power are we talking? And in how petite a package?
KEF describes their shiny new KC62 subwoofer as “football-sized” and it features two 6.5-inch force cancelling drive units powered by 1,000W RMS of specially designed Class D amplification.