The manufacturer Ascendo Immersive Audio is behind some of the biggest subwoofers on the market: We have previously written about the SMSG50, which is equipped with a solid 50-inch woofer. But that’s only for beginners, as it turns out, because the manufacturer has an even crazier subwoofer in its arsenal!
Ascendo 80 Sub Pro Infrasonic Subwoofer
The top model Ascendo 80 Sub Pro Infrasonic Subwoofer is claimed to be the world’s most powerful subwoofer. With a full 80-inch (two metres in diameter!) woofer, this monster is designed to reproduce the truly ultra-low bass frequencies. The subwoofer is said to be capable of moving 173 litres of air (as much as 20 21-inch subwoofers) at one inch of diaphragm excursion, so you could literally be blown away if you get too close.
The frequency range goes all the way down to 1 Hz, and it can handle a whopping 114 dB at 5 Hz, 128 dB at 20 Hz, while the maximum sound pressure in the higher bass frequencies is 145 dB – continuously! This is where you might accidentally activate the earthquake alarm if you’re not careful with the volume control…
10,000 watt amplifier and 10 cubic metre cabinet
Of course, driving the huge subwoofer requires an extraordinary amplifier. And Ascendo conveniently can provide a DSP amplifier with a whopping 10,000 watts of output power.
However, the solid woofer is sold “as is” without an enclosure. No wonder, as the 80-inch alone weighs 260 kilos! Ascendo will provide the drawings, and then it will be up to you as a buyer to build the cabinet yourself or with the help of local craftsmen.
An alternative is to mount the subwoofer in the wall or under the floor if you have a large enough free space. The recommended minimum cabinet volume is 10 cubic metres, or 10,000 litres. And given the powerful sound pressure, you may want to cast the cabinet in concrete!
However, this would typically be a product for larger home theatre installations where the entire room is planned from scratch. Ascendo has installed an 80-inch demo version in collaboration with installer Arled Cinema in the luxury cinema MovieCore in Hamburg, which is described in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVW2G9uqB2o
And the price?
The exact price of the bass monster from Ascendo is not given, but it’s rumoured to be $150,000. So we’re not talking about a cheap boom box. Not to mention installation costs and all the other equipment you’ll need if you want to do the bass monster full justice.
On the other hand, we reckon this bad boy must give you a priceless feeling of raw energy when Tom Cruise whizzes by in Top Gun: Maverick… !
