Premiere Design

It’s not every day you come across a $36,000 subwoofer. That’s right, thirty-six big ones. That’s about as rare as finding a submonster with dual 18-inch drivers and a 6,000-watt digital amplifier housed in an enclosure made of aircraft-grade aluminum so robust that it can withstand internal sound-pressure levels of up to 175 decibels (akin to standing on the tarmac while a commercial jet takes off) with less than 1 percent the displacement of an ordinary enclosure. In other words, unlike cabinets made of MDF or phenolic resin, this enclosure does not flex. At all.

I’ve just described the Magico QSub-18, which may well be the subwoofer to end all subwoofers. It’s true—the beast weighs 570 pounds, but its size and appearance are anything but beastly, with a reasonable 25 x 37-inch footprint and a flawless anodized finish (available in a range of satin colors). OK, you won’t necessarily want to put the QSub on display, but you don’t have to hide it away, either.

Ready for a few specs? The QSub is capable of delivering a 136-dB sound-pressure level with less than 1 percent total harmonic distortion at 20 hertz and will literally rock your world down to a subterranean 15 Hz. And those mammoth drivers—they’re mounted in 2-inch-thick baffles (one per side) and are each capable of 1.3 inches of linear excursion.

“The most important distinction is the enclosure,” explains Irv Gross, Magico’s director of sales. “The vast majority of subwoofers are manufactured using MDF. But when the woofers move, they cause the cabinet to flex or warp. Those pliable walls absorb a tremendous amount of energy, which leads to distortion and massive group delay, which the listener perceives as a smearing of the sound. This is a subwoofer that delivers controlled low-frequency output with tone and texture to match. For the individual who wants the ultimate subwoofer, this is it.” We’re not going to argue. But if you want to save a little coin, Magico also offers the QSub-15, which can be yours for only $22k.

Magico: (510) 649-9700 • magico.net