Now You Hear Me

Atlantic Technology 10 CSB Corner Subwoofer

Behind the Scene

The back of the sub has every possible control you could ask for: from Variable level to Frequency to Phase controls, plus low-level and high-level inputs for integrating with most any amplification and satellite speaker combo. A Standby Switch automatically activates the sub when needed. Now at first, all of this might be a bit daunting to take in, but you will be re-warded for taking the time to work through the controls so that the sub matches your system. 

Setup

The manual is clear and concise and includes examples and helpful diagrams. We connected the sub to a Denon AVR-3805 amplifier and followed recommendations to use a sound meter to adjust the bass independently, rather than using an amp’s built-in auto equalization. Comparing the two methods though, we didn’t find any significant differences, but your result may vary. A bit of fiddling was also needed with the bass management control so it would better integrate with the sub. Atlantic’s recommendations for setting speaker sizes are valid, and better sounding satellites result when listening—especially to CDs. While it took about two days before the bass sounded smooth throughout the sound field, redoing the settings for movies only took about an hour—giving us easys witching between our two most-used settings. 

So How’s it Sound?

Good. Loud. Like someone squeezing your heart—so we lowered the volume considerably after having cranked it up for the first half of Terminator 2 (good thing we’re on the ground floor with just a garage below us, or else there’d be a lot of loud complaining from neighbors). Moving to the operatic scene from the The Fifth Element DVD—the singer might be otherworldly, but her chops sound fine even though moments later massive explosions takeover, with the 10-inch down-firing woofer pounding through our bodies. Switching to Blondie: Greatest Hits in DVD-Audio, it was a pleasure just how smooth and mellow-sounding the enveloping bass became. It doesn’t just blow away our old subwoofer for sheer power;it also provides a tighter, more controlled kind of bass that we weren’t hearing before.  

Aesthetics plays a part in any home theater, and the design of this sub certainly affords an alternative to the usual choice of location. A lot of power, enhanced by a smart design and a plethora of controls, makes this sub a winner.

Specifications

10 CSB Corner Subwoofer Type: Sealed enclosure, down-firing Bass Ddriver: 10” long-throw Frequency Rresponse: 30-250 Hz. +/- 3 dB Amplifier Ppower: 180 RMS Peak Ooutput: 106 dB in 2,000 cu. ft. 22 x 19 1/2 x 12 inches”35 lbs. MSRP: $899 Atlantic Technology www.atlantictechnology.com