New subwoofer from Philharmonic Audio

[Mort]

The details are still a little unclear, but PA is designing a transmission line subwoofer with a single 12" Revelator driver and a hypex 500 amp for $2k-$2.5k. It'll be available in all their gorgeous finishes by pre-order sometime in 2027. The goal is f3 of 21hz, so not for those with infrasonic requirements. There will be no onboard dsp. Dennis has not been involved in this product at all.

Hopefully they get it measured independently like they used to do. To me, it's not a particularly compelling offering compared to other subs unless you want to match a finish or want a matching set from a single reputable manufacturer. Still, it's not a crazy price for a premium driver and the transmission line work.

Info is gleaned from recent posts in this 2000 page, cat-photo filled shitshow on AVS.

 

[kma100]

Thanks for sharing. Some good content but most of the last 1-2 years of posts are rambling chats...and yes a strange cat obsession and inside jokes!

 

[elmoe420]

What is compelling to me are the finish options. Sadly there are very few options for subwoofers with nice veneers.

 

[Mort]

What is compelling to me are the finish options. Sadly there are very few options for subwoofers with nice veneers.

That's a big part of my purchasing decision of Philharmonic Audio over Kefs or Ascends. They look so much better.

 

[Mort]

The expected dimensions are quite large for a l2" I don't think this will be a compact sub.

 

[Mort]

Looks like they decided against producing the subwoofer.

 

[elmoe420]

Looks like they decided against producing the subwoofer.

Major bummer, do you have a link to the source? I've been on vacation and must have missed some posts in the AVSforum owners thread?

Last post I could find on the subwoofer is: https://www.avsforum.com/posts/64660029/

 

[Mort]

Major bummer, do you have a link to the source? I've been on vacation and must have missed some posts in the AVSforum owners thread?

Last post I could find on the subwoofer is: https://www.avsforum.com/posts/64660029/

It's a subtle no. But it starts here

 

[elmoe420]

It's a subtle no. But it starts here

Oh that, I think you and I interpreted that totally differently then.

@PhilharmonicAudio can you clarify if the limited subwoofer run is still in the works?

 

[CDMC]

I think it is really hard to make a new offering in the sub market that offers a good value. You have SVS, HSU, and Rythmik, plus others in that space. I think they would be better off buying a proven design like Rythmik or Hsu drivers and amps, then doing their own enclosures to match their speakers.

 

[elmoe420]

I think it is really hard to make a new offering in the sub market that offers a good value. You have SVS, HSU, and Rythmik, plus others in that space. I think they would be better off buying a proven design like Rythmik or Hsu drivers and amps, then doing their own enclosures to match their speakers.

The Philharmonic sub wouldn't be a "value" offering. It's for folks who want a subwoofer than actually has a nice veneer which matches their speakers and isn't just a big black box. I don't expect this will come cheap especially given they've been evaluating fairly expensive drivers.

As for design, I doubt that is a significant constraint given they've already successfully done a TL sub limited run in Taiwan using the large Purifi driver. I think the decision will come down to pure economics, is it worth the time and effort for them to do the run relative to the profit they can make off it?