Sigberg Audio Inkognito: Building a "design" subwoofer that actually sounds good

[sigbergaudio]

So, working on a solution to allow you to stack the Inkognitos in the vertical position, because why not.

This is a quick picture of a prototype only so far, but looks promising. Between each sub there are two tie-fighter shaped brackets that fit snugly to both subs. So you push two of those down on top of a sub, and then slip the next sub on top. The insides have soft material that both absorb vibrations and ensure the paint isn't damaged.

With two subs it's pretty stable. If you want three on top of each other, the feet at the floor probably needs to be more of an outrigger style, so that's probably the next iteration.

 

[Duke]

Between each sub there are two tie-fighter shaped brackets that fit snugly to both subs. So you push two of those down on top of a sub, and then slip the next sub on top. The insides have soft material that both absorb vibrations and ensure the paint isn't damaged.

Brilliant!!

 

[Uncola]

Wow the subs are so thin I thought they were acoustic panels at first glance

 

[kharan]

Wow the subs are so thin I thought they were acoustic panels at first glance

With Dirac ART, they can be acoustical panels too.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Wow the subs are so thin I thought they were acoustic panels at first glance

Yeah in theory you can put some panels in front of them to hide it entirely, I actually did at when placed to the side at one point, I have a picture somewhere (which will then show only the panels not the sub ), but have to dig it up.

They're 163mm / 6.4 inches thick. And still have a full size 12" driver. there's literally a circle cut out of the back wall inside to make it fit.

 

[audiofooled]

So, working on a solution to allow you to stack the Inkognitos in the vertical position, because why not.

This is a quick picture of a prototype only so far, but looks promising. Between each sub there are two tie-fighter shaped brackets that fit snugly to both subs. So you push two of those down on top of a sub, and then slip the next sub on top. The insides have soft material that both absorb vibrations and ensure the paint isn't damaged.

With two subs it's pretty stable. If you want three on top of each other, the feet at the floor probably needs to be more of an outrigger style, so that's probably the next iteration.


View attachment 502483

View attachment 502482

Upscale, patent and sell it to these guys :

 

[David_M]

I'm new to this thread, and congratulations on your new subs. They really look beautiful. I suppose that since European homes are generally smaller than those in the US or North America, one is compelled to become creative with the given space limitations and design speakers/subs to fit the smaller rooms.

So, I haven't read much beyond what is on the main page, so my question may have already been answered. I've reviewed the ground plane and in-room measurements of the 10" and 12" models, and they are excellent, to be sure. However, they appear to be virtually identical to me, which surprised me, given the same ground-plane frequency responses for the 10" and 12" models. Ditto for the in-room measurements.

Am I correct in my observations? I expected a significantly lower f3 for the 12" over the 10". Would you mind overlaying the FR for the 10" and 12" on one graph (ground plane and in-room)? Thanks....and btw, you did for me in the Arendal 1528 thread where you overlaid the FR for their tower, monitor, and bookshelf speakers .

What is the advantage of the 12" over the 10"? Now, it could be that the 12" subs have higher SPL capabilities and lower THD than the 10" subs, and that's great, a reason to get the bigger sub over the smaller one.

 

[sigbergaudio]

I'm new to this thread, and congratulations on your new subs. They really look beautiful. I suppose that since European homes are generally smaller than those in the US or North America, one is compelled to become creative with the given space limitations and design speakers/subs to fit the smaller rooms.

So, I haven't read much beyond what is on the main page, so my question may have already been answered. I've reviewed the ground plane and in-room measurements of the 10" and 12" models, and they are excellent, to be sure. However, they appear to be virtually identical to me, which surprised me, given the same ground-plane frequency responses for the 10" and 12" models. Ditto for the in-room measurements.

Am I correct in my observations? I expected a significantly lower f3 for the 12" over the 10". Would you mind overlaying the FR for the 10" and 12" on one graph (ground plane and in-room)? Thanks....and btw, you did for me in the Arendal 1528 thread where you overlaid the FR for their tower, monitor, and bookshelf speakers .

What is the advantage of the 12" over the 10"? Now, it could be that the 12" subs have higher SPL capabilities and lower THD than the 10" subs, and that's great, a reason to get the bigger sub over the smaller one.

Thank you for your interest. First of all, if you note the date of the first page, you'll see it's from 2020, so this is not a new thread or a new product. The Inkognito was released back in 2020.

With regards to frequency response of the 10" vs 12": In general, a smaller driver doesn't necessarily mean less deep bass when the cabinet volume is relatively similar. What it typically means is less capacity (you can't play as loud). And the same is the case here.

Since you're a bit late to the party here , things have happened along the way too: The 10" version was actually discontinued in connection with the release of the Inkognito Generation 2 back in 2024 - so currently only the 12" version exists. The reason for this is as you correctly point out, they were very similar.

The 10" version was essentially the same size except being slightly tinner. It was also slightly less powerful and slightly cheaper. So a decision was made to keep only the 12" version. This also made it easier for customers to decide what to purchase, not having to ponder the difference between two very similar versions.

 

[sigbergaudio]

I'm new to this thread, and congratulations on your new subs. They really look beautiful. I suppose that since European homes are generally smaller than those in the US or North America, one is compelled to become creative with the given space limitations and design speakers/subs to fit the smaller rooms.

Missed this part; Yes, European homes are generally smaller, but I've sold a fair share of Inkognitos and 10Ds (our other, also quite compact subwoofer) to the USA as well. I guess some live relatively compact there as well, in city apartments as well. And even if you have some space, you might not want your system to take up too much visual real estate if it's in a share space like a living room.

The idea behind both our subs was to build something as high quality as possible and compact as possible while still having relatively high SPL output. So I guess the priority was as follows:

1. Sound quality
2. Size
3. SPL

But do note that both the Inkognito and the 10D has way more output than any of the so called micro subs out there, so they're still quite capable with regards to SPL as well. They also go down to 20hz in room.

 

[David_M]

Boy, do I feel silly ... Yes, I'm extremely late to the party for sure, and thanks for the updates. Can you point me to the page that shows the latest measurements for these subs? I like your design priorities, placing SQ first. Should I assume this meant lowest THD and/or better impulse response?

 

[kharan]

Quick addendum, they shouldn't be compared to the micro subs. You can make some argument that the Inkognito has a small footprint for its volume, but both the Inkognito and the 10D are close in volume to SB 2000 pro from SVS. The 3000 Micro is much smaller.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Boy, do I feel silly ... Yes, I'm extremely late to the party for sure, and thanks for the updates. Can you point me to the page that shows the latest measurements for these subs? I like your design priorities, placing SQ first. Should I assume this meant lowest THD and/or better impulse response?

I guess #177 is a relatively recent nearfield measurement.

#115 shows a customer in-room measurement of two Inkognito subs.

SQ means high quality amps, high quality drivers, and yes low THD / low group delay / linear response.

 

[David_M]

I guess #177 is a relatively recent nearfield measurement.

#115 shows a customer in-room measurement of two Inkognito subs.

SQ means high quality amps, high quality drivers, and yes low THD / low group delay / linear response.

Thanks...so is it safe to say you need dual subs for truly below 20Hz response?

Also, not sure if Europeans are into the home-theater market as much as we do in the US, but do you plan to make subs with single-digit responses (under 10Hz)? A lot of US-made movies (especially from the Marvel Universe) have significant LFE down to 5Hz or so. You feel the rumble for sure!

 

[sigbergaudio]

Thanks...so is it safe to say you need dual subs for truly below 20Hz response?

No, you will go down to 20hz with one sub as well.

Also, not sure if Europeans are into the home-theater market as much as we do in the US, but do you plan to make subs with single-digit responses (under 10Hz)? A lot of US-made movies (especially from the Marvel Universe) have significant LFE down to 5Hz or so. You feel the rumble for sure!

Our primary target audience is those that focus on music or have combined systems. If you are looking for high output below 20hz you need much bigger subs. You would need to get those elsewhere.

 

[EJ3]

No, you will go down to 20hz with one sub as well.



If you are looking for high output below 20hz you need much bigger subs.

OF Sufficient Quality (not easy to do and not inexpensive, either)

You would need to get those elsewhere.

Yep!: (or DYI [but still not inexpensive])

 

[chelgrian]

No, you will go down to 20hz with one sub as well.



Our primary target audience is those that focus on music or have combined systems. If you are looking for high output below 20hz you need much bigger subs. You would need to get those elsewhere.

For reference if you search this forum for user ‘sweetchaos’ you find a link to a huge google sheet of subs. This that are available in Europe and have appreciable sub 20hz output include:

- Arendal 2V
- Paradigm Signature Sub 2
- Perlisten’s product range
- SVS’s product range
- Velodyne’s product range

 

[sigbergaudio]

Stacking kit now available! Not something I expect to sell bucket loads of, but a very neat solution for those interested in this. I'm considering to implement this myself in my dedicated listening room. The Manta with two Inkognitos in this configuration behind each speaker, resulting in 3x12" on each side (including the 12" in the Mantas).

Inkognito Stacking kit

Stacking kit to stack Inkognito subwoofers vertically

www.sigbergaudio.com

 

[Comma]

Stacking kit now available! Not something I expect to sell bucket loads of, but a very neat solution for those interested in this. I'm considering to implement this myself in my dedicated listening room. The Manta with two Inkognitos in this configuration behind each speaker, resulting in 3x12" on each side (including the 12" in the Mantas).

Inkognito Stacking kit

Stacking kit to stack Inkognito subwoofers vertically

www.sigbergaudio.com

Let's see it in action

 

[sigbergaudio]

Let's see it in action

There's a picture on the product page:

I also shared a prototype picture earlier in the thread in post #181.

 

[Comma]

I meant your dedicated listening room if you go forward with your idea.