You Got That Super Bass, Ceramic Subwoofer

I wrote about Joey Roth’s Ceramic Speakers way back when and reviewed it. Hell, I even own a set connected to an Airport Express to enable Airplay. It’s been my main setup in the bedroom for years but due to Joey’s own desires to expand the line or calls to improve the speakers’ bass response, there’s an accompanying ceramic subwoofer to complete the setup. I’ve yet to hear it in person but plan to very soon post holiday shenanigans. Hit the jump for deets!

The Ceramic Subwoofer extends your system’s frequency response down to 40 Hz. While you will physically feel bass-heavy music, you’ll also notice new richness in vocals and acoustic instruments. The sound is neither boomy nor aggressive, but a balanced completion of the Ceramic Speakers. Stainless steel, porcelain, and Baltic birch plywood make up the Ceramic Subwoofer’s enclosure. Aside from the electronic components, plastic is completely avoided in the system’s construction.

Adding the Ceramic Subwoofer is as easy as plugging in headphones. The subwoofer’s amp connects directly to the Ceramic Speakers’ small amp with a single included cable. The source is connected to the subwoofer’s RCA input, where the internal crossover sends the mid and high frequencies to the speakers and the low frequencies to the subwoofer. The Ceramic Subwoofer improves the detail and clarity of the original Ceramic Speakers by taking on the low frequencies that they would normally have to play. This allows the smaller speakers to focus on midrange and high frequencies. The crossover is adjustable from 40 Hz to 200 Hz.

The Ceramic Subwoofer benefits from two drivers: one is an active driver that’s powered by the amplifier, and the other is a tuned passive radiator. The passive radiator moves in correspondence with the pressure changes caused by the active driver. This extends the subwoofer’s bass response without sacrificing detail or precision, a trade-off that’s often made with bass reflex designs.

  • Design: Sealed enclosure with passive radiator
  • Amplifier: 50 watt Class D
  • Frequency Range: 40 Hz – 200 Hz
  • Driver: 6.5″, neodymium magnet, paper diaphragm

Designer: Joey Roth $695