Paradigm Reference Signature Sub 2 6x10" Subwoofer (4,500w) v3

"The Sub 2 became Paradigm’s best subwoofer the moment they released it, and quickly became known as one of the very best subwoofers money could buy. It’s still that way today." SoundStage! Hi-Fi Recommended Reference Component 2011
"I never seemed to approach the limits of the Sub 2’s output capability. Instead, I reached the limits of my room." - Jeff Fritz, SoundStage!
"The SUB 2 is a hexagonal box of thunder." - John E. Johnson, Jr, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
"'Weapons grade' woofers" - Adam Rayner, Home Cinema Choice

Paradigm's Reference Signature SUB 2 extends the flagship Signature series - a growing line of high-performance, smart subwoofers, with what Paradigm claim to be "The Best Subwoofer in the World, Period.".

The SUB 2 is more powerful than any other Paradigm speaker to date; it is completely unique both in internal elements and aesthetic qualities; and represents the best in audio bass technology and highest performance characteristics in the subwoofer category.
The SUB 2’s six 10˝ drivers move as much air as a pair of 15˝ woofers!

• Auto On/Off
• Trigger On/Off
• Subwoofer Level
• Subwoofer Cut-Off Frequency (continuously variable 35 Hz – 150 Hz); Bypass Option
• Sub/Sat Phase Alignment (0° to 180°)
• Paradigm Perfect Bass Kit (PBK) Included

The SUB 2's six high-excursion, low-distortion 10" woofers are arranged in stacked pairs and geometrically aligned so the resultant force vectors cancel each other out. This is no mean feat as the Sub 2 produces 4,500 watts of continuous RMS Sustained power and a Frankenstein 9,000 watts of Dynamic Peak power through its unique Power Factor Correction system. Even a full glass of water placed atop the SUB 2 will barely ripple.

This radial alignment concept is successful because the pressure waves inside the cabinet generated by each driver as the cone and voice coil move in and out are effectively cancelled, leaving a silent and distortion-free cabinet.

In large part a result of this unique Vibration-Canceling Design Architecture (VCDA), bass reproduction is eerily accurate and detailed, transient information is conveyed with pristine clarity and perfect precision, and dynamics come through with lightning-fast speed and a power so shattering that it must be heard to be believed.

And then there are more mind-boggling specs. SUB 2 plumbs the depths to 7 Hz with bloodcurdling output: 112 dB at 10 Hz, 126 dB at 60 Hz (in room).

Another benefit to the new models' woofer design is their compactness. Handsome finishes and eye-catching but not overbearing design elements support the ability of these subwoofers to be hidden in plain sight. With the added flexibility conferred by Paradigm's Perfect Bass Kit (PBK) room correction, staggering performance is assured in just about any listening area.

Advanced scientific features such as AC line voltage detection, power consumption monitoring, and a universal power supply on the SUB 1 ensures that the subwoofer is fed a diet of clean, unadulterated energy.

Paradigm's Signature Subwoofer Technology

Vibration-Canceling Design Architecture: Physics trumps mechanics with a little help from Paradigm
Typically, subwoofer enclosures contain one large driver. As that driver moves back and forth, the cabinet can vibrate which leads to smeared response, bass that lacks clarity and definition. Well-executed cabinet design, like that on Paradigm Reference subwoofers, typically includes sophisticated and extensive physical bracing inside the enclosure. With six identical, perfectly balanced state-of-the-art drivers radially aligned (two on each side) inside the cabinet; the opposing forces of equal magnitude effectively cancel each other out.

State-of-the-Art “Kilomax” Amplifier (3 Kilowatt Amplifier Platform)" Designed, engineered and manufactured by Paradigm in North America, the SUB 2’s state-of-the-art Ultra-Class-D amplifier design premiered to rave reviews and great success in the Signature SUB 25. Motivated by their success, their engineers went back to work, tweaking, testing and modifying the ampifier’s circuit board and software. The result is the most powerful subwoofer amplifier they have ever produced. Called the “Kilomax” design because when connected to a 240-volt line, it delivers a monster 4,500 watts of RMS Continuous power and a Frankenstein 9,000 watts of Dynamic Peak power.

Mineral-Filled Co-Polymer Polypropylene Cones: A 30% mineral content has introduced additional cone stiffness for a measurable increase in repeatability and consistency. Response is instantaneous — low, loud, fast and tight, unveiling layers and layers of low-frequency detail, with consistently perfect pace.

Overmolded NLC Non-Limiting Corrugated TPE Surrounds and Nomex Cloth Spiders: These extreme low-density NLC surrounds were FEA-optimised and overmolded onto the cones in house. Ten times more effective than standard thermoplastic elastomers in damping vibrations and resonances, the corrugated material works in tandem with Paradigm's Vibration-Canceling Design Architecture to ensure not a hint of distortion exists, even at peak-to-peak excursion and full-on output.

3˝ (76 mm) 10-Layer Long-Travel Aluminum Voice Coils: Wound on high-temperature composite polyamide formers in an oversize configuration, the coils provide exceptional stability and support for the extremely high cone excursion.

High-Pressure Die-Cast Aluminum Chassis with AVS Airflow Ventilation System Cooling: Large built-in ribs increase the heat dissipation surface providing forced-air cooling during large musical transients and chassis convection cooling at all other times. CNC-machined to ensure a precision fit.

Magnetic Pole Piece: FEA-optimised, tooled to support the extreme excursion.

Computer-Optimised Ceramic (Hard Ferrite) Magnet Assemblies with Balanced Field Geometry: Using Finite Element Analysis, the magnet structures were optimised to yield the most powerful output in a Signature subwoofer to date. Transient and phase-response are exceptional with superb power handling and output linearity.

Paradigm Reference Signature Sub 2 6x10" Subwoofer (4,500w) v3 Reviews

SoundStage! - Hi-Fi Recommended Reference Component 2011
... with the Sub 2, they’ve catapulted themselves into the annals of subwoofer history.

The Paradigm Reference Signature Sub 2 is a tremendously ambitious effort that redefines what should be expected of a powered subwoofer.

The Sub 2 became Paradigm’s best subwoofer the moment they released it, and quickly became known as one of the very best subwoofers money could buy. It’s still that way today.

To the best of our knowledge, Paradigm has no intention of changing or replacing the Sub 2 -- a state-of-the-art subwoofer when released in 2009 that’s being recognized as a SoundStage! Hi-Fi Recommended Reference Component today.

Home Cinema Choice (via Techradar) by Adam Rayner - 5 Stars - May 2010

The performance figures of this atom bomb of a woofer are worth stressing. It'll drop as low as 7Hz, will hit 112db at a 10Hz cycles and can raise 126dB at 60Hz. Paradigm's public demos were impressive, and allowed me to feel the taut accuracy of the bass and appreciate the room correction system from fellow Canadians Anthem.

When lunchtime came I was allowed to play about with it myself. My test disc was More Bass, More Boom, More Bottom, a brilliant CD which drops right down to below 10Hz.

I cranked the living heck out of the front end to 15dB above the point the Paradigm team felt was 'maximum' for public demos. The track wobbled, yet the Sub 2 ate it for lunch. The resident projector screen started to flap visibly as the room over-pressured. The air vent in the concrete ceiling began to rattle, growl and drop dead flies and debris on the heads of those below, and I saw fear in the eyes of the present public. It was embarrassing but felt good, and I did it for you.

The simple fact is I couldn't stress this product in any way. You will reach the limit of what you think is sane far sooner than you will find any limit in the Signature Sub 2. It's an absolute Reference Status subwoofer, and I love it.

SoundStage! - Product of the Year (Pioneering Design Achievement) 2009
... it feels as if the bass frequencies produced could physically move the entire structure containing them. This level of bass response -- extreme output capability plus the ability to play super-low -- re-creates a sense of space, particularly the type found on good live recordings, that can make your room’s walls seem to melt away. Oh, sure, they can shake the foundations with home-theater-type sound effects, but they can also evenly disperse huge amounts of bass that can leave the listener in awe of their sheer acoustic power.

I never seemed to approach the limits of the Sub 2’s output capability. Instead, I reached the limits of my room.

Although I’m not sure exactly where the outer limits of the Sub 2’s output capability lay, it was clear that it could produce more bass than I would ever need, at least in the Music Vault. Massive Output Capability: check.

The Sub 2 was quick enough to reproduce the drum perfectly, and deft enough that it never fell behind the rest of the music, or sounded loose. It was punchy and powerful, and could easily scale with whatever volume level I chose.

As a test of how subterranean the Sub 2 could play, I used Rosanne Cash’s "Western Wall," from The Very Best of Rosanne Cash (CD, Columbia/Legacy 86996). At exactly 24 seconds into the track are three deep yet subtle foot stomps. I’ve heard speakers that can play flat to 35Hz that couldn’t even begin to reproduce these, and most systems miss them completely. Most subwoofers do get these stomps to some degree, but they typically sound weak and indistinct. The Sub 2 reproduced them with a dose of reality: they sounded deeper and more powerful than I’d ever heard, even with a subwoofer, and were revealed in a quite obvious fashion -- you’d never be able to miss them. In fact, outside of the Rockport Arrakis speakers, I’ve never heard this track played back with bass so good.

Paradigm has the engineering expertise and the research-and-development budget to take on such lofty goals as creating the most ambitious powered subwoofer, and with the Sub 2, they’ve catapulted themselves into the annals of subwoofer history. The Paradigm Reference Signature Sub 2 is a tremendously ambitious effort that redefines what should be expected of a powered subwoofer. I haven’t experienced another subwoofer that I think is as capable, and certainly not when considering the price.

My recommendation: Find a Sub 2 you can demo, and I think you’ll come to the conclusion I have. Get it. Play it. Be moved by it.

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity by John E. Johnson, Jr Nov 2010
None of these albums could faze the SUB 2. After all, it responds down to 7 Hz, which is as low as any pedal tone on any pipe organ in the world. For the lowest notes, I could only feel the sound, not hear it, an indication of very low distortion.

I don't know what the low frequency limit is on the canon shots in The 1812 Overture, but I thought the air conditioner was going to fall out of the window.

The SUB 2 is a hexagonal box of thunder.

Paradigm has achieved their goal of designing the best subwoofer available on the market to date. I know there are some other manufacturers out there working on similar products. But for now, the SUB 2 is in position, ready and willing to take on all challengers.

Paradigm Reference Signature Sub 2 6x10" Subwoofer (4,500w) v3 Specifications

Design Hexagonal cabinet with multiple high-excursion drivers radially aligned in a Vibration-Canceling Design Architecture, patented built-in Ultra-Class-D™ power amplifier with Power Factor Correction, sealed enclosure, PBK interface
 NOTE: Due to the incredibly high power and tremendous output the SUB 2’s grilles are non-removable
Amplifier - Connected to a 240-volt outlet (High-Current, Discrete Output) 9,000 watts Dynamic Peak / 4,500 watts RMS
Amplifier Features Auto-On / Off, Trigger On / Off, soft clipping, electrical shorting protection, thermal protection
Bass Driver Six 10" / 254mm RCR mineral-filled co-polymer polypropylene cones, FEA-optimised overmolded thermoplastic foam-surrounds, 3" / 76mm ten-layer long-excursion voice coils, high-temperature composite Nomex formers, dual advanced spiders, 10.5 kg hard ferrite magnet / motor structure, massive center heatsink and oversize pole piece, AVS die-cast heatsink chassis
Low-Frequency Extension  7 Hz (DIN - DIN 45 500. Indicates -3 dB in a typical listening room.)
Subwoofer Cut-Off Frequency Variable 35 Hz - 150 Hz; Bypass Option
Sub / Sat Phase Alignment Variable 0° - 180°
Line-Level Input RCA (S/E) Left and Right or Sub-Out / LFE or Balanced XLR. From Sub-Out / LFE-Out of preamp, processor or other line-level source
Line-Level Input Sensitivity 100 mV mono
Line-Level Input Impedance RCA: 10k ohms; XLR: 20k ohms
Accessory Included Paradigm Perfect Bass Kit
Height, Width, Depth (inc grille and feet) 62.2 x 60.4 x 57.8 cm
Diameter Of Hexagonal Cabinet 60.4 cm
Weight (Unpacked) 106 kg