10. Why is an equalizer required?
The response of the drivers is unusually smooth and extended. However, they do not cover the entire frequency range uniformly. The system by itself cannot deliver deep bass. However, by boosting the bass using the equalizer, bass can be extended to below 25 Hz. In the same way, the equalizer can extend the highs to 20 kHz and compensate for losses when the drivers are arranged in a column. The equalizer is carefully tailored to exactly complement the drivers in the column arrangement.
14. How can such little cones provide any bass, even with the equalizer?
It is true that these 3-1/2” drivers are very small compared to the 12” or 15” woofers that you are used to seeing in a system having good bass capability. You might think of the IDS-25 as a woofer made of 25 individual diaphragms all working together. Each one has an effective cone area of only 5.7 square inches. However, when combined together, the effective cone area of 142.5 square inches is equal to that of a sixteen-inch woofer and they couple to the surrounding air very nicely. The equalizer then provides the means to achieve a smooth and extended response for the deepest bass.
The large effective cone area of the IDS-25 not only delivers excellent bass but also effortless sound through the rest of the audio range and fills the room from top to bottom.
16. What is the power handling for the system?
The maximum peak power for the IDS-25 is rated at 200 watts. However, because of the higher efficiency over much of the frequency range, most of the time, you will need no more than 2 watts.
However, at the lowest frequencies, the bass boost from the equalizer increases power to the column in order to maintain a constant low frequency output. As the frequency goes lower, the power to the column gradually increases. At the lowest frequency of 20 Hz, the power requirement can be up to 100 times greater. It is very rare in music that frequencies this low will require this much power. A power amplifier of 200 or even 250 watts is more than adequate for the loudest of listening levels at the lowest frequencies.
At high frequencies, a boost from the equalizer also increases power to the column to accomplish a constant output. As the frequency goes higher, the power to the column gradually increases. At the highest frequency of 20 kHz, the power requirement can be 10 times greater. This is not a problem for the IDS-25.
