The Thiel SmartSub 2.2 is the top of the line subwoofer from the venerable loudspeaker maker, and boasts a pair of 10" drivers backed by 1000W RMS of amplification in an attractive sealed cabinet. Not exactly what most would qualify as inexpensive at $5,000 apiece, the SmartSub 2.2 nonetheless claims some impressive specifications such as a frequency response of 20Hz-300Hz +/- 0.5dB and 105dB of output at 20Hz. How does the finest subwoofer in Thiel’s inventory appear to stack up against some other high end competition? Read on to see my thoughts.
Executive Overview
For those unfamiliar with the name, Thiel was founded back in 1977 and is based out of Lexington, KY. Their specialty: time and phase aligned speakers of meticulous quality. So how does such a company fare in the world of subwoofers? Starting off, for the lofty $5,000, you do appear to get a very handsome, furniture grade cabinet. This isn’t the type of subwoofer you’ll need to hide with a potted plant. The specified weight of 108 pounds is also quite impressive given the fairly compact enclosure size, and suggests top notch build quality inside and out.
Delving into the performance related aspects of the SmartSub 2.2, the first item on the checklist is the driver compliment, in this case a pair of 10” woofers stacked vertically. Each woofer has a linear excursion of 1.5”, peak to peak, and mechanically limited excursion of 2”, peak to peak. These details are of particular importance for a sealed subwoofer given that output is going to be defined by driver displacement alone. For those curious how a pair of 10” woofers stack up in terms of surface area, it is roughly comparable to single 15” woofer.
As one might guess from the above paragraph, the SmartSub 2.2 isn't going to be a high output monster ala the Power Sound Audio Triax. In fact, a single woofer from the Triax has more displacement (i.e. output potential) than the pair of 10” drivers in the SmartSub 2.2. What about the specified 105dB at 20Hz, that’s pretty high right? Unfortunately, that number is specified with the caveat of corner placement (and mum is the word on distance). When Audioholics bench tests a subwoofer, output is measured and rated at 2 meters, ground plane. To convert from corner placement to ground plane, you’d have to subtract 12dB from that figure, arriving at a much less impressive figure of 93dB. While we can’t say much else sans more specific information from Thiel (which wasn’t forthcoming), I’d have to assume this is a subwoofer best suited for smaller spaces and those who aren’t demanding extreme output levels.
Outside of appearance and raw performance, there is one little feature worth mentioning on the SmartSub 2.2, namely a basic boundary compensation circuit. Dial in the distance to the walls, and the frequency response will be adjusted accordingly. Boundary compensation could be of some use in a very simple 2.1 system where the receiver/pre-amp lacks any room correction capability; however, this rudimentary correction system seems to pale in comparison to a system like PBK which was seen on the previously previewed Martin Logan Dynamo 1500X.
Summary
Unfortunately, aside from aesthetic appeal and brand recognition, Thiel’s SmartSub 2.2 doesn’t appear to bring a lot to the table to recommend it at the asking price of $5,000. Raw output capability isn’t much to write home about, even if it were half the price; making matters worse, the feature set seems somewhat antiquated when put next to some of today’s advanced subwoofers (i.e. the aforementioned Martin Logan). The only real bright spot is that according to the folks handling Thiel’s PR, since their acquisition by a private equity company last year, they’ve started developing some new products that might better pique consumer interest.
So what do you guys think? Anybody own one?
Any interest in Josh running this Thiel through the gauntlet?
Quick Specs
Driver Complement: 2 x 10″ SmartSub Bass Driver
Woofer: 10″ (25.4 cm) with anodized aluminum diaphragm, 3″ diameter, 6 layer voice coil, stabilized by copper pole sleeve, short coil/long gap design, 1.5″ p-p excursion (2″ mechanical p-p limit) die cast chassis. Voice coil is thermally tracked by thermistor.
Measurements:ss2-cab-outline
Frequency Response: 20-300Hz ±0.5 dB
Amplifier: Class D; Power Output: 1000 watts RMS
Maximum Acoustic Output (Corner Placement): 105dB @ 20Hz / 112dB @ 30Hz
Size (inches): 23.5 x 11 x 21.5
Weight: 108 pounds
