who marketed first powered subwoofer?

[BC Dave]

Hi,

Anyone know which company had the very first standalone powered sub on the market? Velodyne? M&K? One of the Japanese companies? What was the model number? What year would it have hit the store shelves in North America? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Hi,

Anyone know which company had the very first standalone powered sub on the market? Velodyne? M&K? One of the Japanese companies? What was the model number? What year would it have hit the store shelves in North America? Thanks in advance.

I believe it was M&K in the mid 70's with either the Volkswoofer or the Goliath sub. I'm sure it's listed on there site somewhere if you look. http://www.mksound.com

 

[jaxvon]

http://www.mksound.com/timeline.htm

The first M&K sub was custom designed for Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic mixdown. Ah, I do love the fidelity of SD.

 

[zumbo]

From the NHT link below:
SW2P - 1992
First power subwoofer package
120 Watt discrete amplifier
10” Long throw Polypropylene woofer
High output vented enclosure

In 1992, NHT introduces the SW2Pi. It is the worlds first powered home audio subwoofer. It consisted of a matched SA-2 discrete mono power amplifier and an SW2Si 10" woofer in a high output vented enclosure. The SW2Pi subwoofer system was capable of accurate low frequency reproduction to 27Hz, with high output and low distortion.

http://www.nhthifi.com/history.html

Looks like my boys at NHT may be fibbing. M&K does say 1977. NHT uses such words as "package", and "home audio."

From the M&K site:
In 1977 M&K debuts the World’s very first “Powered” Subwoofer! This model was called the “Volkswoofer.” The validity of this concept is evident today as virtually all subwoofers by all manufacturers are self-powered

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

RCA - 1939.

10" driver, 5 watt amplifier. Capable of reaching down to 200Hz at 65dB.

 

[zumbo]

RCA - 1939.

10" driver, 5 watt amplifier. Capable of reaching down to 200Hz at 65dB.

I have to count them out. 200Hz is not sub. Correct? But good find.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I have to count them out. 200Hz is not sub. Correct? But good find.

Yep. I was trying to pull a fast one on you guys. Can't fool the Buck

I snapped that pic at COSI last year (Center of Science and Industry in downtown Columbus). They had a bunch of old 50's style electronics and appliances. Pretty neat stuff. It looked so much like a sub, I had to snap a pic. I'm sure it's just an old transistor AM radio.

 

[MacManNM]

RCA - 1939.

10" driver, 5 watt amplifier. Capable of reaching down to 200Hz at 65dB.

Cool. The begining of hifi!

 

[zumbo]

I just sent NHT an email about their claim. I will let y'all know what the reply is.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

You know someone with more money than brain put a full sized cannon in his greatroom and hired a full symphony to play taichovsky's 1812 overture in his mansion.......

 

[bongobob]

I had a Yamaha sub in the mid to late 70's. Big as a table with a 75 watt amp. the crossover was a little box that attached to the speaker outs with 4 wires and had a single rca going to the sub. the speakers attached to spring clips on the crossover. I was the only one I knew with a sub. It worked well with my Fischer tube amp from the 60's. The amp had to be retired due to lack of inputs but I still have it. Best sounding amp I've ever had.....

 

[race4aliving]

I believe it was M&K in the mid 70's with either the Volkswoofer or the Goliath sub. I'm sure it's listed on there site somewhere if you look. http://www.mksound.com

I was working in a Hi Fi store in the mid 70's and I remember selling those powered M&K subs we sold a lot of Volkswoofers, Philips had a powered full range studio monitor that sounded pretty good, heck I remember Canton had Powered sub and sat systems in the 80's. lots of companies had powered sub sat system long before the 90's so I'm not sure what NHT is talking about.

 

[furrycute]

You know someone with more money than brain put a full sized cannon in his greatroom and hired a full symphony to play taichovsky's 1812 overture in his mansion.......

I have been wondering about this as well. In the old days if you had REAL money, you hire chamber orchestras, or god forbid full sized orchestras, for live performances. Only the penny pinching new money settled for the less than grand sound coming from those Eddison gramophones.

Nowadays when I hear people brag about their $$$$$ stereo systems, I always laugh because I know in the old days well endowed music lovers spent that much money on just one live performance that gave you superior sound reproduction. What modern audiophiles spend on stereo equipments is nothing compared to what the audiophiles of old days were spending for much grander sound.