Infinity SSW-212 Subwoofer

About a month ago I posted about the nearly mint condition Infinity Modulus satellite speakers with original stands that I had bought. I probably paid a premium over the going market rate for these speakers but given their rarity and outstanding condition I felt it was worth it. Having listened to them for a month, I have only grown more and more fond of them.

As great as the Modulus satellites are, they do have one big deficency, they produce nearly zero bass tones below about 80Hz. In all fairness, the satellites were designed to be mated with the Modulus servo-controlled subwoofer, and to evaluate them without a subwoofer is missing the point. Initially I borrowed one of the Polk Audio PSW1000 subs from my home theater system to get a feel for the satellites performance as part of a full range system. While the result was good, the Polk sub is really intended for HT use so there was plenty of room for improvement.

Unfortunately it seems that the Modulus subwoofer is even more rare than the satellites. While eventually I would love to have one, I figured I need to look for another solution. If I couldn't have a Modulus sub, I wanted to at least stay true to the Modulus concept. This meant I was looking for at least a 12" driver that was servo-controlled. Something in gloss black would be a huge plus. This led me immediately to the Rythmik Audio F12SE. The only problem is that I am not really ready to dump down $950 (shipped) on a sub right now, so I decide to look for a cheaper interim solution and maybe get the Rythmik sometime in the future. It seemed that the most abundant servo-controlled subs on the various online sites (Ebay, Audiogon, craigslist, etc.) were from Velodyne. Finally this past Sunday afternoon a Velodyne F-1200 popped up on Ebay with a "But it now" price of $129, and I grabbed it. While I am not expecting the old Velodyne to be spectacular, I assumed it would be adequate for a few months to a year until I was ready for something else.

Move on to Monday. I had not been on craigslist in a few days, so I took a look through a few of my normal searches, and what did I see... Infinity SSW-212 subwoofer... $125!!! Could this be real? Although I had never heard the SSW-212 in person, I was familiar with it from advertisements back in the early 90's. There isn't too much said about it online, but what is written is really positive. The SSW series included 3 subs. The small SSW-10 with a single 10" woofer, the SSW-210 with two 10" woofers, and the SSW-212 with two 12's. They are all sealed enclosures and all are servo-controlled. An Infinity servo-controlled sub would be an excellent choice to mate with the Modulus satellites. Surprised that it was still available, I exchanged a few e-mails with the seller and by Monday afternoon the sub was standing in my home office.

Let me just say that this thing is BIG! I knew it wasn't a small sub given that it housed two 12s, but I was still surprised how big it is. Strangely the manual doesn't provide any specs... none! However, from the information I can find online it seems that it is powered with a 300 watt amplifier and is rated down to 25Hz at -3db. When new in 1992 it sold for $1595! BTW, did I mention it is BIG... and heavy too!

Of course the most important question is... how does it sound? Let me just say that I am VERY pleased. It is vastly superior to my Polk Audio PSW1000s. The bass is more detailed, and deeper. It was also very easy to get a satisfactory blend with the Modulus satellites. However, I am most likely going to try moving it to a corner where it will be out of the way (did I mention it is BIG) so I will likely have to tweak the settings some more. I have been listening to song after song and am VERY happy with how the system sounds. In fact it might even sound better than my big 9 Kappas! Sometime in the future I am going to have to drag all of this gear into one room and do some A/B comparison testing.

There are a few downsides to this sub, starting with the lack of a high pass crossover and no auto-on feature. This basically means that you either have to use a smart power system to turn the outlet off and on, or reach behind the sub and hit the switch each time you use it. I have to turn things off-and-on daily anyway, so this is really not a big issue for me. The "black oak" finish is also a bit boring compared to the beautiful gloss black of the Modulus satellites. I have done some reading about a finish called PianoLac that is supposed to give an excellent piano gloss finish much more easily than the traditional multi-layer lacquer. I may look to have the cabinet refinished with PianoLac so it matches the Modulus sats.

The only question remaining is "what am I going to do with the Velodyne F-1200 when it arrives?" Some A/B comparisons will definitely be in order. Afterwhich I will decide what to do with it.

Enjoy the pics!

Rob


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congrats on the find. that it can bring the Modulus monitors up to the performance of your Kappa's says alot. it should be quite a shoot out between the them.

as for the extra sub, craigslist can help there too.

I love the whole "Darth Vader" look of the combo- very nifty!

As for the sound, looks like they'd be a treat!

Congrats!

Congrats, that's a nice looking sub. The driver layout looks right with the promise of direct bass waves rather than the downward firing drivers of lesser subs. Don't be fooled by anyone who says bass is non-directional. Forward firing woofers gives the immediacy that hidden woofers can never deliver.

Are the two drivers separated per channel or is the signal combined to simultaneously drive both woofers? I think a woofer per channel is ideal because there is no cross-cancellation that can occur when combining two channels.

love the black, nice find, and you were right, its big, and thats what she said

I agree that direct-radiating subs providing more accurate bass. The intention of the SSW-212's shape is that it can be flexibly used in a few different configurations. The manual describes them as follows...

1. upright between satellites --> smooth linear bass
2. upright in a corner --> deep powerful bass
3. on side, woofers up at 45deg, between satellites --> smooth detailed bass
4. on side, woofers down at 45deg, between satellites --> deepest bass response (due to "optimum coupling")

Probably nothing new for those who have spent sometime moving their speakers around and observing how the bass response changes. Perhaps I will try them all and provide some feedback.

Regarding the question about whether or not a woofer is dedicated to each channel, I do not know for sure, but I doubt it. Even if the amplifier had two separate channels so you wouldn't have electrical cross-cancellation, it seems you would still have acoustical cross-cancellation due to the fact the drivers share the same cabinet. Thoughts?

Rob

I agree that direct-radiating subs providing more accurate bass. The intention of the SSW-212's shape is that it can be flexibly used in a few different configurations. The manual describes them as follows...

1. upright between satellites --> smooth linear bass
2. upright in a corner --> deep powerful bass
3. on side, woofers up at 45deg, between satellites --> smooth detailed bass
4. on side, woofers down at 45deg, between satellites --> deepest bass response (due to "optimum coupling")

Probably nothing new for those who have spent sometime moving their speakers around and observing how the bass response changes. Perhaps I will try them all and provide some feedback.

Regarding the question about whether or not a woofer is dedicated to each channel, I do not know for sure, but I doubt it. Even if the amplifier had two separate channels so you wouldn't have electrical cross-cancellation, it seems you would still have acoustical cross-cancellation due to the fact the drivers share the same cabinet. Thoughts?

Rob

I like your floor placement because the majority of the sound waves will not reflect off the floor thus avoiding floor amplification. Having two and standing vertical in the corners is also a possibility, the 45 degree baffle gives plenty of options.

Dual woofers in a single sealed cabinet will slightly increase back pressure which may result in some non-linearity. Foam surrounds relieve back pressure better than butyl, I can't tell which yours are. If your cab has an internal division, that is best.

They are foam surrounds, and judging by their excellent condition I assume they were replaced within the last couple of years.

man, I could spend a few hours listening to that system, I'm sure!

As for subwoofer directionality, despite claims from many that bass is non-directional, I went with forward firing subs myself after listening to a few options. My listening did not agree with the non-directional statement.

Thed, I've had endless arguments on "non-directional" bass. Glad another "Golden Ear" thinks the same way.

like other characteristics of sound such as imaging, ss -vs- tubes, bookshelf -vs- floorstander etc. i think this also comes down to ones preference.

Duh! Saying the obvious helps no one.

Duh! Saying the obvious helps no one.

And the same applies to you. Your reply seems more to take a shot.

Jim