AudioControl RS1000 Mono Constant Power Subwoofer Amplifier Preview

See the complete review for the AudioControl RS1000 Mono Constant Power Subwoofer Amplifier.

While most subwoofers we see today are self-powered, there are some cases (be it DIY, a professional, or a multi-room installation) where passive subwoofers are used, and thus external amplification is required.

Tucked into AudioControl’s product line are two dedicated subwoofer amplifier models, each with several features that are tailored to the application of copious quantities of bass. The RS1000 model featured in this review is the larger of the two models.

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Several years ago, I designed a pair of sealed DIY subwoofers, each built around the Dayton Audio RSS390HF-4 15″ Reference HF Subwoofer Driver. Both enclosures have approximately 4.5 cubic feet of internal volume and I had hired a very talented carpenter friend to build and finish the sub boxes to match the cherry veneer of my Bamberg Series 2 monitor speakers. My goal was to have a 2.2 channel music system in my art studio. At the time I was using a Marchand XM44 external active crossover for bass management and I cycled through a few different external amps for subwoofer power, eventually settling on a pair of Dayton Audio SA1000 external mono subwoofer power amplifiers. Since then, I had sold the Marchand and have been using the excellent Anthem STR Preamplifier for its superior performance, flexibility, and the addition of ARC Room Correction.

The Dayton amplifiers have performed admirably over the years, but I was curious to see if there was anything similar out there that was more flexible, had balanced inputs, and possibly performed better. While power has been sufficient, the Dayton amps also have all analog filtering and PEQ resources, and let’s just say that their accuracy, predictability, and repeatability are somewhat “variable” to put it nicely. I had remembered reading about AudioControl releasing a pair of dedicated subwoofer amplifiers recently and I also remembered visiting their booth and talking with the reps at the last CEDIA that I had attended. I had been impressed with their technical knowledge and product array at the show, so after a quick email inquiry and a short discussion, I found a pair of RS1000 subwoofer amplifiers waiting for me at my doorstep and ready to be put to task.

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Look for my full review to appear on the Secrets website soon.

See the complete review for the AudioControl RS1000 Mono Constant Power Subwoofer Amplifier.

Carlo Lo Raso

A native of Toronto Canada, Carlo's interest in audio began at a young age when, unbeknownst to his mother, he started taking apart her numerous transistor radios to see how they worked. This desire for “knowledge through deconstruction” continued through to the family’s 8-track tape player, turntable, headphones, and speakers. Carlo subsequently spent a lot of time in his room. Toronto was a fertile ground for Hi-Fi in the 1970s and 80s and Carlo spent much of his wayward youth hanging out in downtown Toronto stereo shops, listening to all manner of gear and picking the brains of the various store owners. Through that formative experience, Carlo developed an appreciation for good music and good sound reproduction. Also, as a budding graphic artist, the aesthetic aspects of a given piece of gear became increasingly of interest to his eyes. It was at about that time as well that Carlo began purchasing “Audio Magazine” on a regular basis and came to appreciate, in particular, the writing and reviewing of the late Leonard Feldman. Later on, he was also influenced by the writing and observations of the staff at Sound and Vision Canada, helmed at the time by Alan Loft. Carlo graduated from Sheridan College with a degree in Classical Animation and was subsequently employed by Walt Disney Consumer Products for 10 years as a Character Artist and Art Director. Having become disenchanted with Los Angeles, he then decided to strike out on his own. Carlo started his own company and has been freelancing artwork, from his home studio, primarily for the toy and publishing industries since 2001. In 2013, on a bit of a lark, Carlo answered a “Call for Writers” ad from an AV website that he had been regularly reading for about 5 years called Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. He had come to appreciate the website’s combination of subjective impressions along with the objective bench-testing available in several of the reviews. The “B-Team” must have been working that day because by some miracle he was hired as a writer and his first review for the site was published early in 2014. Carlo has been continually writing, editing, traveling, listening, and learning on the company’s behalf ever since. Carlo currently lives in Granville, Ohio with his wife, two sons, and a very old, but chill dachshund.