Deep Concentration

IN THE realm of high-fidelity audio, the Bowers & Wilkins DB3D subwoofer offers a fusion of compact design and powerful performance.

- Mark Henninger

Priced at a premium $3,499, this subwoofer is a statement piece that offers performance to match Bowers and Wilkins speakers like the 700 Series S3 models used in this review.

The DB3D is at once one of the most expensive and one of the most compact subwoofers I've reviewed. We are talking $14,000 worth of subs. However, this sub's design is not strictly about getting maximum decibels per dollar. If that's your sole goal, best to look elsewhere. The reason? There is a direct correlation between a sub's size, output, and cost. Offering the capabilities of a large subwoofer in a compact package costs more, not less.

So, big bucks, small subs... what's the payoff? I can tell you what I got out of the DB3Ds. I easily fit four 10 Hz-capable, self-tuning subs in my urban loft's living room area. The resulting bass is dedicated home theater-quality.

It is important to emphasize that with this system, my priority is not maximum output. It's maximum bass extension and fidelity.

FEATURES

The DB3D offers a user-friendly experience for setup and adjustments. A key feature is control of the sub via the dedicated "dB Sub" app. It's crucial, actually, because the sub itself does not offer physical controls, you must use the app to tweak the settings.

Plus, you'd miss out on the built-in automatic room tuning. The app communicates using Bluetooth and worked seamlessly on my iPhone and my Samsung Galaxy, all four subwoofers showed up immediately the moment after I installed and launched it.

The DB3D's compact design leverages a pair of 8-inch Aerofoil drivers in a dual-opposed, force-canceling alignment. This arrangement minimizes distortion caused by mechanical motion while maximizing cone surface area, making possible the use of a small cabinet. For comparison, a pair of 8-inch drivers are equivalent to an 11.3-inch driver in a sealed sub-enclosure.