Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series 3 Brochure & Specs page 14

Subwoofers
The 600 Series 3 includes a choice of three ded-
icated subwoofer speakers, each one tailored
to the bass power handling requirements of
different home cinema applications.
The cabinet is the bedrock and ours employ
extensive internal bracing to minimise panel
vibration. Joints are double-sealed to prevent
air leakage. The drive units use cones of thick
fibre pulp reinforced with Kevlar fibres and
heavily impregnated with resins to be ultra-
stiff. Overlarge dust caps further strengthen
the cone and minimise flexing. Dynamic
performance is ensured by generous magnet
assemblies and large-diameter voice coils that
comfortably handle the power of the dedicated,
custom-matched amplifiers. All three subwoofers
incorporate special Bass Overload Suppression
System circuitry to avoid the irritating distortion
that can occur if either the driver or amplifier
approaches its limits.
Ideally suited to small to medium-sized
installations using the DM601 S3, DM602 S3 or
DM602.5 S3 in the main speaker positions, the
ASW600 is large enough to deliver rich, deep
bass but, being a closed-box system, does so
only from its front face, which allows plenty of
flexibility in positioning.
The ASW650 goes louder and lower.
Equipped with a 200W amplifier and a 50-litre
cabinet, it supplements set-ups that include the
DM602.5 S3, DM603 S3 or the DM604 S3 as
main speakers. Movies in particular can be very
demanding of subwoofers and some special
effects can test them to the limit.
Conventional subwoofer wisdom says, the
bigger the sound, the bigger the box. But as
one climbs the output scale, there comes a
point at which cabinets simply become too
The drive unit's cone, Distortion is lowered by
dust cap and carbon fibre the T-shape centre pole
bulky and obtrusive for domestic settings.
coil bobbin are bonded (2), which improves field
The ASW675 packs the punch of a larger
together in our unique symmetry, and an aluminium
subwoofer from a compact cabinet. A sub-
second-generation ring (3), which reduces
'mushroom' construction, flux modulation. A triple
woofer for the largest domestic installations,
giving 3-ring girder (1) suspension system (4)
the ASW675 is visually very much part of the
rigidity. Predicted by Finite handles the high shear forces
600 Series family. But behind the familiar
Element Analysis and verified generated and keeps the coil
moulded baffle are an amplifier and drive unit
by laser measurement, this perfectly aligned throughout
construction helps to produce its 50mm maximum throw.
that are all its own.
the 'slam' and speed of
What it loses in volume it makes up for
impulsive bass.
by other means: a higher power amplifier
than normal with enough output capacity to
produce the necessary low-frequency equalisa-
tion needed to overcome the restrictions of the
compact cabinet, and a drive unit with extra
long throw, capable of moving the required
volumes of air with low distortion.
A large magnet ensures high efficiency
and control of the massive voice coil which,
with its high thermal mass, runs cool even with
the extra bass boost. And don't even worry
about exceptional signals: the epoxy adhesives
of this 76mm diameter voice coil can withstand
temperatures of over 300C.
For the ASW675, Kevlar ® fibres and resin
impregnation add strength and stiffness to the
pulp cone, which has an additional layer of
aluminium bonded to the front surface. This
composite construction further increases
resistance to deformation under the high surface
pressures generated within the cabinet. The open
design of the driver's die-cast aluminium chassis
and the thorough venting of the various cavities
behind the diaphragm reduce both viscous
drag and turbulence noise.
Despite its high 500 watts
output, the amplifier in the
ASW675 is relatively compact
and runs reliably cool, thanks
to optimisation using thermal
modelling software and
two highly energy-efficient
features: Class D operation
and a switch mode power
supply eliminates mains
interference with the rest
of your equipment.
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ASW600 ASW650
Technical features Paper/Kevlar ® cone drive unit Paper/Kevlar ® cone drive unit
150W Amplifier 150W Amplifier
Description Active closed-box subwoofer system Active closed-box subwoofer system
Drive units ø250mm (10 in) paper/Kevlar ® cone ø300mm (12 in) paper/Kevlar ® cone
Frequency range -6dB at 22Hz and 180Hz adjustable (EQ at A) -6dB at 20Hz and 180Hz adjustable (EQ at A)
Frequency response -3dB 26Hz–150Hz adjustable (EQ at A) -3dB 25Hz–150Hz adjustable (EQ at A)
Amplifier Power output: 150W continuous Power output: 200W continuous
Input impedance: 22kΩ Input impedance: 22kΩ
Signal / noise: >90dB Signal / noise: >90dB
Functions: Output level Functions: Output level
Low-pass filter frequency Low-pass filter frequency
Low-pass filter bypass Low-pass filter bypass
Bass roll-off alignment Bass roll-off alignment
Auto sense on/standby Auto sense on/standby
Phase switch Phase switch
Inputs: Line In (RCA Phono) Inputs: Line In (RCA Phono)
Speaker level (binding Speaker level (binding
posts) posts)
Outputs: Line Out (RCA Phono, Outputs: Line Out (RCA Phono,
high-passed) high-passed)
Link Out (RCA Phono, Link Out (RCA Phono,
parallel to Line In) parallel to Line In)
Speaker level out
Speaker level out
(high-passed) (high-passed)
Low-pass filter Active 2nd-order, variable cut-off frequency Active 2nd-order, variable cut-off frequency
High-pass filter Line level: Active 3rd-order at 80Hz Line level: Active 3rd-order at 80Hz
Speaker level: Passive 1st-order at 80Hz Speaker level: Passive 1st-order at 80Hz
(into 8Ω load) (into 8Ω load)
Dimensions Height: 365mm (14.4 in) not including spike feet Height: 417mm (16.4 in) not including spike feet
Width: 365mm (14.4 in) Width: 415mm (16.3 in)
Depth: 450mm (17.7 in) including grille Depth: 495mm (19.5 in) including grille
and controls and controls
Net weight 19.5kg (43 lb) 25.5kg (56 lb)
Cabinet finish Black Ash or Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl Black Ash or Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl
Grille Black cloth Black cloth
ASW675
Composite aluminium/paper/Kevlar ®
cone drive unit
500W Amplifier
Active closed-box subwoofer system
ø250mm (10 in) composite
aluminium/paper/Kevlar ® cone long-throw
-6dB at 17Hz and 40/140Hz adjustable (EQ at A)
-3dB 22Hz–31/110Hz adjustable (EQ at A)
Power output: 500W continuous
Input impedance: 33kΩ
Signal / noise: >90dB
Functions: Output level
Low-pass filter frequency
Low-pass filter bypass
Bass roll-off alignment
Auto sense on/standby
Phase switch
Inputs: Line In (RCA Phono)
Outputs: Line Out (RCA Phono,
high-passed)
Link Out (RCA Phono)
Active 2nd-order, variable cut-off frequency
Line level: Active 3rd-order at 80Hz
Height: 340mm (13.4 in) not including spike feet
Width: 340mm (13.4 in)
Depth: 411mm (16.2 in) including grille
and controls
25.5kg (56 lb)
Black Ash or Light Oak Sorrento Vinyl
Black cloth