Pro Audio Technology LFC-24sm Subwoofer Preview

An "ordinary" subwoofer like the SVS PB13-Ultra is great stuff if your theater room isn't the size of an auditorium; but what happens if your room is a lot closer in size to a commercial cinema than the typical Audioholics Bassaholic "Extreme" room? If that happens to describe your situation well, the folks at Pro Audio Technology might just have something to pique your interest; their new LFC-24sm subwoofer. Due to be publicly debuted at CEDIA in Denver, price is yet to be determined. hHowever, with a parts list that includes a 24" woofer and 1000W amplifier, we're guessing it's not going to be inexpensive. If you're interested to see what this monster is capable of, keep reading.

The Particulars

As you'd imagine from a subwoofer sporting a 24" driver, the LFC-24sm isn't exactly petite. Measuring 60.5" x 26" x 21" and weighing a hefty 266lbs, this isn't something you're going to hide behind a potted plant or under an end table. We'd expect given the size and industrial finish that the LFC-24sm is going to end up behind a false wall or projector screen in the vast majority of installations. Given the target market, we're guessing that isn't a significant drawback.

Of course in terms of subwoofer performance, it's no secret that being the size of a refrigerator has it's advantages. In this case, the additional girth allows for an 88 pound, 24" driver with 1" of linear peak to peak excursion as well as a quartet of 6" ports. This combination allows for a claimed system sensitivity of 99dB with 1 watt at 1 meter, which is nothing to sneeze at for this frequency range, as well as a rated response down to 22Hz (-3dB). Power is provided by a custom DSP optimized 1000W amplifier, which includes handful of useful features including parametric EQ and delay settings. All in all, Pro Audio Technology expects the LFC-24sm to deliver a maximum of 129.5dB, which we'd assume is rated at 1 meter.

Just in case it looked all cute and cuddly, here's a size comparison showing the LFC-24sm next to its "little" brother, the LFC-14sm.

As a preview article, it is beyond the scope here to truly test out the manufacturer's claims. Nonetheless, given the hardware specified, we'd anticipate that the LFC-24sm has what it takes to reach its rated performance. For those curious, a single 24" driver is comparable to 4-12" drivers in terms of radiating surface, which gives the LFC-24sm the displacement necessary to produce gargantuan SPL. In addition, with four 6" ports on hand, vent compression and chuffing isn't likely to be an issue, even at the highest levels. Couple those pieces with the oversized enclosure and a 1000W amplifier, and there's little question that the LFC-24sm can deliver output that will crack drywall.

Summary

As most Audioholics are keenly aware, a huge room calls for an extraordinarily powerful subwoofer. Suffice it to say, Pro Audio Technology's new LFC-24sm boasts the hardware to fit that description to a tee. Of course, there are drawbacks, namely the considerable size and weight, and likely a hefty price tag as well. However, if you're doing a custom installation where you can hide the LFC-24sm's bulk behind a projector screen or a false wall, the capacity to have near unlimited power in an invisible form factor is there. The only question that remains is the price.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.