The Infrasonic Experience from a Monster 64 inch Subwoofer – Ascendo’s The64 Sub Pro

Posted by Tan       

This listening session at Dato’ Danon Han’s audio den was not only entertaining and a massive eye-opener, it was also educational. It was an experience that could easily change the Hifi world view of many audiophiles indeed. 

When you’re already running a flagship level setup like the Gryphon Kodo—a massive, four-tower loudspeaker system—you have to wonder what the next logical step up even is.

Dato’ Han has been contemplating this challenge for some time.

When Ascendo came to our shores bringing in their infrasonic subwoofers, they won over many Malaysian enthusiasts with their deep, clean and tactile bass performance. Many of these infrasonic subs found their homes in local systems.

Dato’ Han wanted to push the envelope even further. Never one for half measures, he decided to chase single-digit bass frequency extension and became the first person in Southeast Asia to own the Ascendo The64 Sub Pro. infrasonic subwoofer. This massive 64-inch subwoofer handles home theatre duties, but the coolest part for me is that it's also wired up for pure, two-channel HiFi music. Amazingly, it handles both setups like a absolute champ.

I was excited when I received an invitation to attend a launch and demo event at Dato’ Han’s place after the team at AV Designs (Ascendo’s Malaysian distributor) finished installing and calibrating the system. I had no doubt that this Ascendo giant would impress with AV duties after experiencing its smaller siblings in AV Designs’ showroom, for me, the real treat was finally getting to hear how a monster infrasonic subwoofer behaves when properly blended into a dedicated two-channel music system.

I really respect Dato’ Han’s approach to the demo. He clearly put a ton of effort into painstakingly selecting the right tracks, leaving no stone unturned. The playlist ranged from quiet, simple solo vocals all the way to bombastic audiophile tracks.

Yes, you read that right, simple and quiet solo vocal. Common sense says that there is not much low bass content there, so why bother playing it through the monstrous Ascendo? But reality showed otherwise. When the Ascendo was turned on in an A/B comparison, the vocal showed up more naturally, less edgy in the highs (!) and less hifi-ish overall, the soundstage opened up and the atmosphere in the soundstage became more distinct. These were beneficial though not massive changes, but it was still amazing that the Ascendo could improve on such simple music.

There was simply no debating on on what the 64 inch infrasonic sub brought to the table when we switched over to full range, dynamic, and more challenging music. The extra bass extension beneath every track was instantly apparent, adding a ton of heft to the performance while staying agile and transparent. Every single bass note came through clean and clear. Higher up the frequency range, it did the exact same magic trick as it did with the solo vocals—the whole presentation felt more natural, removing a tiny bit of top-end edginess I didn't even know was there until it was gone. Big sounds got even bigger, the soundstage expanded, and the music felt truly majestic.

A little bit of excursion from the 64 inch driver goes a long way

The fact that the Ascendo could dig up so much hidden details from the same recordings - especially when paired with a beast of a speaker like the Gryphon Kodo - was staggering.

We also got to experience the Ascendo The64 Sub Pro on movie duties. Suffice to say that the Ascendo The64 infrasonic sub blew us away. It was impactful, immersive, deep, dynamic – the kind of performance that would scare the daylights out of many AV enthusiasts.

Dato' Danon Han's is the Ascendo-certified first unut of The64 Sub Pro in Southeast Asia

To top it all off, Ascendo’s co-founder, Geoffrey Heinzel, was there with us. He shared his philosophy on why infrasonic bass is so crucial to overall sonic performance, and how Ascendo became a pioneer in the space. For him, smaller subwoofers that compromise on size and true bass depth just don't cut it.

After experiencing Data’ Danon Han’s system, I can’t disagree.

If you already own a high-end system and are still wondering where your next performance upgrade will come from, an Ascendo Infrasonic Subwoofer could be the answer. Give AV Designs a call to experience - 03-6252 1399.

Details of the Ascendo The64 Sub Pro can be found here.