Bass Goes Bigger: Revisiting AV Designs with the Ascendo 32-Inch Subwoofer

 Posted by Tan

After my last jaw-dropping encounter with AV Designs’ seismic subwoofer setup—where a 24-inch Ascendo woofer redefined what “low-end” meant (read it here) - I was invited back for a follow-up session. This time, things had gotten more serious. The 24-incher was replaced with the 32-inch Ascendo subwoofer that I alluded to in my last post.

Yes, 32 inches. And yes, when you thought bass could not have gone deeper and deeper, this hunk of a subwoofer made a big difference - and profoundly so.

The moment the system engaged, the large room was totally filled. There was an unmistakable sense of scale - the soundstage had grown further, with instruments and effects occupying a more expansive, three-dimensional space.

Bass dug even deeper into the floor, the sound effects from Hollywood blockbusters spreading out around, beneath and above, enveloping you fully. And yet, counterintuitively, everything felt more relaxed. I could not imagine myself saying this comparing with my previous experience with the 24 inch sub, but gone was the ever slightest hint of strain that I didn't even know was there until I experienced its big brother here. Bass line emerged with a natural ease that was almost uncanny, with each bass notes unfurled even more effortlessly.

Despite its sheer size, this sub wasn’t overbearing. What truly impressed me was how coherently the new sub integrated with the rest of the system. James Tan and the AV Designs team had clearly spent considerable effort tuning the setup. The balance remained impeccable. The integration of the 32-inch monster into the existing five-subwoofer array (including dual 21s and dual 18s) was executed with excellence. Each was meticulously integrated and calibrated to provide a bass response that’s linear, clean, and enveloping.

Music and movie sound tracks alike benefited. Music was provided with a rock solid foundation, the mid and highs were even smoother than before. Explosive scenes from action soundtracks hit with visceral impact but with none of the muddiness lesser systems suffer from.

AV Designs continues to chase the limits of what’s possible in the home setting, and this latest installation isn’t just about brute force. It’s about control, precision, and not least excitement. Absolutely an experience that should not be missed by any serious AV enthusiasts and audiophiles. 

Contact AV Designs 03-62411237 for enquiries and audition.

3Hz Bass Experience with Multiple Ascendo Subwoofers

Posted by Tan

Yes, you read that right—3Hz bass, not 30Hz or 300Hz. While 3Hz is inaudible to the human ear, its presence can be powerfully felt. Unfortunately, words alone can’t capture the sensation of 3Hz bass, so the next best thing is to let you see it in motion.

In the video clip below, a 24-inch Ascendo subwoofer took center stage, playing a track that plunged into sub-bass frequencies as low as 3Hz. Although the phone microphone may not have captured the deepest bass notes (recording instead their higher harmonic frequencies), the camera revealed the subwoofer driver working hard to deliver these astonishingly low frequencies. At certain moments, I could see the driver’s movement more clearly rather than just a blur, visually indicating how low the bass notes being played was.

Track title - "Critical Havocs - Infrasonic Death (under 3Hz)"

This was also the first time I literally felt “pants-flapping bass” from a home theater or HiFi system. Squatting down in front of the massive sub to film the driver, I was surprised to find my pant legs flapping in sync with the bass. What I had thought was just a figure of speech turned out to be entirely real!

AV Designs has pushed boundaries by installing five Ascendo subwoofers in their main home theater room. This setup featured two 21-inch subwoofers at the front, alongside two 18-inch subs and a massive 24-inch sub at the back. But why so many subs you ask? Wouldn't such overwhelming bass energy drown the space and render soundtracks or music unbearable and unlistenable?

The answer is "No". The goal of employing multiple subwoofers isn’t to add more and excessive bass, but to ensure a smooth and linear bass response. In typical listening rooms, bass peaks and troughs occur due to the physics of bass propagation. Strategically placing multiple subwoofers allows the system better ability and flexibility to cancel those peaks and fill in the troughs. Of course, I am putting this lightly, James Tan of AV Designs explains that achieving this linearity requires both expertise and significant effort to properly calibrate the system. 

This was an amazing experience for me. The system delivered outstanding performance not just for movie soundtracks but also for music.  The bass rumbled and was also impactful and fast, yet it exuded nuances and details that added immense depth to the listening experience when the recording called for. It’s evident that systems struggling with bass issues—such as boomy, muddy, or bloated bass—compromise not just the low-end but also the midrange and treble. In fact, it affects the entire listening enjoyment.

This demo highlighted how a clean, well-balanced bass foundation can transform audio quality. A precise bottom end opens up the sound, enhances dynamic expression, improves the music’s flow, and anchors the soundtrack and music, allowing it to truly flourish.

AV Designs was not stopping here in their quest for even greater bass. After this, the 24-inch subwoofer will be replaced by an even larger 32-inch Ascendo subwoofer. An even more amazing bass experience awaits.

The 32-inch Ascendo sub that will take up residence in AV Designs' main HT demo system next

Contact AV Designs 03-62411237 for enquiries and audition.

Full TAD System Experience at AV Designs

All my Hi-F friends know that I am nuts about all things TAD. So, a few weeks ago, when I was told by AV Designs' Tony that they were putting up a complete TAD system for demo, I made a beeline for it.

The complete TAD system from source to amplifiers to loudspeakers. TAD is one of those rare Hi-Fi brands that have the technological prowess to cover the entire Hi-Fi equipment chain

The TAD-D600 CD/SACD player which also came with digital inputs (S/PDIF on RCA and  AES/EBU on XLR), was acting both as a disc player and a DAC 

From top, the Bryston BDP-3 Digital Music Player which was used to stream music files to the TAD-D600's built in DAC; the TAD-C2000 per-amp; the TAD-M2500 power amp

TAD-C2000 pre-amp

The TAD-M2500 power amp. 250w into 8ohm, 500w into 4ohm. This is a class-D amplifier that employs a linear power supply, it is heavy and runs warm. Its sound defied all my previous impression of class-D sound (i.e., precise, lean and somewhat dry), I can't tell it apart from a well-designed class AB amplifier

The TAD-CR1 mkII loudspeakers. These TAD Compact Reference speakers, to me, were definitely the star of the show   

The about only distinguishable outward feature of the mkII from the original CR1 is the texture of the bass cone, which on the mkII has a kind of a weave pattern and is matte looking

 

My listening experience with this TAD system didn't disappoint, nay, it was much more than that, it was very impressive.

Despite its size relative to the showroom which has a floor area of 800 sqft, the TAD-CR1 filled the huge space with well defined, rich, and very balanced sound from top to bottom. 

First time listeners to a TAD system would never fail to be impressed by the marque's expression of dynamic contrast, speed and attack, and this system demonstrated these qualities in spade. However, once one got over this, one would also start to appreciate that these TADs were capable of much delicacy, subtleties and nuances too. Their capabilities with both the macro and micro stuff were what gripped the listeners' attention and led them to listen on and on. 

I captured a video clip of the TAD system in action with my phone which was then compressed by whatsapp. Even through a compressed recording I believe you could still make out this system's ease and control in terms of its dynamic expression while not losing out on timbral richness. 

AV Designs is putting some of the TAD equipment on special offers. If you are interested contacted them at 03-62411237.

A&L Audio Station Gets On With dCS!

The demo system comprised of a pair of Dali loud speakers, a pair of  VTL tube mono blocks and the dCS Vivaldi CD transport(from top shelf), DAC, Up Sampler and Master Clock. Pre amp is not required as the DAC outputs 6V max, capable of driving power amps direct. Cabling by Tara Labs.

We attended the dCS Vivaldi ultimate digital source launch party at the A&LAudio Station show room in Bangsar Village II Shopping Center over the weekend, and while at it, we also took the opportunity to do a dealer focus too. The show room, located on the 2nd floor, houses separate AV and hifi demo areas.

On hand to demo and pitch the RM$350k(OMG!) dCS Vivaldi system is non other than Raveen Bawa, who is Export Sales Manager for the company. The dCS Vivaldi is the ultimate digital source front end for luxury or super high end audio systems. Raveen was keen to state that while the 4 box Vivaldi is the new dCS flagship, it does not supersede the Scarlatti, which is also a 4 box digital system. Also on display is the dCS Pucinni, the entry level range of the company. A Debussy DAC for entry level computer audio is also featured. The point here is that entry level for dCS products here will still cost a whole lot more than a used car your money can buy!

Raveen Bawa explaining the finer key design points of  the patented RingDAC topology on the proprietary PCB board(one of the finest quality board I've seen on an audio equipment!) 

Besides enjoying the pristine sound quality of the dCS Vivaldi system, we walked around the showroom and took some pictures to share with you the A&L Audio Station show room.

Show casing the now flag ship cable brand of A&L Audio Station, Tara Labs.

Shelves of AV and hifi equipment of display, featuring brands like Pioneer, Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, PS Audio and Densen.

Speakers row, Dali and PSB on display.

Lifestyle hifi for the 'hip & happening' Bangsar crowd.

Geneva iPod docks finds it's spot in hifi retail.

Mr Lim, just one of the friendly faces at A&L Audio Station Bangsar Village. The other being Mr CT Seong, but he was camera shy, and we could find him with the cam in hand! 

The show room facade of the A&L Audio Station in Bangsar Village II Shopping Center.

As usual, I could not let Raveen leave without throwing him juicy 10Qs about dCS, the company, people and the products.

Stay tune for the 10Qs session to come soon.

Maxx Audio Visual In Seremban.

KL hifi gang bangers making their way in to Maxx Audio Visual. See if you can spot the identities these guys?

Maxx Audio Visual showroom is located at 66, Jalan Toman 4, Kemayan Square, Seremban town, about an hour's drive from south of Kuala Lumpur. A few KL hifi gang bangers were making a day trip to Seremban to meet up with like minded enthusiast, and sample their audio systems, plus tuck in some of those famous original Seremban Siew Pau!

First stop along the way, we stop by Maxx Audio Visual and share with you, pictures of their showroom.

Maxx Audio Visual main foyer is mostly dedicated to Triangle loudspeakers and Exposure electronics. Seen here on demo are the latest Triangle color, with matching stands.

More Triangle, Genesis Trio speakers with their dedicated designed stands.

Thriangle Espirit series loudspeakers, and some pre-owned hifi selections.

Cables galore, XLO, Kimber and MIT.

Maxx Audio Visual is the authorised Triangle distributor in Malaysia.

This is the high end AV demo room,

A closer look at some of the AV components that make this room tick.

Triangle Magellan Cello(left), standing proud next to Genese Quartet, which is a bargain speaker for it's size! Interested? Call Maxx Loh to find out.

A Krell 250W stereo power amp driving either pair of Triangle floor standers.

SVS PB13-Ultra flagship sub woofer. Hear to believe the mind blowing experience!

This SVS is the biggest, baddest...ass sub woofer I've heard. It's got the power to not only shake the room, floor or sofa, but also one's pair of guli-es(balls). During the AV demo, I felt all that with my trouser's bottom flapping too!

After the totally out of this world AV demo experience, with our guli-es shaken, not stirred, we headed for those famous Seremban Siew Paus.

You can contact Maxx Audio Visual by calling Benjamin or Maxx Loh at 06 7620811 or 017 6778820. And lastly, don't worry, they are really friendly chaps!

TEG's New Jaya One Showroom.

The Experts Group, authorised distributor for B&W loudspeakers for Malaysia and Singapore, have moved their showroom to an alternative location, still within Jaya One commercial building. Their previous showroom accessible from the basement parking is no more.

TEG is now located at No.72A, Jalan Universiti, Jaya One, Block J, Unit 29-G(Ground Floor), 46200 Petaling Jaya Selangor. Alternatively, just look for the Wendy Burger outlet in Jaya One and you shall see the new B&W showroom just a few doors further down.

Here are some pictures of the new showroom:

TEG store front with the Bowers & Wilkins sign.

The iPad/Phone/Pod corner, with various B&W Zeppelin and head phone products. 

B&W takes their association with the Abbey Road and Lucas Film studios rather seriously.

The lifestyle demo area for those with compact living aspirations.

This is the serious hifi demo area! Note the latest B&W PM 1 speakers in the fore ground. TEG also sells Arcam, Rotel and T+A electronics.

A full range of Olive Digital Media Players are on demo here too.

More B&W, Olive demo.

BDI hifi/AV rack in natural walnut finish. These racks are customed designed to fit modern living interiors for good sound, discrete wire routing and equipment ventilation in mind.

Even the center speaker is accommodated inside a pull out drawer with sonically transparent grille mesh. That's BDI rack design details.

More BDI concept hifi/AV rack.

The jewel of the showroom, the latest B&W 802 Diamond speakers. Driven by top flight Classe pre/power amp combo, sourced by Olive Digital Media Player and XLO Signature 3 range cables, the sound is highly involving, and pleasing to the ears! Now this is how real high end diamond tweeters should sound like, room acoustics aside!

Ixos loose cut cable reels are also available.

Raj is the showroom guy, posing with the B&W CM series speakers.

If you can't find the place or just wanna call Raj for an enquiry, dial this no. 03-79568989 for assistance.

Centre Circle Audio Redecorated

Centre Circle Audio's showroom has long remained as one of the better decorated in the local scene. It has a homely feel and is a comfortable place to while away a few hours while auditioning their Hifi or home theatre setup.

Their showroom was re-decorated recently continuing on with the original theme. Their design ideas will translate pretty well into a domestic setting, in fact Centre Circle Audio also provides hifi / AV room design consultancy.

The reception area...

...which also incorporates a display of equipment...

...and a small selection of music and movie sofeware

Behind the reception area is the room for hifi auditioning, its acoustic treatment serves as tasteful and classy interior design too (Auralex diffusors on the ceiling and absorbers on the side walls, and custom designed wooden diffusor on the front and back walls)

The main hifi system on display

Custom hifi rack and amplifier stand from Centre Circle Audio, the veneer matches that on the Raidho loudspeakers on the right

The custom racks also come in wood and white veneer

Auralex acoustic treatment products displayed along a corridor

The main AV room

AV and Hifi equipment on the rack in the main AV room

Call Centre Circle Audio 03-77282686 to arrange a visit.