Crystal Cable Subissimo
Subissimo – delivering clean bass that counts.
At the same time as we were developing the Minissimo Diamond, we were also working on the revolutionary sub-bass system that would become the Subissimo. We were determined to make these two ground-breaking products integrate simply and seamlessly. A subtle machined rebate in the speaker’s base accepts a specially selected compliant mat, sealing the downward firing port and perfectly tailoring the Diamond’s response for use on a shelf.
The natural rubber mat also acoustically isolates the speaker if it is placed on top of the Subissimo, but we still wanted more control over the low-frequency output, to allow perfect integration. By using the bi-wired inputs on the satellites in conjunction with the Crystal Cube Integrated amplifier, with its configurable low-frequency roll-off and separate sub-bass outputs, we were able to create a perfectly matched, compact, curvaceous yet genuinely full-range speaker system, a system that matches the astonishing musical and aesthetic integrity of the Minissimo speakers.
In a world where subwoofers are big and invariably ugly, the Subissimo is an unobtrusively elegant and adaptable solution to the challenge of reproducing full-range music in the home. Used individually or in pairs, it integrates as perfectly with the Minissimo Diamond as it does with your home décor.
Subissimo – Pretty AND surprisingly versatile!
But Subissimo’s perfect pairing with the Minissimo is only one half of the story. Just as the Minissimo Diamond exists in its own right, setting new musical standards in its class, the Subissimo also stands alone, redefining deep bass performance.
Subissimo is a unique ultra-performance, low-bass system that is, in Crystal tradition, typically innovative. Unlike other heavily equalized subwoofer systems that try to bend the laws of physics, attempting to squeeze ever more bass out of smaller and smaller boxes (and ending up with a bottom-end that simply sounds forced, detached, processed and unnatural) the Subissimo accepts that naturally communicative bass needs volume to work and breathe, so its system innovative topology and high-tech sandwich construction cabinet concentrates on visual elegance rather than attempting invisibility.
Horizontally opposed 13” drivers are arranged in a force-cancelling configuration, each driven by its own independent power amplifier. Rather than using electronic equalization to extend low-frequencies it is instead employing to compensate for non-linearities and variations in the drivers themselves, perfectly matching their outputs, minimizing the energy they feed back into the cabinet. The enclosure itself is a curved wall composite construction that is carefully tuned, using Comsol modelling software, to absorb and dissipate the drivers’ unwanted mechanical output before it can accumulate and feed back into the acoustic output, blurring and distorting timing, pitch and textural information.
Consider for a moment the importance (and cost) of a high-quality line-stage to system performance. How many of the active crossovers used by conventional sub-woofers match that level of performance? But that’s exactly what they should do if they are going to successfully integrate their bass output with the rest of the system. That’s why the Subissimo uses a passive crossover at its input, as well as setting its drivers high in the cabinet walls, away from unwanted room reflections and reinforcement that risk smearing and colouring the low-frequency output. The result is a low-colouration sub-bass system of unmatched neutrality that can be seamlessly integrated with any high-quality speaker system, setting new standards in low-frequency reproduction.