Mission
MUSICALITY FOR ALL IS OUR GOAL - EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF TECHNOLOGY
Musicality, just what does it mean? To an audiophile it means hearing all of the music without artifacts, seams or boundaries. It means perfect sound reproduction with no emphasis on anything but reality. Musical Bass unlocks this dimension in the entire musical spectrum just like magic.
Why are there only large expensive subwoofers listed in the class A and B subwoofer categories in Stereophile magazines recommended components list or those of other magazines for that matter? There is a recent trend to establish a subwoofer to be used with music once and for all as their origins are in home theater. In fact no sub has remained on these lists because the marginal performance achieved cannot be guaranteed in each listeners situation and none achieve the magic of operating totally synchronized with the mains. Small subs definitely don't sound musical with massive heavy drivers and large subs are even more sensitive to the room reflections. Even the best reviewed had characteristics outlawing their unequivocal recommendation even if they were affordable and of reasonable dimensions. TBI subwoofers have been classified as the biggest value in quality subs because they are affordable and when you get them home it's easy to set up and integrate the sub into your system and decor.
At TBI we want to emphasize the need of speed, driver acoustic isolation and placement versatility for musicality in subwoofers. We don't mention the room because we have no real control of the room's acoustics. The subject of low frequency extension in an audiophile system is a very controversial one and is almost certainly the reason that most (>90%) audiophiles don't add subwoofers to two channel. Compromise is the state of the audiophile subwoofer as it exists today with the basic technology behind the designs the same as that for auto and home theater boomy subs. The differences in the resulting products is subtle and they all share similar difficulties in integrating with your speaker system and room. Now it easy for you to achieve the proper musical bass extension for your audiophile system. We prefer to refer to a TBI™ Subwoofer as a TBI™ Bass Extension Module or a TBI™ Anti- Subwoofer for the sake of music so we shall rotate names through most of this document to associate you with the differences from conventional designs intended for the same purpose.
Music, unlike sound effects, requires that harmonics and fundamentals from the subwoofer and the mains maintain close timing relationships in acoustic space for realism. Harmonics by definition must arrive at the ear at the same time as the fundamental to sound real. A string will vibrate in the first part, the second part and so on when it is plucked or bowed so the first part, second part and so on must stay together until you hear it. An Acoustic Bass instrument reproduced with improper timing of its harmonic elements has poor resolution, smears the soundstage and masks the detail of the other instruments. If we get it right for the acoustic bass instruments everything else will sound as it should for the recording. Typically a conventional subwoofer will provide a secondary source for the harmonics and fundamentals that will not be in sync with the main speakers and the room will treat this source differently from your mains. The result will be two incompatible low frequency sources, okay for boom-boom, but not for your music. Remember musical notes that stay together sound like the original source and that is the goal with any audiophile quality sound presentation.
Now with TBI™ Bass Extension Modules you can match the speed of your mains precisely, with the room having a positive - supportive effect on the results. The driver is acoustically shielded from reflections allowing the room to support the bass in a positive way. Low frequency room treatments are typically unnecessary for a properly set-up TBI bass extension system.
The very low mass driver requires little diaphragm travel to produce long wavelength signals in this patent pending design. This combination of attributes provides a platform for fast launching of the low frequency waves. The hybrid alignment combines the best attributes of reflex and transmission line models and is the result of extensive research and development. The resulting products are setting a new precedent in objective bass quality and uniformity for high quality audio systems.
You will find a product compatibility chart at the bottom of each product page that will give you some guidance in choosing the right bass extension setup for your high quality audio system.
