Colibri Sub C18 – Subwoofer

The C18 is the low bass module for the Colibri C2, and it is a serious piece of engineering rather than a matching accessory. An 18 inch driver with a 460 mm diaphragm and plus or minus 10 mm of excursion moves roughly nine times the volume of air a typical eight inch subwoofer manages.

That matters because low frequencies obey different rules. A 30 Hz tone is over eleven metres long, and producing it convincingly means moving air rather than moving quickly. Because the air is compressed less than it would be by a small stiff diaphragm, the result feels physical rather than merely loud.

The driver carries a 150 mm voice coil and handles 1,600 watts to the AES2012 standard, driven by the C-AMP1200 module with 1,200 watts of amplification and enough headroom for aggressive equalisation. Connection is balanced or unbalanced, and two balanced daisy chain outputs allow any number of modules to be chained.

The cabinet is a deliberately compact 70 litres and only 32 cm deep, so it fits against a wall, in a corner, or behind a sofa. Internal bracing stiffens it, the front and rear baffles are tied together by the driver’s own metal frame, and three elastomer elements damp what is left. Because we cannot localise sound below 100 Hz, placement is genuinely free.

A signal detection circuit switches it on automatically and returns it to sleep after a programmed period. The DSP is set on the unit or through the Colibri Control software. Avantgarde build to order and quote 8 to 12 weeks from receipt of order. That is a factory estimate rather than a delivery date, and we will confirm a realistic date with you before anything is placed. Sold individually.