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 "These subs
play music….The subs are not muddy. They are very clear, agile, and yet
still retain the weight I’d hope for…A whole evening went by before I
realised that Derek hadn’t had to tweak this system for me. It was indeed
weaving its magic."
- Sneak preview of forthcoming review, October 2007
The Predator
is a ground breaking (literally!) sub woofer which can be crossed over as
high as 350Hz and still maintain its composure.
The Predator is unique in three ways;
First it has unequalled all round bass
performance i.e. texture & detail plus power and depth.
Second it has incredible speed (rise time and
settling time) similar to that of a top class ATC dome midrange unit.
Thirdly its power handling is a colossal
1,000 watts.
It’s the combination of speed and power
that enables the Predator to create a sonically invisible join with the
Prey.
The patented 12” Predator driver is
brilliant piece of engineering and innovative thinking. It features a
unique twin cone construction consisting of an external 12” cone and an
internal rear facing 10”cone which are connected with a carbon fibre
piston rod attached at the centre of each cone. This rod is 13” long has
twin 3”voice coils suspended in two powerful neodymium magnetic fields
attached at the other end .Utilising the internal rear facing 10“driver as
an air brake or more accurately an aerodynamic balancing device, it
uniquely solves the single biggest design flaw present in all cone and
dome pistonic drivers. A conventional cone has a very high air resistance
when pumping out of the cabinet and 35% to 85% lower (depending on cone
profile) air resistance when pumping back in to the cabinet. Just imagine
holding a 12” bass cone out of a car window at 100 miles per hour. Imagine
the huge (arm breaking!) force when it is front facing then reduce that
force by 35% to 85%! Now imagine that huge force imbalance happening 20 to
300 times a second (20 to 300 Hz or happenings per second) and you start
to get an idea of the magnitude of the problem! This massive energy
imbalance is simply and conveniently overlooked by all speaker
manufacturers claiming to have pistonic, low distortion linear bass
systems. Its simple laws of aerodynamics and physics!
The predator does not need any reflex ports
or ABR’s and therefore avoids the classic failing of front facing reflex
ports commonly used by many manufacturers.
Let’s take a very brief look at the basic
physics of reflex ported or auxiliary bass radiator equipped loudspeaker.
When the main loudspeaker driver pumps out of the cabinet it is
compressing the air to send you a musical (hopefully!) signal. When the
driver pumps back into the cabinet it is rarefying
the air to send you another signal. So what
happens to the air in the port or the diaphragm of the ABR? The answer is
simple, the air in the port or ABR diaphragm moves 180 degrees out of
phase with the main loudspeaker driver! When ever the main driver
pumps out to send you that deep bass kick drum compression, the front
facing ports or ABR’s are sending you a simultaneous out of phase
rarefaction to ruin the moment!
It is of course possible to utilise the
out of phase energy from ports or ABR’s in a positive way, but never front
facing!
Even transmission lines which have (or
should have!) carefully calculated time delays based on half, quarter or
eighth wavelengths, should not vent to the front. Mixing in phase and out
of phase or delayed energy is not impossible, but it does require some
care and attention to basic design principals.
Please ask any manufacturer who sells
speakers with front facing ports or ABR’s (especially wall mounted
speakers) to explain why!
Front facing ports and ABR’s rank up there
with claims that there is such a thing as a linear phase passive
crossover, the Emperors new clothes and rocking horse droppings!
The Predator cabinets are made from a
Corian like synthetic stone and resin compound which is available in over
100 colours and shades. As always, with Overkill, the finish is beautiful
and highly durable.
Product specifications;
Senstivity – 90dB /1W@1m
Frequency range 14Hz to 350Hz variable
depending on system application.
Max SPL 120 dB
Power handling – 1,000 watts.
Cabinet dimensions are; 465mm tall, 400mm
wide and 550mm deep.
Weight 60 Kg. 70 Kg shipping weight.
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