The German Company, ASCENDO GmbH was founded in 1999 by the three music enthusiasts Norbert Heinz, Stefan Köpf and Jürgen Scheuring in Stuttgart. They already made audio news with their ASCENDO M System and Z System loudspeakers during 2005,…that even peaked my interest (unfortunately, then ASCENDO was not represented at MALAYSIA).
Later, ASCENDO GmbH expanded and founded ASCENDO IMMERSIVE AUDIO GmbH (AIA) with Geoffrey Heinzel to develop, design, and produce State-of-the-Art Home Theater Systems.
Yes, I have been visiting AV DESIGNS quite frequently due to my interest in some of their products, especially the ASCENDO Subwoofers,…
more precisely, their INFRASONIC SUBWOOFER(s)…
that according to ASCENDO‘s literature, manage to play down to…
the Deepest Notes in the Single Digit Range!
Being there a number of times, I have heard and experienced the ASCENDO full subwoofers package of 21” Kick-subwoofers (for the higher low frequencies) and 24” Infrasonic subwoofer for the extreme low down to that ‘Single Digit Range‘/ frequencies. In short, since then I was already Impressed and Fascinated,…
therefore I cannot wait to Hear and Experience the Upper Model Infrasonic Subwoofer, the 32“.
My excitement grew even further when I discovered that the ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer was able to “displace an incredible volume of 16.6 liters or half a cubic foot,…
therefore it pushed as much air per maximum stroke as fifteen [15] standard 18” subwoofers”.
‘Always knocking at his door‘,…till the Head Honcho at AV DESIGNS, Mr.James Tan promised me that I be the ‘first‘ to hear and experience the ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer when its readied,…(explained) apparently his team needed…
the time to Calibrate and Fine Tune it to play Well (to my Standard?!)
at both Music and Movie Soundtracks (am I that hard to please?!). As I have stated elsewhere, the team at AV DESIGNS has always taken their Work/ Calibration of their represented products to the Next Level(!)
Patiently I waited for months for the faithful call,…then came the call,…a ‘Date‘ to hear and experience the ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer together with the rest of their ‘existing av set up‘, was fixed!
However, there was the new addition of the separate ASCENDO Balanced DSP-4D and the latest dedicated ASCENDO AIA2-10K2 IS Amplifier (both components as a set retails at Ringgit Malaysia RM64,400) for the ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer (Pro Passive Sealed: retails Ringgit Malaysia RM81,800) in the said ‘av set up‘ (therefore the total retail for the 32” passive subwoofer and DSP & Amplifier at Ringgit Malaysia RM146,200)
Alternatively, ‘available to order‘, there is the cheaper ASCENDO 32″ Pro Active Sealed (with build-in DSP Amplifier) Infrasonic subwoofer that retails at Ringgit Malaysia RM105,200.
A number of Big Bang Orchestra with Complicated and Demanding Passages from recognizable Classical and Jazz tracks were played. Here, the addition of the ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer presented the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra led by the late Erich Kunzel (died 2009) at a…
Bigger, Wider and More Enveloping Soundscape, and a Deeper and ‘You Are There‘ Soundstage!
Eventhough I could feel the Movement of Waves at my feet (just like the sensation of ‘being at the actual event‘),
but the Tonal Balance remained Faithful and Articulate.
Later, we tried some simplier vocal tracks from the above album,…to my ‘pleasant surprise‘, the Voiceation of Ms.María Concepción Balboa Buika (also known as Concha Buika or just Buika) was Clear, Precise, Detail and Stable,…
from a Natural/ Believable-Sized Mouth of the Vocalist.
To be frank, I was expecting the images of the Vocalist and the accompanying Instruments to be ‘Bloated and Boomier‘,…
instead the images were Rightly Sized and given more Stability, Density, Dimensionality and Weight, thus Presence!
The Realism of the Musical Presentation was further enhanced with…
the Distinct Audible Airiness
Within and Without the Soundstage, and…
the Distinct Spaciouness
among the images.
At the End of the Musical Presentation,…without wasting another moment…I gave a Standing Ovation and,…
I told them to send it to my Audio Den!
‘(But) I still have around ten [10] potential clients who wish to listen and experience the ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer’, replied James.
Then we continued with the session with a Memorable and Demanding Scene from the movie, ‘A QUIET PLACE‘ that I found the added Bass to be Profoundly (‘To the Chest‘) Impactful, and that the scene was even…
soaked with the Subtle Bass Presence that added Intensity and Weight of Fearfulness (that was supposed to be).
Finally, we played the ‘Bassful‘ Scene from Chapter 1 of ‘THE GREATEST SHOWMAN‘, the added ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer surfed through those bass demanding scene with Ease, Grace and More,…
I could literally feel the Weight of those feet of the audience Thumping Hard at the Floor/ Ground!
At the End of the Movie Presentation, I did ask again that the ASCENDO 32” Infrasonic subwoofer be sent to my Audio Den,…the reply from James remained the same,…
thus, I have to Patiently Wait (Again No Choice)…
Technical Data
| Speaker type | 32″ forward-firing woofer, with dual 6,5″ voice coil |
| Xmax | 45 mm Xmax excursion each direction (90 mm linear), voice coil remaining in homogeneous magnetic field |
| Passive | Active | Passive |
| Recommended amplifiers | 2 Amp. channels are required. minimum recommended amplifier voltage swing: 2 x 109 Vrms, 154 Vpk, 27,3 A; equivalent to 3000W@4Ohms per channel, total 6000W with correct RMS & Peak limiter settings (up to 450V = 20kW peak) |
| Recommended ASCENDO amplifiers | DSP4-10K2, DSP4-20K2 |
| Principle | Sealed |
| SPL (Peak / half space 2 pi) | Measurement Data 140 dB @32Hz and up 125 dB @20 Hz 109 dB @10 Hz |
| Frequency range | Measurement Data (without ext. DSP) 28 Hz – 500 Hz / -3 dB 20 Hz – 500 Hz / -15 dB” |
| Efficiency | 92 dB / 1W/m 4 pi and 98 dB / 1W/m 2 pi |
| Power handling | 2 x 3000 W up to 2 x 10kW peak |
| Impedance | Dual voice coil, 4 Ω each |
| Air volume displacement | 16,6 L / in comparison 18″ standard cinema subwoofer 1,1 L |
| Directivity horizontal x vertical in Deg° | 360° |
| Input terminal | Neutrik NL4 MP |
| Enclosure | Internally braced birch ply and MDF |
| Width | 37,40 ” | 950 mm |
| Height | 47,24 ” | 1200 mm |
| Height with feet | 48,23 ” | 1225 mm |
| Depth without grill | 21,65 ” | 550 mm |
| Depth with plug | 21,65 ” | 550 mm |
| Weight | 339,51 lbs | 154 kg |
| Finish | Structural paint black |
| Custom colour options | Piano lacquer, colour of choice, matt or other finishes upon request |
| Shape customization | Upon request |
| Mounting | Floor standing with feet |