Searching for matching(?) Subwoofer solution

"...the market for smallish subs might be higher than you suspect."

I’m not saying I’ll never go there, but it has to be something that I believe offers worthwhile improvement over its competition, rather than just being four small subs sold as a package.

For instance, the most obvious feature of the Swarm is, it’s four small subs sold as a package. But when we get into the performance specifics, imo the individual units are competitive with their ballpark price equivalents.

Duke

Hello mijostyn/Mike,

     You’re going to hate this, but I agree with you that most wives don’t like tripping over subs in big boxes/cabinets and are generally more concerned with aesthetics than their husbands. We men generally seem to have more utilitarian and porcine natures.
     My wife is no exception and we both actually appreciate good aesthetics in our home décor; no feminine or interior decorator jokes at my expense, please. We were both pleasantly surprised on how stylish the DEBRA subs are and how well the four subs blended so well with our living room decor. I suspect the SWARM subs are equally attractive since, once the DEBRA and SWARM subs are properly installed with the speaker wire connections on the slightly elevated bottoms and with the drivers facing the nearest wall, they look like attractive wooden pedestals that are typically found in fine stores, art galleries and museums to display objects.
     My wife usually has a vase of fresh flowers on one or both of the two subs that are visible toward the rear of our living room. The front two subs along the front wall, are each hidden from view behind a 6’ x 2’ Magnepan speaker panel.
     Overall, both our good aesthetics and very good bass sound quality performance requirements have been completely met by the DEBRA 4-sub DBA system in our more medium sized 16’ x 23’ sized living room.
I believe that either the DEBRA or SWARM 4-sub DBA systems would meet or exceed most individuals’ expectations in any room that can accommodate the four relatively small (approximately 1’ x1’ x 2’) subs. If anybody has such a small room that they have concerns about fitting the four subs, however, it sounds like Duke’s in development system incorporating two of the four subs into the main speakers, seems like a clever alternative solution to satisfy a likely niche market.
     My main concern is to what degree would the extremely good bass power, impact and dynamics qualities of the four separate subs configuration used by the SWARM and DEBRA systems would be compromised when two subs are incorporated into the main speakers or smaller bass drivers are utilized.
     My main point being that I suggest that the OP, Hans, utilize the DEBRA or SWARM if he thinks the four subs can be accommodated in his small office before considering waiting for Duke’s new more integrated product to become available. My reasoning is that I’m fairly certain the bass performance will be excellent with both separate 4-sub AK DBA systems, he can continue to use his Ologe 5 main speakers that he seems to enjoy and I know the combination will blend very well with these main speakers.
     I believe he’ll be thrilled with the in-room bass performance and seamless integration with his Ologe 5 main speakers or any other main speakers he may choose to utilize in the future, using either the DEBRA or DEBRA bass systems. The main concern seems to be whether the four subs can be positioned in an unobtrusive manner in his office. Based on my experience, I think he’ll be pleasantly surprised how stylish and unobtrusive either solution would actually be.

Tim

" My main concern is to what degree would the extremely good bass power, impact and dynamics qualities of the four separate subs configuration used by the SWARM and DEBRA systems would be compromised when two subs are incorporated into the main speakers or smaller bass drivers are utilized. "

James and I have done a couple of audio shows with systems that incorporate two of the four subs into speaker stands, which is conceptually similar. One such room was where an industry veteran cable manufacturer said our room did the best job on his reference Fanfare for the Common Man recording of any room he had heard at any audio show, and in particular he said the tympani sounded like what he hears at the concert hall.

So I won’t claim zero compromise, but I don’t think there’s very much.

Duke

Tim,
It all depends on the size of the room. A smaller room does not require as much driver and in this day and age anything can be equalized given enough power. 
Duke, I still really like the cylinder idea.

Mike

you might also want to try the REL HT1205, I just picked up a pair of them and they are a very fast and detailed sub, don't let the HT scare you they are great for stereo set ups which is what I use them for, I use a pair of HSU VTF-3 MK5 HP subs for my HT set up. At $599.00 each the REL HT1205's are a great sub with a 500watt amp built in, Also REL only make subs.