Flamenco Subwoofer 8 – plays like the greats
A power package
The Flamenco Sub 08 proves that even small subwoofers can deliver impressive performance, while also successfully balancing audiophile and home cinema requirements for the living room. The small subwoofer in a living room-friendly size lays a clean bass foundation for the movie experience in your own four walls. The Flamenco Sub plays down low and transports movie effects up to 20 Hz into the living room.
The small subwoofer is not trimmed for maximum levels, as they are required in basement cinemas. But the sound pressure is more than sufficient for rooms of 15-20 m².
A DSP controlled active module and powerful driver
The necessary basic files are supplied with the technology kit so that the active module can become the correct drive for the subwoofer.
When choosing the subwoofer module, we analyzed a large number of modules. In the end, we decided on the Hypex Fusion 251, which, admittedly, is not actually declared as a pure subwoofer module, but it does offer some advantages over pure subwoofer modules. Not least the DSP guarantees more freedom in programming filters than usual subwoofer modules. In addition, we want to give you the opportunity to counteract even disturbing resonances in your rooms. Another plus is the setting of filters that make the filter slopes steeper programmable.
Designing a subwoofer in a small enclosure with a lot of low end presents special physical challenges for the driver. A small volume requires an equally small driver but with a heavy diaphragm to produce good low bass. In addition, the driver must still have a high linear excursion without distorting. We found an 8 inch bass speaker for this task that comes with a strong magnet. With 12 kg it is truly no lightweight.
In cooperation with the potent amplifier module, the bass driver guarantees that more than just a hum is transmitted from the Flamenco 8 SUB into the room.
Cabinet
We have developed the housing of the Flamenco subwoofer as a classic bass reflex.
6 boards and the cube is ready?
It's not quite that simple. To produce its full potential and clean infra-sub bass, in a small cube-shaped, housing, optimizations are also necessary here.
The cabinet consists of two base plates top and bottom. Between them are the front, the side panels and the folded rear panel, which also forms the closed amplifier compartment. To avoid disturbing flow noise, we use the Jet-Set tube system in the Flamenco Sub.
Note: The cable hole from the amplifier module to the driver must be sealed after installation. Silicone is suitable for this purpose. It is recommended to leave the cable about 2 cm longer at the back, then you can still remove the amplifier without having to retighten the cable. The exact dimensions for the housing are, as always, available in the supplied assembly instructions.
DSP active module
The Fusion module FA251 is ideal in size and power for the small Flamenco subwoofer.
The subwoofer driver is connected to the four cables. Here, black + gray is the negative pole and red + blue is the positive pole. The cables enclosed with the module should be shortened to about half. Joining the cables in pairs with heat shrink tubing is a good variant to connect the bare cable ends well and longer durable in the clamping devices of the driver.
To use it as a subwoofer module, some settings are required. This requires the Filter Design software, which is available for download on the manufacturer's website:
https://www.hypex.nl/product/hypex-filter-design/17
In addition to the subwoofer module, a mini-USB 2.0 cable is required (not included with the amplifier). Hypex also saves a power cord for the amplifier in its scope of delivery. This can usually be found at the workplace with the discarded computers.
After downloading, the software must be installed. Once the software is started, the module is switched on and connected to the notebook or PC via the USB cable. On the small window of the software are now the details of the module listed.
First the filters should be loaded onto the virgin module:
For this, first the file: FlamencoSub.zip in the Windows Explorer into the folder Documents/FilterData/ and unpack it there.
(this folder is created during the installation of the Filter Design software).
In Windows 10, the unzip ZIP function is included in the context menu.
(right mouse button)
If you save the ZIP file in the folder FiterData/, the subfolder: FlamencoSub will be created when unpacking the ZIP file.
The complete path for the Hypex Filter Design Software must then look like this:
Documents/FilterData/FlamencoSub/Config.xml
Now the filter design can be started.
We have pre-programmed three possible filters. To load them onto the module, proceed as follows.
First select the FlamencoSub project via "File - Open", which was previously created in the own documents on the PC.
Now you can view the filters and switch between them via "PRESET 1".
In order to load the filters to the module, the function: "Load filter to DSP" and there "Upload all presets" must be clicked.
The module is now ready to play, but it will not be fun yet, because it is set much too quiet in the delivery state.
Via "Device settings" you have to set the limiter high. Here 200 W at 8 ohms is a suitable setting for the subwoofer.
The start level should also be increased, a value of -10 dB is favorable. This value depends on the system on which the subwoofer is operated. Therefore, it is advantageous to actively test this level on the system. For this purpose there is a level control in the software.
This can also be manually adjusted on the module to the current situation - the film or the music - without a PC, via the rotary knob.
After these settings, the input at which the module is to be operated must also be selected. After switching off and waiting until it is completely off, please check the settings after restarting and perform a musical test run. This is how the finished result should look like.
Subwoofer Filter
The three filters we programmed, are superficially very similar, but offer different potential. All three filters are always based on the objective of the usual crossover frequency of 80 Hz and a sub-sonic filter, which increases the performance of the subwoofer, by omitting frequencies in the lower infrasonic range.
The first filter is an ordinary filter, as found in most modules without DSP, which combines well with compact boxes like the Flamenco 1. This filter corresponds approximately to a filter with 18 dB slope.
The second filter is very similar to the first, but is tuned lower overall, so that the full low end of the subwoofer is exploited. Due to a weaker sub sonic filter and a somewhat steeper slope to higher frequencies, the sub will play less midrange, which brings sonic advantages especially when combined with larger speakers like the Flamenco 2.
The third filter is a performance filter, which has steeper filters than the usual subwoofer modules can do. Here the possibilities of the Hypex DSP are fully exploited. The especially steep filters with approx. 30 dB/octave allow a very clean low bass reproduction. We recommend this filter for movie enjoyment in the living room. With speakers like the Flamenco 3 this can be combined well, so the subwoofer has a chance to keep up with the floorstanding speakers. The subwoofer with this filter is also a good choice for small cinema setups, such as with the Cinema 2.5 and Cinema Surround.
With the Flamenco Sub, we have fulfilled the desire to round off the Flamenco series for home theater experiences on the couch down.
