DALI Sub E-9 F

DALI sub E-9 FWhitePaper

IntroductionDALI SUB E-9 FWith the rising interest in high qualitycompact speakers the demand fora potent yet compact subwoofer isgrowing. The DALI SUB E-9 F wasdeveloped precisely to fill this demand.Build around a compact cabinet, apowerful amplifier and a stiff yetlightweight aluminum woofer.Developing a DALI subwoofer involvesthe same meticulous attention to detailas you will find in the developmentof a DALI speaker. Our R&D teamconsistently strive to generate the mostnatural, yet entertaining, sound – at anyprice point. That goes for the DALI SUBE-9 F as well.Today a subwoofer is considered anatural part of any multi-channel soundsystem, and in many stereo systemsas well. With the development of theDALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.comSUB E-9 F DALI wanted to create a trueversatile product, able to competentlymatch compact and stand speakersfrom our ZENSOR, KUBIK and FAZONlineup.This whitepaper takes you ‘behindthe scenes’ of the DALI SUB E-9 F,highlighting some of the details which– when joined together – ensure a trueDALI experience.2

ACOUSTICBACKGROUNDFrequency Response120.0dBSPL110.0100.090.080.070.0LFEMaximum cut-off frequencyMedium cut-off frequencyMinimum cut-off frequencySUB E-9 F frequency response at different low-pass values.Unlike many subwoofers in themarket the DALI SUB E-9 F hasbeen engineered to perform equallywell on both music and movies. It isimportant to us that a subwoofer iscapable of rendering a performancetrue to the input signal. Therefore aDALI subwoofer is everything but a‘boombox’.Over the years DALI’s engineers havedeveloped a set of sound designprinciples. Today these are appliedin the creation of basically any DALIspeaker. Naturally our subwoofers mustbe able to enter into any setup withoutsacrificing the purpose of providingwide dispersion, time coherent andlow-loss performance.You can read more about our sound design principles 070.0FrequencyDALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.com3

Frequency Response100.0dBSPL90.080.070.060.050.0DALI ZENSOR 1 and DALI E-9 FDALI E-9 FDALI ZENSOR 1The DALI SUB E-9 F clearly has its heart set on high fidelity.Properly set up it has a superior abilityto integrate with the front speakersproviding more than just an extensionof the low frequency range. In facta perfect subwoofer integration willincrease the sonic value of anysmaller front speaker by enabling itto reproduce all fundamental tonesproperly, both in respect to gain andphase.DALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.comThis measurement displays the SUBE-9 F connected to a pair of ZENSOR 1in stereo mode. Note the perfect phaseintegration and the summing of themain and sub signal.4

CABINETAny risk of port noise derived from the down-firing bass vent itself is seriously reduced by its convex tapered design. Apart from the shape of the flares the vent has alsoundergone extensive testing, measuring and listening when it comes to dimensions and placement, in order to optimize interaction with the cabinet and woofer.Built on almost 30 years of knowledgein acoustics and cabinets, the solidMDF cabinet abides the tough DALIspecifications. The enclosure comes ina choice of Black Ash, Light Walnut andWhite laminate finishes. The front baffleitself displays a High Gloss Black finish.The entire cabinet is effectivelydecoupled from the floor by means offour polymer based oversized spikes.Appearing to hover above the floorthe distance of 30 mm eliminates anypotential turbulence from the spacebetween the cabinet and the floor itself.DALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.comStill, the proximity to the floor ensuresthat the benefit of having a down-firingvent is maintained; a higher efficiencyand more freedom in positioning.5

WooferThe DALI SUB E-9 F incorporates analuminium cone woofer. This stiff, yetlightweight, material was chosen toensure a greater transient responseas you would normally expect froma subwoofer in this category. Verymuch in line with DALI’s philosophy inbuilding speakers, the ability to startand stop very quickly enables easyintegration with the front speakers.Designed to be a closed cone youwill find no dust cap. Instead it isan integrated part of the cone itself.This is also a contributing factor inensuring a piston-like behaviour.Consequently distortion is kept to anabsolute minimum – especially in thelow frequency area which is where thesubwoofer operates.The engine of the woofer is built aroundan ‘oversized’ ferrite magnet, andoptimized for maximum flux within thevoice coil gap. The reason is that it wascrucial for the project team to reacha high B/L product to enable the SUBE-9 F to render the finer low frequencydetails of music, also at a higher soundpressure level. The measured B/L valueof 14 N/Ampere is a good indication ofthe level of control and precision thatwas reached, and rarely to be found inthis category at all. And the numerouslistening sessions has truly convincedus that this was the right way to go.One of the inherent abilities of pure aluminium is an extreme rigidity, measuring a Young’s modulus of 69 GPa. In comparison the typical paper cone material measures 4 GPa.DALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.com6

The woofer for the SUB E-9 F was developed from scratch by DALI’s acoustic engineers.The voice coil is 26.5 mm long, andbuilt for long excursions. It is ventedto ensure aircooling to the system,and the coil itself. Venting this 4-layervoice coil keeps the temperature down,and the benefit is a stable impedanceresponse.Also the pole piece is vented formaximum cooling. Here the venting hasanother purpose too; it reduces internalcompression in the motor system.This ensures free movement of thecone without any over-/underpressureaffecting the performance.DALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.comAdhering to the low-loss sounddesign principle, the surround of thewoofer is built to allow long and linearexcursion. The oversized suspension isdesigned to allow both weak and strongtransients to turn into undistortedacoustic signals.7

AMPLIFIERThe high-efficiency amplifier needs no external heat sink.The integrated 170 Watt RMS Class Damplifier is a highly linear construction.The DALI SUB E-9 F will follow andrender the required signal with anabsolute minimum of bias. Designednot only for continuous power, but alsofor peak power, this subwoofer is ableto deliver 220 Watt Peak Power. Thisis very relevant when it comes to bothmovie and music signals.Switchmode power supply is part of thereason for very low power consumption- only 0.4 Watt in stand-by mode. Andthe amplifier displays an impressiveefficiency of 70%. In unison thehigh-efficiency amplifier section andpower supply construction generate anabsolute minimum of heat loss. For thatreason you will find no external heatsink on this subwoofer.To improve sound reproduction ingeneral, and to ensure that thissubwoofer is able to perform underdifficult circumstances, a limiter hasbeen incorporated in the amplifiersection.The integrated limiter works in twoareas: It compares the input signalamplitude to the potential output signalDALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.comlevel, and it compares the availablesupply voltage from the power supplyto the expected output signal. If any ofthese comparisons show that there willbe a problem then the limiter will cutthe signal in a soft manner and withoutaffecting peak power.Fitted with controls for gain, cut-offfrequency, and phase, the DALI SUBE-9 F will adapt to any front speakerand room acoustics. And with achoice of LFE and LINE inputs it canbe connected to almost any amplifier,receiver or processor.8

ApplicationPlacing a subwoofer is a very largepart of creating the perfect audioreproduction. DALI recommends placingthe SUB E-9 F in a corner or if thatis not possible alongside a wall. Thiswill maximise the bass output and thedistribution around the room.The compact size of the SUB E-9 Fmakes placing it correctly much easierthan many larger subwoofers. Itsstylish High Gloss Black front baffle andaluminium woofer give the SUB E-9 Flots of personality and at the same timemanages to underline the elegant lookof the subwoofer. An optional front grillecan be mounted over the woofer. Thefront grille is held in place by concealedmagnets. With the grille fitted thesubwoofer discreetly blends into mostdomestic environments.OffAvailable in Black Ash, White and LightWalnut, the SUB E-9 F is the naturalcompanion for many DALI speakers.Even customers for the FAZON F5looking for more power than you can getfrom the FAZON subwoofers today willfind what they need in this subwoofer.And importantly; the design, technology,and construction of this subwoofermakes it a perfect upgrade of a speakersystem of another brand. Whether it’s a2.1-, 5.1- or 7.2-channel system – orsomething in between – the DALI SUBE-9 F will take natural sound one stepfurther.standbyonThe power LED is integrated in the lacquered front baffle– completely invisible when off.DALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.com9

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSDALI A/Swww.dali-speakers.com10

SUB E-9 F DALI wanted to create a true versatile product, able to competently match compact and stand speakers from our ZENSOR, KUBIK and FAZON lineup. This whitepaper takes you ‘behind the scenes’ of the DALI SUB E-9 F, highlighting some of the details which – when joined together – ensure a true DALI experience. DALI SUB E-9 F