PSB Speaker’s Best-Ever Subwoofer Debuts for $1500
PSB Speakers today announced their most advanced subwoofer ever, the SubSeries 450 for $1500. It features an advanced 400-watt RMS (1,000-watt peak power) Class D amplifier designed by sister brand NAD with DSP control. The SubSeries 450 is housed in a stylish gloss black 16-inch cube cabinet, implementing a 12-inch active woofer supported by twin 10-inch passive radiators. PSB says it works well for music or home theater applications.

PSB claims SubSeries 450 delivers a truly flat response down to 20Hz. Meanwhile, use of digital signal processing has allowed PSB’s engineering team to maximize all aspects of performance; low bass extension with low distortion, freedom from overload, and ideal crossover characteristics. PSB says this precision is simply not possible with the old analog filters still used in lesser subwoofers. The SubSeries 450 includes adjustments for crossover frequency and level, as well as variable delay to acoustically align the woofer properly with the full range speakers in the system.
The 12-inch (30cm) active woofer is built on a powerful motor using a 50oz magnet and 2-inch (70mm) voice coil for high efficiency and power handling. The 6-inch (152mm) spider assures precise alignment at high SPLs that directly translates into ultra low distortion. The treated felt cone offers an ideal combination of stiffness and damping and is impervious to variations in humidity. Combined with a 1-inch (25mm) rubber surround this driver can respond to the lowest frequencies while maintaining perfect piston motion without ‘cone breakup’ often encountered on lesser drivers. To extend bass response into the infrasonic region, PSB has specified two 10-inch (25cm) passive radiators to sum the back wave output of the woofer with the front wave. While similar in action to a ported enclosure, the passive radiators are said to be free of any wind noise or ‘port chuff’ that can be a problem at very low frequencies and high sound pressures.
The SubSeries 450 employs an advanced amplifier developed by sister company NAD specifically for this application. A massive, tightly regulated, switch mode power supply is capable of the instantaneous high current required for accurate and powerful bass response. This is combined with one of the most advanced Class D architectures available, which is licensed from Hypex in the Netherlands. In addition to nearly immeasurable distortion, this amplifier features an extremely high damping factor and high current output, two of the most important parameters for tight and powerful bass output. It is also highly efficient and includes a very low power (<0.5W) standby mode, making the woofer instantly available yet very low in power consumption. Lastly, like all PSB speakers, final voicing is performed by Founder and Chief Designer, Paul Barton, at Canada’s famed National Research Council.
Highlights
- DSP Control maximizes all aspects of subwoofer’s performance
- 400W RMS (1,000W peak power) amplifier custom designed by NAD using Hypex Class D technology
- Bass reflex design utilizing active 12-inch woofer
- Stylish, curved, gloss black cabinet
- Final voicing performed by Paul Barton at Canada’s famed NRC
Price and Availability
The PSB SubSeries 450 (SS450) will be available in March 2016 at a MSRP of $1499.
PSB SubSeries 450 Reviews
From Critics Around the Web
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