There are almost certainly caveats to reaching 11Hz, which we\u2019ll discuss in a bit, but KEF isn\u2019t known to exaggerate its specifications much in my experience. The company is instead using some newfangled technology to stuff more performance into a small package.<\/p>\n Though the KC62 has two woofers, they are only 6.5-inches wide, which still isn\u2019t all that much surface area to work with. Instead, KEF gains some bass extension by adding more excursion \u2014 the distance<\/em> a woofer moves at full rumble. This is enabled by something KEF is calling Uni-Core, which uses a single motor to drive both woofers, thanks to overlapping voice coils in a concentric arrangement.<\/p>\n In other words, the \u2018guts\u2019 of the two woofers are combined, which KEF claims \u201callows the cabinet size to be reduced by over a third while equaling or exceeding the driver excursion of a much larger subwoofer.\u201d The excursion capability is also improved by a fancy origami-like design to the woofer\u2019s surround, and built-in distortion-monitoring technology the sound from becoming too colored.<\/p>\n Still, the company can\u2019t bypass physics, and there\u2019s only so much you can do in a cabinet this size. While I don\u2019t doubt the subwoofer will be able to reach 11Hz under the right conditions, chances are that specification only applies when listening at lower volumes with certain subwoofer placements, as many subwoofers will limit bass extension as the volumes increase. I\u2019d be extremely surprised if it managed to hit those lowest frequencies at, say, home theater, room-shaking levels.<\/p>\n But anything below 20hz is really only \u2018felt\u2019 rather than \u2018heard\u2019 though, so it\u2019s mostly icing on the cake. If the company can deliver bass extension to, say, 20-25Hz at reasonable listening levels, and with well-controlled distortion, that would still be very impressive and outperform almost any subwoofer this size.<\/p>\n When I asked KEF for more specifics, they told me the KC62 can reach 20 Hz at roughly 80 dB under anechoic conditions, which is already fairly loud. But that means it can get quite a bit louder than that when in an actual room where your walls can easily reinforce low bass by roughly 6-12 dB. The exact amount will depend on your room dimensions and placement, but if KEF\u2019s claims hold true, I suspect this relatively tiny subwoofer will suffice for most listeners, though maybe not those that really like to blast music (KEFs got the KF92<\/a> if you need something more powerful that still isn\u2019t too big).<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a completely unthinkable feat either \u2014 the Devialet Phantom Reactor<\/a> is even smaller than this subwoofer and had no trouble hitting 25Hz at typical listening levels in my apartment.<\/p>\n Getting this much bass from a small cabinet requires a lot of power, so behind those components are 1000W of amplification and digital signal processing that dynamically adjusts the subwoofers output based on the content to get the most bass without clipping. The KC62 also supports KEF\u2019s KW1 adapter for wireless connectivity (say, if you need to place the subwoofer far from your receiver or speakers), and comes with five presets to tweak the sound depending on where you place the sub.<\/p>\n At $1,500, it\u2019s clearly aimed at serious audio enthusiasts only. But getting the low bass right, especially in such a small footprint, is one of the hardest things to get right in audio. A good subwoofer (or two, three, four\u2026<\/a>) is one of the most profound upgrades you can make to your audio system, even if you\u2019re not a basshead, and even if you have tower speakers.<\/p>\n Not only does a sub increase your system\u2019s potential for low bass extension, it also frees up the higher frequency drivers to play louder and\/or with less distortion. A sub is also a component you can keep constant as you upgrade or switch speakers, allowing you to focus on other characteristics of sound quality other than just bass extension.<\/p>\n As someone who spent months trying to find a decent subwoofer small enough to fit in my TV console \u2014 to no avail \u2014 I imagine the KC92 could well be worth it to the right audiophile. Assuming KEF actually delivers, of course.<\/p>\n Did you know we have a newsletter all about consumer tech? It\u2019s called Plugged In \u2013 and you can subscribe to it right here<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n Published January 21, 2021 \u2014 08:00 UTC <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/01\/KC62.jpg\")
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