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Table of Contents

  1. Main Force Web Page
  2. Will a Force integrate seamlessly in my system?
  3. How do I integrate the Force into my system?
  4. Is the Force Magnetically Shielded ?
  5. Where should the Force be placed . .?
  6. Arch Black or Hardwood sides . . ?
  7. What makes the Force Special ... ?
  8. Troubleshoot hum problem ... ?
  9. Legs have come loose  . . .?
  10. Choosing Force, Titan, or Maestro ... ?
  11. More on Speaker Level Adapters and Force Impedance
  12. What has Force been compared to ... ?
  13. Stereo vs. Mono subs ... ?
  14. Force Manual (PDF)

Is the Force Magnetically Shielded?

The Force is not shielded. Because the woofer is in the bottom of the cabinet, it is usually a pretty long way from a picture tube. Generally, the Force  will need to be about 12-18" from the TV. Back to Top

Will a Force integrate seamlessly in my system?

Yes, you can get full-range, fully-integrated sound out of almost any system with a Force. And yes, it can often sound better than the single large full-range.  You can place the sub where the bass response will be the best, this is almost never where the main speakers sound best. With careful setup, you can even reduce the effects of room standing waves and resonances. All domestic spaces have peaks in the midbass, often in the 60-80Hz range. By reducing the overlap between the sub and the mains, this room peak can be greatly tamed. The result is far tighter and tuneful bass with full power down below 20. Having the extreme lows does more than add bass power and reach, it often adds an improved sense of ambiance and hall "size". This is especially true of live recordings.
 
 There are still some holdouts from the days when subs were considered evil:) They've just never heard a great sub, properly integrated.
No, positive traits will not be diminished, they will be enhanced. Our subwoofer philosophy is "first do no harm"

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How do I integrate the Force into my system?

Note, we use the word "integrate". For critical audiophiles and music lovers, good subwoofer integration is a must. The subwoofer should sonically disappear. It should be more of a matter of noticing it when turned off, than calling attention to itself with a lot of thudding and booming. Integration is not difficult, but does take a bit of time and knowledge. Invest in good integration and you will be rewarded with tighter, deeper, more powerful bass as well as an enhanced sense of space and ambiance on many recordings. With good integration you will take nothing away from your main speaker's quality, but rather enhance it. 

There are three aspects of integration: placement (dealt with in the next section), connection, and adjustment of controls. 

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Where should the Force be placed?

Placing the Force near your main speakers is the easiest way to get a good blend. The ideal placement is often in a corner behind the main speakers. Corner placement provides the highest output level with the lowest distortion from the subwoofer. Placing the Force close to a wall will also increase bass output. However, the Force can be placed anywhere in the room.

Finding the optimum placement may require some experimentation. Instead of moving a heavy subwoofer around the room to find the best response there is a simple trick you can use. Place the subwoofer where you normally sit to listen. While playing either test tones or music with a steady bass, walk around the room and listen for the deepest, tightest and smoothest bass response. Move the sub to the place you hear the best bass.

The Owner's manual has more information about placement options.  Back to Top

Arch Black or Hardwood sides . . ?

I am considering the Force in architectural black or maybe black oak. Is there any sonic advantage to adding the hardwood side panels? 

The sonic difference between with and without panels is slight. The basic MDF inner cabinet is very strong and well braced.  Adding the hardwood panels further stiffens and quiets the cabinet. The improvement in detail and clarity is only  noticeable in a really good system by people who listen for the ultimate detail in the bass. Not everyone can hear the difference.  Back to Top

What makes the Force Special ... ?

Two words: quality and musicality. For example, the amplifier is U.S. built to very high standards. It is a fully discrete, full bandwidth amplifier with torroidal transformer. It is light years beyond the usual "amp on a chip" designs used by almost all subwoofer builders. It is also phenomenally reliable. This is something you should consider when some commercial subs have very high failure rates.

 The Force simply sounds more like real music than most of it's competition. There are those who think all subs sound alike, some just louder and lower than others. Not true. We, and Force owners know there is a  wealth of detail in the low bass that may not be heard on many subs. Also, the integration to the mains is extremely critical and the Force does this exceptionally well. Telling tests are acoustic and electric bass lines as well as concert piano. Many subs can shake the house with an explosion, but sound muddy and "wrong" on these musical tests. The Force can do both. Meant to please for the long-haul. Backed by the best warranty in the business. You get to try it in your home!

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Legs have come loose ... ?

I am very sorry to hear about this problem. This should of course not have happened. Luckily, it is a pretty simple fix. When we build the Force, we use a couple of drops of wood glue, along with the screw that runs through the leg to secure the leg. For whatever reason, (poor adhesive cure, vibration in shipping etc), the glue has apparently let go. All you have to do is remove the leg, clean off the the area on the leg and on the cabinet, (sandpaper or even a knife will work), add a couple of drops of wood glue, (A small tube of Elmer's will do the job), re-fasten with the screw. Let the glue dry overnight and you're all done!

Again, I'm sorry this happened, it should not have.

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Chosing Force, Titan, or Maestro ... ?

All three subs sound very much the same. The difference is a matter of output capability.  The Titan, with it's larger enclosure and woofer will cleanly play a bit more than 3db louder than the smaller Force. The Force is great, but I advise the higher output Titan if the rest of your system is up to it and space and funds permit. The Force does an honest 20Hz, it just doesn’t have quite the dynamic reserve as the Titan. However, a second Force can always be added, which would provide 3db more output than a single Titan.
The mighty Maestro has as much output capability as nearly four Titans! Yet it costs less than a pair of Titans. The Maestro also has the advantage of a separate, rack mountable amplifier unit. This makes setup and adjustment more convenient. If budget and space permit, the Maestro is always the first choice.
We can accurately recommend which sub is best for you if we know a bit about your listening tastes and loudness requirements, the other equipment in your system, and your room size.

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What has Force been compared to ... ?

The most common comparison are two of the highly regarded REL subs. Particularly the REL Storm III ($1495) and Strata III ($1995). View chart comparison. I'd say that the Force sounds more like the Strata III, but has significantly more output than either the Strata III or the more costly Storm III. Sound quality wise, we feel that the Titan and Force are two of the most accurate and musical subs you can buy at any price. Detailed, tight, powerful and musical. Don't take our word for it, if you do searchs at audioasylum.com you can find independent people who've done detailed and direct comparisons. REL builds fine subs, but we have a HUGE economic advantage by selling direct vs. the REL for which you must pay the costs of shipping and inport from Britain as well as distributor AND dealer markups. Heck we have quite a few customers in the UK who will pay to import the Force or Titan rather than buy the RELs!

Also, compared to the more expensive and well regarded Vandersteen sub, the Force offers  higher output levels and is much easier to integrate because of our 24db/oct filters compared to the Vandy's 6db/oct filters

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Stereo vs. Mono subs ... ?

There are definite advantages to stereo bass beyond the increased output capacity.  A pair of Force offers more flexibility and higher output levels than a single Titan. In a high-resolution stereo system, stereo subs provide that last bit of realism in the bass range. How much of an improvement depends on the crossover frequency to the mains. The higher the crossover frequency, the bigger the improvement. A single, high performance sub is great, a pair of high performance subs is better.  Those who try stereo subs rarely go back!  
Downsides of stereo subs: Increased space demands, cost, and more work to setup correctly. You must be prepared to spend more time on tweaking the placement and the adjustments on the sub.

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More on Speaker Level Adapters and Impedance ...

The input impedance of the Titan at line level is approx. 10K ohms (10,000 ohms)

The input impedance with the Speaker Level adapter is approx. 24K (24,000 ohms)

Diagram of the Speaker Level Adapter:

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Copyright © 2003  Audio Concepts, Inc.. All rights reserved.
Revised: December 20, 2004 .