SKU
BW-PV1D-Subwoofer

Bowers & Wilkins PV1D 8-Inch Powered Subwoofer | Dual Drive

On Sale for a limited time

As low as $2,199 Regular Price $2,499
Limited Stock! Ready to Ship

Estimate Shipping

Bowers & Wilkins PV1D 8-Inch Powered Subwoofer | Dual Drive

Share your home cinema stories with #digitalcinemaau
FOLLOW @DIGITALCINEMAAU ON  INSTAGRAM
 
  • Official Leading Australian Dealer
  • Full Australian Manufacturers Warranty
  • Shipped with Tracking and Complimentary Insurance

Bowers & Wilkins PV1D Subwoofer change the way you view subwoofers. Not just because of its inherently stable curved form, but because of its digital platform which extends performance and flexibility. When you’ve pushed the boundaries of technological design further than anyone thought possible, what do you do? Simple: you keep pushing. The PV1 has long been regarded as something of an icon in domestic subwoofer design, both for its striking shape and superlative sonic performance. But by introducing a digital dimension for the upgraded PV1D, we think we’ve gone one better.

The PV1D’s inherent stability means it can be pushed just that bit further. The symmetrical mounting of its twin drive units keeps the subwoofer perfectly balanced and anchored to the floor. So there’s no rattle when it rumbles. The back-to-back arrangement also further improves the distribution of pressure inside the speaker. Coupled with an all-new amplifier generating 400 watts of power, the drivers have the dynamics and control to deliver all a subwoofer should. A big sound from a small bubble.

Adopting the digital platform developed for our flagship DB1 subwoofer allows the PV1D to be fine-tuned and controlled with more precision than its predecessor. Do you love the visceral deep-bass impact of special movie sound effects? Or maybe you prefer a flatter response, to compensate for a more resonant listening environment? Whatever your listening tastes, with a full range of EQ options at your disposal, the choice is entirely up to you.

Pressure vessel

If subwoofers were passive devices, like the majority of speakers, they would be unacceptably large. That they can be made relatively small and domestically acceptable, yet deliver the lowest of frequencies at realistic levels, is entirely due to the fact that they are powered. This allows electronic equalisation - in other words, bass boost - to be applied, which compensates for the natural loss in output one would otherwise suffer as the frequency gets lower.

However, this approach creates immense fluctuating pressures inside the enclosure, which must be contained. Any flexing of the walls will add undesirable colouration to the sound.

Enter the sphere. Imagine a soap bubble. The only force its elastic skin can support is surface tension, so the pressure inside forces it to adopt a spherical shape. It’s the natural shape best suited to containing pressure. A speaker cabinet is similar in that it has to contain pressure, but in this case, the pressure varies as the driver pumps back and forth. Now make your bubble skin non-elastic. It can now resist these pressure changes, but it still keeps the forces in the plane of the skin – just like surface tension – so the skin can be made relatively thin. When you are trying to maximise the internal volume whilst minimising the external bulk/form/size, this is a great advantage.

As well as creating pressure in the air inside the enclosure, a drive unit will transmit mechanical forces to the walls or skin. The PV1D is designed so that these reaction forces too are transmitted mainly into the plane of the spherical walls and do not give rise to the bending forces that would cause flexing and colouration.

If that were not enough, the aluminium walls also act as a heat-sink for the electronics inside the subwoofer and the spherical shape has a strong aesthetic attraction.

Balanced drive

The majority of subwoofers have just a single drive unit. Subwoofer drivers work hard and the reaction force from the diaphragm’s movement transmits to the enclosure, which can start to rock. The actual movement is almost imperceptible but, if not addressed, the sense of dynamic is reduced. In musical terms, this is often described as a loss of ‘slam’. The standard method of reducing this rocking motion is to use spike feet, which anchor the enclosure to the floor. But the PV1D has no such feet and instead sits on a ring of rubber-like material.

The secret is balanced drive – the use of two identical drivers mounted back-to-back so that the reaction forces cancel. There is no need to spike and, indeed, the rubber mount mechanically isolates the subwoofer from its platform – all too important if it is mounted in relatively flimsy construction such as custom furniture.

Drive units

Not only must the enclosure resist the high internal pressure changes, but so must the drive units. For that reason, the diaphragm is designed to be extremely stiff. It’s a 3-part construction. Visible is the concave aluminium front layer and, at the back, is a paper/Kevlar® cone. Between the two is a layer of expanded polystyrene. This constrained-layer construction gives the required stiffness and damping and, as the complete diaphragm is relatively thick, it acts as a good acoustic barrier – preventing sounds generated within the enclosure from being transmitted to the outside world.

The drivers also feature a large excursion capability in order to generate the required low frequencies at realistic levels with low distortion.

Efficiency

As mentioned previously, the aluminium enclosure of the PV1D acts as a heat sink for the electronics inside. But heat generation is kept to a minimum thanks to the all-new switch mode power supply and Class-D amplifier. The amplifier delivers 400W, which provides more than enough voltage swing for the bass equalisation and delivers impressive output levels when the programme demands; but the efficient design means that power consumption is low.

Some may wonder how the rated power consumption figure in the specification can be lower than the rated power output. Of course, you can get something for nothing and the explanation lies in the fact that the full output power is required only in relatively short bursts, even with demanding movie content, and the constant low-level input from the power supply keeps the generous reservoir capacitors replenished.

Digital signal processing

DSP is used to manipulate the audio signal as it progresses from input to drive units. This allows tremendous flexibility in customising the subwoofer for different applications and for use with a variety of ancillary equipment. There are four different EQ settings on offer. In addition to the theoretically accurate ‘flat’ response, there is the option of adding a little boost to give the movie special effects more impact. Larger than life it may be, but that only adds to the enjoyment of the fantasy world of movies whilst retaining the ability to be true to life for serious music listening.

We have even paid attention to the way the PV1D integrates with the main speakers in a multi-channel surround sound setup. Standard filter and delay settings are seldom optimum, but the PV1D comes with recommendations on how to alter some of the processor settings to optimise integration. No longer is the subwoofer heard as an add-on. It is fully part of a unified system. Perhaps you want to set up a 2.1 stereo system in order to add bass to small speakers. For all current Bowers & Wilkins stand mount or bookshelf speakers, you can configure the required low-pass filter, simply by selecting your main speakers from a list.

The PV1D boasts an impressively low cut-off frequency. Very low bass is important in recreating a sense of space and scale – the difference between indoors and out or the acoustic of a large auditorium. True – such a small subwoofer cannot reproduce such low frequencies to its full output level; overload would soon put paid to that. But the use of dynamic bass EQ – where the level of boost is constantly monitored and adjusted to avoid either electronic or mechanical overload – means that these very low frequencies are always present to some, if not at the full level. The sense of space is retained much better than if a higher fixed cut-off frequency were employed.

Digital control

This degree of flexibility in performance is all very well, but it must be easy to get to the optimum configuration. The setup of the PV1D is very user-friendly and, for many applications, no change at all to the default settings is needed. Setup may be done in two ways, both of which use a form of digital control.

On the front of the device are a small OLED screen and a set of buttons that allow navigation through a menu system. It’s just like finding your way around a mobile phone. The navigation buttons are of the illuminated proximity type and fade from view when not in use to reduce distracting light sources and present clean lines.

An alternative is to use SubApp™. This is an application that runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows® platforms; the PV1D is connected to a USB port of the computer and a suitable cable is supplied. Originally developed for the DB1 subwoofer, this version of SubApp™ is customised to the simpler setup options of the PV1D. There is extra functionality over the integral display method and it allows configuration from the listening position.

All settings may be saved in case of unintentional corruption. SubApp™ allows the complete configuration to be written to an XML file, whilst a few simple keystrokes allow everything bar Presets 3-5 to be saved in internal memory and recovered if necessary.

Key Features
  • Paper-Kevlar®/aluminium composite diaphragm drivers
  • Balanced drive
  • Digital Signal Processing
  • 400W Class-D amplifier
  • 5 presets
  • Input sensitivity (analogue)
  • Gain (digital)
  • Low-pass filter: frequency, slope, phase
  • Auto on/standby
  • 12V trigger on/standby
  • 12V trigger preset switching
  • RS-232 automation control
  • 2 REC/Phono/Cinch Stereo line in
  • Speaker line in
Brand Bowers & Wilkins
Speaker Type Active/Powered Subwoofer
Enclosure type Closed
Frequency Response 7.5 Hz - 450 Hz
Power 400 Watts
Woofer Bass Driver Size (mm) 2 x 200 mm
Item Sold As Single
Subwoofer Size 8-Inch
Warranty Australian Manufacture Warranty
Product Dimension (H×W×D) mm 342 x 270 x 358 mm
Product Weight (Kg) 18.7 Kg
Write Your Own Review
Only registered users can write reviews. Please Sign in or create an account
Need to know more about the Bowers & Wilkins PV1D 8-Inch Powered Subwoofer | Dual Drive? Ask a question or Call us on 1300 859 905 or Email us using below form or Visit us at Shop 15 265 Parramatta Road (Auburn Home Megamall), AUBURN, NSW, 2144, Australia.

Refund, Return and Repair Policy

Digital Cinema strives to make every purchase a happy one.

Please read our Refund, Return Warranty Policy before making a purchase from Digital Cinema, our Outlined are Our policy on refunds, returns and repairs and your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

Always inspect any products that we have delivered to you or that you picked up from the Digital Cinema store, to make sure you are completely satisfied with the condition of the products, including that the products are of merchantable quality.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact our staff on 1300 859 905 or click here to email.

Change of Mind

Please choose carefully as refunds for change of mind would only be accepted with a restocking fee subject to approval. We recommend you carefully choose any products before adding them to your cart and continuing with your order. The restocking fee is 25% if approved.

Goods Damaged in Transit

If any products are delivered damaged, please contact our Customer service Staff as soon as possible. Digital Cinema will organise to have your products returned to Digital Cinema and to arrange for a replacement of your products fast. Damaged products need to be returned in the same condition received by you with all original packaging, accessories and manuals.

Digital Cinema Security Policy

Digital Cinema uses the eWAY Payment Gateway for its online credit card transactions. eWAY processes online credit card transactions for thousands of Australian merchants, providing a safe and secure means of collecting payments via the Internet.

All online credit card transactions performed on this site using the eWAY gateway are secured payments.

    • Payments are fully automated with an immediate response
    • Your complete credit card number cannot be viewed by Digital Cinema or any outside party.
    • All transactions are performed under 128 Bit SSL Certificate.
    • All transaction data is encrypted for storage within eWAYÂ’s bank-grade data centre, further protecting your credit card data.
    • eWAY is an authorised third party processor for all the major Australian banks. eWAY at no time touches your funds; all monies are directly transferred from your credit card to the merchant account held by Digital Cinema.

Delivery Charges

Digital Cinema will refund all delivery charges in the event an item has to be returned due to a fault or damage and no replacement items can be found. Delivery refund will only be approved within 14 days of purchase and all original packaging, accessories and manuals are included.

Consumer Guarantees and Your Rights Under the Australian Consumer Law

Refer to Consumer Guarantee laws for more information.

Refunds

Any Refunds will be made by Digital Cinema using the same method of payment used to make your purchase. Refunds will normally be processed within five (5) days.

Digital Cinema reserve the right to refund and cancel any order when the below occurs.

  • Grossly incorrect pricing has been listed by accident due to human error.
  • Items cannot be fulfilled due to stock issues.
  • The sale is considered to be fraudulent and Digital Cinema considers the fulfillment of this sale may harm Digital Cinema.

You will be contacted by email to explain why a refund has been issued and products not delivered.

Returns and Repairs

Before returning any goods please contact our service team for approval and return merchandise number 1300 859 905

You may also contact Digital Cinema on 1300 859 905 or visit the store where the items were collected. A Digital Cinema team member will help you with any return or repair. This will include inspecting the products, organising for the products to be repaired, or offering you a replacement.

Products need to be returned within a reasonable time period. This timeframe may vary from product to product and may depend on the type of product you purchased and the price you paid.

If any goods cannot be easily returned to the Digital Cinema store, due to where you are located please contact our service staff for help with logistics 1300 859 905

Products returned under warranty will be assessed and/or repaired within a reasonable time period. You will be provided with a repair time after the item is assessed. This time may vary due to reasons beyond our or the manufacturer's control, such as parts availability and incorrect fault advice given.

You may be required to pay labour, assessment or freight costs, such as where goods are assessed to have been damaged by misuse or accident, or where the goods are assessed not to be faulty. We will provide you with a cost if this case arrises.

If any electrical goods that you returned may lose settings or user saved preferences during the resetting and rebooting phases in a repair sequence.

Purchasing from Digital Cinema is an acceptance of the above policies.

If you have any questions relating to your Order, please contact us on 1300 859 905 or email customer support on enquiry@www.digitalcinema.com.au.