Audio Kinesis Swarm Subwoofer Awarded 2019 Golden Ear Award by Robert E. Greene

To follow up on Duke's post, we did feature the Gingko Audio Sextet at CAF earlier this month.  We gave a demo to illustrate the effect of the Swarm concept by just playing the monitors first in a large conference room (35x22x10), then adding two subs (one powered and one passive), then another two, playing the same music track.  The effect was very noticeable by all attendees.  Here are some impressions that were posted about the rooms (we had two rooms at the show, the bigger showcased the Sextet):
“Gingko Audio had for me, the most realistic soundstage with their Sextet speakers that include 2 monitor speakers and 4 subs in a swarm arrangement. Excellent imaging, and the bass was spot on.” Rusty on Audio Circle

“There were two rooms running Ginko speakers and both systems were very good sounding. One was a $10,000 system running in one of the big rooms which sounded beautifully balanced, natural, and relaxed, without sounding lifeless. The small stand-mounted speaker in another room (I think it was $3,000) sounded very good too-very well balanced and natural sounding.” Larryi on Steve Hoffman Forum

“Gingko audio had small speakers in a small room and bigger speakers in a big room. I only spent a small amount of time in each room, but they both accomplished the naturalness and dimensionality that hits me hardest when it's there and leaves me least engaged when it's not.” willsw on Super Best Audio Friends

Thanks to Duke again for his very generous sharing of his expertise in designing the Sextet subs, kind of a Mini-Swarm version.

Vinh Vu

Gingko Audio

haywood310:
"The "Earl Geddes" effect done right is just SPOOKY! It takes all of your rooms weakness’s and makes them work against each other push/pull, Yeng Yang, Women are from Venus and Men are from Mars. Good bass is not just about pounding AC/DC although it can do it right. More importantly it will bring your highs, mids, and sound stage depth to a new level. Like plannars Maggies or Soundlab stats done right. It is just hypnotic and SOOOOO much better. Im trying to get that with Kinergetics SW 800s right now and asking for advice. But I will be using 26 10 inch woofers instead of 4. I have heard the Audio Kinnesis system and it is simply amazing. I just happen to like AC/DC and hate my neighbors Haha. "

Hello haywood310,

You’ve experienced the Earl Geddes inspired 4-sub distributed bass array (DBA) concept that Duke Lejeune and James Romeyn of Audio Kinesis have developed into their Swarm and Debra 4-sub DBA complete kit systems. Having used the AK Debra 4-sub DBA system in my system and room for about the last 5 years, I completely agree with your description of the bass performance results as SPOOKY good. I would just add to your colorful description of the way it works to explain my understanding of the degree that adding subs actually increases the bass sound quality in virtually any given room:

To summarize PHD Dr. Earl Geddes’s scientific findings that were later developed into the more practical 4-sub DBA concept and product by others- In virtually any given room, 2 subs will produce bass that sounds about twice as good as 1, 4 subs will produce bass that sounds twice as good as 2 and each sub added beyond 4 will only result in producing bass sound gains that are smaller in magnitude and more marginal. This is the reason the AK Swarm and Debra systems utilize 4 subs.

As far as your requested advice on how to get the same bass quality performance gains that a 4-sub DBA provides by utilizing your Kinergetics SW-800s, some advice I can offer is that there are obstacles you’ll likely face in your endeavor.
You stated that you’ll be using 26 10 inch woofers instead of the Swarm’s typical 4 10 inch woofers, one per sub cabinet. It’s my understanding that the Kinergistics SW 800 are sub towers that each contain 5 10 inch woofers arranged vertically. Does this mean you have 5 SW- 800? If so, this would equal 25 total 10 inch woofers(5subsx5 woofers each=25), Where does the extra 26th 10 inch woofer reside? In a separate cabinet as a discrete additional sub?
I’d like to advise you on how to optimize the bass performance in your room using your SW-800s but I first need your answers to the above questions to do so effectively.

Thanks,
Tim

Here is how Greg Weaver of Enjoy The Music describes our Sextet/Swarm demo in his CAF 2019 show report:
"The Sextet is an ambitious speaker system that is a collaborative effort, building upon the Tubulous technology from Gingko Audio, the Swarm subwoofer system from AudioKinesis, and unique cabinet construction from Salk Sound. Leveraging the 1-inch soft dome tweeter and 6.5" paper-cone woofers used in both the Gingko Audio Clarissa and ClaraVu speaker systems, the Sextet is a fully configurable system that can be purchased as just the Sextet 2 (the pair of Sextet monitors - $4,995), the Sextet 2+2 (the monitors and two dedicated stands - $5,795), or with various combinations of the subs, including the full Sextet 6.2 (using two monitors, two powered subs – which also act as monitor stands, and two outboard subs – $8,995). The subs have switchable polarity, 0° and 180° to better integrate and help manage constructive or destructive interference.

The tremendous versatility here is that users can start with just the monitors, and later, as budget or space permit, add a pair of subs (Sextet Swarm 2-One powered sub with built-in amp and one passive outboard sub $2,000) which can be used as stands for the monitors, and/or then add the second Swarm sub system for the full Sextet 6.2, to maximum effect.

Vinh's demo was impressive, using the 6.2 system set up at follows. The left Sextet monitor was mounted atop a powered sub, with its mated outboard sub in the front right corner of the room. The right Sextet monitor was mounted atop the second powered sub, with its mated outboard sub in the rear left corner of the room.

Vinh now played a track with just the Monitors on. The sound was smooth and engaging but didn't really fill the room or convey the space and power of the music. Next, he turned on the left powered sub mated to the outboard sub in the front right corner of the room, then he played the same track. Knowing what to expect, I loved seeing the reaction from all the listeners in the room who may have not been familiar with what this would do. The look on most of the faces in the room was one of almost incredulity, of unbelievability!

Not only was there more bass fueling impact and weight, but the space of the recording completely opened up, filling the room, with more honest timbre and more realistic, three-dimensional staging. Finally, he turned on the right powered sub and its mated rear left outboard sub and started the same track yet again. While this was the more subtle of the two reveals, it was still handily impressive. More of everything, more weight, more space, more accurate tone and texture, more detail and dimension.

This was a masterful demo; one that clearly demonstrated why you need the extension provided by a full range speaker or a well-mated satellite/subwoofer system. It is not just deeper, more pitch defined, impactful bass, but the addition of the bloom and body, the more correct voicing, and the expansive space and dimensionality that it affords. I truly wish more people would demonstrate this effect. As such, my hat is off to Vinh, and the Gingko team. I hope they see wild success with this superbly versatile and enjoyable Sextet speaker system."

I have 6 subs aligned now . And i can see the benefit of more of them. I set them in the obvious spots as per Tims suggestions. Unreal. I could see having 2 more still. Especially being it is a large room and they have to all be set quite low compared to the mains. The effect is there but not boomy if you walk out of the sweet spot. 

Hello davekayc,

    Congrats and welcome to the DBA Concept club! Even in your huge room, I don't think there's a need to go beyond 4 subs but, otoh, 6 subs is...… extremely cool.  
    Each sub beyond 4 will not only marginally increase the perception of the bass as being smoother, faster, more detailed and natural, it will also increase the overall perceived system bass quantity, impact and bass dynamics.  
    You are now officially a member of the esteemed 4-sub DBA Concept club. Having automatically earned this coveted honor upon utilizing 4 subs in your room and system, you nevertheless bravely ventured forward into unchartered bass territory, beyond state of the art bass, by continuing to deploy additional subs #5 and 6. That my adventurous and intrepid grasshopper, is definitely worthy of at least another superlative, nice job!


Venture forth and prosper,
          Tim