A product that raises as many questions as it intrigues.
The first one continues to be - why isn't SKAA used everywhere, all over the world? The second is, why did Eleven Engineering need to create a separate company to actual build and sell the SKAA-enabled products that it could license to customers? Third, why didn't Soundboks, the extraordinary company from Denmark, and global lifestyle sound reinforcement sensation, didn't launch the Death From Below (DFB) subwoofer themselves? And we could go on...
Particularly because Eleven Engineering offers all the required hardware and software parts and development tools needed for robust wireless audio that would enable turning SKAA into a global standard. But here we are. Instead, we get the world’s first SKAA-enabled, battery-powered mobile subwoofer... Death From Below.
"Designed for Dillinger Labs by Eleven Engineering in its Canada HQ, Death From Below works with all SKAA Transmitters, all SKAA Pro Transmitters, and all SKAA Nadja Hubs including Soundboks 3, 4 and Go," explains Rex Whitehead, Dillinger Labs president. "Pro-grade SKAA wireless audio, 100 percent Bluetooth-free, and 100 percent WiFi free, we didn’t just take an AC-powered sub and strap a battery on it. DFB is built and optimized from the ground up to be a battery speaker. No shortcuts. No lack of performance compared to traditional speakers. No BS."
Yes. SKAA transmits uncompressed audio (not lossless, but uncompressed - as in "the real thing") at larger distances, not to one receiver but to a bunch of receivers, all at once, without latency. No need for Auracast. It's been available for over a decade. As everyone that owns a Soundboks speaker knows well.
And now, all the owners of Soundboks can order a subwoofer that will turn those outdoor parties into a festival-level event. Because "the battery engineering makes DFB truly awesome," as the company states. "A built-in bank of eight ultra-fast film capacitors jacks up the subwoofer's performance by giving its amps instant access to energy when needed. That is, by ensuring the amps are never starved for power, the resulting enhanced impulse response is what’s behind DFB's bass punch."
Even if this wasn't a wireless design, the fact that it is a battery-powered subwoofer is in itself truly unique. According to Dillinger Labs, the DFB subwoofer uses two 72W Infineon Merus -powered Class-D amplifiers (like the Soundboks speakers), to power the two 8-inch woofers, achieving an acoustical maximum level of 122dB between 35Hz and 180Hz. The 2x 8" woofers are loaded in a road-ready, matte black, weather resistant cabinet, with dual tuned ports to extend the frequency response and maximize SPL output.
Regarding wireless configurations, the DFB subwoofer can be used with up to three other SKAA receivers at the same time from any SKAA transmitter. The subwoofer will remember up to 10 favorite transmitters, so it's always ready to play. And the latency is so low that the subwoofer and other SKAA-enabled speakers can be used to reinforce live performances. The subwoofer control panel includes a volume potentiometer and five EQ presets.
"The DFB is not just for Soundboks," Whitehead states. "Use DFB to complement virtually any full-range PA speaker connected to a SKAA pro receiver such as the Streetheart by Dillinger Labs." SKAA transmitters work with iOS and Android mobile devices, Mac and Windows computers, and just about any product with a line output or a headphone jack.
For manufacturers and developers interested in designing speakers that can be paired with the DFB subwoofer or any SKAA transmitter, Eleven Engineering offers microprocessors in System in Package (SiP) and modules designed for wireless audio for any application. Eleven's XInC2 multithreaded processor was designed specifically for digital wireless audio applications but is also well suited for other realtime intensive microprocessor applications.
Eleven's high-performance wireless audio semiconductors, equipped with XInC2 wireless processor cores, are complete solutions for high-quality digital wireless audio transport. WFD, Eleven's proprietary wireless audio transport protocol, has a narrow footprint in the radio spectrum, delivering both best-in-class coexistence with Wi-Fi / Bluetooth and unparalleled Quality of Service.
The new DFB subwoofer will be available to ship in Canada, USA, UK, EU, and Australia for $799.99 MSRP (USD).
www.elevenengineering.com | www.skaa.com
www.dillingerlabs.com
