Kali Audio has announced the WS-12, a 1000 watt, 12-inch subwoofer meant for both studio and live use.
Nicknamed “Project Watts,” the WS-12 is officially the companion subwoofer to Kali’s Lone Pine and Independence monitors. In addition to that use case, Kali specifies the subwoofer for use in surround mixing applications; the subwoofer’s output is sufficient to be used with up to five IN-8s.
This amount of power also makes the WS-12 quite capable in live settings. With an 18mm wooden enclosure and steel handles, the WS-12 is ready for road duty. Users of suitcase-style all-in-one PAs like the Yamaha® StagePAS® or Fender® Passport® or linear array all-in-ones like the Bose® L1® or LD Systems® Maui® will find the WS-12 to be a welcome addition to their live rig.
Kali claims +/- 3 dB lower frequency range at 30 Hz, with -10 dB frequency response down to 23 Hz. Peak SPL is 123 dB. DSP features include selectable crossovers, gain adjustment for room position and polarity inversion. Like Kali’s other speakers, DSP is controlled via DIP switches on the back of the subwoofer, and there are helpful diagrams printed directly on the subwoofer for quick reference. A footswitch, sold separately, will allow users to turn off the sub and disable the high pass filters on the subwoofer’s outputs.
A unique feature of the WS-12 is the offering of crossover settings for use with Kali’s studio monitors. Not only do these crossovers use the recommended frequency and slope for the monitors, but they also include level matching. With the subwoofer’s and monitors’ volume knobs all turned to the same position, level will be matched as long as all speakers are roughly in the same plane with each other.
The WS-12 will be available starting Feb. 1, in the United States, with worldwide availability soon to follow. MSRP is $599.
For more information, visit KaliAudio.com/watts.
