The Peavey Versarray 218 Sub incorporates the ultra-high power Lo Max 18" woofer and a new cabinet and vent design. The Versarray 218 is a direct radiator vented subwoofer designed specifically for the most demanding Pro-Audio applications. The Versarray 218 Sub is compact for its power handling, SPL output, distortion performance and bass extension. This is made possible by special characteristics designed into the Lo Max woofer. The Lo Max 18" driver is Peavey's pinnacle of high-power subwoofer design. An incredible 4, 800 watt program rating and extralong cone excursion add up to amazing levels of clean, deep bass from a pair of 18" woofers. Incorporating all of the features that Peavey has engineered into their woofers over the years, including the field-replaceable basket, Kevlar-impregnated cone for increased strength and lower distortion due to greater dampening of excess cone vibrations, polyimide-impregnated fiberglass former for higher sensitivity and extended frequency response, die-cast aluminum frame and a 4-inch diameter edge-wound voice coil with solderless diffusion welded OFHC copper leads. This makes the Versarray 218 Sub a superior choice for the bass end of any high performance sound system and it is primarily designed for large professional touring and high performance permanent installs.

Extreme Bracing Cabinet Design
The Versarray 218 Sub cabinet is well braced and very stiff, as internal pressures produced by the Lo Max woofer can be very high. The vent design integrated into the enclosure includes a middle brace to further increase enclosure stiffness. Each cabinet side wall and vent wall are tied together at multiple points using multiple interlocking girdle braces, making these some of the sturdiest subwoofer enclosures on the market. A knuckle-rap test will prove this immediately. The Versarray 218 Sub is constructed of premium 13-ply Baltic birch plywood and is finished with a durable acrylic polyurethane paint, for a good cosmetic presentation. A 16-gauge powder-coated perforated metal grille covers the front of the system to protect the speakers from external damage. Tilt back 4" wheel casters provide for ease of transport and set-up. The Versarray 218 Sub incorporates Peavey's patented UniVent, covered under their patent #6, 549, 637. The UniVent venting system literally pumps air through the enclosure, exchanging the stale hot air inside the cabinet for the cooler outside air. This helps keep the woofer operating temperatures from getting so high and increases reliability and reduces power compression under heavy continuous drive conditions. The air pumping action is achieved without excessive turbulence or any significant net asymmetry of total vent air flow. The UniVent design integrated into the enclosure includes a middle brace in each vent to further increase enclosure stiffness. The large vent area and long path length allow for a large volume of air to move with very low resistance. This is important due to the huge air flow volumes that the Lo Max woofer can produce. Input connection to the system is made via two 4-pin Neutrik jacks in parallel or an 8-pin Neutrik jack. A 4-pin Neutrik thru jack is provided for satellite/top-box bi-amping flexibility while maintaining superior signal integrity. The inclusion of a standard 4-pin Neutrik jack in parallel allows for daisy chaining to another cabinet. The system comes wired with both woofers in parallel, but they can be accessed separately by removing the input cup and moving a jumper plug. The two woofers can be driven by separate power amp channels through the Neutrik input jacks. Despite its compact dimensions for a double 18" bass enclosure, this system generates extremely high sound pressure levels (SPLs) and accepts up to 4, 800 watts program of clean amplifier power, resulting in large area coverage with excellent punch and high reliability.

Frequency Response
This measurement is useful in determining how accurately a given unit reproduces an input signal. The frequency response of the Versarray 218 Sub is measured at a distance of 1- meter using a 1 watt (into the nominal impedance) swept-sine input signal. As shown in figure 1, the selected drivers in the Versarray 218 Sub combine to give a smooth frequency response on the central axis from 46 Hz to 1.5 kHz.

Power Handling
There are many different approaches to power handling ratings. Peavey rates this loudspeaker system's power handling using the AES Standard 2-1984. Using audio band 40 Hz to 400 Hz pink noise with peaks of four times the RMS level, this strenuous test signal assures the user that every portion of this system can withstand today's high technology music. This rating is contingent upon having a minimum of 3 dB of amplifier headroom available.

Harmonic Distortion
Second and third harmonic distortions vs. frequency are plotted in figures 3 and 4 for two power levels. Ten percent (10%) of rated input power and either one percent (1%) of rated input power or one watt, whichever is greater. Distortion is read from the graph as the difference between the fundamental signal (frequency response) and the desired harmonic. As an example, a distortion curve that is down 40 dB from the fundamental is equivalent to 1% distortion.

Architectural and Engineering Specifications
The loudspeaker system shall have an operating bandwidth of 46 Hz to 1.5 kHz, measured on axis at 1m in an anechoic environment, with +/- 3 dB tolerance. The nominal output level shall be 100 dB when measured at a distance of one meter with an input of one watt. The nominal impedance shall be 4 ohms when both woofers are wired in parallel and two times 8 ohms when wired for separate powering. The maximum continuous power handling for a single cabinet shall be 2, 400 watts, maximum program power of 2, 400 watts and a peak power input of at least 4, 800 watts, with a minimum amplifier headroom of 3 dB. The cabinet shall have two 4" diameter fixed caster wheels on the rear bottom corner for tilt back rolling transport on flat level surfaces. The outside dimensions shall be 43.38 inches high by 25.06 inches wide by 26.30 inches deep. The weight shall be 204 pounds. The loudspeaker system shall be a Peavey model Versarray 218.