Digizoid ZO Personal Subwoofer

[dfkt]

Not an amp per se, this device makes some rather interesting claims: http://www.digizoid.com/the-zo/

• Low-frequency reproduction (not just bass, but also extreme low frequencies that you can feel)
• Spatial expansion for added dimensionality
• Vocal clarity
• Hear more detail through dynamic range expansion
• Improved overall texture (richness) and presence (depth)

digiZoid® SmartVector™ sound contouring technology utilizes a new method of sound enhancement, which is expected to become the foundation for future audio system design. It doesn't employ standard audio enhancement techniques such as: cross feed, low-frequency bandwidth extension, common equalization schemes, or digital signal processing algorithms. Instead, we approached the problem from a different angle, and engineered from the perspective of the human auditory system. Our solution is therefore based on principles of hearing sensitivity, psychoacoustics, and in particular, psophometric filtering. SmartVector technology deviates from many of the established audio industry standards; and as a result, breaks some well-known stereotypes (i.e., you can't get big bass out of small speakers, because you actually can with SmartVector).

It obviously uses analog sound processing (not a DSP chip) to achieve that. One of the novel interesting features is dynamic range expansion - it claims to counteract today's dynamic-less brickwall mastering and gives the audio some more room to breathe. I'll believe it when I hear it with my own ears, but it sure sounds good on paper.

Here's a good review about it on Head-Fi: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/...able-subwoofer