Hands On: Canton ASF 75 SC Digital Subwoofer

When people talk about subwoofers, they typically describe massive box-like products with huge woofers and power-sucking amplifiers that are designed to shake the foundation of a home. But subwoofers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Not everyone has room for mini-refrigerator-size audio components in their home theater.

That brings me to Canton’s ASF 75 SC Subwoofer, which unlike the German manufacturer’s low-frequency monster Vento SUB 850 R, is designed for small-footprint applications.

Features
The ASF 75 SC is a slim-profile subwoofer that can be used when you want the sub wall mounted or slid underneath a piece of furniture, for example. The vented enclosure incorporates provisions to enable its varied usage applications, and it also houses a single 8-inch aluminum woofer that’s driven by an amp capable of 120 watts of peak output.

Setup
I set the ASF 75 SC in two systems: A home theater 5.1 setup with a Rotel receiver and Paradigm speakers, and a two-channel system that included Anthem electronics and Mordaunt-Short bookshelf speakers.

Listening to multichannel theater content like AIX Records music DVDs and 300 in lossless high-def, I noticed the sub, which was placed behind an equipment rack, added some mid-bass rumble at normal listening volumes and it blended well with the speakers by adding heft to the content.

Shifting to my two-channel setup, I listened to CDs from Slash and Owl City, among others, and heard similar results from the Canton’s inclusion.

Before the bass snobs brush this unit off, I will point out that the ASF 75 SC is very musical. Its transient response capabilities are as fast as any sub on the market. It’s also very smooth in the octave range of 50Hz to 100Hz, which is the area of operation that most installers will set this unit up within.

Performance
As expected, the sub’s extension isn’t really deep or loud, but it’s easy to blend its normal operating range with all but the smallest cube-type speakers.

This unit is a nice fit for lifestyle audio systems and in situations where floor space is an issue. Perhaps the best thing about this sub beyond its speed is its price. I could easily see installers specifying two ASF 75 SCs into a room to add smooth bass without taking up lots of valuable floor real estate.