Subwoofer
typical
Among the 24 subwoofers in the catalogue, this one is typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
B&W marketing positions DB4S as "perfect match for the 700 Series" — home cinema-leaning brand positioning. Alpha Audio reviewer noted B&W "believes their DB Series is ideally suited" for music too — reviewer agreed after testing. Music-suitability is plausible despite HT-leaning marketing.
Single-driver topology departure from DB1D/DB2D/DB3D twin-opposed configuration. Same 250mm Aerofoil cone as DB2D — but single-driver means cabinet rocking is uncancelled (mass-loading + rigid cabinet design compensates).
Aerofoil cone material developed for 800 Series Diamond reference speakers — variable-thickness carbon-composite cone designed to resist break-up far longer than conventional cones.
NO physical controls on rear — all setup via dedicated B&W mobile app. iOS app uses phone microphone for room EQ measurement; Android does not (different microphone calibration uncertainties).
Brand-coherent with any B&W speaker-based system. Aerofoil-cone driver preserves B&W tonal signature (cluster signature: clean, articulate, slight presence-region energy).
Assessed against 2 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 13 head-to-heads.
12 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Silent Path, Twin Arms
A subwoofer here is chosen by coverage arithmetic, not by pairing character — the swap saves about 33% of this position’s spend without changing what the system reaches down to.
1 lost · Vocals-First
A subwoofer here is chosen by coverage arithmetic, not by pairing character — the swap adds about 100% of this position’s spend without changing what the system reaches down to.
B&W DB-series mid-tier sub Bowers & Wilkins DB4S positioning· Bass extension
smooth, controlled bass What Hi-Fi/Australian Hi-Fi (Newport Labs) 2020· Bass control
extension... rarely sees in such a small subwoofer What Hi-Fi/Australian Hi-Fi 2020· Bass extension
moderate slam PROXY: B&W DB-line· Physical impact
| powered | True |
|---|---|
| driver size mm | 250.0 |
| enclosure type | sealed |
| amp power w | 1000.0 |
| line input | True |
| speaker input | False |
| lfe input | True |
| balanced input | True |
| crossover capability | low_pass_only |
| crossover range hz | 40/140 |
| phase adjust | app-controlled |
| eq options | Dynamic EQ + Room EQ via mobile app (iOS/Android); app uses phone microphone for room measurement (iOS); BT-LE control |
| frequency response hz | 10/350 |
| dimensions mm | 360/377/368 |
| weight kg | 26.0 |
| notes | Single-driver "S" variant — distinct from DB1D/DB2D/DB3D twin-opposed designs. |