Funktion-One’s new Powersoft M-Force-equipped F132 bass enclosure was recently deployed at Ultra Music Festival in Miami – in combination with the new Vero system – where it caught the attention of DJ Carl Cox.

The F132 features Powersoft’s M-Force 10kW linear transducer along with Funktion-One’s specially designed cone and enclosure technology. It offers a single 32in driver, which gives a frequency response of 24Hz to 65Hz, while its physical size and the fact it is horn-loaded means levels of directivity that are not typically possible at these low frequencies; a feat that is achieved naturally without any cardioid processing.

M-Force is based on a patented moving magnet linear motor structure, and is capable of high levels of power handling, electromagnetic conversion, reliability and SPL, Powersoft says. It was developed through years of FEM magnetic and mechanical simulations, careful integration of the latest magnetic materials, acoustic design and power electronic conversion, before being released in 2014.

Tony Andrews, Funktion-One’s co-founder, was attracted to the M-Force motor’s capabilities from the start: “The sheer horsepower got my attention,” he recalled. This intrigue led him to think about ways of applying Funktion-One’s unique bass horn technology to the heavyweight power output of the transducer. “The motor allowed us to make a big enough cone so that we could scale up our horn-loaded bass technique," he continued. "The near half a ton of push it gives us means we could scale up to a 32in driver and still keep it dynamic. Scaling the size up meant we could load down to 24Hz.”

Sound Investment, Funktion-One’s US distributor, installed eight F132s in the Carl Cox and Friends Arena (main picture) – all positioned on one side of the arena to avoid conflicting sources, resulting in smooth and even bass coverage. These were used in combination with four F221 double-21in bass enclosures. In 2015, 24 F221s were used on for the same stage. Each F132 is almost 1.5m deep and over 1.1m wide.

Cox himself was suitably impressed, as it turns out: “As I walked into the arena, I had the new Funktion-One speakers put before me, the smile on my face was knowing that this was the very best sonic sound experience I have ever had in that area – like I had never heard before," he stated. "It was so warm, pleasing and powerful that it shook all my senses to the core of my soul and this is because Tony managed to achieve the true sound of analogue in the digital age. This is what has been missing in a lot of sound systems over the years. I wish more people would take a leaf out of his book, but there can only be one Tony.”

Funktion-One’s Tony Andrews (left) with Claudio Lastrucci of Powersoft

Andrews added: “DJs don’t always have material that does those frequencies, but when they do the result is unequivocal – everybody experiences it. It makes the bass really big and really fat. It’s the first time that we’ve been able to have those frequencies from a fully horn-loaded source.”

Powersoft’s research and development director, Claudio Lastrucci, was also ever-present during the F132’s two-year development. “He came over to hear some of the prototypes and definitely got the message,” explained Andrews. “I recall him saying that he’d never heard anything like it. When we got to the final stage, he came over again to help set-up the M-Force.”

Another Powersoft specialist closely involved in the process, who was able to assess the final stage of beta testing in person at Ultra, was M-Force project manager and sales manager Massimo Minardi. He said: “With the F132 working continuously to the limit – 12 hours a day over three days – it responded brilliantly to the pressure of both artists and a demanding audience; this was far removed from the simulations and tests under controlled parameters in the laboratory.”

http://www.funktion-one.com

http://www.powersoft-audio.com