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The Bailey subwoofer is designed to harmonize with our existing products. Bailey fills the need for low frequency reinforcement for our high efficiency designs. What drives one in the first place to single driver systems could well be the one note bass emanating from so many bass systems one encounters. The tactile and colorful bass only horns and their variants provide is the goal of the Bailey. Not pretending to reinvent bass technology or to add anything other than precise craftsmanship, Bailey succeeds on all goals intended.

• Provide bass depth to enhance soundstage size and scale.
• Run efficiently on reasonable power and not generate heat.
• Integrate with our existing lineup to the point that different room and equipment variations yield consistent results.
• Harmonize tonally, without calling attention to itself, easy to place.
• Integrate on an aesthetic level of existing C&C products.
• Easy controls, set it and forget it with accuracy.

The first thing noticed in Driver selection is that the displacement wars that exist in car audio also quite dominate high end hifi. Just pushing in on some drivers you can pretty much guess they need a lot of power and are going to sound “one note”. And knowing one would and will lose the displacement wars allows freedom of design, allowing effort aimed at solving the real problem of system matching, tonally.

To match tonally with the high efficiency systems in place, we start by acknowledging that the Abby and the backhorns are easy to integrate with. Their already strong midbass clarity make adding the bottom two octaves, a pleasure of design. Placement becomes easier, lack of boominess in the main systems means less boom overall. Control is the issue, not the size or weight.

Recommended by the management at Madisound as a no holds barred driver for high end audio, “what would be better” we kept asking, but getting the same reply:

• SEAS 10” aluminum driver, phase plug, rubber surround - from Norway
  • 87db1w mtr 8ohm
  • FS 20hz, ported
  • Xmax 7mm
  • Max power 125w

The SEAS driver won't win the displacement wars and does not attempt to. Instead it offers superb musicality and tonal complexity. Something very rare in systems not fully horn loaded. So to keep up with the modest heat and power demands on an amplifier, this driver is ideal. The 300 watt built in amplifier never runs hot and is very easy to adjust to our systems for optimal results. Enclosed in a sealed sub enclosure of it's own to insure stability, it effortlessly provides deep powerful bass.

The Cabinet is where we have gained some insights and flex our advantage. Knowing from building our other systems what rigidity can do for tonal and pitch accuracy we applied the same theory. By making a precision machined, all-plywood cabinet has yielded exceptionally taught and colorful bass. Where many systems built of composite boards will absorb energy, plywood reflects the energy putting more bass and texture into the room. And also by eliminating compliance wherever possible we maintain clarity. Most drivers have a big plushy (sounding) rubber gasket surround and right away you hear the difference with the SEAS rigid aluminum frame-to-wood t-nutted and hex bolted to a rigid cabinet. The synergy of the amp-driver-cabinet compliments our existing systems remarkably, such that they have become now, a complete system by addition of the Bailey.

Will you need 2 subs?

This would be a lot of fun no doubt. 2 subs allow for better room control of bass reflections. If your room is damped or irregular, one (1) Bailey will give you the big bottom. In a large open space 2 subs would provide rave-on-demand convenience and power. Ask about mirror imaged and symmetric matched pairs of Baileys for the ultimate installations.

Cain & Cain: Bailey Subwoofer Specifications

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