This is the best really small subwoofer you can buy, we have tried them all.

You can do well with the Velodyne MicroVee X and it is smaller if you really don’t have the space. With the exception of a small music system though you are not testing what the Velodyne can do. The Perlisten is just as musical ( all but invisible if set up properly ) but also has the depth of frequency and the heft of sound. The R8 has its limitations and cannot carry the authority very far as there is only so much air an 8″ drive unit can move. There are larger subs for bigger spaces where more output is required. If you have a medium sized room though and sit within 3 metres of your hi-fi / cinema the R8 will work very nicely. We use them with great effect in small hi-fi set-ups ( the NAD M10 and Piega ACE 30 combination for instance ), as rear subwoofers in larger cinema systems and in larger hi-fi set-ups where space is a premium and some extra depth is required. A gem in a small box. 

Perlisten R8 dimensions: 298 x 270 x 290mm ( HxWxD) 
Velodyne Microvee X dimensions: 230 x 230 x 250 ( HxWxD) 

Tiny frame mighty bass
R-Series subs – Trickle down technology from our flagship D-Series, we’ve developed a lineup of single driver-based subwoofers. Ground up drivers developed by our team of engineers. Glass fiber composite diaphragms, multiple aluminum shorting rings, massive magnets, multi-layer Nomex spiders and lightweight aluminum voice coil wire are the key ingredients – Proprietary nonlinear modeling techniques allow us to simulate all these components and then optimize for real world driver performance – free air and in box. Further refinement is done with the aid of our Klippel laser measurement system to dial things in. Powered by our new 500W amplifier to match the new designed 8” driver, all functions and safeties are controlled by a 48-bit data bath DSP and 32-bit ARM M4 Cortex processor, able to react in microseconds ensuring sonic accuracy. All R-Series subs share our 2.4” LCD touchscreen display and ability to control advanced settings using our App.

Technical specifications

• Alignment:  Acoustic suspension
• Amplifier: 500W rms
• Display Interface: 2.4″ LCD colour touchscreen
• App: iOS and Android
• Processor: 32-bit ARM Cortex M4, double precision floating point math
• DSP Engine Ti DSP 48-bit data paths
• Driver compliment: 215mm, Glass fibre diaphragm
  +/-28.0mm linear excursion
• Reference sensitivity: 86dB /150mV/ 1.0m
• Frequency Response:
  THX EQ: 20-265Hz (-6dB) / 16-330Hz (-10dB)
  Boost (Large Room) EQ: 16-265Hz (-6dB) / 14-330Hz (-10dB)
  Cut (Small Room) EQ: 25-265Hz (-6dB) / 19-330Hz (-10dB)
• Inputs:
  (1) Balanced XLR
  (1) Unbalanced RCA
• Outputs:
  (1) Balanced XLR unbuffered
  (1) Unbalanced RCA unbuffered
• Parametric EQ: 10-Band PEQ with 3 user presets
• Low Pass filter: bypass, 30-160Hz, slope 6,12,18,24dB/oct
• Phase: Variable 0-270
• Polarity: Normal / inverted
• Configurable Auto turn-on and 12v Trigger: XLR, RCA
• Dimensions (HxWxD)
  298 x 270 x 290mm
  11.7 x 10.6×11.4″
• Weight: 14.4 kg (31.7 lbs.)
• Available finishes: Satin black and Satin white