Electro-Voice EVID C10.1
A ten-inch subwoofer that goes in the ceiling and needs only a cutout and a tile bridge.
Overview
Most subwoofers take up floor space, need a corner and rattle the pictures on the wall. The Electro-Voice EVID C10.1 does none of that. It sits in a drop ceiling and delivers the bottom octave from above. Electro-Voice calls it a "complete low frequency ceiling subwoofer package," and package is accurate: the C10.1 ships as a bezel assembly, grille, rear enclosure, ten-inch loudspeaker, and internal line-matching transformer, all designed to work together in a wide range of ceiling constructions.
The brief was narrow on purpose. This is a subwoofer, not a full-range speaker. It covers roughly 45 Hz to 150 Hz and handles the low-frequency foundation while the rest of the EVID ceiling line takes everything above. Electro-Voice's own literature says the C10.1 exists to augment the low frequency response of any EVID ceiling speaker. Pair it with an EVID full-range model and you get a two-way system split across two ceiling cans. Run it alone and you get nothing but bass.
Installers care that it's passive. The C10.1 does not require an external power amplifier. A single amplifier channel drives it through the integrated transformer, and the same channel can feed the rest of the ceiling system. That saves rack space, copper, and time. Electro-Voice describes the unit as "a 10" dual impedance, compact and powerful ceiling subwoofer," and the dual-impedance part is the trick: the integrated transformer lets the C10.1 run on 70 V or 100 V distributed lines or bypass to 8 Ω.
Key Features
Ten-Inch High-Excursion Woofer in a Ported Enclosure
The driver is a ten-inch woofer with a high-temperature voice coil, mounted in a vented enclosure. The port is what lets a ceiling can this size reach down to the 45 Hz region without the cone flapping itself apart. Electro-Voice literature describes it as a "high-excursion woofer in ported enclosure for extended lows." This is commercial-grade construction, not hi-fi furniture.
Integrated 70 V / 100 V / 8 Ω Transformer
The unit uses an integrated transformer for 70 V, 100 V, or 8 Ω use. The transformer allows the C10.1 to run on 70 V or 100 V distributed lines or bypass to 8 Ω.
Second-Order Low-Pass Network with Overload Protection
Electro-Voice specifies a 2nd-order crossover network to provide the correct band-pass response for use with any EVID ceiling loudspeaker, and the low-pass network includes overload protection. The C10.1 is meant to hand off cleanly to the full-range EVID models rather than overlap them, so the crossover point and slope are part of the system design. The overload protection is there because a ceiling subwoofer in a commercial space will eventually meet an amplifier that's too big for it.
Tile Bridge and Mounting Ring Included
The C10.1 ships with a tile bridge for safe suspension in a drop ceiling using mineral wool or other fiber-based ceiling tiles, plus a backing plate support. Electro-Voice sells the C10.1 as a complete package requiring no additional accessories, and by all indications that's accurate: rails, C-ring supports, grilles, and manual are in the box.
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