Wilson Audio Thor's Hammer Subwoofer Review

The Basics:

With a cabinet measuring 59” H x 20” W x 25.5 D and weighing in at 412 lbs., sound is the only big thing that Thor’s Hammer from Wilson Audio brings. At its core, Thor’s Hammer has two 15” woofers with a dual-spider cone design (based on long-throw woofers) that lowers distortions and delivers dynamic audio. It has a generous frequency range of 15Hz-70Hz. An optional outboard crossover means easy integration to your full range system.

It can support other popular Wilson Audio components like MAXX version 3, WATT Puppy version 8, and Alexandria loudspeakers with its very capable 93 dB speaker. In addition, Thor’s Hammer includes an essential and unique Wilson Audio Controller that integrates all this advanced technologies into your whole music system, acting as both a crossover and equalizer. Therefore, you can faultlessly get a hybrid music sound system and home theater system. The Controller even makes it easy to switch between these two modes without quality loss in the process. In fact, it optimizes both based on your specific needs.

The Upside:

Thankfully, much like its large size, Wilson Audio Thor’s Hammer is also large in performance for a subwoofer. It can precisely hit 16 Hertz at full volume (equivalent to the lowest note of a pipe organ according to company literature). Even artificially-created audio like synthesizers gain a natural sound. Furthermore, high-definition audio tracks on Blu-ray (DTS Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD) are similarly unbelievably lifelike, and indeed are larger than life.

At a price of about $21,000, it is also a PLUS that the Wilson Audio Thor’s Hammer is solidly built with a luxuriously smooth finish and praiseworthy detail.

The Downside:

Since Thor’s Hammer is not a powered subwoofer, it still requires an amplifier to use your audio system’s “Point 1” channel. This will obviously add an extra cost. However, audiophiles willing to already invest this much probably won’t be dissuaded.

Conclusion:

Committed audiophiles making this big of an investment will get what they paid for with Wilson Audio Thor’s Hammer. You won’t find anything on the market that will deliver high-performance like this. However, because you are making a sizeable investment, you should want everything to run perfect. Consulting a Wilson Audio dealer to help you setup your system is highly recommended, including helping you figure out room treatments and speaker placements beforehand.