Sunfire's Bob Carver is the one person most credited for creating the small subwoofer market in the 1990s and, while the patent didn't hold up, the brand and category sure did. Sunfire's True Subwoofer EQ Signature at $2,195 might be a mouthful of words, but its 13-inches-squared size is a sight for sore eyes for people looking for big subwoofer sound from a relatively small box.
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The key to all of Bob Carver's subwoofer designs is his amazing tracking downcoverter amp that can coolly and cleanly (and reportedly) output peaks of 2700 watts of power, driving the living snot out of a 10-inch driver to levels that top 116 dB. Take it from me: that is really loud. While the woofer doesn't go a low as the gigantic woofers on the market, its 30 Hertz performance is pretty deep, considering just how loud it will play.
The latest version of Sunfire's top subwoofer comes complete with an auto-set-up configuration that helps the bass-freak consumer in all of us to get the most out of the woofer in each of our rooms. Room acoustics and room interaction is as big a factor in getting a successful low-end reproduction from your system as the woofer itself and Sunfire has made it easy for you to make all of the needed adjustments without a degree in acoustics.
Read about the high points and low points of the True Subwoofer EQ on Page 2.
High Points
- There is no question that the biggest strong point of the Sunfire True Subwoofer EQ Signature is its diminutive size when compared to its beefy audio output.
- The Sunfire Signature EQ is more musical than you might expect and when used in pairs can sound even smoother in a room.
- The room correction software really adds value to the product over past offerings. Velodyne has it. Revel has it. Sunfire now has it, thankfully.
- I like the addition of a rosewood veneer to the lineup, as black subwoofers are so cliché.
Low Points
- The fit and finish are nothing better than okay. Other subs provide better-looking woofers for the same price and, considering how your sub reacts in a room, you can't say, "I am going to stick it in a corner over there" and just forget about it. It's possible the best performance could come from placing your woofer right in the middle of your listening room.
- When pushed to extremes, the Sunfire woofer can show signs of audio fatigue, compared to other woofers that are physically larger yet in the same price range.
Conclusion
This is a rock and roll subwoofer that can play loud and remain musical all the way along. Audiophiles will be surprised that this woofer can hang with $10,000 per pair speakers, and home theater enthusiasts will love the volume that this small subwoofer can create. Bass rules and the Sunfire True Subwoofer EQ Signature just plain rocks.
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