Screening Room: Sunfire’s True Sub EQ Solitaire 10 Subwoofer

Most acoustical and loudspeaker engineers agree that the biggest obstacle in achieving high levels of home theater performance is the ability to deal with low-frequency room modes.

For dealers in the field there's a few different ways to accomplish this:

Ignore the problem and hope the client doesn't notice the anomaly;

Sign up for classes with the Home Acoustics Alliance (HAA) and learn how to fix the problems yourself;

Hire an acoustical-consultation firm to take care of the acoustical problems;

Or, install products that employ the latest EQ technologies to electronically compensate for these problems

If you choose the latter, Sunfire offers a series of subwoofers that incorporate built-in EQ, which allows dealers to provide their clients with a more cohesive, smoother audio experience.

Features

In the middle of the Sunfire line is the True Sub EQ Solitaire 10 subwoofer that upon first glance features a small, black-lacquer enclosure that camouflages its ability to fill in all of that low-frequency information that makes home theater fun. Internally, the sub employs a 10-inch driver that's powered by a 1,250-watt amplifier.

As previously mentioned, the sub incorporates self-diagnostic EQ technologies that include a measurement mic that plugs into an input on the back of the unit. The Solitaire 10 also includes all of the standard controls you would expect such as gain, phase, auto-signal sensing, and a choice of inputs such as speaker level and line level.

Installation

Before integrating the sub into my system I read the owner's manual, which is written well enough to allow a novice or experienced installer to quickly set up the subwoofer. Following directions I placed the sub in my usual position atop an Auralex decoupling subwoofer platform, connected my subwoofer cable, turned off the unit's internal crossover and plugged in the supplied mic.

The next steps were to place the mic in the money-seat area as close to ear level as possible, set the sub's controls to the specified levels and press the start button.

Engaging the start button activates a series of test tones that vary in frequency to provide the sub with the necessary information to tailor the sub's output to match the room's environment. The process takes a matter of minutes and once it's completed the sub is ready for use.

Performance

Not feeling merciful I went for the gusto and popped in "Der Trommier," the Neil Peart drum solo from the Rush "R30" DVD to see if this sub is able to deliver the goods. I chose this track because it features a wide range of natural and electronic percussion sounds that would provide immediate feedback on the sub's ability to playback demanding content.

Right off the bat I was impressed with the sub's integration into my room and system. The sub's playback was seamless; I could not detect any "hole" between my speakers and the subwoofer's response.

The sub was also responsive playing back the disc without sounding too "tubby" as I listened to the synthesizer parts on "subdivisions" and the kick drum and floor toms that Peart uses.

Moving on from Rush to an HBO HD broadcast of the movie "Constantine" I was again impressed with the sub's smoothness and transient capabilities.

Staying with HBO HD, I watched "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith," which the sub handled throughout the soundtrack with its explosions and other effects with good weight and response.

Wrapping up with some music I watched Discovery HD's broadcast of Anna Netrebko with the BBC Philharmonic and found the natural orchestral percussion deep and well paced.

This was a dramatic contrast to Rush, which with its syncopated, shifting time signatures is more of a transient test, whereas the BBC content was more about depth and tonal diversity. In both cases, however, the sub was up to the task.

Final Thoughts

Comparing it the Russound R12DT subwoofer, I found the Sunfire to be slightly smoother and to have an edge in frequency extension, but with the R12DT having the advantage with transients.

With that said, the Sunfire sub is an excellent all-around performer that is a clear solution for dealers that want a sub that combines the ability to blend into any home décor, with the wherewithal to play reasonably deep with convincing SPLs.

When combined with the curriculum of the HAA, I believe dealers can address a majority of their jobs by installing this sub without breaking their clients' budgets.

MSRP is $1,550.