[impalanut]

I have been reading about the sunfire true sub series and the signature model appears to be a good sub. I wonder about the small size of the driver although I realize that excursion has to be looked at also as well as the really large amplifier in this sub. Anyone have one and what do you think?

 

[Frank Zimkas]

I picked up my MkII for about half the price of a new MkIV. I bought the store demo with a full 5 yr warranty. to date I have not found anything that this "little" sub can't handle with ease! The sound is fantastic, and the size makes it a breeze to place just about anywhere you want. I currently have mine placed in the corner of my HT and the bass is truly a room filling experience!


The best description that I can come up with is TIGHT.

 

[Trevorsplace]

I just replaced my MKII with an SV sub and I am glad I did. Although the Sunfire could get deep bass, unlike the previous reply I would say the Sunfire is anything but tight. I found the sound to be boomy compared to the SV I just replaced it with. I was never able to get a good blend with my main speakers. It will put out some bass though. Also mine developed a hum that had nothing to do with ground loop rather a problem that developed in the sub. Sunfire wanted $200 to fix it plus shipping, so I decided to replace it with an SV 20-29 PCi and I am glad I did the sound is so much better.

 

[jcebedo1]

I have heard the entire line of Sunfire subwoofers. They are very good subwoofers if space is an issue. The 11" cube one can get down to 20 Hz at high spls, just like a good sealed 15" subwoofer would. However, if you can live with a larger subwoofer for a little less money, then I would suggest the SVS. Or even better, DIY.


James

 

[Sorny]

With all due respect, Trevorsplace, if you were unable to blend the subwoofer with your mains, you obviously did not due a thorough job of setting the subwoofer up. ALL subs are highly dependent on placement; Sunfire subs being even more sensitive to placement than some others from my own experience. I've got a MK IV, aka the 11" cube one, and get anywhere from almost no output to stucco cracking output depending on where I place it with respect to the walls. If it sounds boomy, your placement was 100% to blame. My sub sounds tight with music and raises all kinds of hell with movies

Don't belittle a sub just because you did not properly set it up and/or find good placement.


Now, on to less confrontational chat, I'm currently looking to up-trade my MK IV for a signature for the additional 6dB output. (more is always better right?) Assuming my local dealer doesn't jerk me around (they shouldn't, I've dropped about $6K there the last 6 months alone) I'll have the signature early next year and I'll then be able to give a straight-up no BS answer about how it performs. The whole line of Sunfire subs uses extremely long-throw woofers, on the order of 4-5x the excursion of other drivers. SPL for a subwoofer is dependent on how much air a sub can move. Well, my sub has 8" driver, but about 2.35" of excursion. Translation, it moves as much air as several less exotic 15" drivers. These subs also use a monster digital amp to deliver loads of power. They may be rated for 2.7KW, but usually are only delivering about 250-350W, with an average of 600W at max SPL. This is due to the way the sub and amp are designed and the amp being able to swing +/-105Vrms to combat the high back EMF from the huge magnets on the active driver (225oz magnet on my MK IV, probably bigger on the Signature). Read the whitepaper if you'd like to know more, or even look up the patent; I did, it is really interesting reading.


Take any in-store listening with a grain of salt. When I was looking for my sub, I was pretty close to sold on it just from the specs, but I needed to listen. I walked into one of the local dealers and gave it a listen. I was so upset by how poorly it sounded, I almost didn't buy it. However, I took the MK IV home and just set it in a corner in a rather happenstance manner. I hooked it up, turned everything back on and was greeted by some really loud and loose bass. Boomy as all hell; kind of what Trevorsplace above reported. Well, I took some time, adjusted the placement, and now have very nice and tight bass for music and some major thump for watching movies. Placement is everything; moving the sub as much as a few inches in any given direction can change the sound from boomy and loose to tight and musical. It is all about placement.


Don't misinterpret what I am saying about these subs, they are NOT for everybody. There are less expensive, though much larger, subs that will beat the Sunfire subs; nobody questions the amount of ass SVS kicks, but they are not for everyone. Sunfire subs are not for everyone either. If you don't want to fiddle with placement a little, save yourself some time and don't look at the Sunfire subs. If you have some patience, you will be rewarded with crazy SPL, tight bass, and only 13" cube, assuming you get the signature, whereas any other sub will take up quite a bit more space for the same kinds of output.



Sorny

 

[rjason]

The Sunfire does indeed put out a lot of bass for its small size. I used to have 2 for HT use for several years. Then switched to REL so that I could also use subs for music. I had two versions of REL subs over the years and found them pretty good when trying to use one sub for both music and HT. Then switched to Vandersteens for 2 channel which meant getting a third sub for the LFE, since the Vandersteens can't do both, unlike the REL subs. For the LFE I initially went back to a Sunfire Sig., that lasted a week. While they do push a lot of air, their design makes it impossible for them to be tight. I personally have had a bit of a problem with all Sunfire stuff in regards to quietness. I have had two of their amps besides 3 of their subs and all their products gave off various noises (hums, vibration noises, etc.) in between receiving signals, the subs seem to be sitting there vibrating waiting for a signal.

However, their small size is hard to beat and may be the most important factor for some situations. And, like Sorny said, "you will be rewarded with crazy SPL", which I am assuming means lot's of bass. They are very cabable of that. Which, for most people is all that is expected of a sub. Musical they aren't though.

 

[Trevorsplace]

Sorny, Sorry you felt you were confrontational I don't take it that way, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I assure you I tried the Sunfire in every possible position and could not get the blend with the main speakers. I do agree it can put out a huge amount of Bass, it just did not work for me. The SV took a couple of placement changes but that only took an hour or so and it blends great. I agree the size of the SV is a major obstacle but it works for me.


I still have the Sunfire and may get the hum fixed one day and use it in my family room where size is an issue. That is the other thing with the Sunfire. When I called they knew what the problem was and want $200 to fix it. I agree it is out of warranty but the fact that it is a common problem that they have seen many times before I feel that they should fix it for nothing as it is a defect in their design. Believe me the hum is terrible.... It will come and go and drive you crazy.

 

[dwp888]

I bought a Sunfire a couple of years ago because it was the only one that would fit under my end table, which in the house I had at the time was the only possible location. I was happy with it until just recently it developed a hum. I haven't looked into getting it repaired, but if this is a common problem I wiould certainly not recommend it. Anyone else with a humming Sunfire?

 

[Jim Youngmeyer]

Mine also developed a distracting hum. It also started making loud popping and thumping sounds. This is in addition to the "normal" thump it makes when it turns itself off after about 5 minutes of no low frequencies. I left it unplugged for months before I finally got around to taking in for repair to Tweeters a couple of weeks ago.


It also did something else which I could never figure out. Whenever there was a lot of rumbling LFE (as in most of the car-crunch, head-shot movies they make nowadays) my TV would develop dancing colored spots. The size and intensity of these spots was proportional to the amount of LFE. This was on a Sony 27" tube TV. Anyone else ever see this? If so, how did you get rid of it?


Jim

 

[meany]

The sub is not magnetically shielded. Magnetic Fields cause what you described. Move the sub father away from the Tube.


Was the Hum a ground loop hum described in the manual or another kind of hum?

 

[Jim Youngmeyer]

The hum sounded to me like 60 cycle AC hum. It hums with only the AC cord plugged in and with no other wires attached or around.

 

[lolittle]

Mine started humming a while back. It is intermittent. It drives me freaking crazy. Now I hear that it is a common problem.


I plan to get a SVS CS-Ultra in a few months to replace it.

 

[Trevorsplace]

I hate to say this but I am glad I'm not the only one to have this problem. Like another poster said it will hum with nothing else attached. It is not a ground loop problem I tried everything to get rid of it, it is not a problem with being to close to the tube either, tried that. This is a manufacturer problem and I feel they should fix it for free.

 

[kmkbeni]

I am also suffering from a humming Sunfire sub (a 4-year old original model). When it first started, using a cheater plug pretty much resolved the issue. But even that doesn't help any more. I spent about an hour last night switching cables, trying different outlets, etc., all to no avail. The really frustrating thing is that it'll be dead quiet for a while and I'll think I've got it licked, but then it reappears!


I think I'll give Sunfire a call and try to convince them that it's a manufacturing defect (LOL). If I can't do that it looks like I too may be looking at a new SVS sub.

 

[Mr. 568]

I too have the sunfire hum problem. It would hum like crazy after a sound peak, like an explosion. And, what really bugged me was that flicking a light switch in the room would make the noise stop


Eventually I purchased a ground lifter plug, and that corrected the problem completely. Funny thing is, even my tv was performing better, once that was solved. But then the hum came back I tried everything imaginable to get it to stop, then finally I had the strange idea to remove the ground lifter plug, and voila - problems disappeared again.


I'm going to keep trying this until the sub is truly dead. It's nice to know that it isn't just me though - I'll be buying an earthquake or a REL next time!

 

[Trevorsplace]

I found the same to be true... I could switch a light off, put in ground lifter and it would stop. Only to return..... It just kept getting worse it is a manufacturing problem. Let me know if you have any luck on getting them to agree.

 

[Mr. 568]

So far, removing or adding the ground-lifter when the sub gets quirky, seems to be the solution. Go - figure... I'm happy for the moment, but I do wish that Sunfire was more upfront about the problem. All this time I thought it was me. JUST before I purchased the ground-lifter, I was convinced that it was a problem with the electricity in my house. I was about to spend $3k on an electricity processor to "fix" this infernal hum problem. I'm glad the ground-lifter has worked at all, but I'm happy and angry to realise that the problem really is with the sub.

 

[DomNY]

Greetings,

I have a Sunfire MKII and have the same humming problems. Everytime I think I have it beat, it pops up again. Sunfire told me it was a $200.00 repair as well. I am sure shipping and insurance is another $100.00 from NY to Calif. This has me really pissed off. I read people having problems on the Audio Review site as well. Does anyone have an email address for Sunfire? I would like to write and include the URLs. I plan on calling next week to give them hell. When I asked tech support about this, they said it was not a common problem with the unit. Duh.......This reminds me of the Denon 3800 (They at least are fixing the units for free) and the Panasonic A-310 (Took a class action suit to get them to make it right).

Dom

 

[martins5]

I purchased a Sunfire True Subwoofer several years ago and am still using it in my family room home theater setup. I had an anoying hum from the get go, but was able to eliminate it with an isolation transformer that I purchased from Radio Shack.


Steve

 

[Frank Zimkas]

I'm really surprised to hear that so many of you are having problems with you Sunfire subs! I can only hope that mine keeps performing well. Out of curiousity, has anyone sent a link for this thread to Sunfire?


Impalanut,

Have you had a chance to go and audition the MkIV yet? Let us know what your thoughts are.