Strong wife-friendly factor. Astounding musical accruacy and breathtaking HT percussive effects.

Difficult to set up to get clean sound. Placement, cut-off frequency and phase settings, require a methodical approach to get it right.

If any of you have doubts about how musical this sub can be please audition old or new acoustic jazz that include Stanley Clarke, Ralphe Armstrong or any of your favorites playing an upright bass. I have vivid memories of listening to these very talented musicians in a small acoustic venue and had no hopes of recreating the deep rich sound in my minds ear until listening to this amazing sub. For an example of quick, crisp and precise kick drum action listen to the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" cut of Hotel California or Peter Gabriel's "Shaking the Tree" album. "Shaking the tree" and "Don't give up" do it for me. I had a short-lived teenage career playing electric bass and mostly thought that most recorded music blended in or de-emphasized bass tracks, until I auditioned this sub with my favorite music.
For HT check out the exploding helicopter scene in "Matrix" or the Battle at the bridge from "Saving Private Ryan". I found myself ducking the bullets and explosions. It really adds to the HT experience when you feel the percussive effects.
To demo the frequency response and unexpectedly identify the resonant frequency of various objects in my home, like vases, picture frames, plates and coffee/end table glass, I used Carver's "Amazing Bytes" reference CD. This CD has test cuts that progress from 20hz to 100hz in 5hz increments. It was a good baseline for determining your main speaker's low-end response and setting the sub's high end cutover. The phase setting is a tedious process that needs to focus on our impression of the sound stage. When you get it right you'll know it.

Who should buy this product? If you love your music and HT and feel that something is missing and your main speakers low end response is in the 30-50hz range, this sub bring you to nirvana. If your main's roll off above this range, put your pennys in the piggy bank, upgrade the main's and definitely get the sub. Just make sure you get pictures of the crate-sized competition, to show the wife when you tell her that you got this one for her. She'll be happy with the little beast, until things start falling off the fireplace mantle and her wine glasses rattle.
Happy subbing to all and to all a good night.

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Owned KEF 30B and auditioned shipping crate sized subs like velodyne, NHT and Klipsch and their Sunfire look-alikes

Convenient Size, Accurate Low Frequency Output

Set-up can be a bear

The Sunfire did not work well in the corners of my room. I tried it halfway between my main speakers (Alon IV's), and about 2 feet behind, on some Golden Sounds cones. I aimed the active drive forward (and the passive driver toward the backwall). With very little volume, the Sunfire provided a solid and seamless bass foundation to my already excellent Alons. I ended up returning the Sunfire, in order to audition the Monitor Audio and REL subs. The Sunfire was at least equal to the other two subs, well, even better and with its small size, the Sunfire won hands down. I will be re-ordering a Sunfire, Mk. II, in the near future, after I am done "adjusting" to a couple more "front-end" upgrades in my system.

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Monitor Audio ASW-210, REL Strata III

Best HT sub I have audtioned.

none yet

What can I say. After this puppy was set up correctly, teh bass for movies was so forceful and low, it shakes my whole 3200 sq ft house. It goes low and loud and you CAN NOT hear where it is coming from. Other subs were easier to localize, this thing vanishes! I have a huge basement and could easily fit an 18" beast sub but I decided on this one for its clean, awesome powerful sound. With music it was good, and after a few weeks it broke in well and now with music it is just as impressive as the HT. Anyone who does not like this sub probably does noy own it. In my opinion the only sub better is the Sunfire Signature which I will be trading up to soon...audition this sub while it is set up correctly and make sure the volume is not blasted on the sub..it has plenty of power and is always set very low in my home...

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Polk, Klipsch, Velodyne

small

blew within first month

I love this sub, but i'm having to send it back already because it blew within the first month. I've been listening to it "clack" every time i turn it up for the past few months and decided that it wasn't supposed to do that. The active side of the sub makes a loud "clacking" sound as if you were to flick your finger on the driver every time it extends itself. My guess is that something has detached from the back of the driver and is making this sound. What bothers me is that i didn't really exert the sub when it blew. I mean, i really shouldn't have to treat it like crystal for the first few months without worrying about it blowing. Now i'm going to have to pay for shipping and all that jazz just to wait for it to either get repaired or replaced...such a waste of time. So my advice...if you buy it...is to make sure your break it in ALOT before you turn it up. Or else you'll be in my shoes...

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acoustic research

SUNFIRE SUBWOOFER MARK II please say that again and again is the sweetest thing on the home theater horizon!!!!!THIS IS THE BEST DEAL IN SUBS AROUND.The most outstanding features are 1. clear distortion free bass 2. unbeleivably transparent- I couldnt localise the direction of the bass it blended so well with my Bose satellites 3. astonishing sound stage- I thought my carefully positioned Bose satellites created an impressively sized stage until the sunfire sub shattered all barriers magically elevating my living room into a generously proportioned Coliseum at Rome!!!! 4.Incredibly low Bass - just try the Matrix DVD for an astounding exposition of its virtues 5. Stunning esthetics and small size makes my wife happy!!!
DO NOT BUY ANOTHER SUB UNTILL YOU HAVE AUDITIONED THE SUNFIRE MARK II SUBWOOFER at home over a weekend without the wife and kids!!!Bob Carver you da man.

POWERFUL BASS, VANISHINGLY LOW DISTORTION, ESTHETICALLY PLEASING, COMPACT SIZE, UNBELEIVABLE VALUE

NO REMOTE CONTROL

This is the ULTIMATE SUBWOOFER for Home theater or music !!!!!Do not buy another sub untill you have actually auditioned the SUNFIRE MARK II at your home over the weekend, preferably with a dvd like the MATRIX or JURASSIC PARK!!!You cant beat the price, looks, esthetics, size or its performance.There is no other subwoofer like it within 3 orders of magnitude of its price.Hyperbole about this sub is just not enough. GO CHECK THIS ONE OUT ONLY BE WARNED YOU WILL BE BUYING THIS SUB BEFORE YOU HAVE THE MONEY!!!JOLLY GOOD SHOW MR. CARVER AND THANK YOU. It has the ability of transforming any decent satellite speaker system into an awesome sound experience. tHE SOUNDSTAGE SEEMS TO MAGICALLY EXPAND before the unbeleiving mind!!!But dont take my word for it go see and experience for yourself. GOOD LUCK.

Lots of sound for the price

None

A must have! I stopped at my local stereo shop to have a listen and their first response was to tell me a velo was a better sub. Boulderdash! They where an authorized dealer and didn't even stock it, but could order it. Off to Ultimate I went and they had it hooked up in their high end home theater room. After the sales person couldn't get the cd player to work in the theater room he moved the sub to a regular audition room. It was placed on the floor next to other subs that ranged up to $1000+. The difference was night and day. All the other subs were muddy sounding but the Sunfire was a whole different story. Clean and powerfull. When the Sunfire was switched off, the sound field collapsed! The profit margin for this unit must not be as high as other units so don't let the salesman steer you to a different sub until you have given this unit a serious listen. Hats off to Bob Carver!

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Mirage

Size, gets really LOW, powerful....teeth rattling! Will impress ANYBODY who comes to your house to watch a movie. Untouchable for HT.

Don't expect midbass....this is a SUB (<50hz) woofer. Be prepared to spend time with placement and tweeking (crossover frequency/phasing/vol. control). Only slightly above average for music listeners.

I've had this sub for 3 years and my experience is not much different than the others. I have read all the previous reviews. This sub will tear your house down....literaly! What I mean by this is that ANYTHING that is not fastened down can be destroyed if you turn the sub up. Put a good DVD on (Matrix, Airforce One, etc...) and you better be kind to your home interior....it will knock pictures off the wall! I have not found the "bottom" of this sub...I believe you would need to be incredibly prepared with self-protective equipment in order to be in the same room if you were to try to get this sub to "bottom out". As far as the humm problem, that's easily fixed with the 2/3 prong adaptor. Grounding.

This sub excells on HT. HANDS DOWN! You will NOT be disappointed. It was more than I wanted to pay, but quality comes with a price. I would do it again! This piece is a "keeper".

As far as music goes I am not as impressed. Probably just need to readjust placement/X-over settings and vol. on sub, but it is a little abrubt and "punchy" for my taste. I think it has alot more to do with the primary speakers I now have. I need a better midbass from my primaries, then I would not have such a "gap" now from my mids to the "punch" sub. That problem should be fixed in a couple of weeks when my Definitive Technology BP3000TL primaries arrive.

Considering 90% of my listening is HT I am EXTREMELY happy with my MKII....you will be too!

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Velodyne, JBL

Small. Well built. Impresses all your friends.

Not the same bass as a $1400 15 inch woofer.

The question remains does size matter? Is the servo-15 and other coffee-table size woofers better? Its preference. Some people prefer chicken and others fish. If you don't mind carrying a enormous subwoofer home and then having the large black box dominate your living room. You should probably get the Servo-15. If you care about size at all you should get the Sunfire. It does everything the 15 inch does except "in-ground vibrations." (Something you might want in a basement) You will never have to worry about this sub bottoming out for any reason. It not only can shake the entire house, but it is able to sound great at lower volumes without disturbing everyone. I find that it does not dominate the other speakers even when it is set at a significantly higher level. It about the size of a bowling ball bag, but weights 50 lbs. The weight surprised me. I would recommend it to anyone. I got a great deal on ebay, that I could not beat. ($860 brand new) You will never be disappointed with the Sunfire MK II.

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Servo-15

Size, Performance, Efficiency,

None

Let me start by saying that this piece of equipment is not for everyone, some people have different tastes when it come down to what a subsonic speaker should accomplish.
Personally a subsonic driver should produce just that, subsonic frequencies below 50hz. Having said that i guess the question is does this box produce this frequency? the answer is absolutely. Having said this if any speaker systems lack in the 50hz to 100hz area then that issue should be addressed with an addition of a different speaker along with the Sunfire, it was not disigned for this frequency and even though it may reproduce these frequencies it may lack in that area.
The trick to this box is that it produces those frequencies so well that it is extremely difficult to set up properly. You find yourself between low midbass levels, when you finally get those dialed in you're missing the ultra low 20hz, i feel it is a tradeoff in this area and you must stick to your guns and trust what you hear. It may sound a little weak at first but you need stay away the from the volume control, because if you don't you will be fighting with this box trying to set it up.
Once you get this unit set up correctly it shines to the point of actually being at a live performance (as far as chest pounding air movement is concerned).
Another area i would like to address is all the complaints I have read concerning this humming noise the unit seems to have a problem with, well I promise you the problem is NOT the sub. The problem is due to a ground problem in your house, that humm is due to a 60hz ground problem and in order to fix this you MUST ground the THREE prong plug you have the sub plugged into to either a ground rod (professionally installed), or a metal water pipe outside your house with the proper clamp. Most homes have plugs that are NOT commonly grounded in their living rooms, the only plugs that have to be grounded by code are the bathroom and kitchen plugs (this of course applies to most homes but not all). This a relatively easy problem to fix and you will NOT have this humming issue any longer nor will you need the 3 to 2 prong AC adpter for the power cord. If you don't have any experience in working with electrical circuits cunsult with a residential electrician and the problem is really not that big of a deal.

Products used with this unit,
Onkyo TXDS787
Sony DVP S300
JBL HP88F Fronts
JBL S Center
JBL HP6B Rears