I have owned this subwoofer for a about 2 years to date, and I am still amazed at its ability to bring out the best of my relatively modest HT system (Onkyo TX-SV 727 receiver, Infinity Ref.4 mains, Signet LCR center, Boston Acoustics CRX surrounds, Toshiba 35" TV).
All of my equipment is located in my carpeted basement, and I place more emphasis on movies than on critical music listening. Therefore, this is probably an ideal situation for the Sunfire to perform.

And perform it does!!! Thunderous, smooth bass for action movies and other soundtracks. Also, the Sunfire does a decent job on the music I like (R&B, Smooth Jazz). Amazing how much a quality sub enhances everything!

A minor quirk: I have had to use the receiver's "bass boost" at times if I'm listening to music at very low volume levels to keep the Sunfire from constantly clicking on and off.

To summarize, if you're a movie buff like my wife and me, I don't think you'll regret purchasing this, or any of the newer versions. I have yet to buy a DD receiver, but I'm looking forward to coupling the Sunfire with one. However, judging from the comments of others, owners of small satellites and critical music listeners may need to look elsewhere.

Purchased this sub 2 months ago and I am very satisfied with its performance. The bass is very tight and solid. What initially inspired me to purchase it was its size. For under $1500.00 its tough to beat. ( I paid $1100.00) However, I will admit, set-up is critical as this monster can be quite overwhelming. Solid 5 stars.

I cant belive some gave one or two stars to rate this great product.First mostof you who dont own this product probably heard the sub cut way too high,not
placed in the right spot,used with speakers that dont go low enough.The Sunfire Mk2 is a sub for large speakers or ones that have flat response to about 40Hz.
The Sunfire has to be cut at about 40-45Hz to work well.This sub has no midbass
response so when its cut too high it will sound SLOW.Most complain about the dancing around the floor,my Sunfire is fixed to the floor using eight security doublesided stickers.The result is NO jumping around the floor and the bass is tight.The sub should be in corner placement,glued to the floor and cut around
40Hz.I use Dynaudio Contour 3.3's and even the 1.1's blend well when the sub is cut low.The big Dynes are driven by the Celeste 4250SE and the small by the 4070.One of the rare tracks that can tax this sub is RR-58CD Pomp&Pipes track #4.This track can tax any sub,even the big REL subs at high volume.One sub that
can handle this track quite well is the Paradigm Servo-15 and Velodyne HGS-18.True distortion is higher than the servo controlled subs but for the size
and price nothing touches the tiny monster.I'll give 4 out of 5 for the price.

I bought a Sunfire Sub 7 months ago and I find myself smiling everytime I pick up a new CD and discover the low notes that I was missing before. I lease an apartment so size was an issue. There is no way I could imagine placing a huge Velodyne in my living area. The Sunfire blends in well because of its small cabinet size. Don't let the size full you though; it packs a big heart. I took it over to my brother's house once to compare it with his Velodyne. He commented that it played the lower notes much stronger/deeper. The thing I like most about it is that the bass comes on when it needs to and not prior. I believe it is a fast sub. My search for the ultimate sub has ended.
By the way, I heard Bob was developing one for the car. Maybe I'll buy that one as well.

Small size, modest price, overall value

Somewhat fussy about setup

First of all, if the people who submit reviews listen as well as they spell, then practically all of the opinions expressed here are worthless! But on to my comments.

The reviewer who commented on the need to identify whether the unit being reviewed was a Mk. II or not was right on! That is a very important distinction as several modifications were made to the product at that time. I have been listening to the Sunfire True Subwoofer Mk. II for about a year and a half and am very satisfied. However, there are some points that other reviewers have commented on that I am in full agreement with. First, I believe that the Mk. II must be used with full-range speakers (at least down to 40 Hz or so) to achieve the best performance. (I use my sub in conjunction with a pair of Spica Angelus 'main' speakers, flat to around 38 Hz or so.) The subwoofer's crossover frequency control should be set likewise. (Actually, I have found that setting the frequency control slightly lower in frequency than the 'bottom' of my main speaker's flat response frequency, in my case, below 38 Hz, integrates best.) I drive both the sub and my main speakers full-range from my preamp (the passive crossover in the sub itself is, as one famous reviewer has previously stated in print, "a joke"). I also agree that setup and placement is critical for best results when using this box. I use the sub for music (two-channel stereo) listening only.

Here's where I part company with many others who have reviewed this unit. To those people who spoke of distortion and mentioned they had the sub's volume control set "to 12 or 1 o'clock," I can only say that they must be the same type of people who drive down the street in cars that you can hear thumping 3 blocks away and talk about great bass. That's fine if that's what you enjoy. But for my music listening (I primarily listen to jazz [real jazz, NOT Kenny G] and some rock) I barely have the volume control of my unit above the "OFF" label, and the bass produced is full, deep and rich. This is not only evidenced by my ears, but also by my CALIBRATED SPL meter. Let me also add that I am a musician and that I believe that instrumental experience can improve one's ability to be a good listener, especially if you have played in a group. My goal is to have the frequency response of my system "flat" to the limits that it can reproduce, NOT seeing if I can feel the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park walking down the road. Yes, the unit can distort, but only when driven to the point that it is so loud that your head is being banged against the wall by the concussion of the shockwaves.

I use my unit on hardwood floors and did have an experience once where the unit 'danced' across the floor, while listening to the bass solo in Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into the Fire" cut (from the Nilsson Schmilsson LP) at a very gratuitous volume level (overall, not just the sub's volume). (You know, the one where having exhausted the musical range of his bass guitar, the performer proceeds to loosen the strings on his bass as he plucks away at them. At one point, you can even hear them rattling against the neck of his guitar because they're so loose!) A quick call to Sunfire and they sent me a set of the "new and improved" soft rubber feet and the problem disappeared.

Prior to purchasing the Sunfire, I auditioned a Hsu Research HSR12 and a Velodyne F-1500R. Both are respectable, but fail miserably to satisfy the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor). However, my wife is very pleased with the way the Sunfire integrates into our home. I also might add at this point that my wife is also very pleased with the sound, which is important when you consider that because women typically have much better high frequency hearing than men, they are consequently more sensitive to bass (or lack of it) than men. Just ask your wife or girlfriend.

In conclusion, I would say that there may be better subs, but one would have to spend considerably more money and suffer with the looks (or the criticism from your wife, or both) of some behemoth lurking in your listening room. Bob Carver has done again what he is so good at - he has created a very, very good product for a relatively modest amount of money for the masses to enjoy. There may be better, but Bob has lowered the plateau of diminishing returns (the point where you must spend lots more $$$ to get a marginal increase in performance) to a very affordable level. Enjoy!!

Low Bass, Power, small size

Below 20 Hz

I demoed a Sunfire not too long ago at Bay Area Audio. I actually didn't listen to music but only with test tones. This is the most accurate way to find out how low the sub really goes. Isn't that we are paying for in a sub?

My primary test frequencies are 31.5 Hz, 25 Hz, 20 Hz, and 15 Hz.

The first test was 31.5 Hz. I turned up the gain all the way until the driver reached its limits. The tone was very powerful, clean and no harmonics.

The 25 Hz also passed with no distortion. The room shook before the sub reached its excursion limits.

Now for the 20 Hz tone. Most subs cannot produce this tone without distorting. I couldn't believe that the sunfire did this tone with authority. Since it is a very low tone, I could feel it more than hearing. The entire room was shaking! Unbelievable. There were no audible harmonics until it reached its maximum excursion.

The sunfire couldn't produce the 15 Hz tone. But most recordings don't have it recorded anyways!

I did the same test with the Velodyne HGS-12. The sunfire could go louder between 25 Hz and 40 Hz. But since the velodyne is a single driver, sealed enclosure, it sounded much smoother from 20 Hz to 80 Hz.

But with test tones of 20 Hz, both did it superbly with the Velodyne just a little cleaner.

There is no other sub out there that will outperform the Sunfire for the price. I tested out those wannabe REL (they look like the sunfire). They distorted way too much at high levels. If you are looking for solid 20 Hz extension, low distortion and small enclosure. Look no further. No other sub is like it.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne HGS-12

I've done an A/B comparison with the Sunfire sub vs. an M&K MX-200 using a variety of music, concentrating on drum pieces and bass guitar. While it's impressive that the thing is so small, the M&K was quite a bit tighter on Sheffield's Drum & Track CD. I've also had long-term experience with a Velodyne F-1500R and a M&K MX5000THX, and I can say they both perform quite a bit better than the Sunfire. The Sunfire is NOWHERE near the tightness of the M&K and the Velodyne has more natural bass guitar. Plus, both of them extend lower and cleaner (especially the Velodyne) than the Sunfire. From an electrical engineering standpoint, it's fascinating, but when it comes to sound, the tried-and-true designs still sound better. That might change after several more revisions, but at this point, it's merely above average.

I bought the Sunfire as part of a home theater/audio setup and I'm blown away by its abilities in both applications. If you want a true test of its capabilities play Genesis' Trick of the Tail CD at any appreciable volume level-- it'll roll your socks down!

I just bought one. It mates extremely well with my Totem Tabu speakers. Bass is deep, powerful and most importantly, very difficult to localize. To get it to blend into the soundtage was a bit of a chore though. The crossover frequency needs to bet set as low as possible, and placement is important.The recommende corner placement simply does not work. I ended up placin it between the Tabu's, and about 1 foot in front. It is also important to use the same brand interconnect to the subwoofer, as you use between amp and preamp.

This is an amzing product! If you have not heard it, I highly suggest you locate a dealer near you and give it a listen. I currently own an M&K MX-5000THX and previously owned a Velodyne F1500-R. The True Subwoofer can keep up with these highly respected subs without breaking a sweat. The sound is truly unique, and may not sound natural at first listen. This is due to both the lack of muckiness in the midrange and the virtual stereo effect Bob Carver has ingeniously created by combining the normal mono L+R and generating a L-R signal thatis responsible for the stereo effect. The subwoofer is so seamless when matched with almost any speaker combination, whether it be satellites or full range speakers. The most amazing and convenient aspect of the sub is obviously its size, as everyone continuously notes. This is nothing to blow off. With a larger sub (much larger to compete with the true subwoofer) your options are very limited with regards to positiong in the listening room. With the True Subwoofer you can continue to move it until it sounds best for your particular room. Versatility is a major advantage for a subwoofer and should not be discounted by any means. Again, I strongly urge you to listen to this "true" breakthrough in audiophile technology.