Sunfire HRS-12 Listening Tests

I evaluated the HRS-12 subwoofers using my A/V setup with a Toshiba HD-A2 used as source for HD-DVD, DVD, and CD content.  Audio processing and amplification were provided for using the Rotel RSX-1067 to drive a 7 channel Infinity Beta speaker array and provide bass management at an 80 Hz crossover point.  Source material used for the review was reproduced in its native format, either multi-channel or stereo, with the Rotel set to two channel mode for stereo material and the Beta 40 towers engaged for mid and upper frequencies.

After a recent bout of being provided a single subwoofer for review, I requested two HRS-12s and Sunfire graciously accommodated my request.  Multiple subwoofers can be used to help limit modal coupling of bass frequencies to the room through judicious placement of the subs relative to the room, each other, and the listening position.  I typically run dual subwoofers and shifting to a single sub presents an extra difficulty to sort out what is really coming from the sub and not from the room acoustics, which is best avoided if possible.

Editorial Note on Multiple Subwoofers
Multiple subwoofers are a good choice to smooth frequency response by minimizing room modal behavior through cancellation.  Strategic placement of the subs at opposing nodal points for frequencies that trouble the listening area can be used to nullify the worst dips and peaks from the room modes.  This is a distinct advantage over equalization, which can only trim peaks but not fill dips.

My own experience with running multiple subs has been a stark improvement with smoother frequency response, improved bass detail, and increased depth at the bottom end beyond what a single well placed sub can muster.

As I listened, I found that these little subs pack quite a punch.  At a kilowatt of output, each, these little guys have plenty of juice to do some considerable room shaking.  And they do just that.

During my stint with the HRS-12s, I found that they were able to provide a satisfying musical experience with clean, accurate bass output that conveyed timbres and transients well.  When asked to speak up, these diminutive subwoofers retained a high level of composure to high output levels.  I also found that the HRS-12s sonically integrated into the system seamlessly, irrespective of output level, with an effortless and naturalness to the sonic presentation at the crossover between the main channels and the subs that remained transparent with all of the source material I threw at them.

It’s certainly no secret that movie LFE tracks contain an awful lot of intense deep bass content.  That being said, I can not emphasize enough the benefits of depth and headroom in the subwoofer department, cracking plaster be damned.  With an 18 Hz roll off point and 1000 watts RMS output, subs such as the HRS-12 can theoretically output as much as 6 dB to 9 dB more than typical subs in the 100 to 250 watt range, all other parameters being equal.  Keep in mind it takes a 10 dB SPL difference in output for the ear perceives a doubling of loudness.  I’ve said this before when I reviewed the Fathoms and I will say it again here, there is no reason to waste money on vibration actuators for the furniture, just get subwoofers that can do their own butt kicking.

As for the Fathoms, in comparison, the HRS-12s did not give quite the impression of guttural depth and I found them to be slightly more colored, exhibiting less control of the driver.  While the HRS-12s do not have the visceral impact, shear brute force, or absolute clarity of the f112s at high SPL, $900 will get one far closer than they would expect thanks to the effect of heavy diminishing returns for a product like the Fathoms.  The HRS-12 subwoofers were quite able to do a good approximation of the amount shaking that the Fathoms provided.  And for the price of a single Fathom f112, one can buy two of these subs and still bank the better part of a grand for other theater components.

Under extreme conditions, there were times I could tell when the output limiting on the HRS-12s kicked in, but they were providing a significant bit of room shaking when this happened.  The casual listener will very likely not notice, the softening will not be obvious to the untrained ear, and when compounded with the amount of shaking, which will be a definite distraction from noticing in the first place.  While any sort of compression can be considered disagreeable from a purist standpoint, it is certainly much less disagreeable than hearing a driver pop or bottom out.  I’ve heard overtaxed subwoofer drivers flapping about before and it’s a killjoy to be sure, and just when the action is getting all hot and heavy.

The bottom line is that the HRS-12 is a surprisingly powerful subwoofer, particularly when considering its size, which is capable of high output and very good sonic accuracy up to the point that the windows rattle from their frames.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (DTS)
I have turned once again to my trusty standby for evaluating subwoofers; of the three films, all with excellent soundtracks, The Fellowship of the Ring stands out above the other two.  Using the DTS version of the soundtrack, the audio quality is excellent and it has considerable low frequency content in the score and the LFE to test any subwoofer thoroughly.  This combination allows one to determine how a good sub can not only pound out special effects, but also how well it can frame out the score with a solid foundation to contrast and enhance the subtleties and nuance present in the midrange and treble.

In many ways, familiarity with this soundtrack serves to underscore my previous assertion that the HRS-12s can hold their own among top tier subwoofers, even if they can not outperform such subwoofers in an absolute sense.  Compared with the Fathoms, which are quite formidable, a soundtrack like this shows that the Sunfires could do plenty of room shaking of their own with only slight softening during extremes of output SPL and intensity.  Unlike many mid-priced, midrange subwoofers, the HS-12s will have more sonic similarity to high-end products like the Fathoms than many direct peers in its price class.

Throughout the film, the HRS-12s drew attention to many of the highpoints I outlined when I first tested the Fathoms.  I was supplied a copious quantity of deep, tactile bass from the LFE and the level of musicality from the presentation of the orchestral score was quite good with rich support for the reproduction of the low instrumentation.  Quiet scenes where only orchestral content was present were supplied a rich and musical bottom end by the HRS-12s.  Galloping hooves thundered solidly, the roar of fireworks and battles was deep and dynamic, visions of the Eye simply shook everything, and the voice of Sauron chanting spells through the Ring was penetrating.  When the score and LFE competed for the HRS-12’s capacity, both were well handled well with the output from the subs staying musical and separated while they pounded away.

Matrix Revolutions (HD-DVD)
The HD mastered reissue of the Matrix Trilogy provides excellent reference quality audio material for evaluating home theater equipment.  The remastered soundtrack is available in Dolby TrueHD and even down mixed to DTS at 1.5 kbps for transmission via SPDIF by the HD-A2, it is clearly superior to the Dolby Digital soundtrack available on the original DVD release.  The higher resolution codec results in a clear improvement to the spaciousness, the amount of detail, and the naturalness of the audio reproduction when compared to the original DVD release.

The HRS-12s have the output capabilities to handle the LFE spectacularly with a disc such as this.  Bass dependent sound effects such as gun fire and explosions had plenty of punch and the low end of the orchestral score was gorgeously deep, potent when demanded, but also subtle when required.  Throughout the film, the Sunfires reproduced the constant low, deep rumble of machinery that is often obscured by less subtle subwoofers.  The HRS-12s also distinctly conveyed quiet sections of the orchestral score where dramatic tension is underscored through subtle use of the low instrumentation that again is often ill defined by the presentation from many lesser subs.

The film opens with a staccato burst of percussion and brass that the Sunfires pumped out nicely.  The depth of the low strings, both at the Train Station and while visiting the Oracle, emanated with enough intensity from the subs to slightly shudder and rumble the room, and they gave a realism to the solidity and weight of the passing trains.  Heavy industrial music blared at the club where the Merovingian turns up contains a subterranean bottom end that the HRS-12s nailed.  Absorption of the Oracle by Mr. Smith and Neo’s visions of the machine city were provided with a hefty rumble by the Sunfire subs.  Gunfire and battle with the Sentinels in Zion was kept to a tight staccato by the Sunifres as they pulsed through my chair.  Crashes, explosions, the emergence of the drillers, and the passing of the hover ship as it raced to the city were suitably intense through the HRS-12s that at times also drove my chair into resonance.  All the while, the bottom end of the score stayed clean with the subs allowing a sonic independence to the music that kept everything from being compacted into the unintelligible bass bloat common in lesser subs.  At the surface, the rumble of thunder, the roar of bombardment before the machine city, and the tactile depth of voice from the Source were quite intense, contrasting the quiet undulations in the low instrumentation that were given depth and subtlety as Zion waits.  The same was also true of the final battle where the Sunfires kept the score dynamic, musical, and well separated while thunder and collision shockwaves rolled through the room.  Closing, the score was kept deep, clean, and tight as transients in the percussion and electronics intermingled with the acoustic instruments.

The Mummy Returns (HD-DVD)
The HD remastered version of The Mummy Returns provides a soundtrack that offers almost constant opportunity to put a subwoofer through its paces.  Despite use of only Dolby Digital+, the soundtrack clearly shows the improvements due to the higher resolution audio; done right with good source material, Dolby Digital+ can be quite good.  The film, of course, provides the prerequisite LFE slam the accompanies any action movie, but it also provides a score that makes constant use of demanding low frequency instrumentation and percussion with a solid bottom end to the mix.  The HRS-12s had both the muscle and dexterity to do justice to the soundtrack by pounding out everything thrown at it while retaining a musical presentation throughout.

The soundtrack was constantly presented with all of its bottom end potency, detail, and clarity intact through the Sunfires.  Even the score alone through the Sunfires, would frequently shake the room when the percussion, low strings, and brass would pipe up.  The soundtrack captures the low frequency and infrasonic ambience effects from the concert hall, which features most prominently with what sounds to be a rather large concert bass drum that is given quite a beating during the entire movie.  The HRS-12s did an equally admirable job when both the score and LFE picked up intensity simultaneously.  With this much intense low frequency information all at once, many lesser subs would simply struggle with the peak output and make a sonic mush of the whole, compressing low instrumentation into the LFE effects, but not so with the HRS-12s, which presented the low frequency content with potency while keeping all the sonic information clean, separated, and open at the bottom.

Right from the opening, the HRS-12s were challenged with a churning low end in the score that came through both deep and solid.  The Scorpion King’s army charged thunderously through these subs and after their defeat, the quiet percussion swells as the army wanders the desert were conveyed with depth and carried through with orchestral hall character.  The rise of the Oasis of Ahm Shere and the destruction wrought by the Army of Anubis were dramatically propelled by the room shaking depths that the HRS-12s were able to obtain.  Quiet scenes were equally stunning for quite the opposite reason as with the arrival of the O’Connells at home where piccacada double bass was light and nuanced and thunder rolls through the distance or during the dirigible flight past the Great Pyramids or as Imhotep shows Anck-su-namun her former life where swells of low strings and brass came through with a potent depth of feeling and timbrally rich through the HRS-12s.  As the film comes to the climatic peak at Ahm Shere, believably deep thunder rolls though the valley with ominous low orchestration while driving percussion and gunfire displayed the excellent transients of which the Sunfires are capable.  With the arrival of the Scorpiopn King, the rise of the Amy of Anubis, and the implosion of Ahm Shere at the end, the HRS-12s provided a solid bit of near seismic shaking.

Autolux: Future Perfect
To listen to this record, one would be hard pressed to guess that it was produced by T. Bone Burnett.  This excellent indie record from 2004 has far more in common with the likes of Radio Head than with the body of work Burnett has produced throughout his career as a musician.  Full of dissonance, disjointed rhythms, and nonstandard song structures, this is a fine collection of music for anyone who appreciates a more modern, creative bent in rock music.  From the standpoint of testing a subwoofer, this musically dark album contains a lot of grinding guitar and bass work going on at the bottom end and a drummer who makes excellent use of a low tuned bass drum and the kind of intricate, taut interchange between bass drum and snare that is uncommon in the majority of popular music.

In particular, accurate rendering of low bass drum tuning is a difficult task as the deep rumble of the looser drum head sonically tends toward the shortcomings of poor subwoofer performance, easily become overly boomy if not handled properly.  The HRS-12s did an admirable job of keeping this sound taut and presenting it as large as it was recorded.  A number of songs feature sudden changes in rhythmic and harmonic intensity that the Sunfires handled equally well including several instances were the bottom drops out of the low frequency instrumentation.  These intense sections were driven by the Sunfires and given appropriate weight, rumbling the room most satisfactorily when asked to.

Opening with Turnstile Blues, the HRS-12s provided a nice pop for the bass drum and a taut, meaty bass guitar with seamless transitions as the moving part transitions through the crossover point.  Subzero Fun contains some of the sudden transitions in intensity that I spoke of previously with a solid dynamic jump at the chorus.  The bottom end of the drumming was again taut and a bit of subtle deep bass guitar playing that is usually buried in the mix at the bridge and at the end was brought fourth by the Sunfires.  Sugarless opens with bass guitar and drums playing in a sort of unison that was kept taut by the HRS-12s.  Feed back distortion used on the bass guitar part slips periodically into infrasonic noises and transients that the Sunfire subs were able to capture and reproduce and during a bridge near the end that leaves the bass exposed, the character of plucked bass strings stood out nicely with these subs.  The chorus of Here Comes Every One is one of the sections I mentioned earlier where the bottom drops out of the bass guitar and drums and got very tactile, rattling everything in the room as string bends stretch the bass frequency through resonance of various objects, yet all the instrumentation remains separated and clean.  Asleep at the Trigger is a slower, eerily beautiful piece of music where the bottom end again dramatically drops out of the chorus.  Chords played on the bass guitar are solid and tactile during this section and the drums pulse with a deep intensity that the Sunfires bring to life.