Sunfire Atmos XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

5320 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Peter Loeser, Dec 11, 2013

Peter Loeser

Discussion Starter · Sep 10, 2013 (Edited)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=12606&w=s[/img]

Sunfire Atmos XT Series Subwoofer

Sunfire is no stranger to the home theater arena and has been testing the limits of compact, high-powered subwoofer performance for years now. The Atmos XT has been designed for excellent output and sound quality, but within what is arguably one of the most extreme size constraints. For some, no-compromise bass performance can be achieved with huge drivers, large enclosures, and very high powered amplifiers. For others, there are many factors that require compromises in performance in the interest of aesthetics (or a peaceful marriage). Sunfire has targeted consumers facing these limitations. To me, the Atmos is ideal for people looking to add a sub to a soundbar in a small room, or maybe handling bass duties in an office, bedroom, or small den. For casual listening, it can be a great companion to wall mounted or bookshelf speakers with limited bass response.

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1 - 14 of 14 Posts

mattp

· #2 · Sep 10, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

That "second driver" sure looks like a PR to me with the toroidal transformer mounted in place of a magnet. I couldn't find anything on their site about this being a PR design but being a Sunfire would be a big clue, marketing this as a dual driver sub is a bit misleading though. Just my $0.02.

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Mike0206

· #3 · Sep 10, 2013

Enjoyed the thorough review Peter. This was a sub I was considering a few months back. Needless to say I thought it would have a hard time giving me what I was looking for with even 2 of them and at their price point, a bit too expensive for my blood. Thanks again for the review.

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Peter Loeser

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 10, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

mattp said:
That "second driver" sure looks like a PR to me with the toroidal transformer mounted in place of a magnet. I couldn't find anything on their site about this being a PR design but being a Sunfire would be a big clue, marketing this as a dual driver sub is a bit misleading though. Just my $0.02.

Thanks for pointing this out Matt. Yes, that is a transformer. I took those photos pretty quickly, as we had a few other things going on at once, and didn't pay much attention to the structure of that driver while I had it apart. Sunfire specs the woofer configuration as "dual active", and this had been my assumption throughout the review. I am looking into this now and realizing that a brochure which can be downloaded from Sunfire's site clearly states that there is a passive radiator. To be honest, it's not the only error in their published specs. I'm going to add some comments to the review to clarify the error and get some more photos up to show the difference between the two drivers. Good eye!

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mattp

· #5 · Sep 10, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

Thanks Peter, I downloaded the brochure but only skimmed through it. I did double check the review post to make sure I didn't miss it there. Not that this changes anything about the sub, still seems to be a nice little heavy hitter.

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theJman

· #6 · Sep 10, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

Very nicely done Peter. :T

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Peter Loeser

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 10, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

mattp said:
Thanks Peter, I downloaded the brochure but only skimmed through it. I did double check the review post to make sure I didn't miss it there. Not that this changes anything about the sub, still seems to be a nice little heavy hitter.

You didn't miss anything in the review. I didn't initially mention the passive radiator since I wasn't aware of it. Not sure how I totally missed it when I was holding it in my hand... :duh:

Anyway, I went ahead and added a statement to the review about the correct driver configuration, and I will post comparison photos tonight if I have time.

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mattp

· #8 · Sep 10, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

It happens to the best of us Peter. Try waking up with your glasses already on your face and them proceeding to look for them for 10 minutes. :scratch:

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ALMFamily

· #9 · Sep 11, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

mattp said:
It happens to the best of us Peter. Try waking up with your glasses already on your face and them proceeding to look for them for 10 minutes. :scratch:

Now that one made my day - thanks for the giggle!

Great review Peter!

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Peter Loeser

Discussion Starter · #10 · Sep 11, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

mattp said:
It happens to the best of us Peter. Try waking up with your glasses already on your face and them proceeding to look for them for 10 minutes. :scratch:

Ha! I don't have glasses but I can definitely relate. Ask my wife :sarcastic:

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vann_d

· #11 · Sep 20, 2013

Re: Sunfire Atoms XT Series Subwoofer Review Discussion Thread

I'm glad someone has put a product out that can replace the Bose Acoustimass module. Seriously, it looks to be a real subwoofer in a very small and attractive package. I would love it if I could get my parents to trade theirs in for one of these.

On the other hand, I have to believe their specs are inflated. There is no way I can believe 1400 Watts.

I built something similar in a DIY fashion. It uses a slot port instead of a passive radiator, hence the packaging is a little bigger, but I can only give the little guy 100W. I built two of them for cheap and they perform on par with this offering from Sunfire.

Link to my 6.5" sub build if anyone is interested...

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/ported-subwoofer-build-projects/56459-mini-me-6-5-tb-w6-1139sif-0-35-cu-ft.html

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RTS100x5

· #12 · Nov 26, 2013 (Edited)

At that price point I couldnt justify owning it or recommending it to anyone period.... Seems the phrase on the lable " meticulously conceived in the USA: was just somebody's weekend pipe dream....

For that amount of money I could build a sub system with 4 of the Dayton Ultimax 18" 's !!! AND 2 CROWN XLS 1500 amps @ 1500w each.....:scared: It would toss that Sunfire out the window at 1/4 volume....:hsd:

I really cant understand the asking price of the Sunfire...:scratch:

Obviously its the compact size as the selling point but REALLY 2K !!!!

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vann_d

· #13 · Dec 7, 2013

BTW, none of the frequency response graphs in the review meet the HTS standard for REW postings. Why does the ordinate go down to 0dB? This skews the image greatly from what is normally expected with a 45dB to 105dB scale. If I didn't know better

addle: I'd think that is was put out by the Sunfire marketing department. I'll give Peter the benefit of the doubt.

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Peter Loeser

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 11, 2013

Good eye, and I should be setting a better example :innocent:

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