Big Picture Big Sound

Do you remember the Looney Tunes episode where Marvin the Martian shows up and everyone laughs at his little ray gun? That's probably how the new Atmos subwoofer from Sunfire felt in Indinana at CEDIA Expo 2012 last week. Sunfire's competitors: Paradigm, PSB, REL, and JL Audio, have been introducing smaller and smaller subwoofers at recent shows, but the 8" Atmos probably felt like a mouse in a room filled with stampeding elephants.

From what we've heard, nobody in Indy is laughing anymore. Ray gun has been put back in its holster but the damage has been done.

The Atmos incorporates dual custom designed 6.5" woofers in a sealed extruded aluminum enclosure that measures just over 8" tall. Utilizing a new proprietary asymmetrical cardioid surround, these drivers are capable of excursions of up to 1.8" that deliver extraordinarily refined yet dynamic bass.  To achieve this new Sunfire standard for small-box, high-output performance, the extruded aluminum enclosure was engineered to withstand the increased backpressures that reach up to 24.4 PSI, or nearly two atmospheres of pressure, hence the name Atmos. Backpressure is required to maintain linearity over a long throw distance, allowing the small drivers to move substantial amounts of air.

To maximize bass output over a wider frequency range, Atmos utilizes a seventh generation cool-running 1400W amplifier featuring Sunfire's exclusive Tracking Downconverter technology, which provides the voltage and current necessary to create the driving force required to meet this new standard.

Sunfire includes a microphone and auto-room equalizer circuit that automatically adjusts the subwoofer's response to best suit the room acoustics for maximum bass quality and performance. The inclusion of a microphone and sophisticated set-up program isn't all that unique anymore as most manufacturers recognize that subwoofer set-up isn't that simple for the average consumer.  But it is a nice touch as the mics included with most A/V receivers don't tend to be that accurate in the lowest bass octaves.

Paradim's ARC system is my personal favorite and when you buy one of their subwoofers, you get a complete system (hardware/software) to maximize its performance. Sunfire's set-up doesn't look quite as sophisticated but the proof is in the listening. We're very interested in hearing this little guy for ourselves.

The Atmos, however, does not come cheap. The $2,000 MSRP isn't chump change when you can buy a much larger subwoofer from REL or Paradigm for less money.  But with a quoted frequency response of 30Hz - 100Hz (106db of output), and a remarkably small footprint, the 8-inch Atmos packs quite the punch.

For more information:

• www.sunfire.com