You can go either way with the new Sunfire SDS subwoofers, but if you just don't want wires, you don't really need them.
Sunfire, one of the companies synonymous with great bass, has begun shipping the recently announced wireless subwoofers, the Dynamic Series (SDS). Unlike some of the other wireless subs to pass our way over the last couple of years, these actually sound good and deliver that low end punch without the hangover you get from many lesser subs, especially the stuff that passes for subs which connect wire free.
So, how do the boys of Lexington (formerly Snohomish) do it? Good design to start with, but part of their solution also lies in the highly efficient power amp that resides in every sub. Sunfire made a name for themselves with high efficiency, high powered amps crammed in a box barely big enough to hold the driver and amplifier, yet still producing prodigious bass. The Dynamic Series is in that same vein, just without the need for a hard wired hookup back to the receiver or surround processor.
The other key to success used by Sunfire to unlock great, wireless bass is in the 2.4GHz transmitter / receiver package, which can accommodate up to 4 subwoofers on a single pair. Truth be told, these subs can be used the conventional way too, just by plugging them in with an old fashioned RCA cable. If you have the ability to do so, that’s the way you should probably connect them. If wiring proves to be a problem however, you simply buy Sunfire’s STXWTX and STXWRX receiver / transmitter combo (I’ll let you guess which is which) for $160 to transform it into a wireless system.
The Dynamic Series subwoofers come in 8”, 10” and 12” varieties, all with a front firing active driver and a down firing passive radiator. They’re not cheap, but they’re surely not expensive either, especially for subs with the pedigree of a brand like Sunfire. They are $400, $500, and $600 for the SDS-8, SDS-10, and SDS-12 respectively, with the wireless capability adding the aforementioned $160, should you need it.
For that price, you shouldn’t expect a fine wood finish, or the piano black lacquer found on some of the other Sunfire products, because you won’t get it. It’s black ash all around on these guys, but it doesn’t look half bad, and far better than many others in this price range.
All these subs are powered by Class-D digital amplifiers, although not to the multi kilowatt level as most of Sunfire’s other bass pumpers. They produce 200, 250, and 300 watts for the 8, 10, and 12. As an added bonus, theyare extremely efficient, only burning ½ a watt in standby mode, a nice touch in this green day and age.
All in all, Sunfire has given you something nice to wish for in your home theater or maybe as a nice addition to your family room this holiday season. After all, what family room couldn’t use a nice shot of compact bass? Now you can get one. The SDS subs started shipping last week.
