Ultra 12 to replace Sunfire Truesub MkII

[merton]

I started to ask this in the thread Ultra 12...SVS..F15SE???, but I didn't want to interrupt a good catfight.

I currently have a Sunfire True Sub MkII in our main listening room. Other major components: Kef 104.2 mains, UMC-1, XPA-5. The room is a den, ~ 13x15', and opens to the kitchen on one side.

Would the Ultra-12 be much (or any) improvement over the Sunfire? The Sunfire has been O.K., but sometimes can be somewhat of a nuisance. Frequent, random burps, without so much as an "excuse me", and hums make me just unplug it.

FWIW, it's not an issue with the cable, power source or a reported problem with the volume control. Lifting the ground hasn't helped. Considering the $ 399 sale, it may be cheaper and easier to try the Ultra-12. I'm in Nashville every week so returning it would not be a problem.

Dan Laufman, I seem to remember you're quite familiar with Carver products, so I would welcome comments from you or Lonnie.

Thanks,

Jim

[Porscheguy]

Its been a long time since I've heard that Sunfire, 7-8 years, but my educated guess is that the Emo will play a bit deeper and certainly louder. I seem to remember that sub hopping around on the floor a bit, not sure if its you version or not. The Ultra 12 at $400.00 is worth a listen - I think it will acquit itself nicely vs the MkII.

Good luck!

[mrarnold58]

I used to have a Sunfire True Subwoofer Mark II in my system. I was always pleased with it's performance. It was subject to ground loop hum and finally got a hum that wouldn't quit. Probably needed repaired, but with what's going on with Sunfire now, I decided against repairing it. Anyhow, I am now using Emo Ultra 12s in my system and the bass has never been better. The Emos are musical, tight and blend easy with my main speakers. With my radio shack SPL meter and a Stereophile Test CD, I measure useful response to 20 Hz. IMHO one ultra 12 will outperform the old Sunfire Subwoofer. Two ultra 12s blows it away. My 2 cents.

[DC]

Can I have your advice if my room is 11x18 ft, do I need 1 or 2 ultra 12"? How do u connect to the UMC-1 output, Y cable? The other thing is I keep reading u folks using the sub for music, isn't unnatural to using a full range speakers?

[oppman99]

To run two subs, either use a y-splitter or run one sub from the RCA sub output and one from the XLR. The question about using a sub for music is an issue of personal taste. There are definately purists out there who absolutely draw the line at using a sub for music. Many of us feel it adds better base response and takes some of the load off the mains. All of this somewhat depends on your speakers and how low they will play. I run a sub with Paradigm Signature S8's. I probably don't "need" to, but do. As for whether or not you need two subs, I can't really say because I haven't heard the ultras. You could always start with one and add another one later if you need more output.

[merton]

I figured it out and answered my own question. I had arranged to go by Emo to hear the Ultra 12 after a trip to Nashville. I'm currently working on a music tour and our bus got back to Nashville at 4AM. Rather than wait 4 hour until Emo opened I caught a flight back home to Atlanta. I picked up the phone that afternoon and took advantage of their free shipping. The new sub arrived at 10:00 Wed. morning. I can say without a doubt I will not be returning it. It would be an excellent value at $ 600.

The first thing I noticed is that compared to the Sunfire, I hardly notice the Ultra 12. Obviously the Sunfire had developed some issues and had become like a rather rude roommate - frequently belching, popping and humming. Though I may be borrowing comments I may have heard before about the Sunfire, it is definitely less "musical". By that I mean it was good at producing bass for movies: thunder, earthquakes, and maybe an occasional kick drum. The Ultra 12 is much tighter and has much better definition. For example, the string bass on Rikki Lee Jones' Young Blood and Easy Money was far cleaner, with individual notes much more distinct. No rude noises, either. Ditto for the bowed bass at the start of Jerry Garcia/David Grisman's Arabia, and the plucked bass on the title track and Vonetta from Mar West by the Tony Rice Unit. I wish I could find our copy of Saint-Saens' "Organ Symphony" - probably in my wife's car with its crappy Bose speakers.

Maybe there were problems with the Sunfire, but the Emo sub sounds better than I remember it ever sounding, at 1/3 the price of the Sunfire 12 years ago and probably less than it would have cost to get the Sunfire reworked.

[ntrain42]

The sunfire wasn't a great audiophile sub to begin with IMO, even 10 years ago. It was designed as a high excursion/high power sub jammed into a tiny box and was marketed for HT use for those with very little space. 2000 plus watts for just a single 10" driver for a retail of around what? $1500 roughly? I'd take 4 Ultra 12's for the same money in a heartbeat.