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| For testing bass on a Sunfire True Subwoofer |
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Janet
Jackson's "Go Deep" from 'The Velvet Rope'
This track couples powerful bass lines with all sorts of percussive
high-frequency trickery. The presence and power of a Sunfire sub just
adds to a good system's ability to resolve higher frequency material
of the type found on this Janet Jackson (Miss Jackson if you're nasty)
cut.
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Marcus
Miller's "Funny (All She Needs is Love)"
from 'The Sun Don't Lie'
It is hard to believe that bass extends this low on a 16-bit CD. In
systems that roll off their low end, this track sounds pretty good.
Without the ability to respond to really deep bass, you'd never break
it out to impress your friends. With a Sunfire subwoofer in your system,
your friends will be looking for a pen to write down the title of
the CD and the name of the closest Sunfire dealer to pick up a new
True Subwoofer EQ. |
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Madonna's "Vogue" From 'The Immaculate Collection'
While the high-frequency material on this track can be a bit bright,
the deep bass sounds are extremely deep with a Sunfire True Subwoofer
EQ. |
For testing imaging and resolution on Sunfire amps and preamps
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Lyle
Lovett's "Church Song" from 'Joshua Judges
Ruth'
This is a truly stunning disc. On "Church Song," there are an incredible number of details to listen for. Tune into how much pop the hand clapping gets from the gospel choir, never bright – but crystal clear. Listen for layering and overtones in the vocal harmonies. When you audition the track on a lesser system, the tremendous detailing becomes veiled.
There is also a DTS Entertainment 20-bit 5.1 surround sound version of this CD, which is equally (if not more) impressive.
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| Rickie
Lee Jones' "Dat Dere" from 'Pop Pop'
In the intro, listen for the child as he moves all about the soundstage.
On lesser systems, the child sounds very two-dimensional. On a Sunfire
system, the child sounds more three-dimensional, seemingly extending
beyond the physical reaches of the two front speakers.
Also listen for a great stand-up bass and the presence in Rickie's
raspy voice. |
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| "Baubles,
Bangles and Beads" from Frank Sinatra and Jobim
This 1967 standard is an oldie but a smoothie. Jobim's mellow strumming
lays a foundation for Sinatra's velvety vocal tracks. Add in the strings
and muted horns, and you can be transported to a pool party at the
Sands Hotel in Vegas. |
For testing music with Holograhic
Imaging engaged
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| Pink Floyd's "One Of My Turns" on 'The Wall'
Roger Waters' lead character enters the room with a dirty woman. Her
spoken words "Are all these your guitars?", extend well into three
dimensions, even though this track is mastered for two-channel stereo.
When the Waters vocals come in, there is a switch from lots of reverb
to a more present, dry sound that is quite a wake-up call, much like
what you hear on "Welcome To The Machine." Both of these effects are
well suited for Holographic matrixed surround, as opposed to traditional
two-channel stereo, especially since 'The Wall' was a quadraphonic
recording and live show as far back as 1979. |
For testing discrete 20 bit
5.1 surround music
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Boyz
II Men's "Thank You" from the DTS Entertainment
release of the 'II' album
The 20-bit nature of this CD simply makes it five cuts above the rest as far as resolution and dynamics.
Boyz II Men's quartet style lends itself quite well to discrete 5.1
surround, as Bob Margouleff mastered the vocals to be placed all over
the soundstage, including in the rear channels.
Boyz II Men's a cappella Beatles cover "Yesterday" is also
a great track to exercise each of the 5.1 speakers, including the
rears and the subwoofer. |
For testing video quality through a Sunfire Theater Grand series
AV preamp
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'Fried Green
Tomatoes' - right before the flour fight scene
In the preface to the hilarious flour fight scene, you'll find a montage
of shots of fruit. I know this doesn't sound that exciting, but the
trick here is to focus on the ants crawling on the top of the berry
container. On lesser AV preamps with poor quality video switching,
you can barely see the ants. On a Sunfire Theater Grand IV with a
good video source, you should be able to see them clearly. The flour
fight scene is worth hanging around for. |
For testing the audio detail
of a DVD soundtrack
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'Terminator 2: Judgement Day'
Forget the truck chase scene and skip back to the bar scene. After
Arnold has stolen the biker's outfit and is firing up his hog, the
elfin bar owner bursts onto the porch of the bar and fires off two
shotgun blasts. Note not only how dynamic the shots are but focus
on how quickly a Sunfire Theater Grand IV and Cinema Grand Signature
400~7 can recover to be able to resolve tiny details like each spent
shell hitting the floor. |
For all-out DVD mayhem:
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'Tomorrow Never Dies' - James Bond
It's a long demo, but go to the chapter in which Bond and his Chinese counterpart are handcuffed together while fleeing the henchmen of megalomaniac media mogul Elliot (no relation to Bob, as far as we know) Carver in Range Rovers. At one point, the Chinese spy sets off an entire truck full of firecrackers, which shoot all over the soundstage and light up the screen with an amazing display of aural and visual drama.
Later in the scene, Bond figures out a way to snare a pursuing helicopter with a clothes wire. The crash features gut-wrenching low-end sound and a cacophony of crashes that is nothing short of mind-boggling.
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