The Sunfire name is synonymous with big bass from elegant and impossibly small cabinets. But did you know that the same unconventional thinking that spirits our subwoofer design influences our in-wall and on-wall speaker design as well?
So let’s peer into the science behind our Cinema Ribbon Speaker technology. You’ll find it in the Cinema Ribbon Trio in-wall and on-wall speakers, but we’ll focus here on that little 8” Wonder—the Cinema Ribbon Duo.
Remember our Science of Sunfire #3 when we talked about the Hi Back-EMF and how it helps us deliver great power output from small subwoofer enclosures? Well, that same technology is put to work in the CRM2, driving high output performance from the two 4.5” side-firing woofers.
Side-firing? Yes, and that’s to enhance the acoustic space, that symbiotic relationship that the loudspeaker has with the physical room and the room acoustics. Our minds also interpret acoustic space based on the interaural differences in arrival time, phase and amplitude of a sound between our two ears.
These differences provide cues to the direction or angle of the sound source, which was actually an important trait in the development of the human race. Hearing that saber-tooth tiger is important, but being able to identify its direction is life-saving.
So the two side-firing woofers enhance the acoustic space. With them firing to the sides, this introduces the room itself as part of the instrument of sound. The Sunfire engineers crafted the ideal ribbon tweeter to focus the high frequency sound straight forward. The ribbon itself is a remarkable piece of engineering; it can handle the output of a 400 watt amp without distortion even at 115 dB output!
Impressive power aside, the forward firing tweeter further enhances the acoustic space; opening up a large sense of space in all directions, precise imaging within that space, and layering textures of content adding to a greater sense of front-to-back depth within that acoustic space If you think this sounds a little like Sunfire’s Sonic Holography circuit, you are correct. But instead of doing it electronically, the front-firing ribbon with the side-firing woofers achieves this effect acoustically, working naturally with the room
Plus, with the very controlled dispersion pattern of a ribbon tweeter, very wide horizontal and very controlled vertically, reflections off the floor and ceiling that could disturb the sense of acoustic space and imaging are minimized. Put it all together and the result is: A larger sense of space, precise sonic imaging within that space, and an enhanced sense of front-to-back depth.
Science? That’s right. Sunfire.
