Definitive Technology SuperCube Reference User manual

By Tim Hart
August 2004
Introduction
There’s nothing more satisfying while watching a movie or
listening to music than deep, bone-shaking bass. While surround
sound in the home has given us a magical experience of movie-
watching in our living rooms or home theaters, a lot of home
set-ups tend to ignore the lower frequencies, the argument being
that as long as it booms and fits in the living space, what more
could be achieved? Then came alternatives. High-performance
mini-cube subwoofers garnered acclaim by producing a better
sound than the subwoofers that come in pre-packaged systems
and it didn’t intrude on the décor. People were amazed at what
these diminutive cubes could produce, with their long excursion
drivers and high-powered amplification. Seemingly, the quest for
a home friendly subwoofer had ended. But as impressive as the
performance of the space-saving miracles are, they don’t generate
the sound pressure levels and true lower frequencies that their
bigger cousins produce. In order to get this type of performance,
you had to get the kneepads out and convince the practical side
of the family to buy into the huge cumbersome enclosure that
would end up dominating the room in which it would reside.
Definitive Technology is out to change that with their SuperCube
Reference subwoofer ($1,699). The SuperCube Reference is
Definitive Technology’s flagship in their SuperCube product line
and aims at world-class performance for music and home theater
applications with true subterranean frequencies at a very
attractive price point and, most important of all, a package
smaller than a refrigerator.
Definitive Technology has a contemporary look with their
SuperCube series. The unit comes completely covered with
black fabric, with the exception of the top and bottom cap, where
the finish of the wood (piano gloss black or golden cherry) accents
the subwoofer’s presence. My review sample came in golden
cherry. The color contrasts make a subtle and attractive statement
that would blend with many of today’s home decors. This look is
carried over from Definitive Technology’s other product offering,
their BP Series of SuperTower bi-polar loudspeakers.
At 111 pounds, the 16.7 x 16.7 x 16.9-inch enclosure is dense,
solid and almost seemingly impossible to move once on its
spikes, which is a good thing. Generating a soul-jarring reported
frequency response of 11–200 Hz, the 1,800 watt Digitally-
Coupled Class D internal amplifier supplies the ponies to a 14-
inch long-throw woofer. Because this is a sealed cabinet design,
Definitive Technology uses two opposed passive radiators that are
“whiplash accuracy ... truly spectacular ...
a very detailed and layered soundstage
that had great depth”
“At this price point, can any subwoofer claim
world-class performance? The answer is yes.”
audio video
REVOLUTION
Definitive Technology’s SuperCube Reference Subwoofer
“intense ... deep, bone-shaking bass ... it got
my neighbors’ attention”
Definitive Technology SuperCube Reference Subwoofer
E QUIPMENT R EVIEWS

90 degrees from the active driver. These passive radiators give the
air displaced by the main driver a place to go, in turn generating
low frequency themselves. Also, using a sealed cabinet in this
way greatly improves the response of the active driver. The
negative pressure behind the active driver centers the driver back
to neutral much more quickly. Combined with the very powerful
amp, this combination gives the larger driver a better chance of
blending with quicker, smaller drivers in your main loudspeakers.
The back panel has connections for low-level RCA inputs,
along with the ability to run your line-level main speaker outputs
through the high-level speaker cable inputs on the SuperCube
Reference to limit low-frequency information sent to those
speakers. This is attractive if you want to leverage your existing
amplification by off loading its power requirement to generate
lower frequencies. But to do this requires another set of speaker
cables, so it may not be practical to do so.
Instead of limiting the user to three phase settings of 0, 90 and
180 degrees like most subs I’ve seen, the SuperCube Reference
gives you an infinitely adjustable phase between 0 to 180 degrees.
This makes it easier for to you to blend your own SuperCube
Reference to your main speakers. The variable high-pass and
low-pass crossover knobs handle the 40 to 150 Hz range for
fine-tuning to your main loudspeakers frequency range, with
a volume knob and fuse to sum it all up.
Setup
When determining the best location for your subwoofer, many
factors must be considered. Your room is the biggest variable in
any system set-up, whether it’s your loudspeakers, your center
loudspeaker, or your surround and effects loudspeakers. Starting
off by ensuring that your existing system is set up properly will
greatly reduce your frustration when introducing a subwoofer.
Minimizing wall interactions with your front three speakers is a
good place to start. Loudspeakers too close to surrounding walls
or objects will artificially boost the lower frequencies, emitting a
bloated and bloomy response; too far away from the walls, bass
support drops off. If you’re confident that you have a nice balance
within your room’s limitations and your loudspeakers are level
matched, you’re ready to start.
I have a 16 x 27-foot room that serves as more than a home
theater and music room. It is also the family room, computer
room, and the kid’s sleepover room (Don’t touch the equipment!),
so I, like most people, have to be considerate of the many uses
the room has to accommodate. In real world terms, this means
I was limited to the area where the SuperCube Reference would
reside. To help me in my quest, I used a Radio Shack analog SPL
meter and a test tone generator for testing the location.
I started off with an area behind a couch. Moving the 100-plus
pounds of SuperCube to the chosen area had me thinking that
this spot had better work out because I wasn’t looking forward
to moving it again. Attaching a single-ended RCA interconnect
from the LFE on the back panel to the LFE output on my B&K
AVR307, and plugging in the power cord, I was ready to start.
As things have it, the first location did not work out, as the
SuperCube Reference was sitting adjacent to a sliding glass door.
As I was outside while the kids were watching “The Matrix
Reloaded,” the glass of the door looked like the side of the glass
building in the first “Matrix” movie right after the helicopter
crashed into it. The effect scared me into the action of moving
to another locale.
Although I prefer corners, I was unable to use any of the ones in
my room. The next available spot I manhandled the SuperCube
Reference into was somewhere along the wall between my Revel
Studios, which are spaced eight-and-a-half feet apart and three
feet from the wall. I oriented the active driver of the SuperCube
Reference away from the wall, which allowed the two opposed
passive radiators to point along the wall, then started running test
tones and taking measurements to eliminate as many bumps and
valleys in the frequency range as the limited location allowed. I
moved the SuperCube Reference back and forth along the wall,
taking measurements as I did so and found an acceptable position
towards the left speaker with the left passive radiator about 14
inches from a ASC Tube Trap. Satisfied that the phase was set
properly, I set low-pass and high-pass filters to slightly crossover
to the Revels’ specified frequency response and did some more
twiddling until I felt I had the SuperCube Reference where I
wanted it. Then it was down to the business of listening.
Music and Movies
Enamored with the higher-
resolution formats, such as
SACD and DVD-Audio, I
couldn’t wait to hear what the
SuperCube Reference was
going to do for me. I popped in
the remastered-to-SACD copy
of Peter Gabriel’s Plays Live
Highlights (Geffen Records).
“San Jacinto” was first up. The
“The SuperCube Reference had become
one with my system”
“the SuperCube Reference allowed me to
realize what I have been missing in the
sub-ten Hz range”
“a subtle and attractive statement that
would blend with many of today’s home
decors”
“true subwoofer frequencies that add breadth
and depth to your existing system”

immediate impression I had was that I have been missing a lot of
low-level detail. The Revel Studios have a marvelous bass
extension down below 30 Hz, but the SuperCube Reference
allowed me to realize what I have been missing in the sub-ten Hz
range. The delicate resonant texture of the non-linear bass playing
by Tony Levin took on a new dimensionality. The gravelly quality
was handled with a firm control. The tautness and snap on the
kick-bass drum had great energy and didn’t collapse or distort
despite high volume levels. It blended better than I thought
possible with the Revels, although I did notice a very faint bloom
to some bass notes that I’ve not heard with the Revels alone.
Some quick measurements suggested a peaky response in the
25–30 Hz range. More twiddling with the phase and the high-
and low-pass filters took care of some of the bloom, but a tad
remained. Towards the last part of the tune, the chorus on “No
Self Control” has a synth-accompanied bass line that filled the
area between my Revels with a very detailed and layered
soundstage that had great depth and pinpoint instrument location
within the soundstage. The added presence of the live recording
was very enjoyable.
Next up was A Perfect Circle’s
Thirteenth Step (Virgin
Records). Having just seen
them live in San Francisco two
months ago, their sound was
still very clear in my mind.
One aspect of that show was
the thundering bass and drums
that shook us the whole event.
This recording leans towards
the warm side and pleasantly
so, with deep accentuated lower register information. The bass
lines on “The Package” are deep, crunchy and punchy,
highlighting the SuperCube Reference’s ability to control with
authority. The transients on this track demand articulation and
deftness and the SuperCube Reference does an admirable job.
Never does the attack sound like it collapses. The dynamics never
seemed muddy or congested, especially when the music gets
heavy. “Pet” attacks with powerful kick drum, bass and
thundering guitar, but the SuperCube Reference never seemed to
bat an eyelash under the assault. All layers of detail were
faithfully rendered as previously heard without the SuperCube in
my system, but now they were fleshed out and even more
extended with whiplash accuracy. Slam and pace were maintained
throughout this piece, never drawing attention to its location. The
SuperCube Reference had become one with my system.
On to one of my favorite test
DVDs, I popped in “Star Wars
Episode 1 – The Phantom
Menace” (Lucasfilms Ltd.)
for the pod race. A subsonic
hum of turbines firing up
heralds the race’s start. The
SuperCube’s ability to sort
out the subtle details of the
different thrumming engine
sounds and still convey the
unique sound of each in
the melee of the start was
impressive at high volumes.
It never got overwhelmed or
congested with the information it had to process, and what came
out was truly spectacular.
The Rush in Rio DVD (Anthem)
seemed like a good choice to air
out the SuperCube Reference
with some polyrhythmic sleight
of hand with Neil Peart’s “O
Baterista.” At loud volumes, the
SuperCube Reference conveyed
the subtle and dynamic impact
of Peart’s drums with dexterity.
There is a portion of his drum
solo that is done on electronic
drums, and some of the lower
frequencies came across in
“The bass lines on ‘The Package’ are deep,
crunchy and punchy, highlighting the
SuperCube Reference’s ability to control
with authority”
“The transients on this track demand
articulation and deftness and the
SuperCube Reference does an admirable job”
“the SuperCube’s ability to sort out the subtle
details of the different thrumming engine
sounds and still convey the unique sound of
each in the melee ... was impressive at high
volumes”
“the SuperCube Reference conveyed the
subtle and dynamic impact of Peart’s drums
with dexterity”
“firm control ... The tautness and snap on the
kick-bass drum had great energy and didn’t
collapse or distort despite high volume levels”
“powerful, kick drum, bass and thundering
guitar ... the SuperCube Reference never
seemed to bat an eyelash under the assault”

such a way that it made this section sound new to me. This
happened a few times during my listening sessions. It felt like a
different perspective had been added, and I liked the view.
“Master and Commander: The
Far Side of the World” (20th
Century Fox/Universal) allowed
the SuperCube to show me what
SPL is all about. Starting with the
first encounter with the French
ship as it opens fire at a distance,
you don’t as much hear the
cannon shots as feel them. The
visceral impact of the sound
wave of the distant cannon shot
is impressive. I’d not expect a
14-inch driver to move the air
in quite that way. When the two
ships face off the onslaught, it is intense. I overloaded my room
at this point and had to back off of the volume a bit, but it got the
neighbors’ attention.
Downside
As I stated earlier, there was a touch of bloom down around
the 25–30 Hz range that I was unable to remedy. Although I
did get a pretty flat measured response, with the exception of
a few dips and peaks at around the 35–45 Hz range, there is a
possibility that the location was the culprit. Having the ability
to do some room equalization would have solved this problem,
which the SuperCube Reference does not offer. Tiny changes
and movements will have a profound effect on the response you
get. If you are uncomfortable with the time it will take to get your
product set up correctly, make sure your dealer will come to your
home, measure your room’s response, and do a proper set-up.
Better yet, a professional acoustician can nail your room and
bring out that hard-to-get magic. This will mean the difference
between being happy with your purchase and wanting to return it.
This probably would have added a few hundred dollars to the
overall cost of the SuperCube Reference, but a remote would
greatly ease the set-up process and allow for some on-the-fly
minor adjustments. I found myself changing the gain when
changing from music to movies. Different material is recorded at
different levels at different studios and it sometimes becomes
necessary to make these adjustments to overcome these situations.
Conclusion
Setting up a subwoofer in your home can be a challenge. Patience
can pay big dividends, especially when working with a product
that is at the caliber of the SuperCube Reference. Although
smaller than many other subwoofer systems with similar
specifications, the SuperCube Reference makes up for it with
true subwoofer frequencies that add breadth and depth to your
existing system. To improve on the SuperCube Reference’s ability
to plumb the depths with authority and agility, you would have to
spend twice as much to make a noticeable improvement over what
a properly set-up SuperCube Reference can do. The SuperCube’s
ability to disappear in my system speaks highly of its capabilities
and the styling is elegant, tasteful and unobtrusive. At this price
point, can any subwoofer claim world-class performance? The
answer is yes.
audiovideorevolution.com, August 2004.
reference • Peter Gabriel – Plays Live Highlights (CD)
software: • A Perfect Circle – Thirteenth Step (CD)
• Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom
Menace (DVD)
• Rush – Rush in Rio (DVD)
• Master and Commander:
The Far Side of the World (DVD)
manufacturer: Definitive Technology
address: 11433 Cronridge Drive
Owings Mills, MD 21117
phone: [phone]
website: http://www.definitivetech.com
“To improve on the SuperCube Reference’s
ability to plumb the depths with authority
and agility, you would have to spend twice
as much”
“world-class performance for music and
home theater applications with true
subterranean frequencies at a very
attractive price point ”
“Master and Commander: The Far Side of
the World (20th Century Fox/Universal)
allowed the SuperCube to show me what
SPL is all about”