Product Review
 

Triad InRoom Gold PowerSub Subwoofer for Custom Installation

Part III

August, 2005

Ed Mullen

 

With Movies

I played several action-oriented DVDs, evaluating the Gold PowerSub for mid-bass dynamics, audible artifacts (muddiness, cone cry, rattling), deep extension, and output compression.

To determine the maximum playback level, I increased the master volume until the subwoofer started to exhibit audible distress, compression, or loss of deep extension on the most demanding deep passages. I then backed off the master volume until the subwoofer sounded clean, dynamic, and deep. At this master volume setting, I monitored the sound pressure levels at the listening position with a B&K sound level meter set to C-weighted fast. The SPL peaks listed are straight meter readings, with no correction factors added.

The Gold PowerSub was comfortable delivering bass peaks in the 100 dB region at the listening position. While I could certainly coax a bit more volume from the subwoofer, this resulted in a loss of deep extension, harmonic doubling, and some minor audible distress. The amp limiters were very effective, and I was never able to drive this subwoofer into severe overload. Enthusiasts seeking louder playback levels in a mid-size room should plan on dual Gold PowerSubs, which will provide another 4 dB - 6 dB of headroom, depending on placement and room acoustics.

My overall subjective home theater ratings for the Gold PowerSub are provided in the table below, with a rating of 5 being the best score:

Evaluation Criteria Rating (1-5) Summary Comments
Mid-Bass Dynamics 2.75 Moderate output in the 35 Hz - 60 Hz region.
Audible Artifacts 2.75 Can be driven into minor audible distress, but limiters are effective at preventing severe overload.
Deep Extension 3.00 Deep extension is very good at lower volumes, but rolls back at higher playback volumes.
Deep-Bass Compression 2.75 Compression was noted on deep bass peaks at higher playback volumes.

Provided below are my listening notes, and a few spectral frequency charts, from Matrix Revolutions in Dolby Digital 5.1. These spectral color charts were electronically recorded directly from the DVD, and show where the deep bass occurs on a given passage, with dark red and pink colors being the highest amplitude. As shown in the spectral charts, many of the strong bass scenes in Matrix Revolutions have content in the 20 Hz -30 Hz region. These spectral charts were provided courtesy of Ilkka Rissanen.

APU Stomps On Ground (0:59:02); 98 dB
The APU stomp is centered at about 25 Hz, with some decay products at 18 Hz. Up to about 98 dB peaks, the Gold PowerSub showed decent composure, and I could feel the infrasonic decay after the stomp.



Hammer Ship Passes By (1:01:26); 100 dB
The Gold PowerSub generated some decent room pressure on this passage, but not quite enough to convince me a huge ship just passed by.



APU's Firing (1:03:49); 97-99 dB
At this playback level, the subwoofer clearly delineated the rounds being fired through the big APU guns, showing good transient behavior.



Running Through Tunnel (1:08:50); 96 dB
This scene shows two women running through an access tunnel as the driller is collapsing above ground. There is a hollow sound echoing through the tunnel, accompanied by an extended, high-amplitude sound effect centered at 26 Hz. The Gold PowerSub struggled a bit on this passage, and I could hear some harmonic doubling.

With Music

I evaluated the Gold PowerSub on several music selections for balance, definition, pitch, coherence, and deep extension. Excellent music performance is a strong suit for this subwoofer. I liked its overall balance and coherent presentation, and its deep extension at low to moderate playback volumes was outstanding. My overall subjective music ratings are provided in the table below.

Readers should be reminded the Gold PowerSub was designed to provide the highest level of musical accuracy at moderate playback volumes. If the overall playback level is kept moderate, this subwoofer sounds outstanding on music, and will handle deep organ notes without a problem. If the Gold PowerSub is pushed too hard on music with strong infrasonic content (like 17 Hz pipe organ notes), it will generate audible harmonics which can affect the musical pitch of instruments in the mid-bass regions.

Evaluation Criteria Rating (1-5) Summary Comments
Balance 4.50 Excellent octave-octave balance.
Definition 4.25 Very good detail in the mid bass regions.
Pitch 4.25 Pitch is excellent at moderate volumes, but can be affected by infrasonic organ notes at high playback volumes.
Coherence 4.50 Provides a cohesive and non-fatiguing presentation and blends well with the mains.
Deep Extension 5.00 Outstanding in-room extension at moderate playback volumes.

Provided below are some listening notes from a few CDs.

1) Pomp & Pipes - Dallas Wind Symphony (Fennel conducts), Reference Recordings HDCD Original Master Recording.

This splendid music collection was recorded at the Meyerson Symphony Center, and features Paul Riedo on the Amelia H. Lay Family Concert Organ (Fisk). The Gold PowerSub provided the requisite underpinnings so essential for a realistic classical music experience. The kettle drum strikes at the opener of "Allelujah Laudamus Te" were tympanic and deep, and the closing crescendos and infrasonic organ notes were well resolved with good dynamics at any reasonable playback level.

2) Underworld soundtrack - Lakeshore Records, 2003

"Renholder's Now I Know" features a throbbing ultra deep bass line centered at 23 Hz, with sound extending to about 12 Hz. At lower volumes, the Gold PowerSub handled this track exceptionally well, providing a palpable sense of pressure in the room, easily conveying the presence of infrasonics.

 



3) Kiss My Axe - Al DiMeola, Rhino Records, 1988 (1991)

The Embrace features amazing tympanics, and remains one of my favorite tracks for evaluating the mid bass dynamic capability of a subwoofer. The Gold PowerSub displayed excellent attack on the mini-kettle strikes, with a powerful, resonant, and well-detailed decay signature.

 



4) The Nightfly – Donald Fagan, Warner Brothers, 1982 (2002) high resolution DVD-A.

Ruby Baby opens with a well-recorded bass kick drum, and the Gold PowerSub sounded tight with no bloat or overhang. Anthony Jackson displays excellent rhythm on the electric bass, and subwoofer filled in the bottom end nicely, blending well with the mains and sounding cohesive.

 



Conclusions

The Gold PowerSub design embodies many of the same elements as the Vandersteen 2Wq and the Bag End subwoofers. Due to its small enclosure volume (with respect to the woofer size), this subwoofer has a high natural (unassisted) resonance frequency and a predicable roll-off below that point. By using simple equalization, the response can be extended (within reason) to whatever frequency is desired, while still preserving a low Q (approximately 0.6) alignment and a gradual roll-off.

The result is a subwoofer with an extremely linear phase response, minimal group delay, exceptional transient response, and virtually no acoustic resonances in the pass band. The gradual 2nd order roll-off is a perfect compliment for room gain in most mid-size listening areas. This all translates into exceptional performance on music, with outstanding balance, pitch, coherence, and very deep in-room extension.

The design elements which endow the Gold PowerSub with exceptional music performance will ultimately limit its performance for HT applications. As discussed in previous sections, the equalization required to extend the frequency response below the natural roll-off frequency requires a considerable amount of amplifier power, and this reduces available headroom. The medium excursion woofer also limits clean output at the lowest frequencies. In a mid-size home theater room, I would recommend two Gold PowerSubs for aggressive playback levels without strain or compression. Indeed, Triad usually specifies multiple units on installations to help smooth out room modes and improve overall system dynamics.

While this subwoofer will have limited appeal to the hardcore "Blow the Windows Out" HT crowd, the discriminating audiophile who prefers low to moderate playback levels, and places a premium on accuracy, sound quality, and almost unlimited deep extension, will find the Gold PowerSub a very satisfying subwoofer.


- Ed Mullen -

© Copyright 2005 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity

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