Definitive Technology TPV5604 User Manual

SURVEY | Chris Martens

Subwoofer Survey:

Definitive Technology SuperCube Reference

“World-Class”

efinitive Technology’s new
SuperCube Reference sub­woofer is dead serious about

D

fitting a 14" long-throw woofer, two
14" passive radiators, a beefy 1800-watt
Class-D amplifier, and an extensive con­trol panel with electronic crossover
inside an enclosure that measures just
under 17" per side. Don’t let those
compact dimensions fool you; this

subwoofer is capable of incredible
low-frequency extension (reaching

below 20Hz with authority) and

very high output (playing nearly

as loudly as four of Definitive’s original
SuperCube Is). Obviously this sub­woofer offered large quantities of

low bass on demand, but what sur-

prised me was the amazing quality of

the bass it produced.

billowy, boomy subwoofers on the
market, the SuperCube Reference

was at heart an audiophile’s sub­woofer—one that combined the
cat-quick reflexes of Jet Li with the
man-mountain clout of Warren
Sapp. The result was a subwoofer
that speaks forcefully and clearly,

delivering world-class low

bass in a compact package,

In sharp contrast to the many big,

SPECIFICATIONS

SuperCube Reference

Frequency response: 11–200Hz

Integral amplifier power: 1800 watts

Driver complement: One 14" long-throw

woofer, two 14" passive radiators

Dimensions: 16.7" x 16.7" x 16.9"

Weight: 111 lbs.

Warranty (parts and labor): Five years

(speaker), three years (amplifier)

Price: $1699

yet is capable of remarkable delica­cy and grace. In the first few minutes

of Open Range, for example, a coming
cloudburst is announced by a nearby
lightning strike, and the SuperCube
Reference captured the subterranean
slam of the lightning bolt and the loud
peal of thunder that followed so con­vincingly that I started involuntarily and
instictively began looking around to see
if the lightning blast had fried any of my
home-theater components (one of
those moments where cinematic art
imitated life too closely for my com­fort). What is more, the SuperCube

Reference proved equally convinc­ing on music, striking a great bal­ance between power and control,

and offering so much headroom that it
never seemed to be working hard.

There aren’t many subwoofers
that can outperform the SuperCube
Reference, and the few I’ve heard
that do cost a lot more. I recom-
mend this subwoofer highly, sub-

ject only to the suggestion that you
use crossover frequency settings
below 100Hz (so as not to force the 14"
woofer and passive radiators to go

higher than they should). CM

11433 Cronridge Dr. • Owings Mills, MD 21117 • [phone]

Visit us at www.definitivetech.com

Excerpted from The Perfect Vision magazine, May/June 2004.