Elemental Designs A3-300 Subwoofer – Hardware Review
May 18, 2009 – 11:53 PM - Posted by: James SegarsTags: A3-300, Elemental Designs, Subwooder
NOTE: This is our first Hardware Review so let me describe how we will be doing things. You can view the Hardware View in either HTML (Web) format below or you can download the Adobe Acrobat PDF file presentation by clicking the image below. The second option reads more like a magazine hardware review. This PDF layout was created by myself James Segars (with the help of Justin Sluss) and will be the style that all our future hardware reviews will be published in, as well as the basic HTML below.
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To say that the folks at Elemental Designs have their heads on straight, is an understatement. If ever there were a company that best exemplified the saying, “more for less” it would be eD (www.elementaldesigns.com).
Leading the charge in low-cost, high value HT/car audio equipment, eD’s bread and butter is, without question, their subwoofer line.
As much a testament to their craft and zany sensibility as it is to their grassroots marketing tactics, I first heard about eD when they unveiled their Dodecasub. The massive, multisided monstrosity piqued my interest — and others’ I’m sure — and as a result, I found my way to their site, and I’ve been a fan of their products ever since.
And now, after using a trio of their A6-6T6-MTM’s for close to a year I have the opportunity to review one of their HT subwoofers, the all-new A3-300.
— Review by: James Segars —
So what’s so special about this newly-redesigned subwoofer? What makes it stand out from the countless others available online, or in-store? Well, for starters it is constructed using EFS (Environmentally Friendly Substrate) which is a departure from the industry standard, MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). The material is a composite of wood logs (unfit for construction), wood chips, and sawmill waste. Aside from being environmentally friendly, eD claims that the new material yields greater overall output and a smoother response to boot. The reason? EFS is a denser material, and as such, it helps reduce unwanted enclosure resonance.
Beyond the advancement in greener, more efficient materials, the new A3-300 also benefits from a much needed face-lift that transplants both the woofer and the port to the front of the box — previously a down-firing, rear port unit. Now, with the port in front, you won’t have to worry about spacing the unit from the wall — a real nuisance for me, with my VRP-1000.
Amazingly, the advancements don’t stop there. The A3-300 also boasts an all-new high fidelity driver, a new amplifier designed to help filter input clipping, improved bracing, and noticeably lower extension (according to the folks at eD).
Nonetheless, because the words “improvement” and “advancement” are thrown around so often in the electronics/home audio world, I was worried that I wouldn’t be floored by Elemental’s latest subwoofer offering. Sure, I love their speakers but how much better would the A3-300 sound in comparison to my good ole’ Velodyne VRP-1000?
On a cold rainy night in mid-April, my review unit finally arrived. The box was large, but not too big, and the weight — while somewhat heavy — wasn’t offensive either. Upon opening the box I was surprised to find that the unit wasn’t double-boxed. However, there were large, heavy-duty foam corner wedges that adequately suspended the unit — one of which the power cord is taped to, FYI.
As was the case with my A6-6T6- MTM speakers, the subwoofer did not include any type of manual or documentation, save for a packing slip. For the manual-hungry HT owner, this might be an issue, but eD’s online tech support is easily the best, and fastest way to get your new gear up and running with the proper settings.
Weighing in just shy of 90lbs. the subwoofer was heavy enough to give me a fright as I scaled the steps to the second story of my house, but not heavy enough to warrant the use of a second pair of hands. Also, I found that the textured finish gave me a surprising amount of grip, ensuring that the unit wouldn’t slip out from my fingers.
Once upstairs, I quickly swapped out the Velodyne, and — for lack of a better spot/available floor space I eased the eD into the VRP’s old home.
The rubberized feet found on the bottom of the subwoofer are a nice touch. They are extremely sturdy, but in my case — thanks to carpeted floors — are more of a convenience than a necessity. Of course, there are plenty of people that need them, and its great that eD includes these for no extra charge. Kudos.
With the unit in place, I began unwrapping the grill — which was entombed in plastic wrap. It took me slightly longer than I expected to get off, but I wasn’t about to take a knife or a pair of scissors to it either. No sense in cutting right through your new grill, is there? If nothing else, the packaging served as a reminder that patience is indeed a virtue.
At any rate, once the grill was on, I hooked up the LFE channel, found a spare outlet, flipped the switch, and watched the green LED come on. All was well. Everything in its right place, and then…
Out comes a very audible hum from every surround channel, including the subwoofer. This was disconcerting to say the least. I knew it must have been a power issue, but I had not encountered it before. So, I did the most logical, thing I could think of… search online.
As it turns out there was a simple fix. While many people cite interference coming from their Cable Box as the culprit, this was not the case for me. No, what I had was a Ground Loop issue.
Let it be known that I am not an electrician, so I’m not about to try and explain what a ground loop is or what’s happening, but I will tell you how I fixed it.
Because I have a projector, and because my A/V rack is behind me, the subwoofer and the gear were plugged into opposite outlets. In some cases this can cause a ‘humming’ noise to emanate from your speakers/subwoofer. Thanks to an extension cord, I was able to run the sub’s power to the same outlet that powers my battery-backup/surge protector (where my gear gets its juice).
Instantly, the hum from the speakers disappeared. Success? Not quite. After putting my ear to the subwoofer to check for noise, I noticed that the hum was still there, only it was considerably lower in frequency. After some more searching, I discovered that the best — but not necessarily safest — solution would be to find an extension cord that doesn’t have a grounding plug — the third, round plug at the bottom.
Once more I swapped out the extension cord, and sure enough, it worked. Perfection.
With that mess behind me, it was time to sit down and get to work on the initial settings.
In what might not be the smartest move, at least not straight out of the box, I decided that I was going to set the dB output of the sub — via the Level Control on the unit, and the Subwoofer Speaker Level in my RX-V663 — to register around 85dB (up from the standard 75dB) with the Yamaha’s generated test tone, as read on my SPL meter. As for why I did this? I don’t know. Why do HT guys do anything? We want to know our gear inside and out, to know its limits, and to know if our money was well spent.
With the crossover set to 60Hz in the receiver, and the sub’s crossover dial cranked to the max — thereby disabling it as is recommended by the folks at eD — I moved over to the phase control, making sure it was at 0o because I am a) not running two subwoofers and b) I’ve never had a problem in the past.
And so, with the intial settings dialed in, and the output level set mind numbingly high, I began my evaluation of the A3-300.
My listening evaluation method was broken up over the course of a month, as such, the review will be broken up into weekly segments.
I sampled/viewed over twenty-five films on blu-ray/hd dvd/dvd as well as select video games. As for my subwoofer settings, I continued to tweak them as I saw fit, but my end settings are what yielded the best results in my theater. Those settings will be listed at the end of the review for your convenience.
Viewed: “Transformers“, “Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull“, “Wanted“, “Sunshine“, “Shoot ‘Em Up“, “The Dark Knight“, “Domino“.
Well, my 85dB experiment was short lived. After throwing on two of my all-time favorite demo discs, Transformers and The Dark Knight, I realized that I had been a bit overzealous with my initial settings.
While the subwoofer showed no signs of stress — a good thing — my room (roughly 10’x10’x8’) was rattling like crazy, and as much as I love bass, I must admit, it was a bit too much for me.
The good news is that if your room is bigger, I’m confident that this subwoofer would perform exceptionally well, and that you could get away with one, or two of these pressurizing a large room, even with a more conservative output level dialed in. In my case, a more conservative output level is precisely what I needed for my room.
I broke out the SPL meter once more, played the tone, dropped the sub’s Level Control to 12 o’clock (or 50%) and the receiver’s subwoofer level to “0”. With those settings I was hitting a little below 75dB, so I adjusted the sub’s Level Control (recommended over boosting the signal in the receiver) ever so slightly so it read ~76dB on my display.
Predictably, the overall gain had dropped, but the tonal quality of the bass, and much of the impact was still intact. I ran through Transformers once more and everything was in perfect balance. With the MTM’s across the front, Emotiva ERD-1’s on the sides, and the A3-300 taking over where the other speakers dare not go, I was in auditory heaven. Make no mistake, Transformers is a benchmark audio presentation, a veritable litmus test for your home theater gear. Are your highs crisp and clean? Dialog audible/intelligible amidst the fantastic action set pieces? More importantly, does your subwoofer give up/out when it matters most?
I’ll be honest, my Velodyne VRP-1000 had some issues with this disc. In particular, the entire climax of the film — starting on the freeway, and ending in the streets of LA — pushed my Velodyne to the limit, and it simply gave up trying. To be fair though, it’s extension rolls off around 35Hz, and there is much to be heard in this film below that. But of course, that’s where the A3-300 comes with its extremely low extension (rated down to 18hz). In a word, I was amazed. From the start (ch.2) the helicopter will have you grinning from ear to ear, as will the fight with the transformer in the desert (ch.8). Oh, and lets not forget the spectacular bass drop that accompanies Ironhide’s slow-motion flip in the end shoot-out (timestamp: 1:55:55).
Where many subwoofers fall short, the A3-300 performed exceedingly well, far surpassing my expectations. It held on tight, and delivered pristine low frequency sound throughout the film, something that is seldom heard in your average “home theater” setup.
Next I moved onto another heavy-hitter, The Dark Knight. Lesser subwoofers can’t come close to hitting much of the bass in this film. Take for example the tumbler, the batpod, or the deeply resonant score that churns throughout. Much of the detail was lost on my VRP-1000, enough to the point where I was worried about damaging it in pursuit of the bass notes I knew to be there (damn you IMAX!).
As you might imagine, the A3-300 brought the once-troubled Blu-ray to life with relative ease. I had a friend sit in on the viewing session, and we ran through the Harvey Dent transport scene (ch. 20-21). We both sat in awe, glued to our seats by the sonorous, tight bass that filled the room. He exclaimed that it felt like a totally different movie (having seen it earlier with my VRP). I agreed, and we continued watching as we got lost in the film all over again.
Naturally, there were many other honorable mentions for the viewings in “week one” — as I selected many of the discs because of their exceptional audio presentations — but Transformers, and The Dark Knight were the discs that demanded the most of the A3-300.
Viewed: “Cloverfield“, “Wall•E“, “John Mayer: Where The Light Is Live In Los Angeles“, “Top Gun“, “Tropic Thunder“, “300“, “Beowulf“, “Superman Returns“.
As I was just starting to get comfortable with the review unit, I figured I should throw a more eclectic mix of films its way. Jets, helicopters, elephants, dragons, robots, monsters, Superman and John Mayer all vied for the attention of the A3-300, and the results surprised me.
Granted, all of the discs sound incredible in their own way, but the two discs that the A3-300 managed to revitalize were Cloverfield and Superman Returns.
I’ve long since been a fan of the Superman Returns (HD-DVD). It was one of the first HD-DVD discs I owned, and it was one of the discs I played constantly for family and friends, so I am intimately familiar with the way it looks and sounds. However, it wasn’t until I played it back with the accompaniment of the A3-300 churning out the low frequency effects (LFE) track that I was reminded of how deep, clean and profound the film’s bass was in theaters.
All the way through, there wasn’t a single note that the A3-300 couldn’t handle, add to that the incredible “gut-punch” the subwoofer is capable of and you’ve got one of the best demo discs around. I had forgotten how exhilarating the shuttle sequence (ch. 10-12) was, and I was shocked to learn how explosive, and resonant the finale on the kryptonian island (ch. 26-35) could be. Whether it’s the opening destruction of Krypton or the simple bass cue accompanying Superman flying past the camera, I found that the A3-300 could render the most complex and deep bass passages while still paying much-needed attention to the more delicate bass notes of the musical score by John Ottman. This subwoofer showed me just how much I had been missing all of these years since the disc’s release, and for that, I am extremely grateful.
While the Superman Returns experience was much improved thanks to the powerful A3-300, my all-time favorite disc across the board throughout this evaluation process was Cloverfield.
Right from the start, as the Bad Robot production logo comes on screen, we’re teased with thunderous footsteps growing louder as they draw nearer. It’s a fantastic bit of foreshadowing, both for the film, as well as the listening experience. Rest assured, this is merely a taste of the pulse-pounding, and gut-thumping bass that erupts shortly after the film is underway. You’ll know straight away if your subwoofer won’t be able to keep up with the film if it falters here. Needless to say, the A3-300 belted the notes out like a champ.
From there, the film lulls you into a false sense of security, so when chaos ensues (ch.5) you will be in for a real treat. Regardless of whether you’ve seen this movie in theaters or you’ve never seen it at all, I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t blown away by what the A3-300 can do with this film’s soundtrack. In fact, the bass is so unrelenting at times, you might say that it could be considered punishment, or that it could be for lesser units, but the A3-300 took everything Cloverfield threw its way, and it begged for more. More importantly, the subwoofer never displayed any distortion, of any kind — at least none that I could hear. This was particularly noticeable to me because my VRP bottoms out/clips on select scenes throughout the film. Of course, I don’t doubt that you could take the A3-300 to the limits, and I’m not saying it’s immune to distortion or clipping — if you push it beyond it’s limits it will happen. I am saying, however, that if this subwoofer can pass the Cloverfield test with flying colors, than it should be able to handle virtually anything you can find to throw at it.
As for the rest of the week’s films, many of them sounded excellent, but simply not as revelatory as Cloverfield and Superman Returns. Worth noting though would be the John Mayer concert Blu-ray. It is one of the few concert discs I own, and oddly enough, I’m not even a fan of his, but the disc sounds so damned good that I decided to pick it up anyway. Here, the bass is a bit more subdued than an action/monster flick, but it is far more organic and rich so it makes for a very pleasing listening experience, and once more, the A3-300 livened up the event incredibly well, outperforming my VRP in nearly every way.
Even if you’re not a fan of concert discs, you owe it to yourself to pick up — or Netflix — one to experience how superb, multi-channel lossless music can sound on Blu-ray. I highly recommend doing so, along with mating the disc with a highly-capable subwoofer, such as this.
Viewed/played: “Iron Man“, “Band of Brothers“, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army“, “V for Vendetta“, “Far Cry 2“, “Halo 3“.
Kicking off the third week of my evaluation, I decided I would mix things up even more, throwing some video games into the pot. As I’m sure you’re aware, video game soundtracks have changed dramatically over the years, and as DD 5.1 mixes become commonplace, the production values that go into video game sound design can sometimes rival that of motion pictures. Halo 3 and Far Cry 2 are two such games that could just as easily be motion pictures, for they both sport stunning directionality, detail and depth. As you might expect from a “shooter” replete with rocket launchers, grenades and trip-mines, there is plenty of LFE to go around, and I had a fantastic time rediscovering the world of Halo 3, as well as Far Cry 2. Dim the lights, crank the volume and experience the thrill as you launch a grenade at an incoming enemy patrol in Far Cry 2 or you let a loose a rocket in Halo 3. It goes without saying that if you’ve never played a modern game on a full home theater setup, you’re missing out big time.
As for the films, the heavy hitters of the week were, Iron Man and V for Vendetta. Many of the others had excellent bass passages, but the aforementioned titles were the most aggressive, and they delivered some of the most profound bass yet via the A3-300.
Skip to nearly any scene in Iron Man and prepare to be blown away. The dynamics are stellar, and the LFE is solid through and through. Everything from the opening ambush (ch.1) to the launching of the “jericho missile” (ch.2) to the stunning jet chase (ch.11) will have you begging for more. It’s that good, and as usual, the A3-300 soars through the LFE track with ease.
V for Vendetta, while a totally different film, also sounded incredible, as if it had a new lease on life. Granted, it’s not the relentless bass force that some films are, but it does have exceptionally low, punchy bass wherever appropriate. As an example, skip ahead to the domino sequence (ch.26) or the knife fight (ch.30) to hear precisely what I mean. And let us not forget the explosive finale (ch. 32) that will send any pet/grandmother reeling from your house. The bass passages and notes found here will rock the core of your body thanks to the A3-300’s potency.
As for the other films, I felt that Hellboy 2 was a close third to the week’s top two, with Band of Brothers following closely behind. Each of them had exemplary bass, but they just didn’t sound as stunning on the A3-300 as I had hoped. Nonetheless, they are exceptional demo discs but it’s important to keep in mind that not all mixes are created equally, which should be obvious by now. Therefore, it’s important to manage your expectations when approaching a film’s audio presentation, and in this case, your expectations of their LFE track.
Simply put, some films will hit harder and lower than others, which is precisely why I opted to evaluate the subwoofer with as many films as I could possibly cram into a four week period. In doing so, I believe you get a far better idea of what the unit is capable of, and how it will perform with a wide range of material.
Viewed/played: “Rambo [2008]“, “Australia“, “Hot Fuzz“, “The Incredible Hulk“, “Sigur Ros: Heima“, “The Orange Box: Half Life 2“.
As my four-week review drew to a close, I felt that there were yet a few more demo discs I could throw its way, and the best discs of the bunch were the Sigur Ros DVD, The Incredible Hulk and Hot Fuzz.
First up was the Sigur Ros documentary/concert dvd, Heima. I’ve long since been a fan of the Icelandic band — ever since I heard them in Vanilla Sky — but I had never heard them quite like this before. This disc is hands-down, my favorite concert release of all time. Here for the first time we get the chance to listen to the band in either Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 flavors (with PCM 2.0 included for the purists). Watch the whole documentary through to the end and prepare to be immersed in luscious soundscapes, ranging from acoustical live recordings to full-blown stadium affairs. As it turns out, Sigur Ros’s music — live or acoustic — makes for some incredibly unique bass material. I was elated to find the A3-300 matching the on-screen performances uncannily well. If I didn’t know any better I might have thought I was in the middle of a real live show. Seriously, it sounded that good.
Now, on to the Fuzz. For fans of the film, it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack sounds brilliant across the surrounds, or that the bass would sound even better on the A3-300. Hot Fuzz is an incredibly aggressive film, both in editing and sound design and the LFE channel is easily one of the most potent ones on shelves to date.
When I fired up the film, I noticed straight away that there was a rattling coming from my right surround speaker (wall-mounted). Fearing I had blown it/damaged it somehow, I quickly inspected it and noticed that the mount was loose. Turns out that one of the toggle bolts hadn’t opened on the other side, and it was nestled in the drywall. A few minutes later, I had the issue squared away and I ran the scene back to test once more, and sure enough it was all cleared up. Thank you A3-300 for that unexpected buzz/rattle check!
With that out of the way, I proceeded with the evaluation and I was floored by the outstanding output via the A3-300. Granted, I had heard many impeccable films throughout the course of the review, it’s just that once more, another film was experienced as if I was viewing it for the first time. I can remember that I was left wanting a bit more “oomph” and kick out of my VRP, but it simply couldn’t get there. With the A3-300, my wish came true.
Next I picked up The Incredible Hulk and gave it a listen. This disc is of special relevance because it was one of the discs that was played for me by the folks at SVS (www.svsound.com) last year when they were showcasing their new cylinder and box subs. Bearing in mind their subwoofers were set up in a ballroom, the resulting bass response/output was fantastic, and this DTS-MA track made a real impression on me. So, naturally, I was curious to see how the eD A3-300 would stack up against the new subs from SVS. The answer is that the A3-300 more than held its own against the SVS gear, and they (SVS) were pumping dual subs that will run you quite a bit more than the A3-300. So in that way, it’s very impressive that the A3-300 could go toe-to-toe with the big guns at SVS. However, it should be acknowledged that the room sizes and orientation are completely different, so it’s virtually impossible to make any definitive comparisons between the two.
Regardless, the A3-300 performed well beyond my expectations in my theater. With every stomp, roar or slam it felt as if my room was going to split in two. The subwoofer delivered all of the low frequency goods to perfection, and it did so in spades. If you’ve yet to give this film a watch, you need to make a point to get your hands on it to experience the low-end wallop this soundtrack packs, and if you’re looking for a subwoofer to accompany it, look no further. The A3-300 can roll with all of Hulk’s punches, and it does so with ease.
Lastly, I decided to throw on Half Life 2 for some combine ass-kicking action. Unlike the other two games I evaluated, Half Life 2 doesn’t boast the best surround experience, but it does have one weapon that produces some of the best bass I’ve ever heard in a video game, and that gun is the combine pulse rifle. Coupled with the might of the A3-300, I fired off a dozen rounds into a combine soldier, and I couldn’t help but smile. The force was incredible, as if it were going to knock a hole right through my floor. Sadly, aside from the pulse rifle, there isn’t a whole lot of LFE activity in the game, but there should be enough to keep most bass-heads entertained.
Heading up the rest of the evaluation titles were Rambo and Australia. My favorite moments were the ending battle in Rambo (ch.14) which was chock full of bullets, mortars, flamethrowers and from Australia, i heartily enjoyed the stampede sequence (ch.11).
After spending four weeks with the A3-300 I’ve come to the realization that I’ve fallen completely, head over the heels for it. And despite my lack of familiarity with the rest of the eD HT subwoofer line, it’s entirely obvious to me that eD has made good on their promise to deliver a low cost, high value subwoofer for veterans and newcomers alike.
Then again, while my love for the subwoofer is profound and genuine, I’m not about to exclaim that it is the best subwoofer that money can buy, because that would demonstrate a lack of understanding and ignorance. Sure, there are bigger, louder and “better” subwoofers out there, but it all comes down to your needs as the end user. As for me, I’d be tempted to cram a bigger sub in my theater room, but it would likely be overkill given the limited dimensions of the room. So if you’ve got a medium/small HT room the A3-300 could be a dream come true. On the other hand, if you have a bigger room, I think the A3-300 would fare quite well, but you might need to boost the level control a bit to fill the room to your liking.
As for overall performance, I found the A3-300’s most winning attributes to be its unfailing stability and precision within a wide range of listening material. Not once throughout the course of my four week evaluation did it ever show signs of stress or distortion, and it consistently delivered stellar low frequency sound — whether it be bombastic sucker punches, or the finest musical nuances.
The bottom line is that if you happen to be in the market for a new subwoofer and you’ve got $600 squirreled away, you needn’t look further than the A3-300. Of course, if you haven’t the funds, you should know that eD has other models that — by my estimation — should perform comparably well (given their quoted specifications) for a couple hundred less. However, if you find that you’re within reach of the modest price tag, you would do well to start saving up the extra dough and forego an overpriced store-bought alternative, and opt for this phenomenal, mid-sized juggernaut. You will not be disappointed.
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