Elemental Designs A5-350 Subwoofer – Hardware Review
January 26, 2010 – 8:21 PM - Posted by: Brendan SurplessTags: A5-350, Elemental Designs, Subwooder
NOTE: This is now our fourth Hardware Review so let me describe how we will be doing things. You can view the Hardware Review 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 our lead hardware editor 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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eD continues to deliver the goods with another killer home theater subwoofer entry — the A5-350. Audiophile. Upon hearing this word one might think of someone who is searching for not only good audio, but audio that is clean and clear no matter the volume level. Enter Elemental Designs, a fairly new company that has it’s mind and heart set on exactly one goal; delivering high-end audio and performance, but at a price that won’t empty your wallet. I hadn’t heard of the company before the review our own James Segars did for their A3-300 sub. Apparently the company was rather impressed with the work James did, so they decided to send out another sub for us to review, this time the A5-350.
— Review by: Brendan Surpless —
Arriving on a rather nice September afternoon, I was eager to hook this bad boy up after hearing so much excellent feedback on another ED product we covered (HERE) from our own James Segars. Being dropped off by a Fedex truck, I attempted to carry this sucker inside. However, with the clocking in at 107pds, I knew I needed a bit of help (thanks Oliver!). I was a bit surprised to find that the unit wasn’t protected by any type of plastic, but rather by 4 heavy-duty foam pieces that covered each corner of the sub. After removing everything from the box, I immediately noticed that the sub didn’t come with any type of manual, just the sub and nothing more. Laying the sub down directly next to my television stand (see below), I ran into my first issue.
I didn’t have any extra speaker wire nor a subwoofer analog cable! How on earth does a home theater not have an extra material laying around you might be asking right? Well, let me example. The way the wiring works for my current setup (Bose) is that everything runs directly from the speakers to the subwoofer, nothing into the actual receiver. Now this was a bit of a problem for me as I had ran all the wiring for the Bose setup into the wall, down across my basement and back up for the 2 rears. What I had to do was disconnect all the wiring and then re-run wiring through my basement with your standard 16-gauge speaker wire. Not necessarily the biggest issue but definitely a small sidestep.
After that speed bump, I was ready to go! I first made sure to enable the sub setting inside of my avr menu setup. With everything balanced out (with the exception of the Center Channel being at +4db), I figured I’d pick a few of my favorite discs first. I clearly threw in a few quick demo discs (Transformers, The Dark Knight) and found myself quite impressed with the range of performance the sub gave; however, more on that later.
One aspect I had came to discover with this sub, especially
in comparison to my Bose sub, is that you have to adjust the sub settings for each program you watch. Now some might simply shout ‘well duh’ here but keep in mind that minus the Bose sub, I had never had a ‘real’ sub so I’m a bit new to this. However I do feel that I know a fairly good amount about home theater, certainly enough to handle this on my own.
With that said, I will mention that the overall range this sub can perform on is downright impressive. During the course I had the sub, I obviously sampled some of my favorite discs (which I go through below), but also put the sub to work on just about anything I could get my hands on. I’m talking about comedy, action, drama, music, tv, etc. While clearly Transformers will easily beat out something like Family Guy, I still found that the sub provided each demoed sample with just the right amount of oomph. However, like I mentioned above, I did have to tweak each disc. Below I’ll list what I found the best settings to be for each particular genre as well as what I sampled.
Generally with a comedic affair, I didn’t notice all that much LFE response. Due to this, I found that I had to increase the sub output to roughly 40% to 45%. By increasing the output from the typical output I watched other genres at (30%), I found that, for example, a film like Bruno offered more response than I knew originally existed.
Now with a genre like Action, I actually found that I had to lower the output from the normal 30% to 25%. One might think why would he lower the output, wouldn’t he want more LFE response during those heightened moments of action? Well the answer to that is two-folded. On one side is that I did initial try the higher end output (as high as 40% at one point), but I found that the LFE response was just too powerful (and this was with my AVR sub db set at +0db). Perhaps it’s the size of my room (12×18), but other people in my house felt like the walls were shaking and, at one point, the water pipes were rattling. Haha guess this sub really does pack a whallop!
Moving to a typically more reserved genre, whenever I found myself watching something like drama (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, etc), the best setting for the A5-350 was the higher end spectrum. While most of the LFE from these films comes from the score associated with the movie at hand, I still found that a comfortable 45% to 50% output was the setting that worked for me.
Now these aforementioned settings will not be the perfect settings for everyone as room sizes and preferred LFE response will vary from person to person, but for those that view their films in the size room I do and live in a house with others, I found these settings to be perfect giving just the right amount of LFE while at the same time not annoying others in the house.
Instead of mentioning what I watched each week like James did, I’m going to review this sub in the same manner that I reviewed Beats by Dre from Monster Cable, in that I’ll pick my top 5 favorite demo scenes.
• Transformers – Opening Attack by Soundwave •
My first immediate idea was to re-watch all of my favorite demo discs (some of which I mentioned above). Even though some may disagree with this next statement, I know that both James and myself feel strongly that Transformers is THE definitive demo disc available today. With a true sense of incredible sonic atmosphere creation, perfect dialogue and deep, immersive bass, this is and has always been the demo disc I’ve reached for since its arrival to high definition (including the ill-fated HD DVD). It’s sequences like the first opening moments of not even the film. As we begin the ball drops into the water and the logo comes up, the LFE kicks up a notch. But the LFE is never overwhelming nor is it too loud. And let’s not forget to mention the attack sequence at the army force base. WHEW! In fact this scene was voted the best demo sequence in a recent poll that Elemental Designs ran on avsforum.
• The Dark Knight – Joker Goes After Harvey Dent •
Many list The Dark Knight as the true definitive demo disc. While the overall disc is quite impressive, I don’t completely feel that way, as Transformers is still the king in my home theater. Still, that’s not to say that the disc doesn’t have many demo worthy sequences. One in particular is the sequence where The Joker goes after Harvey Dent. Not only visually due to a vast majority of this scene being in IMAX, but the audio here really is top notch. As soon as we see the “Slaughter is The Best Medicine” truck smash into one of the SWAT vans, the LFE kicks up a notch. Similar to Transformers, the LFE never is overly powerful but rather is impressive on all ranges. Whether it was the slight low-end courtesy of the score when The Joker was caught by Commissioner Gorden or the high-end of the bazooka being fired at the Batmobile, the disc never failed to impress.
• Cloverfield – Army fights back against beast •
The sequence where the army decides to fight back against the beast is an absolute stunner of a demo sequence. The LFE response here is defining and is the pure definition of a “room rattler”. Not only is the LFE deep, immersive and solid, the LFE is so powerful that you will feel as if you’re actually being pursued by something. As I had mentioned in my review of the film (found HERE), “From the opening seconds of the film, the LFE starts up with deep, booming bass that pretty much continues (except in a few quiet dialogue sequence during the first 20 or so minutes of the beginning) throughout the film. The bass is powerful and rattling (at one point my wall started to vibrate). Dialogue is great as well with no sense of dropout. Some might complain that the dialogue does drop out during the heightened moments of terror, but this just adds to a greater sense of realism.”
• Live Free or Die Hard – Tunnel Sequence •
While some may be mixed on the 4th adventure for the iconic John McClane, one aspect nearly all agree on is the film’s audio track. Whether it’s the more dynamic shoot-outs, explosions or simple dialogue back and forths, this track delivers on all fronts. While this tunnel sequence is a surefire demo, there is one 5-second moment that always is an eye-opener for those listening. This quick scene, where John has to suddenly pull the kid to the ground to prevent a car from crushing him, features LFE output that is perfect. As the car rolls towards them, the action doesn’t slow down necessarily but the LFE response is deep and booming creating a scene I’ll play over and over again. As I had mentioned in my review (found HERE), “One of the most impressive aspects I found here was that the bass, especially when one compares it to the other Die Hard films available now, is just about defining here. The bass is incredibly deep and powerful, never relenting but constantly giving us that kind of boom we’ve come to love from high-octane action films.”
• Pearl Harbor – Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor •
While the film itself is questionable (the R-rated cut is far superior to the PG-13 love-fest but still does lack overall impact), one thing is instantly clear though that being the film’s audio. The disc has always been one of my more used discs going back to the 4-Disc Director’s Cut with its fabulous DTS 5.1 track. The Blu-ray, however, moved up to a lossless PCM 5.1 (though not fully lossless at 16-bit) and is even more impressive. From the moment the initial explosion occurs, this sequence is literally
a 15-minute assault on our ears and body. While clearly the overall atmosphere created here is stunning, the LFE response is equally impressive. LFE is continuously booming throwing us right into the action, but also slows down at some of the more tender moments (like those in the hospital scene, which have been slowed down to create a lasting effect).
Having never had a standalone sub before using this Elemental Designs A5-350 sub for a little over 3 months, I can easily see why audio purists do spend the amount of money they do. While there may be better subs out there, what separates this A5-350 from other subs is the sheer output and overall performance the sub gives. Whether it’s lower-end material like your basic TV sitcom or the higher-end film one of the aforementioned demo sequences, the A5-350 performed on all levels. If you’re looking for a standalone sub but don’t want to necessarily take out a loan, definitely consider this A5-350. And if the price is still a bit high, definitely consider their other range of subs as one aspect has become extremely clear. Elemental Designs may be a newer company but they are here to stay.
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