Stereo Integrity Magnum V4 D2

[CAMSHAFT]

It is always a pleasure to listen to as well as create music. Anytime I get to spend doing either is time well spent. Over the years it has been my great pleasure to listen to quite a few competition car audio world championship cars as well as perform music on the national stage. With the reference of music composition I have the ability to listen to an audio system and know whether or not it is an accurate reproduction of the original performance. In car audio the subwoofer is the most over obsessed driver. I tend to find this humorous considering the amount of information that a subwoofer actually plays tends to be very small. That being said the list of the best subwoofers is a short one. Well, I have found another subwoofer to add to that short list.
For the review of the Stereo Integrity Magnum V4, I listened to it in a vehicle that is not mine; however I have become very familiar with it over the past few months through assisting the owner with tuning the audio system. Thank you again to jdc753 for allowing me to listen to the Mag V4.

System Composition
2005 Ford F350
Head Unit – Alpine 9887
Amps – Sundown Audio SAX100.4 & 1500D
Cable - Kicker
Front Stage Drivers – Polk Audio SR 6500
Subwoofer – One Stereo Integrity Magnum Version 4 Dual 2 Ohm

Driver Impression: This time I did not get to look at the driver. From photos it seems to be a very intelligent design with modern attractive features. From conversations with people that know the company; the driver was in preproduction for quite a while. I am told that every detail of the driver was scrutinized during preproduction.

Installation/Tuning: The subwoofer is enclosed in a 1.02 cubic foot box, which is located between the two front seats. The cone is facing downwards towards the floorboard carpet. It is wired in an arrangement so that it can show a one-ohm load at the amp. A one-ohm load gives the driver a full 1500 watts. This is a bit above the recommended range listed on the Stereo Integrity website. In listening to he subwoofer I felt that it was very capable on handling this amount of power at normal listening levels for long periods of time. The subwoofer is controlled actively though the head-unit. The crossover filter used is 50 Hz at 24 db.

Listening: For the listening of this subwoofer I did not get to use my usual subwoofer test disc. Instead I used some music that I familiar with. The first song I played was “Planet Krypton” by John Williams from the Superman soundtrack. This song has been the long-standing track used by IASCA for sub-bass judging. This track has two parts to listen for; first the authority of 18ish Hz organ pedal tones, and then the resolution of the combination cymbal and kettle drum crescendo at the end. Both parts were performed incredibly well. Most 12-inch subwoofers can perform the organ tones, however few sound natural at doing so like the Mag V4 does. In fact I got chills during this passage of the song. I haven’t gotten chills in quite a while during that track. For the kettledrum crescendo I have found most subwoofers tend to rumble through the notes. The Mag was articulate through the whole crescendo with distinct, discernable mallet hits all the way. The second track used was "Come Together" by Brian Bromberg from his Wood disc. First off let me say that Brian is a master at his craft. All of his discs are wonderful. For “Come together” I look for a good mid to bass transition, speed, and articulation and low distortion. This track being acoustic it is easy to pick up deficiencies with the driver. The Mag was able to perform this track flawlessly; it was able to give a completely accurate production of Brian’s upright bass. After listening to these specific tracks I listened to a variety of genres of music. Each genre asked the drivers to perform in a certain way; one thing that stuck out was the transparency of the driver. The goal of most audiophiles is to have a system that disappears, a system that you cant tell you are listening to speakers. The Mag has that capability of disappearing!

In conclusion the guys at Stereo Integrity have hit one out of the park. They have created a subwoofer that does not have very many blatant weaknesses. This driver is wonderful and I have no qualms listing it in my top ten of favorite subwoofers of all time, maybe even my top five.

[HHawk]

What is your top 10 subwoofers?

[jdc753]

Originally Posted by HHawk

What is your top 10 subwoofers?

He probably should have added that into the review lol.

Here is his list from the review over in DIYMA.

Falstaff, GTI, IDQV2, MW190, Aurasound NS, eD OV.3, Oz Audio Matrix Elite, anything DD, Phase Linear - Aliante

The Mag fits nicely in this company....

and then

Dohh I left out the Dynaudio Esotar2 1200, bye bye OZ audio.

OH and

Yep the Mag is easily in my top 2 or 3.

Sub sounds better and better after break in and now I just gotta build it a killer box and get everything else buttoned up nicely.

[Electrodynamic]

Thanks for posting the review over here. The review got quite a few looks over at DIYMA for sure.

Josh, I thought the same thing: The more I listened the more I liked it. I think Joe put it the best though - it makes your front stage sound like its playing down to 30 Hz. And speaking of which, how are those Polk's shaping up?

[jdc753]

Originally Posted by Electrodynamic

Thanks for posting the review over here. The review got quite a few looks over at DIYMA for sure.

Josh, I thought the same thing: The more I listened the more I liked it. I think Joe put it the best though - it makes your front stage sound like its playing down to 30 Hz. And speaking of which, how are those Polk's shaping up?

Certainly good to spread the word on the new mag. Looking forward to the direct comparison between the mag and their (DIYMA communities) beloved DIYMA R12.

Exactly, its amazing how well the mag just disappears. I find myself having to put my hand under the box to feel if its playing sometimes. With some better building to get rid of the tactile feel and location of the sub as well as a bit more tuning I bet it will totally disappear.

The polks are sweet currently crossed at 63hz/24db in unsealed/undeadened doors and don't have a single problem, can't wait to get the doors dressed up properly and some door panel work to get rid of some resonance. Not harsh at all and certainly get loud enough for my tastes.

[CAMSHAFT]

Originally Posted by jdc753

He probably should have added that into the review lol.

In the post specifically for the product I like to leave any other products out of the equation. Thats give the product in question the full attention of the reader.

[CAMSHAFT]

Originally Posted by Electrodynamic

Thanks for posting the review over here. The review got quite a few looks over at DIYMA for sure.

No problem sir!! It was my pleasure to audition such a wonderful subwoofer!

[jdc753]

Originally Posted by CAMSHAFT

In the post specifically for the product I like to leave any other products out of the equation. Thats give the product in question the full attention of the reader.

Most certainly, very good practice and reasoning for sure.