Review
Seismix 3 mk2 Complete Review - Audio & Video Lifestyle - Australia
01 Feb 2003
It wasn’t that long ago that most people thought of subwoofers as all being pretty much the same. What I mean is that there wasn’t a fat lot of difference with designs and deep bass was thought of as purely that – low frequencies without any musical worth. The subwoofer certainly wasn’t a fashionable item and most produced little more than a low amount of noise.
Refinement was a long time coming for the lowly subwoofer and now it’s a necessary and often vital component in both hi-fi and home theatre systems. The popularity rise of the subwoofer over recent years is almost wholly contributable to the home theatre boom, but hand-in-hand with this, consumers have been finding there's more to subwoofers than just shaking the foundations with the latest action movie blockbuster. The role of the average home theatre system is twofold; to deliver the surround sound movie experience but also turn on the 2-channel charm when used for listening to music. A subwoofer’s job is relatively straightforward with movie material, but get it right and it can be equally rewarding with music. But, it’s this part that requires a bit more design input as well as installation on the user’s part.
Back in our centenary edition, AVL-100, I had a look at the Seismix 3 subwoofer, the baby of the Krix’ 3-strong domestic subwoofer range. While it wasn’t the most potent not room-filling of subwoofers, having spent some time listening to the design, revealed it to be refined and thoroughly in control, both qualities that suit music reproduction as well as movie action. Some 18 months on and Krix has updated its entry-level sub, which is now known as the Seismix 3 Mk2. Physically it shares similar dimensions but the new design has undergone some extensive changes, both technically and cosmetically.
The 3 Mk2 is altogether a prettier subwoofer (as subwoofers go), finished in a real wood veneer across the entire cabinet, apart from the rear amplifier module panel. Removing the grille reveals a forward firing 10-inch (250mm) paper cone woofer and a large tuned bass reflex port. The driver has greater cone excursion than the original Seismix 3 and as a result, shifts more air. So, the bass reflex port is wider and been moved to the front baffle on the Seismix 3 Mk2 allowing the sub to be placed inside a cabinet, or if you really want to get rid of it visually, a false wall. The port diameter is particularly wide, so to stop hands reaching where they shouldn’t, an internal wooden ‘arm’ has been installed, as opposed to a mesh grille which would add wind noise. To help regulate the airflow characteristic and eliminate any unwanted audible ‘chuffing’, the port is flared on both the in and outside edges.
The cabinet is almost square, measuring 390 x 355mm and is a little bit smaller than the original Seismix 3. The power amplifier module and control plates are entirely new components and the rated output is stated at 200 watts RMS – double that of the original Seismix 3. What Krix is aiming to achieve with the new 3 Mk2 is a subwoofer with a bit more welly than the original design. The Mk1 was a very competent subwoofer and one of the more astute designs around for the price. But after three years and with the influx of imported and less expensive designs, Krix felt it time to up the ante with its most affordable subwoofer.
It wanted it to sound a bit more obvious, but not forgoing those attributes that had made the Seismix 3 popular. The mark of a good subwoofer is timing and control, both attributes that work well with movie soundtracks but are mandatory with music. The Seismix 3 displayed plenty of composure with music, but could sound a little lacklustre with certain bass-heavy and fast-moving films. The Seismix 3 Mk2 aims to be more encompassing. To this end, there’s a whole host of design improvements and the MK2 is a far more attractive financial proposition that the original. To keep it competitive, Krix offers a number of different finishes. In its most affordable guise, the 3 Mk2 comes in either black or silver vinyl wrapped finish. If you fancy a black, jarrah or beech timber veneer, it’ll cost you a little more. As with all Krix’ products, the quality of build and finish is first rate and finished in the Jarrah timber veneer, the review sample certainly looked every bit a quality crafted cabinet. It’s a heavy unit too, with ample internal bracing and very inert cabinet construction.
With our resident subwoofer expert, Gavin Womersley, off sunning himself in Tasmania , it was up to me to put this bass machine through its paces, which was fine, having had previous experience with the original design. Hooked up to my AV system, I let the Krix have the usual 48 hour running in period before sitting down and taking full stock. As I do with every sub I test, it’s music first as you can gauge far better exactly what the subwoofer’s doing than with a multichannel move audio mix. It’s also the best material to use when setting the subwoofer up by ear. In this regard, the Seismix 3 Mk2’s control are pretty straightforward, although there’s the odd feature you don’t see on many subs – especially at this price. One is the ability to switch the gain between high and low, which is great facility if you don’t want to mess with the other settings, but perhaps it’s late at night and you don’t want to awake the neighbourhood. In low, the output volume is curtailed significantly, but not to the point where the sub becomes ineffective.
The remainder of the controls are the usual variable low pass frequency control and phase inversion. Interestingly, there are only line-level inputs on the 3 Mk2, no speaker level connections nor any type of output. This makes the new Seismix a bit limited in its connection options and Krix is obviously envisaging purely AV use for the 3 Mk2 – hooking up to an AV receiver’s line-level LFE output. Connected in such a way to my Onkyo TX-SR700 receiver, the Krix is a particularly easy subwoofer to set up. With music it’s a real star, just like its predecessor and blended particularly well with a pair of KEF Q7s. These floorstanders are anything but bass shy themselves but the Seismix 3 Mk2 easily added another dimension to the stereo sound with a richness and fullness that extends well down into the lower registers. With fast numbers like Underworld’s Cowgirl, the Krix makes a solid, deep and authoritative companion to the stereo speakers. It underpins the electro-bass chords with great accuracy and rhythms ripple through the room with tremendous clubland-style drive. Some subs struggle with this sort of music, unable to keep up with the high beat count, but the Krix is right on the pace.
With the enormous bass of Massive Attack’s Angel the Seismix 3 Mk2 puts in a prodigious performance, reaching right down into the guts of the track. You get both a fine impression of the scale of the bass plus (and here’s where many lesser subs fail with this track) a real sense of the tune that’s being played as well. The Matrix Reloaded is a bass-fest of a movie and at the very loud THX Reference Level, the Krix behaved itself impeccably and handled the onslaught with a great deal more control and composure than you’d expect. Krix has achieved its prime objective of giving its entry-level subwoofer a bit more attack and vitality with movie soundtracks. In such a role, it delivers pace and attack with plenty of outright extension and easily keeps up with the considerable low-end demands of such soundtracks.
What with the substantial price drop from the original Seismix 3, the Mk2 is an altogether better subwoofer proposition. This design isn’t simply a re-hash, but a marked improvement on an already impressive and proven design. Admittedly, there are plenty of subwoofers to choose from at this price level, but if you’re thinking of spending around $1,000.00 the new Krix demands your attention and a listen.
Ancillary Equipment:
Onkyo TX-SR700 AV receiver
Onkyo DX-SP800 DVD player
KEF Q Series loudspeakers
Toshiba 38D9UXA LCD Television
QED Silver Anniversary speaker cables
Audioquest interconnects
Rating:
Performance - * * * * *
Build Quality - * * * *
Compatibility - * * * *
Value for Money - * * * * *
- Audio & Video Lifestyle - Australia , Nic Tatham
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