New Sigberg Audio development thread: The Sentinel - A music oriented reference subwoofer developed for the Manta system.

[SigbergAudio]

Yes, thanks, I expected something like this, I already found it in the REW generator. I'll study it in more detail later.

If I remember correctly the CTA-2034 is around 12dB down at 10khz, so you'd be at "only" 110dB for the tweeter at 10khz.

At 110dB the waveguided tweeter in the Manta is less than 3% THD, so it should still sound pretty uncompressed at this level. To the extent you are able to evaluate that with Rage against the machine playing at 122dB.

 

[David_M]

Going back to the title of this thread, "The Sentinel - A music oriented reference subwoofer developed for the Manta system".

Does this imply it would not be appropriate for home theater? And, in general, what makes a sub optimized for music, like the Sentinel, and one optimized for theatre? Is it not possible to have a sub that excels in both applications without compromises?

 

[ryanosaur]

Going back to the title of this thread, "The Sentinel - A music oriented reference subwoofer developed for the Manta system".

Does this imply it would not be appropriate for home theater? And, in general, what makes a sub optimized for music, like the Sentinel, and one optimized for theatre? Is it not possible to have a sub that excels in both applications without compromises?

I cannot speak for Sigberg, but there is nothing different in the accurate reproduction of sound which is different from Gaming, HT or Music. It is all sound waves. The difference might best well be explained by what you want your Sub to do. If you are looking for 12Hz at 115dB, that presents a different set of requirements than 16Hz, 18Hz, or 25Hz. Lets face it, most musical program ends at the bottom range of the Piano. With the exception of Pipe Organ aficionados, you don't need to pursue deeper Bass than mid to low 20's if you are Music only, and then you probably aren't pushing 115dB, either.

On the other hand, there is much deeper Bass in Electronica, HT and Gaming. Many are still probably good with an F3 between 18-20Hz, but the SPL requirement for THX reference level requires some extra love. Whether the designs capable of hitting those extremes can do so accurately enough for the musical connoisseur is sort of the dividing line: Accurate reproduction vs the deepest bass for the sake of deep bass.

In many applications, this is why you see guys with 5-8 Subs in a room. They can maintain linear performance through multiple co-located sources and achieve high SPL without the sacrifice to distortion. Of course, so much of their success will depend on room size, size of drivers involved, tuning capabilities and so forth.

 

[SigbergAudio]

Going back to the title of this thread, "The Sentinel - A music oriented reference subwoofer developed for the Manta system".

Does this imply it would not be appropriate for home theater? And, in general, what makes a sub optimized for music, like the Sentinel, and one optimized for theatre? Is it not possible to have a sub that excels in both applications without compromises?

I answered a similar question all the way back on page #1.

The short answer is that it would be very well suited for home theater, but perhaps not the most cost effective option if you don't care about the size of the sub and mostly about high SPL at the lowest frequencies.

"Is it not possible to have a sub that excels in both applications without compromises" - I would say probably no, depending on your requirements. In practice nothing is without compromise.

 

[tineared]

Come on. Everyone knows that sealed subs are for music and ported subs are for SPL...

 

[SigbergAudio]

Come on. Everyone knows that sealed subs are for music and ported subs are for SPL...

Sarcasm?

 

[SigbergAudio]

Here are some higher quality renderings of the Sentinel, while we're waiting for the real thing.

 

[David_M]

I answered a similar question all the way back on page #1.

The short answer is that it would be very well suited for home theater, but perhaps not the most cost effective option if you don't care about the size of the sub and mostly about high SPL at the lowest frequencies.

"Is it not possible to have a sub that excels in both applications without compromises" - I would say probably no, depending on your requirements. In practice nothing is without compromise.

One can always have multiple subs (assuming cost is not much of an issue) for greater SPL capability and smoother bass response around the listening area. But low distortion, low frequency extension, phase response, and speed are paramount for both music and theatre applications, in my case. Does or will the Sentinel fit these needs?

Also, will the sub be able to produce sub-10Hz frequencies, at relatively high SPLs if the room allows it, or will the limiter prevent it from doing so? Many Hollywood movies have LFE down to 5Hz or so.

 

[SigbergAudio]

One can always have multiple subs (assuming cost is not much of an issue) for greater SPL capability and smoother bass response around the listening area. But low distortion, low frequency extension, phase response, and speed are paramount for both music and theatre applications, in my case. Does or will the Sentinel fit these needs?

Also, will the sub be able to produce sub-10Hz frequencies, at relatively high SPLs if the room allows it, or will the limiter prevent it from doing so? Many Hollywood movies have LFE down to 5Hz or so.

Yes and Yes.

 

[SigbergAudio]

And here's a couple of more. One more with the Manta, and one of the Sentinel from the other side, to prove there's actually two drivers.

 

[Audionaut]

And here's a couple of more. One more with the Manta

Of course, it would be ideal if the subwoofer and the Manta were the same width, so that you could potentially stack them on top of each other—or place the Manta on top of the Sentinel—to create a visually consistent system.

But that’s probably not the case.

Yes, I know that being able to place them anywhere in the room is precisely the big advantage and can improve the room acoustics, but some people prefer a traditional look.

 

[SigbergAudio]

Of course, it would be ideal if the subwoofer and the Manta were the same width, so that you could potentially stack them on top of each other—or place the Manta on top of the Sentinel—to create a visually consistent system.

But that’s probably not the case.

Yes, I know that being able to place them anywhere in the room is precisely the big advantage and can improve the room acoustics, but some people prefer a traditional look.

The Sentinel is simply too big for this to realistically work.

The Manta is 36cm wide, the width of the Sentinel is 49cm. So the Manta will fit comfortably on top, but the Sentinel is much wider.

The existing 10D subwoofer on the other hand is exactly 36cm wide:

 

[SigbergAudio]

Updated/new developer diary:

MANTA SENTINEL Developer Diary (September 2026)

If you haven't already, make sure to check out the initial article about this project for some background and information on design goals. It's time for another update on the development of the MANTA SENTINEL loudspeaker system. Since the Manta monitor is already in production, the focus is...

www.sigbergaudio.com

 

[Tom C]

The Sentinel is simply too big for this to realistically work.

The Manta is 36cm wide, the width of the Sentinel is 49cm. So the Manta will fit comfortably on top, but the Sentinel is much wider.

The existing 10D subwoofer on the other hand is exactly 36cm wide:
View attachment 554893

That is beautiful! Please forgive my asking, is that AI, or for real?

 

[SigbergAudio]

That is beautiful! Please forgive my asking, is that AI, or for real?

That is a real photo from a customer who lives in Northern Norway.