greenpsycho
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So this is going to be a quick “fit and finish” review of the Starke Sound SW12. As some of you may know, they had a BOGO sale on Black Friday for their starter range of subs, the SW12 (https://www.starkesound.com/detail.html?id=41). Normally they retail for $700 each, but I got two for the same price (more on that later). All comments will be based on this price, NOT the full retail price.
I couldn’t really find any info regarding Starke in the usual spots, so I wanted to put something up as they do have some interesting things in their lineup. I also will be posting a review of their AD4.320 amp momentarily, which is what initially turned me onto them. I’m not sure if commenting on the sound does anyone any good without measurements, so I’ll try to avoid any subjective impressions. In caveman speak – make boom boom, make good boom boom. Me like low boom boom.
WHY?
I’ve been on the hunt for some subs but just couldn’t pull the trigger. Everything I looked at was either garish, too large (like some of the Hsu’s), or not purchasable (like the RSL Speedwoofer). I had some ADULT treats and this popped up on Black Friday and I literally couldn’t resist. The biggest selling point was XLR inputs for me, as I will have these two subs working double duty (for home cinema with signal coming from my XMC-1 and integrated with Dirac, and for my 2.2 stereo system). I didn’t really need much in terms of DSP/crossover/EQ because Dirac is going to handle that for my cinema (and stereo system in the future too via a minidsp). I really just needed a big ol’ dumb subwoofer and I like sealed/passive radiators over ported designs in general for a myriad of reasons.
FIT and FINISH
Shipping box was big and sturdy, double boxed, with some hefty foam. No damage and no issue at all. If it were heavier, I’m hoping they do a bit better with the foam (instead of covering just the edges, encase it entirely maybe), but mine arrived fine and without issue, so I can’t complain.
Not bad. Its MDF covered in vinyl, not paint. Grill is also MDF, but everything seems fit together fairly well and I don’t really have any complaints. The auto-on and off seems to work well and I haven’t noticed any pops or thuds with it yet, so that’s good. It has some decent sturdy feet, the backplate is flush, and all connections are as good as anything else I’ve seen. A few nitpicks: the knobs have a scratching/rubbing sound I tried to capture on video. Probably not a big deal. There also isn’t a default/zero position “notch” in the knob, but I’m not sure where default would be, so maybe that’s OK. The sub box itself was a bit lighter than I expected and the knock test revealed MAYBE its not as heavy duty as some other subs (knock test video is comparing my Polk LSIM 703). Again, this is a budget level $350 sub, so given that and the size, I’m fairly happy.
knock test - https://www.dropbox.com/s/5lworitoyyr0qba/PXL_20201204_162957415.mp4?dl=0
knob test - https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x6tn6txr9cskmn/PXL_20201204_163126585.mp4?dl=0
PRICE
I mean its hard to beat 2x for $700 (free shipping, so $350 each). The RSL’s are similar in size and price, but the SW12’s are, well….12 inches and had the inputs I want. NOTE: even right now the subs are $450 on Starke’s site, which probably isn’t bad either. Worth mentioning is the Emotiva Airmotiv SE12” that has high level inputs and a passive radiator and a crossovered output (though not a phase knob or XLR inputs).
OVERALL
Buying direct from Starke was great – website was good and up to date, they literally shipped out that same day, no complaints or issues at all. Starke does seem a bit “green” especially compared to others. They have no manual to speak of, even on their website (not a HUGE deal, but for example, I wanted to know if the output XLR was full range or had the crossover applied, stuff like that is good to know). Packaging was great for a budget $350 sub. I have nitpicks, sure, but that would apply to a sub at twice the price. For an entry level sub, I think this is fairly hard to beat….at the price I paid. At the full price of $700, I would definitely be looking at some of the Hsu’s or SVS’s or Monoliths or any of the other ones. For that price I would expect quite a bit more, BUT again, for the price I paid, I feel like I got a pretty good deal and I’m definitely interested in seeing what else Starke has.
I couldn’t really find any info regarding Starke in the usual spots, so I wanted to put something up as they do have some interesting things in their lineup. I also will be posting a review of their AD4.320 amp momentarily, which is what initially turned me onto them. I’m not sure if commenting on the sound does anyone any good without measurements, so I’ll try to avoid any subjective impressions. In caveman speak – make boom boom, make good boom boom. Me like low boom boom.
WHY?
I’ve been on the hunt for some subs but just couldn’t pull the trigger. Everything I looked at was either garish, too large (like some of the Hsu’s), or not purchasable (like the RSL Speedwoofer). I had some ADULT treats and this popped up on Black Friday and I literally couldn’t resist. The biggest selling point was XLR inputs for me, as I will have these two subs working double duty (for home cinema with signal coming from my XMC-1 and integrated with Dirac, and for my 2.2 stereo system). I didn’t really need much in terms of DSP/crossover/EQ because Dirac is going to handle that for my cinema (and stereo system in the future too via a minidsp). I really just needed a big ol’ dumb subwoofer and I like sealed/passive radiators over ported designs in general for a myriad of reasons.
FIT and FINISH
Shipping box was big and sturdy, double boxed, with some hefty foam. No damage and no issue at all. If it were heavier, I’m hoping they do a bit better with the foam (instead of covering just the edges, encase it entirely maybe), but mine arrived fine and without issue, so I can’t complain.
Not bad. Its MDF covered in vinyl, not paint. Grill is also MDF, but everything seems fit together fairly well and I don’t really have any complaints. The auto-on and off seems to work well and I haven’t noticed any pops or thuds with it yet, so that’s good. It has some decent sturdy feet, the backplate is flush, and all connections are as good as anything else I’ve seen. A few nitpicks: the knobs have a scratching/rubbing sound I tried to capture on video. Probably not a big deal. There also isn’t a default/zero position “notch” in the knob, but I’m not sure where default would be, so maybe that’s OK. The sub box itself was a bit lighter than I expected and the knock test revealed MAYBE its not as heavy duty as some other subs (knock test video is comparing my Polk LSIM 703). Again, this is a budget level $350 sub, so given that and the size, I’m fairly happy.
knock test - https://www.dropbox.com/s/5lworitoyyr0qba/PXL_20201204_162957415.mp4?dl=0
knob test - https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x6tn6txr9cskmn/PXL_20201204_163126585.mp4?dl=0
PRICE
I mean its hard to beat 2x for $700 (free shipping, so $350 each). The RSL’s are similar in size and price, but the SW12’s are, well….12 inches and had the inputs I want. NOTE: even right now the subs are $450 on Starke’s site, which probably isn’t bad either. Worth mentioning is the Emotiva Airmotiv SE12” that has high level inputs and a passive radiator and a crossovered output (though not a phase knob or XLR inputs).
OVERALL
Buying direct from Starke was great – website was good and up to date, they literally shipped out that same day, no complaints or issues at all. Starke does seem a bit “green” especially compared to others. They have no manual to speak of, even on their website (not a HUGE deal, but for example, I wanted to know if the output XLR was full range or had the crossover applied, stuff like that is good to know). Packaging was great for a budget $350 sub. I have nitpicks, sure, but that would apply to a sub at twice the price. For an entry level sub, I think this is fairly hard to beat….at the price I paid. At the full price of $700, I would definitely be looking at some of the Hsu’s or SVS’s or Monoliths or any of the other ones. For that price I would expect quite a bit more, BUT again, for the price I paid, I feel like I got a pretty good deal and I’m definitely interested in seeing what else Starke has.
