What Specs to Focus on when buying a sub?
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What Specs to Focus on when buying a sub? So what are the best qualities to look for when buying a sub? Flexible setup's? Wide range of RMS? 2 or 4 ohm? can someone come up with a good list of specs for a sufficiant sub that gives versatility. I'm not looking for brand names or models of subs, unless you are suggesting one as example. What is something that most should offer, that u don't see unless looking at high priced subs? WHen you browse subs on internet and do a compare list, what should u look for mostly, when choosing which one is better?
thanks
thanks
Last edited by chicohonda02; Mar 2, 2005 at 05:28 PM.
rms power handling
frequency response (the lower the better...usually)
sensitivity (the higher the better)
btw, try to stick with name brand subs... Infinity, JL Audio, Adire, Elemental Designs, etc...
frequency response (the lower the better...usually)
sensitivity (the higher the better)
btw, try to stick with name brand subs... Infinity, JL Audio, Adire, Elemental Designs, etc...
Yup, i'm an A$$hole.
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Rep Power: 329 The only REALLY important thing is how it sounds. 2nd to that is it's RMS rating in relation to what your amp can put out, and tied for 2nd is the OHM because that directly relates to your amp. What ohm you want depends on how many subs you are using, how you are wiring them, and your amp.
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From: Green Bay, WI
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U probably wanna go with the DVC subs(dual voice coil) they offer a range of was to hook them up.
size doesnt really matter. 10" is the tighest but will be almost as loud as a 12" I think 15" is over kill.
if you are working with any kind of budget u would want the 4ohm sub because an amp to power them will be alot cheaper.
Sensitivity is in dB or decibles. 91 is better then 88 and will be louder with the same voltage/amp
size doesnt really matter. 10" is the tighest but will be almost as loud as a 12" I think 15" is over kill.
if you are working with any kind of budget u would want the 4ohm sub because an amp to power them will be alot cheaper.
Sensitivity is in dB or decibles. 91 is better then 88 and will be louder with the same voltage/amp
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From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 339 its more of a progression, really. its key to choose your subwoofers before your amplifiers. to make sure your equipment matches. sometimes you can get away with doing the opposite, but I will lay that aside for the moment:
#1 what response are you looking for? think of what instrumentation you are trying to augment. if you are trying to get that heart hitting kickdrum, the kind of beats that knock you out of the chair every time they hit, you may want to look at 8" drivers.
if you want lower bass guitar, strong kickdrum, the bottom end of instrumentation, 10's may be for you.
12's may be able to reach the bottom end of accoustic instrumentation, which is to say pipe organ. its a workhorse woofer, with enough cone area to get loud with few drivers, and large enough to cover the lowest of the low instruments. doesnt hit musical attacks very well.
15's represent the woofer of choice for the synthesized crowd. plays warm, low, long tones. one or two woofers is all youll need. plays sub-20 Hz, fantastic for achieving rediculous output levels of rediculously low low bass. wont do you any good for any accoustic instrumentation, though.
and remember, there is plenty of overlap. many 10's can hit kickdrum attacks, and even some 6.5's can play some warm tones. box design will also dictate this, a certain ported 12 may act like a 15 inch driver, or a sealed 15 wiht a high FS and low x-max may act like a 10" driver.
now that youve chosen at least what range you are looking to play and figured a size you think will work, you can choose the number of drivers. if you only care about bass guitar and kickdrum attacks, but want a TON of volume, one 8" woofer may not do it for ya! gotta put in six to get the output you want at that frequency response.
so now we have some very focused stereo goals, and can start to see if certain drivers fit the need. dont forget - money dictates everything, and is always a factor!
think about how daring you are - how willing to invest in something youve never heard of, or may be new to the market http://www.ascendantaudio.com/Atlas%2012.htm. or will you go for tried and true woofers, something you know a ton about for sure.
find out what kids on the internet are saying, and try to pin it down to specifics. not "this woofer was good, this one sucked." think more like "the L7 there was a bit sloppy, but the output was rediculous for the power fed and drivers used, and extended far below expected limits. jazz music didnt realy let this woofer get to its full abilities, but once we popped in that bass mechanic cd this speaker was really moving!"
look for reviews like that. you will find some woofers are known to be more musical than others, like the idq, w6v2, idmax, eDo, illusion nD series. others will be known for efficiency, idq, 12L7, sony and pioneer drivers, orion HCCA. others will be known for innefficiency, like all xbl2 drivers, the H2, 15L7, magnum D2. the list goes on.
speaking about the nD, did I mention depth may be a factor? if you are making a false floor, you may decide that id max with a 9 inch woofer depth isnt the best woofer in the world to run...
aesthetics will help to make a decision, carbon cone or paper, large motor or cast basket, or all of the above, maybe.
once youve got a list of candidates (this can be as many as a dozen or as few as one) you can pare down the list based on ease of install, cost of powering the beast or lack there of, rank them by aesthetics, the functional factors. I admit ive been influenced on more than one occasion based simply on whats gonna have the best resale value, in case I wanted to sell the thing and get something else...
finally, I keep an open mind and an open eye. deals come up all the time, and if you are in the market and searching, you cna find some amazing deals. Bought three 15w6v1's for $300 shipped to my door, simply because I was at the right place at the righ ttime with the money. talk about an easy deal to turn around and make money off of when I was done playing with them!
I think youll find, that as you define your performance goals, the list of candidate woofers will build itself, and lean out into whats gonna be best for you.
let us know if we can help you with more specificity, when the time comes.
and dont worry about the dvc, svc, 2 ohm, 4 ohm, 8 ohm, doesnt matter. once you pick the woofer, you now have a limiting factor to help you decide on an amp.
#1 what response are you looking for? think of what instrumentation you are trying to augment. if you are trying to get that heart hitting kickdrum, the kind of beats that knock you out of the chair every time they hit, you may want to look at 8" drivers.
if you want lower bass guitar, strong kickdrum, the bottom end of instrumentation, 10's may be for you.
12's may be able to reach the bottom end of accoustic instrumentation, which is to say pipe organ. its a workhorse woofer, with enough cone area to get loud with few drivers, and large enough to cover the lowest of the low instruments. doesnt hit musical attacks very well.
15's represent the woofer of choice for the synthesized crowd. plays warm, low, long tones. one or two woofers is all youll need. plays sub-20 Hz, fantastic for achieving rediculous output levels of rediculously low low bass. wont do you any good for any accoustic instrumentation, though.
and remember, there is plenty of overlap. many 10's can hit kickdrum attacks, and even some 6.5's can play some warm tones. box design will also dictate this, a certain ported 12 may act like a 15 inch driver, or a sealed 15 wiht a high FS and low x-max may act like a 10" driver.
now that youve chosen at least what range you are looking to play and figured a size you think will work, you can choose the number of drivers. if you only care about bass guitar and kickdrum attacks, but want a TON of volume, one 8" woofer may not do it for ya! gotta put in six to get the output you want at that frequency response.
so now we have some very focused stereo goals, and can start to see if certain drivers fit the need. dont forget - money dictates everything, and is always a factor!
think about how daring you are - how willing to invest in something youve never heard of, or may be new to the market http://www.ascendantaudio.com/Atlas%2012.htm. or will you go for tried and true woofers, something you know a ton about for sure.
find out what kids on the internet are saying, and try to pin it down to specifics. not "this woofer was good, this one sucked." think more like "the L7 there was a bit sloppy, but the output was rediculous for the power fed and drivers used, and extended far below expected limits. jazz music didnt realy let this woofer get to its full abilities, but once we popped in that bass mechanic cd this speaker was really moving!"
look for reviews like that. you will find some woofers are known to be more musical than others, like the idq, w6v2, idmax, eDo, illusion nD series. others will be known for efficiency, idq, 12L7, sony and pioneer drivers, orion HCCA. others will be known for innefficiency, like all xbl2 drivers, the H2, 15L7, magnum D2. the list goes on.
speaking about the nD, did I mention depth may be a factor? if you are making a false floor, you may decide that id max with a 9 inch woofer depth isnt the best woofer in the world to run...
aesthetics will help to make a decision, carbon cone or paper, large motor or cast basket, or all of the above, maybe.
once youve got a list of candidates (this can be as many as a dozen or as few as one) you can pare down the list based on ease of install, cost of powering the beast or lack there of, rank them by aesthetics, the functional factors. I admit ive been influenced on more than one occasion based simply on whats gonna have the best resale value, in case I wanted to sell the thing and get something else...
finally, I keep an open mind and an open eye. deals come up all the time, and if you are in the market and searching, you cna find some amazing deals. Bought three 15w6v1's for $300 shipped to my door, simply because I was at the right place at the righ ttime with the money. talk about an easy deal to turn around and make money off of when I was done playing with them!
I think youll find, that as you define your performance goals, the list of candidate woofers will build itself, and lean out into whats gonna be best for you.
let us know if we can help you with more specificity, when the time comes.
and dont worry about the dvc, svc, 2 ohm, 4 ohm, 8 ohm, doesnt matter. once you pick the woofer, you now have a limiting factor to help you decide on an amp.
Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit
its more of a progression, really. its key to choose your subwoofers before your amplifiers. to make sure your equipment matches. sometimes you can get away with doing the opposite, but I will lay that aside for the moment:
#1 what response are you looking for? think of what instrumentation you are trying to augment. if you are trying to get that heart hitting kickdrum, the kind of beats that knock you out of the chair every time they hit, you may want to look at 8" drivers.
if you want lower bass guitar, strong kickdrum, the bottom end of instrumentation, 10's may be for you.
12's may be able to reach the bottom end of accoustic instrumentation, which is to say pipe organ. its a workhorse woofer, with enough cone area to get loud with few drivers, and large enough to cover the lowest of the low instruments. doesnt hit musical attacks very well.
15's represent the woofer of choice for the synthesized crowd. plays warm, low, long tones. one or two woofers is all youll need. plays sub-20 Hz, fantastic for achieving rediculous output levels of rediculously low low bass. wont do you any good for any accoustic instrumentation, though.
and remember, there is plenty of overlap. many 10's can hit kickdrum attacks, and even some 6.5's can play some warm tones. box design will also dictate this, a certain ported 12 may act like a 15 inch driver, or a sealed 15 wiht a high FS and low x-max may act like a 10" driver.
now that youve chosen at least what range you are looking to play and figured a size you think will work, you can choose the number of drivers. if you only care about bass guitar and kickdrum attacks, but want a TON of volume, one 8" woofer may not do it for ya! gotta put in six to get the output you want at that frequency response.
so now we have some very focused stereo goals, and can start to see if certain drivers fit the need. dont forget - money dictates everything, and is always a factor!
think about how daring you are - how willing to invest in something youve never heard of, or may be new to the market http://www.ascendantaudio.com/Atlas%2012.htm. or will you go for tried and true woofers, something you know a ton about for sure.
find out what kids on the internet are saying, and try to pin it down to specifics. not "this woofer was good, this one sucked." think more like "the L7 there was a bit sloppy, but the output was rediculous for the power fed and drivers used, and extended far below expected limits. jazz music didnt realy let this woofer get to its full abilities, but once we popped in that bass mechanic cd this speaker was really moving!"
look for reviews like that. you will find some woofers are known to be more musical than others, like the idq, w6v2, idmax, eDo, illusion nD series. others will be known for efficiency, idq, 12L7, sony and pioneer drivers, orion HCCA. others will be known for innefficiency, like all xbl2 drivers, the H2, 15L7, magnum D2. the list goes on.
speaking about the nD, did I mention depth may be a factor? if you are making a false floor, you may decide that id max with a 9 inch woofer depth isnt the best woofer in the world to run...
aesthetics will help to make a decision, carbon cone or paper, large motor or cast basket, or all of the above, maybe.
once youve got a list of candidates (this can be as many as a dozen or as few as one) you can pare down the list based on ease of install, cost of powering the beast or lack there of, rank them by aesthetics, the functional factors. I admit ive been influenced on more than one occasion based simply on whats gonna have the best resale value, in case I wanted to sell the thing and get something else...
finally, I keep an open mind and an open eye. deals come up all the time, and if you are in the market and searching, you cna find some amazing deals. Bought three 15w6v1's for $300 shipped to my door, simply because I was at the right place at the righ ttime with the money. talk about an easy deal to turn around and make money off of when I was done playing with them!
I think youll find, that as you define your performance goals, the list of candidate woofers will build itself, and lean out into whats gonna be best for you.
let us know if we can help you with more specificity, when the time comes.
and dont worry about the dvc, svc, 2 ohm, 4 ohm, 8 ohm, doesnt matter. once you pick the woofer, you now have a limiting factor to help you decide on an amp.
#1 what response are you looking for? think of what instrumentation you are trying to augment. if you are trying to get that heart hitting kickdrum, the kind of beats that knock you out of the chair every time they hit, you may want to look at 8" drivers.
if you want lower bass guitar, strong kickdrum, the bottom end of instrumentation, 10's may be for you.
12's may be able to reach the bottom end of accoustic instrumentation, which is to say pipe organ. its a workhorse woofer, with enough cone area to get loud with few drivers, and large enough to cover the lowest of the low instruments. doesnt hit musical attacks very well.
15's represent the woofer of choice for the synthesized crowd. plays warm, low, long tones. one or two woofers is all youll need. plays sub-20 Hz, fantastic for achieving rediculous output levels of rediculously low low bass. wont do you any good for any accoustic instrumentation, though.
and remember, there is plenty of overlap. many 10's can hit kickdrum attacks, and even some 6.5's can play some warm tones. box design will also dictate this, a certain ported 12 may act like a 15 inch driver, or a sealed 15 wiht a high FS and low x-max may act like a 10" driver.
now that youve chosen at least what range you are looking to play and figured a size you think will work, you can choose the number of drivers. if you only care about bass guitar and kickdrum attacks, but want a TON of volume, one 8" woofer may not do it for ya! gotta put in six to get the output you want at that frequency response.
so now we have some very focused stereo goals, and can start to see if certain drivers fit the need. dont forget - money dictates everything, and is always a factor!
think about how daring you are - how willing to invest in something youve never heard of, or may be new to the market http://www.ascendantaudio.com/Atlas%2012.htm. or will you go for tried and true woofers, something you know a ton about for sure.
find out what kids on the internet are saying, and try to pin it down to specifics. not "this woofer was good, this one sucked." think more like "the L7 there was a bit sloppy, but the output was rediculous for the power fed and drivers used, and extended far below expected limits. jazz music didnt realy let this woofer get to its full abilities, but once we popped in that bass mechanic cd this speaker was really moving!"
look for reviews like that. you will find some woofers are known to be more musical than others, like the idq, w6v2, idmax, eDo, illusion nD series. others will be known for efficiency, idq, 12L7, sony and pioneer drivers, orion HCCA. others will be known for innefficiency, like all xbl2 drivers, the H2, 15L7, magnum D2. the list goes on.
speaking about the nD, did I mention depth may be a factor? if you are making a false floor, you may decide that id max with a 9 inch woofer depth isnt the best woofer in the world to run...
aesthetics will help to make a decision, carbon cone or paper, large motor or cast basket, or all of the above, maybe.
once youve got a list of candidates (this can be as many as a dozen or as few as one) you can pare down the list based on ease of install, cost of powering the beast or lack there of, rank them by aesthetics, the functional factors. I admit ive been influenced on more than one occasion based simply on whats gonna have the best resale value, in case I wanted to sell the thing and get something else...
finally, I keep an open mind and an open eye. deals come up all the time, and if you are in the market and searching, you cna find some amazing deals. Bought three 15w6v1's for $300 shipped to my door, simply because I was at the right place at the righ ttime with the money. talk about an easy deal to turn around and make money off of when I was done playing with them!
I think youll find, that as you define your performance goals, the list of candidate woofers will build itself, and lean out into whats gonna be best for you.
let us know if we can help you with more specificity, when the time comes.
and dont worry about the dvc, svc, 2 ohm, 4 ohm, 8 ohm, doesnt matter. once you pick the woofer, you now have a limiting factor to help you decide on an amp.
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From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 339 depends what you mean by heavy. I think either ultra low bass for long tones, or upper bass for attacks of notes, specifically bass drums and bass guitars. the first tents to shake my guts, make my pants vibrate independent of my legs, etc. the second is more like head impact, ear splitting, more likely to cause rattles, but high apparent loudness.
in either case, to get that "impact" or "SQ" in the music, you might want heavy midbass support for harmonics, especially in the 150-250 Hz region, or else its easier to get that slop that everyone says you get with 15" subwoofers. I find this ruins female vocals, but man bass guitar pops like no other!
I like tempest or brahma15, or 12L7 for those low warm tones that just project for miles. rear firing with a very well deadened trunk lid and rear deck should help you project. further deadening your outer door skins as much as possible, filling your rear quarter panels with expanding foam will help focus that vibrational energy into making loud bass, which then further projects when you roll down the windows.
for that upperbass for ultra crazy fast beats and no tones, there are a myriad of 10's I like, orion hcca comes to mind, TC makes several 8's that look impressive as well as erform. then simply get three or four of them and feed them as much power as you can afford.
what I look for again is simply real world performance.
in either case, to get that "impact" or "SQ" in the music, you might want heavy midbass support for harmonics, especially in the 150-250 Hz region, or else its easier to get that slop that everyone says you get with 15" subwoofers. I find this ruins female vocals, but man bass guitar pops like no other!
I like tempest or brahma15, or 12L7 for those low warm tones that just project for miles. rear firing with a very well deadened trunk lid and rear deck should help you project. further deadening your outer door skins as much as possible, filling your rear quarter panels with expanding foam will help focus that vibrational energy into making loud bass, which then further projects when you roll down the windows.
for that upperbass for ultra crazy fast beats and no tones, there are a myriad of 10's I like, orion hcca comes to mind, TC makes several 8's that look impressive as well as erform. then simply get three or four of them and feed them as much power as you can afford.
what I look for again is simply real world performance.
Last edited by WhiteRabbit; Mar 8, 2005 at 12:17 AM.
heavy as in hard hitting rumble and low notes. pretty much all bass and not care for SQ.
i was looking thru the kicker solobarics and they state the subs specs for FHz as:
"effective frequency range, Hz" and "reasonance frequency (fs), Hz"
which of these 2 should i pay attention to when looking for the low heavy bass? whats the difference between the two? lower the Fhz = lower bass notes?
i was looking thru the kicker solobarics and they state the subs specs for FHz as:
"effective frequency range, Hz" and "reasonance frequency (fs), Hz"
which of these 2 should i pay attention to when looking for the low heavy bass? whats the difference between the two? lower the Fhz = lower bass notes?
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From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 339 its not a direct correlation, but you can think of it somewhat that way. FS of 42 versus fs of 18 is a pretty good indicator, but not so much if its fs of 20 and fs of 25.
if you want hard hitting, low, etc, wit no regard to quality of sound (which isnt to say it wont sound good!) and youve been looking at solobarics, consider a pair of the 12L7's (not the L5) ported rearfiring in your trunk with 500-800 watts a piece (though 400 per speaker is totally great too), without worrying about the midbass support, and I bet youll find between 35 and 60 Hz youll be heard for blocks.
effective frequency range will depend on box, so I wouldnt worry about that too much.
if you want hard hitting, low, etc, wit no regard to quality of sound (which isnt to say it wont sound good!) and youve been looking at solobarics, consider a pair of the 12L7's (not the L5) ported rearfiring in your trunk with 500-800 watts a piece (though 400 per speaker is totally great too), without worrying about the midbass support, and I bet youll find between 35 and 60 Hz youll be heard for blocks.
effective frequency range will depend on box, so I wouldnt worry about that too much.
doh, too late on the L5 
is there really a dramatic difference compared with the L5 and L7? 15" 12" doesnt matter. cause i always thought of it as just the wattage that was really diff.
is there really a dramatic difference compared with the L5 and L7? 15" 12" doesnt matter. cause i always thought of it as just the wattage that was really diff.
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From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 339 theres actually a huge difference between the L5 and L7, and also between the 15 and the 12. the 15 will play lower frequencies compared to the 12. the 12 will also extend to higher frequencies.
but yes, in terms of output capabilities and quality of sound, its a night and day difference between the L5 and L7. I wouldnt worry about it too much, who knows, once they are in your car you might fall in love with em.
but yes, in terms of output capabilities and quality of sound, its a night and day difference between the L5 and L7. I wouldnt worry about it too much, who knows, once they are in your car you might fall in love with em.
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