jwatson364 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 which specs will tell you if your sub is gonna rattle the walls and rock the foundation???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNRabbit Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Your ears & butt will tell you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 the first thing I look at, and this is just me, is amp power. Both RMS and Max. Secondly, how big is the Hz range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peshewah Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Frequency response is what I looked for when I was in the market. The lower the first #, the lower it will go. There are a few people on this forum who can explain all the specs to you and they are very helpful if you can get their attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slumberer Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Displacement volume capability of the driver, current draw of the amp and frequency response curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 -3dB point,a great 12-80Hz rating is worthless if the sub starts to roll of above 30Hz and the -3dB point is at 40Hz. A great sub will be linear down to at least 20Hz and is capable of high clean output @ 20Hz. Here displacement comes into play,there is no replacement for displacement(be it driver,port and/or other loading to increase output). A reference class sub will be capable to below 16hz at levels of over 100dB measured GP two meters from the sub.In room this translates into much higher output as room gain is inevitable.The best subs today can best 110dB measured GP ~1 meter from the sub,at frequencies below 20Hz! This will be over 120dB in room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 For what it's worth, the power rating of the amplifier tells you how good of a heater the subwoofer is. 10,000W into an 80dB driver is the same SPL as 10W into a 110dB driver. PWK was very adament about this and has written some very funny articles on the topic...which I don't have readily available at the moment. So what really matters is the max SPL of the subwoofer. You'll be shaking the walls with anything that digs below 30Hz, but will probably want to aim for 20Hz Distortion doesn't matter all too much for shaking walls, but if you want it to sound good I would look for something with less than 5% THD at the max SPL you'll be listening at... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Bottom line a great sub is defined byclean output,plenty of clean output sustained at high SPL and capable of sustaining(linearity)this output down to below audibility. Pro subs roll off as fast as falling rocks under 30Hz this is NOT acceptable today. WIth the advent of high displacement drivers there is no excuse to propose subs with poor extension.High outut yYES,but extension down to below 20Hz while maintaining the HIGH output and low distortion MUCH BETTER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricci Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 There really isn't a good spec to look at or trust that will tell you one sw is better than another. Mfgr's often fudge FR response (using -10db), amplifier power (peak burst at 1khz in some bizarre test condition), max spl ( measured at 70hz[]), etc. The way I would do it if I bought commercial sw's would be to educatedly guess the displacement capabilities and efficiencies of the sw. Look at the cone area (driver size, multiple drivers), enclosure size, type of enclosure (a ported one needs to be large), amplifier power. The bigger, or more of each of these the better in general. Also look for 3rd party testing and lastly reviews by credible sources with experience with many sw's. Mike is correct about the amplifier power spec not being a good way to compare sw's. You may have one sw that is a very compact, expensive 12" sealed type that has a 1250w amp (Velodyne) and another that is much larger, cheaper, ported 15" with only a 350w amp ( Epik). In this case the 15" is going to be much more powerful and extended than the small 12" due to much better efficiency from a bigger cabinet, porting and more cone area. This is not to say that the small 12 is a bad sub, it is just a much more specialized design. You have to make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Arthur, Many pro subs dream of having true 30hz extension. Many of them are already rolling off heavily at 40hz and even 50hz for some of the real turds. That's the good ones like DSL & EAW that will rock the venue all the way down to 30! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwatson364 Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 the badest sub i have ever owned or heard at a house is the sub12...the sub10 was, but then my friend got a sub12 and its nails.... is there anything better than the sub12 that is cheaper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 is there anything better than the sub12 that is cheaper? Not in my opinion........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Can subs dream? [] I doubt they can, can subs move air. They sure do. Some people are impressed by the output of pro subs. Pretty much all pro subs are optimised for maximum clean output,not extension. They should be called GIANT bass modules that pound the pavement and render a few drunk concert goers more hearing impraired. LOL With the fragile(as in castle of cards) economy we may see a new market segment form ...from consumer gear to Pro gear to POS gear. [] BlueRay will mutate into Bad Ray offering a blazing 320-200 resolution in Mpeg 1. LOL next... Wol-Mrt changes their slogan to We Crush Prices and ... more! ...further down the road...I finally become low key and humble(aint gonna happen) The tenth planet passes near Earth in 2012 and there is a major pole shift! We need to reverse the polarity... LOL End of 2012 TheEAR capitulates and signs the Deaf Sub act ...giving the aliens (illegal or outter space?) total power of the sub bass market segment!!! [:$] The judgement day arrives!!! TheLord Subwooferus descends on planet Earth from Nirbu (whet ever it is called) and declares TheEAR the supreme master of TheEARTH ...hey see the TheEAR TheEAR..TH. I seize Hurd's TC Sounds and Ricci's RE XXX's drivers. Then I retire...I also claim Jay's PMS-5400 as my own!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slumberer Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 the badest sub i have ever owned or heard at a house is the sub12...the sub10 was, but then my friend got a sub12 and its nails.... is there anything better than the sub12 that is cheaper? The 'cheap' SVS PB12NSD will also shake your entire house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricci Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 "I seize Hurd's TC Sounds and Ricci's RE XXX's drivers. Then I retire...I also claim Jay's PMS-5400 as my own!!! " Only after you pry them out of my cold dead hands![8o|] Been reading some Zachariah Sitchin, Arthur? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Ricci, I will then have to keep you in a freezer for 48 Hours. Then defrost the things grasping to the RE XXX's ! Then again you have four RE 18's,you can only manage to hold on to one. [] For some recreational WWE style debates please visit the BS forum, where my best buddy NO Valve and I are in full Christmas spirit !!! [:|] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricci Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 Ricci, I will then have to keep you in a freezer for 48 Hours. Then defrost the things grasping to the RE XXX's ! Then again you have four RE 18's,you can only manage to hold on to one. Pfft. I am mutant with chimpanzee like opposeable thumbed feet. I can hold one on each limb. The ported one has retinal scan, voice and fingerprint identity verification system. To deter unauthorized sub jackers.[Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 I seize Hurd's TC Sounds and Ricci's RE XXX's drivers. Then I retire...I also claim Jay's PMS-5400 as my own!!! still jealous I see [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 I would just hold onto it until he tugs and let it go, the magnet will hit him in the head and kill him!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 Of a single LMS-5400...not much. I have four LMS-Ultra and will add four to eight LMS-Ultra in a few months. [] I am slightly jealous of four RE XXX drivers...just enough to want my own quartet.[] Jay, I would not be pulling on the driver,I would pull the trigger. [:@] Plulling the trigger on a four unit purchase of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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