Alpine Type S is your Value Leader.

Over on diyma I crunched the numbers to figure out which drivers move the most air for the least money:

Bass Race 2013 - DIYMA Car Audio Forum

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


Based on that data, I believe the Alpine Type S 15" woofer is currently the 'value leader.' I base this statement on the following:

1) Making bass is all about moving air
2) The SWS-15D2 can move over a liter of air, and can be delivered to your door for $129
3) To put that in perspective, a prosound driver like the 18Sound 18NLW9600 can move 50% more air, but costs more than five times as much

There are likely a handful of woofers that can move more air for less money, but the ones that can don't have a flat BL curve. (For instance, you can almost buy *three* Pyle PPA15s for the cost of ONE Alpine, but the Alpine has more than twice the displacement, and a more advanced motor too.)

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No wonder people were doing builds of 12 Stereo Integrity 18" at a time. They are only $200 each. Nice.

Pat is the motor on the alpine 15" strong enough for horn loading?

I know the cone on my 18" Dayton ref sure is strong enough, but with all that mass plus horn loading I think the driver might choke through its stroke when really pushed.
 
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I dunno Patrick,
SI HT series is looking good these days...
Data-Bass

Nice find! We have a new winner. The SI 15" exceeds the Pyle for 'displacement per dollar.'

I'd still opt for the Alpine - it has a flatter BL curve - but the SI does indeed provide more output per dollar.

If anyone wants to put their data into the spreadsheet, drop me a line and I'll share it with you.

(I didn't count the SI 18" for the same reason I didn't count the Mach 5 drivers - they're not available.)

Here's where it stands currently:

#1 - Stereo Integrity - 10.64 millileters of displacement per dollar
#2 - Pyle PPA-15 - 9.6ml per dollar
#3 - Alpine SWS-15D2 - 8.99 ml per dollar (and the first in the top 3 with a flat BL curve)
 
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The winner, by a long shot, is the Polk MM1540, which Crutchfield recently slashed the price on.

Polk Audio MM1540 Mobile Monitor Series 15" subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

I'm calculating 23mL/$ with an Sd of 829 and an xmax of 25mm.

I've been using these Polk MM subs for a variety of applications over the years, and they are incredible. I'm always surprised that they're never mentioned anywhere in forums.

In chronological order I've built a 12" sealed for my car, 8" sealed for my dad's car, a pair of 15" LLTs for a friend's home theater (~7ft^3 each), and a 15" ported for my home theater (~3.5ft^3).

I'd like to try them in a tapped horn soon.
 
The winner, by a long shot, is the Polk MM1540, which Crutchfield recently slashed the price on.

Polk Audio MM1540 Mobile Monitor Series 15" subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

I'm calculating 23mL/$ with an Sd of 829 and an xmax of 25mm.

I've been using these Polk MM subs for a variety of applications over the years, and they are incredible. I'm always surprised that they're never mentioned anywhere in forums.

In chronological order I've built a 12" sealed for my car, 8" sealed for my dad's car, a pair of 15" LLTs for a friend's home theater (~7ft^3 each), and a 15" ported for my home theater (~3.5ft^3).

I'd like to try them in a tapped horn soon.

These DO NOT have a 25mm one way xmax, see below. I'm also not liking the power handling, voicecoil size, and plastic basket.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1431014/my-first-ever-diy-sub/90
 
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The SVC models are rated for 425W, whereas the DVC are rated at 360W. Not sure why there's a difference. I've used SVCs for all my applications, and I would say the 425 is fairly accurate. They're all pushed with 500W or greater amps (except my dad's 8", but that sub doesn't get pushed at all anyway).

The plastic baskets are plenty stiff. I would say at least as stiff as any stamped steel basket. Maybe not as stiff as a cast aluminum frame on a TC Sounds, but it doesn't have to be.

Based on their T/S parameters, the efficiency listed in their specs is inflated. I think it's actually given at 2.83V instead of 1W. WinISD's calculator puts it at 87.5dB/W.

Even if the actual xmax is half of its rating, it's still in the running for the best value. These subs definitely move a lot of air and sound good.

As for a tapped horn, I know it would have to be rather large if I want decent extension. I'm not sure when I'll get to it, because I don't have room for a larger box at the moment.
 
These specs are similar to ‘50s era BLH drivers and what was used in the Jensen Transflex, the original tapped pipe AFAIK, so with a modest 2:1 CR it makes for plenty of peak SPL down to 18 Hz placed against a wall in only ~170 L net.

Load the attached file into HR to view and/or modify it to suit.

GM
 

Attachments

  • polk_mm1540_tp.txt
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what about efficiency? Smaller amp $ less drain on batteries $

If you add efficiency into the equation, the whole thing becomes subjective. Because how much efficiency are you willing to trade for output?

Personally I lean towards the Adire Audio school of design, which is relatively low efficiency, but as much displacement as you can possibly squeeze into the design without breaking the bank. When you go that route, you're going to need a big amp, but you'll generally find that output per cubic foot is maximized.

But this thread shows how it's a real balancing act. For instance, if you have a 15" woofer with 30mm of xmax that costs $500, it's going to get beat by a 15" woofer with 20mm of xmax that costs $250. (At least in terms of displacement per dollar.) So the trick is to maximize displacement without resorting to features that will drive up the cost of the design.

The Polk that was posted is another good example of this. It has a high QTS due to the small motor, and it's power handling is obviously exaggerated. At the same time, it's very very inexpensive and it has a lot of displacement. So used within it's limits (low power, high QTS) it would likely make a LOT of bass.