The Current Maximum Bang For Your Buck Driver

[AJinFLA]

Hi Expinos,

off course it took me forever to actually get some pics etc, but here you go. The Pyles were used as subs in a rather large dipole, made mainly from scrap wood I had laying around, so no jokes about the looks . They sound pretty darn decent for such a cheap driver. They are not quite on par with my XLS's or Rythmik Servos in terms of absolute SQ, but they are a bargain at 1/4 the price! The XLS certainly doesn't sound 4x better. The bass lines were nice and clean, no audible noises from suspension/vents, etc. the 150w MCM plate amps would clip before the Pyles showed any signs of distress (at these volumes my metal ceiling rafters were rattling ). 6 in an IB should sound great for a little over $200. I think you will be pleasantly suprised.

cheers,

AJ

[AJinFLA]

It also turns out that the dust cap is easily removed if you should be so inclined. I had read previously on this site that nothing really sticks to poly. The cap can be pried loose with a (dull!) butter knife. Be patient and careful of course. Came of nicely in 1pc, handy if you intend to replace it later. The glue I simply rubbed of with my fingers. You can see the vent holes under the cap that I had mentioned previously in the thread.

Cheers,

AJ

[Tweeker]

When I was searching on the Madison drivers, they had a very bad rep on the PSW boards.

[AJinFLA]

Hi Tweeker,

was it an issue of sound quality, build quality or both? If its SQ thats probably not so good, although you have to keep things in perspective as they are quite cheap. Build quality is another issue. Also keep in mind that in a home environment they are probably not going to take quite as much a beating as they do in a Pro Audio setting (massive SPL,etc.). I guess sometimes you just get what you pay for. It would be interesting to hear from those on this forum who may have, or at least heard the Madisons. I've seen at least 1 pic where someone was using one of those huge 21" Madisons in an open baffle design.


Cheers,

AJ

[Tweeker]

Yes, well, they are marketed as pro audio gear. Issues were with sound quality and power handling that might not be as important in dipoles, and with thier business practices.

[Pallas]

Another woofer that might fit in here is the Peavey 18" Low Rider that's $190 shipped at Parts Express and has a 9.something mm xmax. While I haven't run sims, one would think that a ~1.2L of Vd could get pretty loud down low in whatever enclosure size you want if you're willing to do an LT.

As an added bonus, it also seems to hit all the things that I've found to be bass quality G-spots, with a reasonably low Le (0.87mH, presumably due to a Faraday ring in the motor) and nice high Qms.