Augspurger GA15X-8 Opinions?

Just when I was about convinced I was going to drain my bank account and buy a pair of TAD 1601A, I discovered that Augspurger is now replacing the 15" TAD TL-160x woofers with the Augspurger GA15X-8 that they had designed to provide the same performance as the Pioneer.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with the new Augspurger 15 inchers? Do they really perform identically to the TL-1601a for example? They are ~$200 less per woof than new 1601A TADs.
 
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Just when I was about convinced I was going to drain my bank account and buy a pair of TAD 1601A, I discovered that Augspurger is now replacing the 15" TAD TL-160x woofers with the Augspurger GA15X-8 that they had designed to provide the same performance as the Pioneer.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with the new Augspurger 15 inchers? Do they really perform identically to the TL-1601a for example? They are ~$200 less per woof than new 1601A TADs.

In spite of those claims, these look like very typical more 'modern' (and by that I don't mean BETTER) woofers, and the few specs given on that webpage are a give-away that their T-S parameters are probably significantly different.

Huge power handling, very high BL and smallish recommended box volumes tend to indicate a heavier diaphragm (Mms), a stiff surround and a high (>100) EBP = Fs/Qes.

Compared to a TAD TL-1601a (lower BL, lighter diaphragm, softer suspension and EBP = 80), I bet this new woofer will have less low frequency extension and worse low-level detail retrieval.

But of course it will also be cheaper to source for Augspurger ;-)

Marco
 
Huge power handling, very high BL and smallish recommended box volumes tend to indicate a heavier diaphragm (Mms), a stiff surround and a high (>100) EBP = Fs/Qes.

Compared to a TAD TL-1601a (lower BL, lighter diaphragm, softer suspension and EBP = 80), I bet this new woofer will have less low frequency extension and worse low-level detail retrieval.

But of course it will also be cheaper to source for Augspurger ;-)

Marco

Points well taken Marco.

I've decided that without auditioning them I'd reserve judgement and still move forward with my plan to buy the TAD 1601A.

That is unless my friend comes up with a comparable woofer for less money. I fell in love with TAD during a listening session recently. They were the clearest most accurate woofers I've ever heard! And perfectly integrated to the system.
 
hi, i ve recently encountered augspurer quatro system with subs, and most of the test stuff i listened had a boost in high mids, did u ever listen to that system, is there a system which can adjust freqencies for them? thanks
 
hi, i ve recently encountered augspurer quatro system with subs, and most of the test stuff i listened had a boost in high mids, did u ever listen to that system, is there a system which can adjust freqencies for them? thanks
Nope, never heard them. I went ahead with my 1601A purchase and never looked back. I recently also purchased a pair of mint 1601B woofers that I'm now playing with. They have the same clarity as the A models, just a bit different response that needed some adjustment with my crossover.
 

Pioneer's website is pretty lame now. They seem to have deleted all access to info on older professional drivers.
I'm glad I copied the T/S parameters when they were still available.

Like I posted earlier. These boxes are far from ideal. But the drivers fit. I added sound absorbing foam to the sides and added Acousta-Stuf.

Did you ever receive feedback from your client regarding the custom boxes you designed for the 1601A?
 

Attachments

Not yet.

For those that no not of what we talk, the miniOnken for TAD 1601. (i do not own rights to this specific box anymore).

Tad-Ken-visualization.png


If i can find the spec to the GA15 i will se ehow it does witht he same kind of alignment.

dave
 
Hi WBS,

thank you for the reply. I have the - same as yours - TADs in about 100l ( 3.5 cuft) enclosures, just because I have them. I did some modelling and it seems that a reasonable compromise (size vs efficiency) appears to be about 175l-180l.

So, I was wondering what size have you decided on.

Kindest regards,

M
 
+1 on finesse and elegance over the ultimate extension. That's kinda why I've stayed with the sealed boxes that I have.

I lack the smarts required to make the necessary calculations in order to design my own Onken or mini-onken boxes.

It's kind of amazing that the 1601a is 40 years old this year!
 
Hi Dave,

I understand the finesse and elegance criterion, I was just reacting to your assertion that: "ant [sic] larger the alignment starts to get ugly."

Hi WBS,

I, too, lack the designing skills. So what I did was simulate enclosure volume vs predicted power for a target SPL, and then selected the one based on the compromise I noted supra.

Kindest regards,

M