@Ro808 Thats a dramatic difference considering the cone diameter deficit, it's in line with my perception on the 8NDL51. The lower mids on up are musical, dynamic and highly resolving. This driver will take quite a bit of input before it starts to compress or strain. Very few mids can match the detail retrieval, even above the typical usage range. On top of that, as a range limited woofer with a bit of EQ on the low end, it will surprise in terms of how much air it can actually move in a ported cab. That's despite this enclosure type not sounding as snappy as a smaller sealed box in midbass applications.
A small mod that helps with lower level motor noise on the 8NDL51 is adding some 3/16 holes to the spider's sides. This decompresses the spider underside so the air being pushed past the VC gap isn't as audible. I wouldn't do this on a continuous very high output midbass application as it would compromise power handling, but in most situations its a non issue. A larger diameter, blunt tip on a soldering iron makes quick work of this. A total of 8 holes are all that's needed.
A small mod that helps with lower level motor noise on the 8NDL51 is adding some 3/16 holes to the spider's sides. This decompresses the spider underside so the air being pushed past the VC gap isn't as audible. I wouldn't do this on a continuous very high output midbass application as it would compromise power handling, but in most situations its a non issue. A larger diameter, blunt tip on a soldering iron makes quick work of this. A total of 8 holes are all that's needed.
Last edited:
How do folks think distortion of the 8NDL51 compares to the 8MBX51? Sonics? Are there any similar measurements for the MBX?
A proper indicator is the sound of the naked driver - full range without any filtering, mounted in a vented cab, tuned at (about) 60 Hz.
Last edited: