SB Audience Bianco 18SW450 - first impressions (open baffle)

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#21
Velcro!
 

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#25
Joensd,
Yes, there are gaps. I put some rubber between, then screwed the modules together 🙂 Maybe this cancels some vibration. What is for sure it allows me to experiment with the midrange compartment. And it looks better than one big plate.
 
#29
Sorry for delay...
I wuold say that they sound... good. I wouldn't say those produced the best bass ever but they sound very decent, especially for the price I paid. I don't have any urges to look for replacements.
They are not "muddy" or "slow", that's for sure.
One big BUT: they are my first 18s so I am comparing them to 12s and 15s I had before. And now I now that 18 is my number! 😀
 
#31
apolinary said:
I thought I could say a few words regarding my initial impressions/experience with my new subs.
I bought these for my OB design, to replace the FaitalPro 15FH510. The Faitals were good drivers overall, yet having Fs at 35Hz they really needed some help to cover the frequency down to solid 30 Hz. So I needed 10'' sealed subs to be happy with the sound of my OB.
The goal was to get rid of the sealed subs. I started to look for 18'' drivers, with a decent Fs and a solid construction. After all I decided to go for well-regarded and expensive BMS 18N862 and I almost bought them... Then searching for them I accidently found the Biancos... They were suspiciously cheap (you could have 4 Biancos for the price of 1 BMS) but... They are manufactured by the pro division of SB Acoustics and I always regarded them as a reliable company. Next, they had everything I needed: low Fs, cast aluminium chassis, copper as winding material, decent Xmax of 11mm... relatively low power handling (450 AEs) didn't bother me as they were intended for home use.
So I decided to give them a chance and regret later...

Let's start with the looks: they are good looking, and I mean both sides which can be important for OB. The front side of the cone is uneven under the coating which is looking good, real-like, not a cheap plastic glossy.
Overall construction from the first looking/touching seems very solid, nothing alarming there.

Now the sound. First of all I don't listen very loud, max 90db at the listening spot, I think 100dB if you add peaks.They play in 50cm wide U-frame Open Baffle. The front pannel is 36mm plywood, the U-frame is 20cm deep. Their duty is to play up to 100Hz where they give over to Faitals 12PR300. They are driven actively (minidsp) with, obviously, a lot of eq. I wondered how hard I could push them only to find that... yes, you could be brutal and the Biancos didn't mind. Of course, every driver can be damaged if you try really hard... just saying that I had them pushed 24db at 25Hz and they didn't show any weird behaviour like suspicious noises, vibration, etc.
The sound is pretty much like I wanted to have. Substantially deeper then the previous 15'' Faitals so I got rid of the sealed subs.
And hey... they are still fresh, so after they break-in I'll be back to give you more info.
Click to expand...
The frames dimensions that you specified, are they internal or external?
 
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