@chromenuts Those GRS drivers are an excellent deal for the price. I like most of their stuff. The 8" long excursion steel basket subs are particularly good and go very low while being reasonably sensitive.
I would have liked to try the high excursion GRS units…the price and specs really are impressive. However, it would require a complete redesign and rebuild of the project.
The standard GRS subwoofer is even more of a bargain. At 6mm xmax its 3X what my Peerless drivers have. Unfortunately the Fs of 48Hz and 89dB sensitivity aren’t convincing me it would be worth my effort to try and rework the chambers and fit them to the project.
The standard GRS subwoofer is even more of a bargain. At 6mm xmax its 3X what my Peerless drivers have. Unfortunately the Fs of 48Hz and 89dB sensitivity aren’t convincing me it would be worth my effort to try and rework the chambers and fit them to the project.
Great thread, very interesting.
Referencing a few comments here and bass speaker building in general, I believe that far too many builders become a little obsessed with driver sensitivity, low Fs, and enclosure efficiency; folks, it's not like we're trying to eke out the maximum spl from a five watt valve amp anymore!
Power and EQ are both cheap these days, making it apposite to place audio fidelity first and foremost instead of striving for that last half a Hertz lower at F3, or an extra 1/2dB output somewhere.
Referencing a few comments here and bass speaker building in general, I believe that far too many builders become a little obsessed with driver sensitivity, low Fs, and enclosure efficiency; folks, it's not like we're trying to eke out the maximum spl from a five watt valve amp anymore!
Power and EQ are both cheap these days, making it apposite to place audio fidelity first and foremost instead of striving for that last half a Hertz lower at F3, or an extra 1/2dB output somewhere.
The GRS SW-4HE is a seriously good little 8" sub driver regardless of price.
I built a pair of 1 cu ft sealed boxes with these for my son's media setup.
A small TPA3255 amp with built in crossover and light LF boost around 35 hz was used for power. We were blown away at the precision and low end reach these tiny little guys were capable of. Nothing could upset them in terms of music. These drivers will take every bit of power any typical AV receiver could possibly dish out. Before this, my son used a single 12" DVC Eminence driver in a 2 cu ft sealed box, which sounded good, but didn't have much depth or articulation. The dual 8" GRSs put it to shame in every way. They sound much more capable than any typical single 12" sub I've heard.
I bet that 4 of these SW-4HE would do extremely well in a slot loaded push-push design. Push-pull would be difficult due to physical driver size. Imagine 8 of these guys in a slot loaded module would be just like a capable (if not better than) 15" sub. I’ve heard many subs using lesser orthodox designs, but a slot loaded sub with 8 pcs of very capable 8" drivers would do very well.
I built a pair of 1 cu ft sealed boxes with these for my son's media setup.
A small TPA3255 amp with built in crossover and light LF boost around 35 hz was used for power. We were blown away at the precision and low end reach these tiny little guys were capable of. Nothing could upset them in terms of music. These drivers will take every bit of power any typical AV receiver could possibly dish out. Before this, my son used a single 12" DVC Eminence driver in a 2 cu ft sealed box, which sounded good, but didn't have much depth or articulation. The dual 8" GRSs put it to shame in every way. They sound much more capable than any typical single 12" sub I've heard.
I bet that 4 of these SW-4HE would do extremely well in a slot loaded push-push design. Push-pull would be difficult due to physical driver size. Imagine 8 of these guys in a slot loaded module would be just like a capable (if not better than) 15" sub. I’ve heard many subs using lesser orthodox designs, but a slot loaded sub with 8 pcs of very capable 8" drivers would do very well.
Last edited:
Yes those are the drivers I would have liked to try. They look very promising.
The frame diameter is the same as the standard SW version at 209mm which I would have to figure out a way to clearance.
I don’t see push/pull happening while maintaining my current slot dimensions at about 1/3 Sd.
Even a push/push arrangement would require a rebuild of my panels since the HE driver motors are an inch deeper and would stick out so far that my rear wings would have to be perforated like a ripole or moved.
I also wouldn’t be able to use the screens I made and would probably have to change the panels to have a square footprint. Might as well scrap it and start from scratch.
I’m currently sulking over it and debating if the SW version would be worth the effort.
The frame diameter is the same as the standard SW version at 209mm which I would have to figure out a way to clearance.
I don’t see push/pull happening while maintaining my current slot dimensions at about 1/3 Sd.
Even a push/push arrangement would require a rebuild of my panels since the HE driver motors are an inch deeper and would stick out so far that my rear wings would have to be perforated like a ripole or moved.
I also wouldn’t be able to use the screens I made and would probably have to change the panels to have a square footprint. Might as well scrap it and start from scratch.
I’m currently sulking over it and debating if the SW version would be worth the effort.