Who makes the lowest distortion pro-sound subwoofers?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jump to Latest
#25
If you want tons of super low output, I don't see how you can beat a pile of cheap, big woofers IB. For under $900 you could do 8 Mach 5 MJ18s IB.

http://www.mach5audio.com/product_i...id=62&osCsid=2373fbf8fd0c9430a1c6734e69be3c75

That right there is 8230 cm^2 of surface area that can move about an inch peak to peak with negligible distortion. They're basic, well built drivers- a much better value (in this case) than some of these high tech PA drivers that have a lot of money sunk into lowering distortion that will already be negligible in your case.
 
#26
Rybaudio said:
If you want tons of super low output, I don't see how you can beat a pile of cheap, big woofers IB. For under $900 you could do 8 Mach 5 MJ18s IB.

http://www.mach5audio.com/product_i...id=62&osCsid=2373fbf8fd0c9430a1c6734e69be3c75

That right there is 8230 cm^2 of surface area that can move about an inch peak to peak with negligible distortion. They're basic, well built drivers- a much better value (in this case) than some of these high tech PA drivers that have a lot of money sunk into lowering distortion that will already be negligible in your case.
Click to expand...

Lots of displacement per dollar, but needs a box the size of a garden shed 🙂

Ian
 
#27
thadman said:
How do horns operate below their cutoff? as direct radiators?
Click to expand...

Horn gain doesnt stop directly below cutoff, it is more like smooth rolloff, but yes, front loaded horns with a closed rear chamber behave as direct radiatiors in a closed box if the frequency is low enough. that is because the wavelengths get so long, that the horn becomes acoustically invisible, so only the closed box remains as the enclosure.

iand said:


Lots of displacement per dollar, but needs a box the size of a garden shed 🙂

Ian
Click to expand...

Well, he said IB, didnt he?
 
#28
The obvious solution seems like a 5-way, but that starts to get quite complex...

IB below 40/50hz
Hornloaded/Ported/Sealed Prosound bass above 40/50hz

Hornloaded looks interesting, but I'm not interested in enclosures >2' wide x >2' tall x >2.5' deep as I'd like to stack them above the midrange enclosure to operate as an array. Upper end XO would be 150-200hz.
 
#33
iand said:
If you're looking for a pro-audio subwoofer -- one that won't run out of linear Xmax at full power down to (say) 30Hz or below -- there are few choices.

Taking linear Xmax as (Hvc-Hg) and mathematical Xmax as Hvc-3Hg/4 (estimated to agree with DUMAX or Klippel Xmax), we have in order of descending mathematical Xmax (which is what most manufacturers quote):

1. Aura 1808/Seismic 8196 : 100mm underhung 25mm Al coil in 50mm gap
-- linear Xmax 13mm, mathematical Xmax 19mm
-- replaced the 6174 (see below), has lasted me for several years now
-- extremely expensive

2. McCauley 6174 : 100mm overhung 40mm Al coil in 10mm gap
-- linear Xmax 15mm, mathematical Xmax 17.5mm
-- relatively low BL, I fried one of these with repetitive 25Hz bass
-- very expensive, needs huge box

3. BMS 18N850V2 : 100mm overhung 38mm Cu coil in 12mm gap
-- linear Xmax 13mm, mathematical Xmax 16mm
-- just plain expensive, I will use this next time (since I need 4 drivers)

[snip]

Overall I'd say the BMS18N850V2 is the best bet -- the V1 has higher BL and Mmd which again makes it less useful except in a very big horn.

Ian
Click to expand...

A new possibility for the top of the list:

0. BMS 18N860 : 100mm overhung 50mm Cu coil in 12mm gap
-- linear Xmax 19mm, mathematical Xmax 22mm
-- 1500W continuous power handling

http://bmspro.com/18N860.bms_18n860_woofer.0.html

This is way out in front of any other (available) pro-audio sub as far as Xmax is concerned (the PASUB drivers -- which may be vapourware -- are 20mm mathematical Xmax).

Ian
 
#35
12Pi basshorn subwoofer

Forgive me for "tooting my own horn" but the plans are available free of charge for the DIY community. I'm not sure if that makes it OK to post information about it or not. If not, moderator, please feel free to delete this post.

The 12Pi basshorn subwoofer throws everything at the problems of distortion, efficiency and thermal management. It uses push-pull drive to reduce distortion, horn loading to increase efficiency and reduce distortion and cooling plugs to keep the motors cool. The cooling plugs reduce compression and electro-mechanical parameter shift and they increase system reliability. The 12Pi basshorn is a big cabinet to be sure (45x45x28), but it's hard to beat in terms of high efficiency, high output and low distortion.

Specifications, plans, and information can be found at the following link. There's a lot of information there, technical discussions, response and distortion charts from outdoor measurements at various power levels (up to maximum), assembly write-ups with pictures, Hornresp models, etc. So browse through the links, there's a wealth of measurement data there, not just models or plans but also real performance data.



 
#36
MaVo said:
Is it allready released? I cant google places to buy it and the pdf says "preliminary".
Click to expand...

I don't know about the availability, the preliminary data sheet has only just appeared on the BMS website But I'm sure they'll tell you if you ask them, they've been helpful with both technical and supply information when I've asked them in the past.

Ian
 
#39
I agree that sub is a relative term ... in the pro world it means 40hz with 150db :hot: they dont want too low frequencies which means excessive Xmax at high SPL ... although a BIG tapped horn with MULTIPLE hifi drivers would solve that ... I believe Tom Danley have built one into a big container ... I thought it was a joke when I first saw it, but it probably makes perfectly sense
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom