Sub Size

[Lefty504]

is it true that larger subs skip beats, i.e. they wont catch multiple beat patterns??? i knew a few ppl who would rather get 4 10's over 2 15's.

[amazinblazin10]

i've heard something like that before beings that it takes more power to keep those larger cone areas keep up with the beat, so i can see how that is true and you'd probably get more cone area out of 4 10's and 2 15's, but i don't feel like doing up the math right now.

[jonathancullen89]

not true, but it all depends on the box. my 15's keep up with everything i throw it at em, ive had smaller subs and actually prefer 15's over 12's

[Gotloud555]

is it true that larger subs skip beats, i.e. they wont catch multiple beat patterns??? i knew a few ppl who would rather get 4 10's over 2 15's.

Well i heard that bigger sub seem to move slower than samller sub so possiblity. Bigger sub would have more cone area than samller one.

[Lefty504]

i have 2 12s that work fine, but i wanted to upgrade to 15s eventually... it sounds like it may make sense but if that was the case then y would they even make bigger subs if they didnt perform properly?? i should test some 15s...

[tacomabanga1986]

it does take more power to get a larger cone to move more rapidly kinda why stadium setups are higher powered than most cause to use 15's for mids n what knot they will play double kick drum beats fast as hell but takes alot more power to do so, but also applys into car audio it takes more power to push a larger sub to do more cycles than a smaller one cause theres less surface area to move and well ive heard that 10s are louder than 15's but not nere as deep sounding, now i kno u can get 15's loud as hell but ive had a set of mtx 4000 10's ran off a 400w amp that was loud as hell for 10's, imo 10s will do more sq than 15's but not as loud but 15's will feel deeper due to more cone area, like u get a 10 doin 20htz and a 18 doin 20htz and the more surface area will do more vibration than the less but 10's can be more controlled than 15's cause at givin power they will do pritty much anything from 20-180htz but larger subs dont like to play a higher freq, now this also comes into play what kinda subs they are cause u can get some larger motor 10's play louder than a set of smaller motor 15's, and depends on box tho, kinda why i got midbass to ketch up were the 15's drop off at then mids n highs ketch up from there, im gettin more into sq than hella bass cause i like a setup that can get down but still be clean sounding, most ppl like 10's, some like 12,some like 15s n 18's, i guess its more personal preference tho, if u want a louder tighter bass get 10-12 if u want louder looser lower bass that can still be tight soundin get 15-18, i like 15's alot more than 10's or 12's cause i love low soundin bass, but if u listen to more rock 10's or 12's would be better than 15's

[Sniper]

gotta steal some info from Audiopulse, but heres what they say for this :

# 3 Subwoofers are fast / slow

More appropriately labeled Damping or Ringing, these concepts are really reciprocals of one another have nothing to do with speed, tightness, “boomieness” or any other misused and inappropriate term for subwoofers. Subwoofers, or rather bass drivers, all move at the same frequency when instructed to via an input single. The difference is really about the Q alignment of the system. There are many famous Q alignments which produce various frequency responses, but beyond the complex mathematics is a fundamental principal of force and acceleration and the driver will respond to a sinusoidal wave at various accelerations depending on the moving mass and force that the voice coil and motor generate on the cone. Therefore any driver can be faster or slower depending simply on the voltage! It makes little sense to call any driver faster or slower.

Damping or Ringing is really what we’re after and the amount of either is really a function of system volume along with the electro-mechanical damping factor of the driver. For example, in a sealed box system, as the volume of the cabinet becomes small, the internal pressures increase when the driver pushes in and out. This pressure is a force which, not nearly as strong as the electromotive damping force, works in the opposite direction. Contrary to intuition, higher internal pressure (which we tend to associate with tightness or stiffness) decreases damping and promotes ringing at one particular frequency (Fc in the case of a sealed box). The pressure from the air inside the box works against the driver’s natural damping factor of 1/(Qts). When the pressure becomes large relative to the motor’s damping factor, the driver will ring more and cause a peak in SPL at the given resonate frequency (Fc). This tends to be somewhere around 40-60Hz in a given sealed box, but could be outside that range under abnormal circumstances. This peak is ill desired and is accountable to the proclaimed “boomy” sounding subwoofers which tend to lack clarity, good transit response and dynamics. However some people prefer some ringing because it provides a natural boost in a very audible frequency band. Likewise, in a larger box, the Q will decrease and the ringing and SPL around that frequency will too, but the low end will open up and you’ll have more deep bass. This tends to sound better and more controlled.

On the flip side, over dampened drivers tend to have poor low frequency response and require equalization to boost the low frequencies. They tend to work better in vented boxes where their larger motor force factor (BL^2/Re) is put to good use with a resonator which then makes the low end much more efficient with its increased displacement. Likewise, drivers with high Qts will work better in sealed boxes and should be exempt from being used in a ported system without careful consideration. When high Q drivers are used in a vented system they will ring at the tuning frequency of the box (Fb in this case) and the “boomy” problem is considerably worse.

#12 Double bass kick, only good sounding drivers can do it

We have all heard that only good “SQ” drivers can do double bass kick because they have good transient response or something to that extent. This is really nothing more than linear frequency response and lack of ring. If high Q subwoofers are in small boxes or if low Q subwoofers are in large ported boxes, the frequency response of the system will likely be greatly non-linear. This non-linear response compromises relative SPL and can drown out certain sounds and frequencies. Room acoustics can also do the same thing. The same subwoofer may sound completely different in another room simply because there could be poor coupling and non-linear frequency response as a result of standing waves and peaks in the response curve. A peak at 80Hz may make for a rather anemic 60Hz response, and while 60Hz appears to be the problem, it’s actually from the nonlinear response else where! The bottom line is “double bass kicks” are usually not a function of the driver or driver’s performance but rather the system design, linear frequency and room equalization.

Often times people associate double bass as something to do with speed and only good drivers are fast. Believe it or not, even the largest and heaviest drivers, have no problem producing low frequencies, even 300Hz is a relatively slow long wavelength with a slow impulse time. Subwoofers are in fact MUCH faster than you would expect. Bottom line is, the lack of double bass, within the working limits of a driver, is not a problem with the driver so much as it is probably a problem with the system design, room and/or EQ settings.

#14 It’s a bigger driver, then I need a bigger amp

Often times larger drivers require less amplification, that’s sort of the idea. The concept of bigger woofers need more power is not always true and plays right into the ever progressing misconception of car audio. What you should consider is the efficiency of the subwoofer. Efficiency will literally tell you how much acoustic output you will get given an amount of power (assuming linear limits of course). If the driver is bigger, has a larger motor and has a higher sensitivity, there is no mystery about it, you are going to get more SPL with the same amplifier provided the impedance is similar and the amplifier can produce high voltage at impedance peaks when the driver naturally draws very little current for a narrow range. If a driver is more efficient and has a larger voice coil, well you just got your cake and you can now eat it. Not only will it be louder, but it will have less thermal compression and ultimately more sound provided all else is equal (but such is not usually not the case). It’s often difficult to make voice coils larger and increase sensitivity too. This usually requires very large motors and expense. Sensitivity is most easily achieved by weight reduction usually from the cone surround and voice coil. Sensitivity is often a trade off of xmax and thermal compression limits.

However there are many larger drivers that don’t have ultra high sensitivity. A good pro audio subwoofer may have 6 to 10dB higher sensitivity over an average high excursion car audio subwoofer. That advantage makes them very capable with quite a bit less power at least for their frequency range which is usually above 40Hz. Likewise, SPL drivers ironically enough don’t need much power either! Let me repeat. True SPL drivers ironically enough don’t need much power! That’s because they are used in the higher frequency domain not limited by displacement and generally have great sensitivity numbers. They need this in order to get the excursion and ultimately SPL they need to win contests. High sensitivity and lots of power means lots of SPL provided the driver is still reasonably linear and does not physically break of course. Note: Strictly for SPL contest, drivers are normally burped at Fc (system resonance) which is the point of maximum current draw and minimum active driver displacement which is why excessive power must be used. Do not confuse that requirement with the much lower power requirements for sound reproduction outside that single SPL frequency. It’s important you know the TSP’s of the driver you buy, otherwise it could be the wrong driver for you! Who buys a car without knowing the horsepower? Just because a driver big and the manufacture claims pie in the sky RMS numbers doesn’t mean a thing!

[Charger]

No it's bullshit. I have six 15s in my daily driver and they are fast as hell!

[E a r t h]

Dont believe the myth. Can't believe this still gets people