How well do 15s play music?

[Derrick824]

Holy thread full of serious misinformation. Damn noobs think they're taking over around here.

Don't listen to anyone who will even attempt to compare different brands of different size subs claiming that one sounds "punchier" just because of it's size. Different subs can (and usually will) have different sounds regardless of size.

Decide exactly how you want your setup to sound, pick a sub that fits into the criteria, then build the box to play best that way.

[keepinitloud]

here is mine I like it It's loud for one 15 planet audio 2200

[bhsdriller]

lol lots of noobs up in here

[Fish Chris]

Here's some very valuable info I rarely see mentioned >

A total noob can easily build a box that plays louder.... lower... punchier.... whatever they think would best suit them.

Simply call the manufacturer and tell them, I have 1 (or more) of your xxxx subs. I listen to mostly xxxxx music, and I want this sub to be as loud.... or punchy... or clean... as possible.

And here are the $10K questions you ask them;

What are the optimum cubes for this sub, for my purposes.

And, if the manufacturer recommends a ported enclosure for your purposes, how many sq inches of port area, and what port length ?

Any reputable sub manufacturer should be able to quickly and easily give you the numbers you need.

Once you know that, your good to go. Lousy with math ? Use a calculator. Don't have a table saw ? Have the lumber place cut your 3/4" or 1" MDF for you.

Slap that sucker together in one afternoon and have everybody thinking you must really know what your doing, because it sounds so freaking good

Peace,

Fish

PS, Just be aware that one sub woofer can only do so much though. You can't expect it to be both the loudest possible, and cleanest / tightest possible, at the same time. It's either one or the other.... or somewhere in between.

[Neel]

wow, this thread should be deleted it is so full of poor information and advice, PLEASE PLEASE do not post a damn word advice if you dont know what you are talking about. 15s play music just fine..take a look at the Speaker Works Buick Grand National, it was the most successful car in IASCA history and what do you know? It ran a pair of 15s (in an aperiodic box) . Here is some good info straight from TC sounds site,

"One of the biggest myths about woofers is that 8’s and 10’s are “tighter” and “cleaner” than 15’s or 18’s. Nothing is further from the truth. What tends to happen is that the smaller drivers have lower Q’s because manufactures tend to put large cones on smaller motors to increase SPL and sensitivity but not BL product. Well unless the motor can compensate for the extra mass it has to push, then the Qts will not be the same as the smaller drivers and ultimately the driver may not be suited for the same kinds of alignments and could ring too much and compromise the perceived sound quality. Having said that, high Qts drivers are not any less “tight” or “musical” than well dampened drivers, it’s just they require larger boxes and less internal pressure to prevent ringing. Ultimately there becomes a point where a driver really should be used in an infinite baffle where its actual Qts and Fs becomes the system Qtc and Fc. As enclosure volume decreases, Qtc increases and it will take a driver with a low Qts to make for an average Q system. So in conclusion, the only reason to use a smaller bass driver is for space, weight and potentially power considerations, but likewise, it is inappropriate to try and fit a larger driver into a space smaller than it is ideal for."

[doug118]

thanks for the USEFUL info guys

[Fish Chris]

Neel ! I agree that their has certainly been some crazy (maybe just flat wrong) info stated in this thread....

However, I believe that what I said, will allow ANYBODY to build an enclosure that sounds freaking great !

Furthermore, when you start talking about Qt's, FS's, Bl product, etc, all your doing is making the whole process WAAAY more complicated than it has to be. I mean, if a person really wants to learn all that stuff, for their own personal knowledge, then by all means....

But none of that stuff ever even has to be considered, to build an outstanding enclosure.

Again, simply call the company that makes your subs, and let THEM give you the short, and simple answers to the equasion. They already know all about the Qt's, Fs's, Bl product, etc, of the subwoofer in question, so why not let them figure it out. In reality, they will probably be able to tell you right from the top of their head, something like > Well, our xxxx sub works great in x cubes, ported with a xx" X xx" port tube.... But if you want tighter, punchier bass, you can put it in x cubes, sealed < .....without even doing any calculations, because they probably already know the characteristics of the subs they make / sell..... I'd like to hope, anyway.

>>> How many cubes ?

>>> How much square port area, and port length ?

Bam ! Your are now 3/4's there !

If you don't have your subs yet, you can call the subwoofer company of your choice and tell them > I like my bass to sound like xxxx. I can fit a box of aprox xx cubes. And I have $xxx to spend. Which of your subs would suit my purposes best ?

{note; Adhere devoutly to the numbers they give you. DO NOT say, well they said 3 cubes... and I can only make 2.8... but that should be close enough, huh ? NOOOO ! That won't cut it ! 3 cubes, is 3 cubes ! If you can't make 3 cubes, use a different sub, and / or call the company back with your change of plans}

{note #2} Always ask for, and then stick to, "OPTIMUM" spec numbers when building..... not just, what will work okay.... I mean, are you trying to build a half-assed box ? Or a bad ass box that will really impress you and your friends ?}

Peace,

Fish

PS, I'm living proof, that with the info I've posted here, any dummy can build a SWEET sounding sub enclosure.

[cqtama]

sub sizes are like titties. some like em big, some like em small.

permission to use as sig? lol

[creyc]

Actually there were only 3-4 guys posting in here with blatantly wrong info...for the most part it seems people got it right.

[kirill007]

I have a speaker in my house with 2 6 inch woofers ina a sealed enclosure, and they don't sound as punchy, loud or as tight as my 10 inch in a tline.

I also have a pair of well built(not by me) ported speakers with a 12 inch sub, which sounds real tight, tighter then the sealed box with smaller drivers.

So every size of subs can sound the same, if they are in the proper box.