TL: Hertz SX 300D Subwoofer
08-09-2010, 05:49 PM
#1
Hertz SX 300D Subwoofer
I'm currently running a 12 JLW3 powered by JL 250/1 amp and stock 6 cd changer head unit. It's currently sitting in a custom box in my 2G TL in the left corner of the trunk. I can't remember the specs on it.
I was thinking of upgrading to something that hits a bit harder. My friend offered me his 12 JLW6 but said it would not fit in my custom enclosure. So I came across Hertz SX 300D in PASMAG. In the article they put in a 1.25 cube feet box. So I'm assuming it should fit in my custom box.
So my question is I really like my custom enclosure and I really want to reuse it. I know it's not the ideal situation, but I really like my trunk space and how the fit of the box.
Do you guys recommend this sub or have suggestions on other subs that hit hard with bass, yet still sounds clear.
Thanks
Written by Text by Garry Springgay // Photos by Manufacturer | 18 March 2010
Walking through the Hertz-Audison suite during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I happened to catch one of the product engineers giving an excellent explanation of just what (and who) the Hertz SPL Show subwoofers were designed for. Although Hertz has called them simply “Acoustic Pressure Generators”, I found out the SX subs are much more than woofers designed to simply play loud. While it is true they were originally designed for the SPL competitor, the SPL Show products have had a lot of effort put into making them also sound good while you’re cruising down the street. The series has been around for about a year, and while I know the SX subwoofers have been successful and well received in the SPL ranks, I wasn’t aware that a lot of people who do not compete in SPL contests have also chosen them for their rugged performance and good sound. The idea is to have a woofer in your daily driver that will play the SPL game with anyone else in the parking lot, but be totally enjoyable to listen to while getting to and from the parking lot wars. I figured we ought to test one, so we could let all of you readers in on the secret too. Well, thanks to the generous folks at Hertz, ask and ye shall receive- a few weeks later, the Hertz SX 300D 12-inch SPL Show subwoofer showed up at our test lab.
Features and Construction
The Hertz SPL Show line of subwoofers is comprised of three models, the SX 250D, SX 300D, and SX 380D. These woofers are 10, 12, and 15 inches in size, and have continuous power handling specs of 600, 800, and 1000 watts respectively. All three models are dual 2-ohm voice coil designs, allowing for maximum flexibility when designing the woofer systems final impedance. The Hertz SX woofers use a very smart looking cast aluminum basket, which is finished in two shades of gray powdercoat. The back plate of the woofer is show chrome plated, and vented to allow airflow to cool the voice coil. On the topside, a tall foam surround provides the control and excursion needed for high SPL’s at very low frequencies. The center dustcap is concave, with the Series logo in orange and a small Hertz logo set flush into the cone surface. Mounting screws are covered by a smooth looking trim ring which is secured to the basket with small screws and plastic caps for a good looking installation. Also included are two rubber mounting gaskets, one for conventional “drop in” mounting, and the other for “front mounting”. The thoughtful folks at Hertz even include extra set screws, a long hex wrench, and all the mounting screws. Attention to detail like this is fantastic and so important... especially when it’s 1AM and you’re trying to finish the install, or the wire connection set screw rolls across the floor to some dark corner, or when your buddy is long gone and locked his toolbox with your 2.5mm hex wrench inside! The Hertz SX series woofers are designed to have extremely linear movement, even at high excursion. This is made possible via a triple-stacked magnet assembly and a longer than usual aluminum voice coil former, and four-layer 2.5-inch diameter voice coils. The dual spiders are mounted on a special “Back Vented Spider Support” which allows improved air flow to keep the voice coil cool and increase power handling.
Additional high performance features include sewn in tinsel leads, and heavy duty terminals that use hex screws to secure the wires. Worth noting are the cleverly designed terminals, incorporating easy to configure spring loaded “jumper clips” which make it incredibly easy to configure the woofers voice coils in series, parallel, or independent coils for stereo operation or for two amplifiers per woofer. You can even change the jumper clip configuration without removing the wires. Nice! All the SX woofers use a pressed paper cone, which many believe has a more natural sound than more commonly used poly cones. I am also a fan of the sound of paper cone woofers, so I was looking forward to listening to this one.
Read on for Results
Listening
Before I did any listening, I exercised the woofer for a few hours, and let it normalize again overnight. This isn’t a compulsory step, because in your car the woofer will obviously break-in as it’s used for the first few days or weeks, but here in the test lab, we do everything we can to maintain consistent and accurate results, so we exercise all speakers before doing any evaluations. Because I had the opportunity at CES to listen to the man who engineered the woofer, I knew that the Hertz SX 300D would be best suited to a smaller size vented enclosure. It was a good thing too, because while the owner’s manual will show you how to configure the jumpers and wire up a dozen or so woofers, it mysteriously gives no recommendations whatsoever for an enclosure size or type.
The smallest vented box I had on hand was 1.25 cubic feet, so I figured we’d give it a go in that. After selecting a series wiring configuration for a final impedance of 4 ohms, and mounting the woofer in the enclosure I set the amplifier crossover to 100Hz, with a -24dB per octave slope.
Frequent readers of my speaker reviews know that my musical tastes are pretty diverse, and I’d picked out some different tracks to test the mettle of the Hertz woofer. Because this is a woofer designed to play low and loud, I began with a track from Yello’s Essential CD, “Oh Yeah”. The hype about this woofer playing low and loud is no joke, and that track proved it. Moving on to a few other favorite bass SPL tracks from Bass Mekanik and others, I was convinced that the SX 300D would definitely play loud, and handle a lot of power.
But let’s not forget that its alternative claim to fame was also supposed to be good sound quality, so I switched musical gears and broke out my audiophile tracks. I listened to a bunch of material from DMP, Chesky, and Sheffield Labs. Once again, the woofer pretty much lived up to the story I’d heard at the show, and in fact it did sound pretty darned good for a subwoofer designed for SPL. The SX 300D had tight, fairly well-controlled bass with a lot of punch and impact. It had a touch of ringing that maybe wouldn’t be there in a more compliant design, but then again it’s that stiff suspension that allows it to handle the 800+ watts I fed it with no complaints whatsoever. And thanks, at least in part, to the intelligent use of a paper cone, subtleties like resonances from plucked strings, and augmented chords were easily reproduced too. Make no mistake, this woofers primary focus is to play low and loud, but when the mood strikes, it’s a pretty decent compromise for the sound quality crowd too.
Measured Performance
With my listening completed, I brought the woofer into the test lab and made some measurements. As I expected, the published parameters for the woofer are very close to what I measured, and the in-box curves also came out pretty much as expected. As you can see from the SPL graph, this is a subwoofer that can really get the job done.
CONCLUSION
The Hertz SX300D woofer sort of reminds me of a 1960’s muscle car. Somewhat like my old ‘70 Hemi Roadrunner, all most people had to do was see the Hemi badge, and they knew what they were up against. Like that car, the SPL Show series of subwoofers are not for the faint of heart or those who are timid about their sound. Just like my Hemi, all you need to do is crank it up one time, and anyone within earshot will know you’re serious! And while no subwoofer can satisfy every single purpose or customer, this one is purposefully made for anyone who appreciates loud, deep, authoritative bass in their car. But unlike some other woofers that were designed and restricted with a focus on SPL contests, you can actually play real music with this impressive subwoofer, and enjoy its sound quality performance too.
www.hertzaudiovideo.com
I was thinking of upgrading to something that hits a bit harder. My friend offered me his 12 JLW6 but said it would not fit in my custom enclosure. So I came across Hertz SX 300D in PASMAG. In the article they put in a 1.25 cube feet box. So I'm assuming it should fit in my custom box.
So my question is I really like my custom enclosure and I really want to reuse it. I know it's not the ideal situation, but I really like my trunk space and how the fit of the box.
Do you guys recommend this sub or have suggestions on other subs that hit hard with bass, yet still sounds clear.
Thanks
Written by Text by Garry Springgay // Photos by Manufacturer | 18 March 2010
Walking through the Hertz-Audison suite during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I happened to catch one of the product engineers giving an excellent explanation of just what (and who) the Hertz SPL Show subwoofers were designed for. Although Hertz has called them simply “Acoustic Pressure Generators”, I found out the SX subs are much more than woofers designed to simply play loud. While it is true they were originally designed for the SPL competitor, the SPL Show products have had a lot of effort put into making them also sound good while you’re cruising down the street. The series has been around for about a year, and while I know the SX subwoofers have been successful and well received in the SPL ranks, I wasn’t aware that a lot of people who do not compete in SPL contests have also chosen them for their rugged performance and good sound. The idea is to have a woofer in your daily driver that will play the SPL game with anyone else in the parking lot, but be totally enjoyable to listen to while getting to and from the parking lot wars. I figured we ought to test one, so we could let all of you readers in on the secret too. Well, thanks to the generous folks at Hertz, ask and ye shall receive- a few weeks later, the Hertz SX 300D 12-inch SPL Show subwoofer showed up at our test lab.
Features and Construction
The Hertz SPL Show line of subwoofers is comprised of three models, the SX 250D, SX 300D, and SX 380D. These woofers are 10, 12, and 15 inches in size, and have continuous power handling specs of 600, 800, and 1000 watts respectively. All three models are dual 2-ohm voice coil designs, allowing for maximum flexibility when designing the woofer systems final impedance. The Hertz SX woofers use a very smart looking cast aluminum basket, which is finished in two shades of gray powdercoat. The back plate of the woofer is show chrome plated, and vented to allow airflow to cool the voice coil. On the topside, a tall foam surround provides the control and excursion needed for high SPL’s at very low frequencies. The center dustcap is concave, with the Series logo in orange and a small Hertz logo set flush into the cone surface. Mounting screws are covered by a smooth looking trim ring which is secured to the basket with small screws and plastic caps for a good looking installation. Also included are two rubber mounting gaskets, one for conventional “drop in” mounting, and the other for “front mounting”. The thoughtful folks at Hertz even include extra set screws, a long hex wrench, and all the mounting screws. Attention to detail like this is fantastic and so important... especially when it’s 1AM and you’re trying to finish the install, or the wire connection set screw rolls across the floor to some dark corner, or when your buddy is long gone and locked his toolbox with your 2.5mm hex wrench inside! The Hertz SX series woofers are designed to have extremely linear movement, even at high excursion. This is made possible via a triple-stacked magnet assembly and a longer than usual aluminum voice coil former, and four-layer 2.5-inch diameter voice coils. The dual spiders are mounted on a special “Back Vented Spider Support” which allows improved air flow to keep the voice coil cool and increase power handling.
Additional high performance features include sewn in tinsel leads, and heavy duty terminals that use hex screws to secure the wires. Worth noting are the cleverly designed terminals, incorporating easy to configure spring loaded “jumper clips” which make it incredibly easy to configure the woofers voice coils in series, parallel, or independent coils for stereo operation or for two amplifiers per woofer. You can even change the jumper clip configuration without removing the wires. Nice! All the SX woofers use a pressed paper cone, which many believe has a more natural sound than more commonly used poly cones. I am also a fan of the sound of paper cone woofers, so I was looking forward to listening to this one.
Read on for Results
Listening
Before I did any listening, I exercised the woofer for a few hours, and let it normalize again overnight. This isn’t a compulsory step, because in your car the woofer will obviously break-in as it’s used for the first few days or weeks, but here in the test lab, we do everything we can to maintain consistent and accurate results, so we exercise all speakers before doing any evaluations. Because I had the opportunity at CES to listen to the man who engineered the woofer, I knew that the Hertz SX 300D would be best suited to a smaller size vented enclosure. It was a good thing too, because while the owner’s manual will show you how to configure the jumpers and wire up a dozen or so woofers, it mysteriously gives no recommendations whatsoever for an enclosure size or type.
The smallest vented box I had on hand was 1.25 cubic feet, so I figured we’d give it a go in that. After selecting a series wiring configuration for a final impedance of 4 ohms, and mounting the woofer in the enclosure I set the amplifier crossover to 100Hz, with a -24dB per octave slope.
Frequent readers of my speaker reviews know that my musical tastes are pretty diverse, and I’d picked out some different tracks to test the mettle of the Hertz woofer. Because this is a woofer designed to play low and loud, I began with a track from Yello’s Essential CD, “Oh Yeah”. The hype about this woofer playing low and loud is no joke, and that track proved it. Moving on to a few other favorite bass SPL tracks from Bass Mekanik and others, I was convinced that the SX 300D would definitely play loud, and handle a lot of power.
But let’s not forget that its alternative claim to fame was also supposed to be good sound quality, so I switched musical gears and broke out my audiophile tracks. I listened to a bunch of material from DMP, Chesky, and Sheffield Labs. Once again, the woofer pretty much lived up to the story I’d heard at the show, and in fact it did sound pretty darned good for a subwoofer designed for SPL. The SX 300D had tight, fairly well-controlled bass with a lot of punch and impact. It had a touch of ringing that maybe wouldn’t be there in a more compliant design, but then again it’s that stiff suspension that allows it to handle the 800+ watts I fed it with no complaints whatsoever. And thanks, at least in part, to the intelligent use of a paper cone, subtleties like resonances from plucked strings, and augmented chords were easily reproduced too. Make no mistake, this woofers primary focus is to play low and loud, but when the mood strikes, it’s a pretty decent compromise for the sound quality crowd too.
Measured Performance
With my listening completed, I brought the woofer into the test lab and made some measurements. As I expected, the published parameters for the woofer are very close to what I measured, and the in-box curves also came out pretty much as expected. As you can see from the SPL graph, this is a subwoofer that can really get the job done.
CONCLUSION
The Hertz SX300D woofer sort of reminds me of a 1960’s muscle car. Somewhat like my old ‘70 Hemi Roadrunner, all most people had to do was see the Hemi badge, and they knew what they were up against. Like that car, the SPL Show series of subwoofers are not for the faint of heart or those who are timid about their sound. Just like my Hemi, all you need to do is crank it up one time, and anyone within earshot will know you’re serious! And while no subwoofer can satisfy every single purpose or customer, this one is purposefully made for anyone who appreciates loud, deep, authoritative bass in their car. But unlike some other woofers that were designed and restricted with a focus on SPL contests, you can actually play real music with this impressive subwoofer, and enjoy its sound quality performance too.
www.hertzaudiovideo.com
Trending Topics
08-11-2010, 06:00 PM
#8
JL Audio 250/1 (250/1)
That's what I ordered back in 2006, my friend recomended the set up at the time.
I know somone that's selling a JL 500/1, what kind of sound differences will I hear? Will the amp over power the sub?
08-11-2010, 06:16 PM
#9
Instructor
The biggest factor/improvement area in the sound you're looking for is in the enclosure, more than the sub itself, or the power you put to it. There's definitely a tradeoff being made for that trick corner box that doesn't cost you any trunkspace.
08-11-2010, 06:34 PM
#10
a resounding NO... you want headroom/overhead with your amp/sub combo. and someone correct me if i'm wrong, but you have to actually try VERY hard to overpower JL's. End result will be you'll only gain ~1.5-3dbls with the 500/1, not too much louder, but you'll be happier with the 500 set at lower gain levels and a more 'controlled' sound from the 12w3.
The biggest factor/improvement area in the sound you're looking for is in the enclosure, more than the sub itself, or the power you put to it. There's definitely a tradeoff being made for that trick corner box that doesn't cost you any trunkspace.
The biggest factor/improvement area in the sound you're looking for is in the enclosure, more than the sub itself, or the power you put to it. There's definitely a tradeoff being made for that trick corner box that doesn't cost you any trunkspace.
08-11-2010, 06:44 PM
#11
For those that wanted to know the specs on the box, found an old PM from the guy that I bought it from.
it's a 12 in mine and with only slight modfication i could easily go as big as a 15 in the box, and as i said earlier it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft. Luckily with my sub it can work with as little as .5 cuft sealed or as big as 1.5cuft sealed. There are always ways to trick subs into performing as if there were more airspace available.
it's a 12 in mine and with only slight modfication i could easily go as big as a 15 in the box, and as i said earlier it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft. Luckily with my sub it can work with as little as .5 cuft sealed or as big as 1.5cuft sealed. There are always ways to trick subs into performing as if there were more airspace available.
08-11-2010, 06:56 PM
#12
Instructor
i'm not comfortable saying that you CAN'T get the bass response you want, based on my limited experience with the TL, and thus adequate empirical data needed to give you the kind of answer you and the rest of the forum deserve.
I'd rather see if owners of Uncald4, Wicked CAS, or other similar boxes can join in here and discuss their experiences.
I'd rather see if owners of Uncald4, Wicked CAS, or other similar boxes can join in here and discuss their experiences.
08-11-2010, 07:11 PM
#13
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Mooresville NC
Age: 40
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For those that wanted to know the specs on the box, found an old PM from the guy that I bought it from.
it's a 12 in mine and with only slight modfication i could easily go as big as a 15 in the box, and as i said earlier it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft. Luckily with my sub it can work with as little as .5 cuft sealed or as big as 1.5cuft sealed. There are always ways to trick subs into performing as if there were more airspace available.
it's a 12 in mine and with only slight modfication i could easily go as big as a 15 in the box, and as i said earlier it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft. Luckily with my sub it can work with as little as .5 cuft sealed or as big as 1.5cuft sealed. There are always ways to trick subs into performing as if there were more airspace available.
08-11-2010, 07:31 PM
#14
Drifting
08-13-2010, 03:01 AM
#15
A few things:
Boxes cannot do this, "it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft"
Airspace is airspace, done deal. You can fudge the numbers with polyfill up to about 30% so that's .78 cubes right there. That said, that's not very much space for a 12", and certainly not a 15". Here's something to think about - JL Audio subs do very poorly in small boxes. Hoffman's law and all that. The sub I was thinking might work here is the Dayton 12HO. They like small boxes and are well made.
Boxes cannot do this, "it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft"
Airspace is airspace, done deal. You can fudge the numbers with polyfill up to about 30% so that's .78 cubes right there. That said, that's not very much space for a 12", and certainly not a 15". Here's something to think about - JL Audio subs do very poorly in small boxes. Hoffman's law and all that. The sub I was thinking might work here is the Dayton 12HO. They like small boxes and are well made.
08-13-2010, 10:36 AM
#16
A few things:
Boxes cannot do this, "it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft"
Airspace is airspace, done deal. You can fudge the numbers with polyfill up to about 30% so that's .78 cubes right there. That said, that's not very much space for a 12", and certainly not a 15". Here's something to think about - JL Audio subs do very poorly in small boxes. Hoffman's law and all that. The sub I was thinking might work here is the Dayton 12HO. They like small boxes and are well made.
Boxes cannot do this, "it's about .6cuft. but performs at about the same level as a box 1.1cuft"
Airspace is airspace, done deal. You can fudge the numbers with polyfill up to about 30% so that's .78 cubes right there. That said, that's not very much space for a 12", and certainly not a 15". Here's something to think about - JL Audio subs do very poorly in small boxes. Hoffman's law and all that. The sub I was thinking might work here is the Dayton 12HO. They like small boxes and are well made.
1. Saw some good reviews for it, saw it can handle about 600 RMS (I think) so what amp would you recommend? Would a JL 500/1 be not enough power?
2. Seems like an older model do they even make it anymore?
3. It's like half the price for what I paid for my JL.
08-13-2010, 11:00 AM
#17
Drifting
Look elsewhere besides JL for amps. They're nice, yes, but they cost a fortune for the power you get. You can get damn near the same quality power for a quarter of the cost. JL is around a dollar per watt. You can get other amps (Sundown, AudioQue, etc) for around 15-25 cents per watt...
08-13-2010, 12:49 PM
#19
Look elsewhere besides JL for amps. They're nice, yes, but they cost a fortune for the power you get. You can get damn near the same quality power for a quarter of the cost. JL is around a dollar per watt. You can get other amps (Sundown, AudioQue, etc) for around 15-25 cents per watt...
Do you agree with fourthmeal with the reccommendation on a Dayton subwoofer? Any other suggestions for a sub to work with my custom box?
Got some more time to look at the Dayton subs and saw the Dayton RSS315HO-4 12" Refereence HO Subwoofer 4 OHM.
What's the difference between HO and HF? Seems like HF are used more of home applications.
08-13-2010, 12:57 PM
#20
Drifting
Since you're limited by your enclosure, I'd look for a 10 with a lot of excursion. Maybe a DC lvl 3. 600w rms but will take more if you've got it. DC lvl 3 with an Sundown SAZ-1000D would be a nice combo.
08-13-2010, 01:25 PM
#21
So say if I did go with a 10" sub, I haven't measure the hole, but since I've been using for a 12" sub wouldn't the sub just fall through because the box was prefab to fit a 12". What about the mounting holes that used for the 12" I would think they would not match for the 10" sub and I would have to drill new holes. Wouldn't that hurt the intergrity of the box and I may lose sound quality?
08-13-2010, 04:44 PM
#23
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Mooresville NC
Age: 40
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That box either needs a new baffle made to house a 10 or stay with a 12 that doesn't require alot of air space. Also use polyfill.
One sub I have worked was Boston acoustics g 1 iirc. Sounded great also shallow depth. More sq than spl.
One sub I have worked was Boston acoustics g 1 iirc. Sounded great also shallow depth. More sq than spl.
08-18-2010, 10:03 PM
#24
If you want a bigger hard hitting kind of sub, you are most likely going to have to upgrade to a different enclosure that is built to spec. for the new "hard hitting" sub.
08-19-2010, 12:27 AM
#25
Dayton 12 will fit the size criteria, its a great sub for small boxes plain and simple. However, doing a little math on one of my favorite brands ever, Acoustic Elegance, IF you have the depth necessary to fit it, you could easily do the AV12-H or X sub. They both love small boxes, and you can always rebuild a ported box for it (which would be excellent.) The $100 JL amp is fine, really. Try not to get hung up on power numbers, as only 3dB requires twice as much power. 500W will sound great.
My vote is the Acoustic Elegance if it will fit. You need to measure. The X model fits a near perfect frequency response curve in a .7 cubic foot box. The H model does just fine too, in fact smaller boxes are good for it. YES. for a 12".
In case you don't know the brand, I contend that my AE subs sound better than anything you've ever heard. They have some of the lowest inductance in the history of subwoofers due to their Lambda design, which translates into ultra-low distortion, and improved clarity. There is virtually nothing like the design John and AE has come up with. Go and take a look for yourself, and keep in mind that John can be called or emailed pretty easily so you can discuss with him your ideas. For any of these subs to work, you will need to measure your subwoofer box depth, or possibly be prepared to make some spacer of some sort on top of your box's opening, to cover the distance.
This is my pair of AE's in business:
For reference I sold car and home audio for the better part of a decade years ago, have installed both professionally and on my own for more than that, and have had the pleasure of listening to many different brands and configurations. Subwoofer wise, I am comparing the AE subs against Eclipse, TC sounds, Dayton, DIYMA R12, Orion, JL Audio, Stereo Integrity, Tang Band, Fi Audio, Blueprint, Polk, JBL, Alpine, NEXT Germany, RE, and MTX. Out of all of those, the AE subs I had made for me are my "lifers".
My vote is the Acoustic Elegance if it will fit. You need to measure. The X model fits a near perfect frequency response curve in a .7 cubic foot box. The H model does just fine too, in fact smaller boxes are good for it. YES. for a 12".
In case you don't know the brand, I contend that my AE subs sound better than anything you've ever heard. They have some of the lowest inductance in the history of subwoofers due to their Lambda design, which translates into ultra-low distortion, and improved clarity. There is virtually nothing like the design John and AE has come up with. Go and take a look for yourself, and keep in mind that John can be called or emailed pretty easily so you can discuss with him your ideas. For any of these subs to work, you will need to measure your subwoofer box depth, or possibly be prepared to make some spacer of some sort on top of your box's opening, to cover the distance.
This is my pair of AE's in business:
For reference I sold car and home audio for the better part of a decade years ago, have installed both professionally and on my own for more than that, and have had the pleasure of listening to many different brands and configurations. Subwoofer wise, I am comparing the AE subs against Eclipse, TC sounds, Dayton, DIYMA R12, Orion, JL Audio, Stereo Integrity, Tang Band, Fi Audio, Blueprint, Polk, JBL, Alpine, NEXT Germany, RE, and MTX. Out of all of those, the AE subs I had made for me are my "lifers".
Last edited by fourthmeal; 08-19-2010 at 12:34 AM.
08-19-2010, 05:50 AM
#27
Drifting
08-19-2010, 09:18 AM
#28
You got that right. Of course SSA is the shiz especially in the SPL field. In this situation though, tiny small sealed boxes... AE's got the right mix of goodies in their 12" subs. Best part is that in the future, when our OP can get rid of that box and go with a larger ported model, the AE X or H lineup tune in around 27-28hz in a ~ 1.2 cubic foot box, and end up with a ruler flat plateau response. Yet in a tiny sealed box, they maintain ~.7 Qtc so it really is the best of both worlds. My pair of 10's actually need MORE space than either of those 12's do... go figure.
What's great here is that if it fits the box, it will do everything the OP wants (which is better performance in limited space, and better sound quality.)
What's great here is that if it fits the box, it will do everything the OP wants (which is better performance in limited space, and better sound quality.)
08-19-2010, 10:00 AM
#29
Hey thanks fourthmeal and everyone else for the great suggestions. I'm defintely going to do some research on the AE. I know the tiny box in the corner is not the most optimum set up for the quality that I want. But I just love having my trunk space!
Do you know if local stereo shops carry the AE subs, so I can listen and test out one in person, since this is my first time ever hearing this brand...
Do you know if local stereo shops carry the AE subs, so I can listen and test out one in person, since this is my first time ever hearing this brand...
08-19-2010, 10:17 AM
#31
Did a quick search on youtube, this video may not be the best example but the sound quality doesn't have the clarity as my JL at loud volumes 
. But I'm sure I would have to take in consideration the type of box he had that sub in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEXZh...eature=related
. But I'm sure I would have to take in consideration the type of box he had that sub in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEXZh...eature=related
08-19-2010, 10:46 AM
#32
Did a quick search on youtube, this video may not be the best example but the sound quality doesn't have the clarity as my JL at loud volumes . But I'm sure I would have to take in consideration the type of box he had that sub in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEXZh...eature=related
. But I'm sure I would have to take in consideration the type of box he had that sub in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEXZh...eature=related
You must be joking. Did you just judge a subwoofer by listening to a Youtube video? Do you realize that a microphone on pretty much any and all things capable of recording video will be overpowered with just about any amount of bass? There's also the issue of video compression, and upload playback distortion, and...
I'm walking away now.
Dude if this is how you judge equipment, go buy a JL Audio sub and leave me alone.
Last edited by fourthmeal; 08-19-2010 at 10:49 AM.
08-19-2010, 10:55 AM
#33
Jeez sorry to offend you obviously you know alot more than I do. I was just making an observation and obviously I'm a newb to audio that's why I'm asking for help and confirmation because I want to make sure I'm buying something that is worth my money.
08-19-2010, 12:21 PM
#34
Drifting
From what I've seen of AE's prices (and talked to a guy that now works there about their subs) they seem to be worth 2-3x what John is actually asking for their subs.
08-19-2010, 02:05 PM
#35
Its not about knowledge, its just about using your noggin. You can't judge sound quality unless you are there with your own ears. Shaking water, or clipped audio through a low-res video simply isn't going to cut it.
For the box you have, IF the depth is enough, the AE12's (either one) will be the perfect choice.
08-19-2010, 02:09 PM
#36
I'll agree. Check it:
I like the hand-spun cone, the sewn-in leads in the spider, and the polished motor.
08-20-2010, 04:14 AM
#37
Drifting
08-20-2010, 12:07 PM
#39
Drifting
Honestly, the magnet on those subs really ain't that big. Those magnet slugs are probably around 6" in diameter, which ain't too terribly big for the power that sub is rated at. What gets me is the coil. I don't think AE produces a sub with anything larger than a 2.5" diameter coil, which is the size normally found on a <500w rms subwoofer. Yet, when John took some subs that had been returned as faulty over to Matt K's house (a friend of mine, up in Wisconsin that now works for AE. If you're on any audio forums, Matt K = bumpin buick) they put ~4kws of clamped power through it and it worked just fine. Not too shabby for a 2.5" coil'ed sub...
08-21-2010, 02:08 AM
#40
Honestly, the magnet on those subs really ain't that big. Those magnet slugs are probably around 6" in diameter, which ain't too terribly big for the power that sub is rated at. What gets me is the coil. I don't think AE produces a sub with anything larger than a 2.5" diameter coil, which is the size normally found on a <500w rms subwoofer. Yet, when John took some subs that had been returned as faulty over to Matt K's house (a friend of mine, up in Wisconsin that now works for AE. If you're on any audio forums, Matt K = bumpin buick) they put ~4kws of clamped power through it and it worked just fine. Not too shabby for a 2.5" coil'ed sub...
You are 100% right. He prefers the lower inductance of the 2.5" from what I recall. I think he gets the power handling by having a true copper coil, a great handmade design that takes the coil and keeps it close to a heatsink (the former and the actual cone), and he worked on the adhesive choice to make sure it held up to elevated temps. IMO though... these subs do better on much less power than a lot of others, and that's where they shine. That, and due to the very low inductance, they blend extremely well. Cone breakup becomes the only thing to worry about, which is pretty far up in the audio spectrum.