Subwoofer explanation

[psycho72 10+ year member]

Okay I need some help with Subwoofers so that I can really put into perspective what it is I am choosing. Now using Adire Audio only as an example for illustration purposes and looking only at 15" drivers. From this manu I currently have 2 choices a Brahma or Tempest. What I want to know is what is the difference? And further to that and the more important of the two questions is how does this difference demonstrate itself in my system? Am I gonna get 3 extra db at the same volume? Why should I spend $400 as opposed to $150?

Oh yeah and this is using my existing Hifonics Boltar series VIII (when they were good before they became maxxonics) which according to the spec states that it is capable of 700watts bridged into one channel.

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[psycho72 10+ year member]

But what does that turn into when they are in a box in the back of my car. 3 extra db? 6, 9 whatever? Some extra life expectancy? Better SQ? I mean really I am banging my head against the wall over tempest or brahma, se or sx, 187's or Lethal Injections.

I water cool my computer and I liken car audio to it in that everyone is like ohh this is better than that and blah blah blah blah blah but in the end the $200 one off CPU block gains me a whopping 1-2 degree temp advantage which in the land of hot as hell cpu's means squat, better to get the $40 block and call it a day.

So is the fight over tempest and brahma a fight of 3 db and an extra year of life in which case I give a fart, let me go ahead and order these **** tempests and be done with it. The last thing I need is another super expensive hobby with weekly upgrade schedules.

BTW please don't take my frustration personal I am just so tired of all the bs choises we get. I wish companies were forced to name their products based on what they were. Yes this is the "cheap *** piece of shit" and this one here is our "overpriced monstrocity". Then I could just tell em to give me the "performs great and is priced right" and skip the "gains are not worth the cost unless daddy is payin".

 

[wagz 10+ year member]

you ideally gain 3db when you double displacement in the system, so if the brahma had twice as much xmax (which it doesnt), or if you switched from a sealed box to a ported box you would gain 3db (ideally). the brahama will sound better, get louder, and take more watts...if its worth the price of roughtly 3 tempists i dunno ive never heard a brahma 15" befor...the 12" i have heard was amazing but over all thats your call, ive heard the tempest sound great in an extreemly large box (9.2"cuft) with very little watts too

both of thoes subs are great when used properly

but understand too that it doesnt help you really one bit for us to tell you whats better with db's and hz graphs unless you actually know what that sounds like, you may know the math #'s behind it but if i said that the tempist was 3db down on the brahama at 1watt @ 30hz (i made these #'s up as an example)...this should mean nothing to you because you dont know what that sounds like. and keep in mind db's are almost completley dependent on the box when your talking quality subs, the only way compair them is to graph the db's to hz's @ 1watt in free air...which again doesnt help you

but know IF you heard them togeather that most people would agree that the the brahma is better in every way except it will take more watts and costs more

 

[jujumantb 10+ year member]

Subs are alot more complicated then simply a cone being moved by a magnetic field. Well, they are, in a way, that simple, but there are also alot of variables in this simple system, which is illustrated by all those T/S parameter (Fs, Qes, Bl, xmax, etc...) I wont go into what they all mean (I dont even know them all), but they basically translate into how good a sub sounds and how loud it has the potential to get. In the case of the Adire tempest vs brahma, you do get alot more sound quality, aswell as loud potential with the brahma. The Brahma is a somewhat special subwoofer, it uses "XBL^2 technology" I wont pretend to know a ton about it, but it is basically a motor design which allows a very flat BL curve at high excursion levels. Think of BL as motor force, most conventional subs loose motor force as the coil moves at the extremes of its stroke, with XBL^2, it doesnt, meaning very linear travel and very accurate reproduction of the source material (the goal of an SQ system). It also has alot higher Xmax, or maximum cone travel. SPL or loudness is all about moving lots of air, one way to move lots of air is for the cone to move each direction a long way, which the Brahma is at the cutting edge in the business. Thats not to say the Tempest could never get louder than a brahma, SPL is mostly in the install, the Brahms just has the potential to get louder.

 

[packerfan 10+ year member]

Tempest needs a large box, Bramhas need a smaller box. XBL2 allows the sub to play more linear with less distortion. Tempest was first an HT sub and bramha was a car audio sub. Id take the B15 if i had the money and power.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

They are all the same. You can't hear a difference between them.

Or wait, is that amps??? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

Anyways, everything was pretty much covered. Typically, the "higher quality" sub will have more displacement and less distortion. As jujumantb mentioned; it seems so simply (magnetic fields cause the cone to move, what's so hard about that?), yet they are amazingly complex. If you really want to learn all the technical stuff, pick up "The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" by Vance Dickasen(sp?)

 

[psycho72 10+ year member]

The higher SQ and a small box are appealing to me, I am just wondering for me is a brahma really necessary. You guys mention potentially louder but that of course (I think and I may be wrong) means a much more powerful amp then what I have and I really don't plan on getting a more powerful amp as I simply want more accurate and twice as loud as my single JL Audio 10incher. I hav'nt crossed the brahma off the list but jeebus that thing is expensive!!! I wonder if adire will take an abused liver as a trade? BTW, lots of good info, thanks for all the responses fellas. I'm ghost, I gotta do some more thinking....

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

As stated before it's up to you...i'd go with either one 12" brahma in about 2 cubes ported @30hz, or if you're not willing to spend that much money...stick with LI's... You'll be amazed at the SQ and the output...you'll fall in love. peace

NG

 

[ighettoboyi 10+ year member]

^^ have you heard LI's?? my friend is torn between those and SE's. he only wants 1 12" with a small box (i know LI's want bigger ported than SE's but if we go sealed it could be dead even). PM me and let me know

 

[green_slip 10+ year member]

The higher SQ and a small box are appealing to me, I am just wondering for me is a brahma really necessary. You guys mention potentially louder but that of course (I think and I may be wrong) means a much more powerful amp then what I have and I really don't plan on getting a more powerful amp as I simply want more accurate and twice as loud as my single JL Audio 10incher. I hav'nt crossed the brahma off the list but jeebus that thing is expensive!!! I wonder if adire will take an abused liver as a trade? BTW, lots of good info, thanks for all the responses fellas. I'm ghost, I gotta do some more thinking....

I don't know a whole lot about Brahma's but if you have enough patience, SI should be coming out with another batch of magnums in january *hopefully*. I'm pretty sure the Brahma will need more than 700 watts, especially the 15'', whereas my magnum 15'' will sound just as good, work in a smaller box, get louder with less watts (mine's running off 600 and it's extremely loud), and most of all cost about 75 bucks cheaper. MHO good luck though.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

my tempest in 4cubes sealed is at least twice as loud as my 10" RE SE in ~1.3 cubes ported high.

hits the low freq's like nothing else.

i cant imagine how it will perform once i port the **** thing. i justifyed spending more on the rest of my car's audio by buying a less expensive sub. i was origionally planning on soundsplinter or incriminator audio, but i went with the tempest because of its price.

great buy, too bad they are out of stock eh //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/satan.gif.9c6a335ed7aeeed3ee273e573f1fcaac.gif

good luck with your choice

oh yea, 3db is equivilant to 300mhz in the processor world. or maybe 300 in 3dmarks, 3db is alot more than you realize- in the championships people win by TENTHS of a decible. just FYI, this sub keeps up with all my punk\rock music with no problem what so ever. very nice response for a 15!