What is the difference between sub sizes

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

dont you think that mostly depends on what the box is tuned to..

tuning is done for the sub specifically in a daily driver. some subs do well tuned at 40hz, some do well at 30hz. it can be tweaked to perform differently of course, but it's rare to tune a daily driver over 40hz. even a 40hz tuning, which is high for alot of subs, still is a low enough tuning for 99.9% of music. it's rare to find much below 30hz in music (now is where people chime in and mention some obscure songs that actually do have some sub 30hz tones). anyway, i try to stick to tuning according to what the sub wants, regardless of where it is in the frequency range.

 

[alerotdx 10+ year member]

I may be missing something but i dont think he means 8-18"of different type and brand . I think he means 8,10,12,15,18,21 of same brand rms type on same setup just different size and recomended manufactures spec box. what is the difference inthe sound and why gobig . and no i dont think anyone can say that it is the same .

the give bigger woofers more airspace tho, if u gave that 8 the same airspace as the fifteen dont you think it would be just as low? cause manufacter boxes arent necisarily made to get the same low end results, but more efficiency. do you agree? i can see where your coming from tho n dont think theres really a good answer

 

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

the give bigger woofers more airspace tho, if u gave that 8 the same airspace as the fifteen dont you think it would be just as low? cause manufacter boxes arent necisarily made to get the same low end results, but more efficiency. do you agree? i can see where your coming from tho n dont think theres really a good answer

some manufacturers recommend smaller boxes than optimal to save on warranty returns. i give the type R as a prime example. it's best to just run the T/s through winisd, or other software to get your size and tuning.

 

[kfx450r 10+ year member]

Soo..Would you say that 2x 18s.. at about 500 sq in cone area.. and 10x 8s at about 500 sq in of cone area, would sound the same and get equally low in the same box tuned to the same specs off the same watts? If not which would sound better tuned at 30-32 hz

 

[alerotdx 10+ year member]

ya we normally do that with most of our setups, plus aeroports are easy to tune ha

 

[alerotdx 10+ year member]

Soo..Would you say that 2x 18s.. at about 500 sq in cone area.. and 10x 8s at about 500 sq in of cone area, would sound the same and get equally low in the same box tuned to the same specs off the same watts? If not which would sound better tuned at 30-32 hz

i dont see why it couldnt

 

[Johnny Law.Lulz 5,000+ posts]

8-10 is 2"

10 to 12 is 2"

12 to 15 is 3"

15 to 18 is 3"

18 to 21 is 3"

Sorry i had to do. They always say that the bigger it is the lower it will get but there are exceptions.

 

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

the give bigger woofers more airspace tho, if u gave that 8 the same airspace as the fifteen dont you think it would be just as low? cause manufacter boxes arent necisarily made to get the same low end results, but more efficiency. do you agree? i can see where your coming from tho n dont think theres really a good answer

The eight would bottom out before getting to an acceptable volume level.

It has to do with the subwoofer design.

To get a low note, you need to produce vibrations in the air that are spaced widely apart. To get the volume, you need to displace air.

With a larger cone area, you need less xmax to produce a low note than smaller cone area, which needs a lot more extension to produce the volume, and as such, it would bottom out trying to keep up.

Manufacturer boxes are the ones designed to give the subwoofer enough airspace to both not choke the sub, and to give it enough resistance that it won't easily bottom out and you can run the rated rms power to it.

 

[alerotdx 10+ year member]

The eight would bottom out before getting to an acceptable volume level.
It has to do with the subwoofer design.

To get a low note, you need to produce vibrations in the air that are spaced widely apart. To get the volume, you need to displace air.

With a larger cone area, you need less xmax to produce a low note than smaller cone area, which needs a lot more extension to produce the volume, and as such, it would bottom out trying to keep up.

Manufacturer boxes are the ones designed to give the subwoofer enough airspace to both not choke the sub, and to give it enough resistance that it won't easily bottom out and you can run the rated rms power to it.

you could always design the box so that your port is 12 feet from the kick, allowing your bass waves to fully open up. i think we both agree design is key to pretty much everything in audio

 

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

Soo..Would you say that 2x 18s.. at about 500 sq in cone area.. and 10x 8s at about 500 sq in of cone area, would sound the same and get equally low in the same box tuned to the same specs off the same watts? If not which would sound better tuned at 30-32 hz

If the specifications were all identical, for the subwoofers, then yes, I would say they would sound the same.

However, the specs will all differ. It depends. You'll be able to get either to sound good assuming decent subwoofers. It all goes into the quality of the install.

 

[justin smith 10+ year member]

this is my question.... take a Fi ssd for example 10" through 18" do they use the exact same motor or do they treak things to make them perform the same cause a 10"cone im sure is lighter than a 18" cone wouldnt that make the 18" a little bit slower i know the fs goes down but is that all

 

[Plutoman 10+ year member]

you could always design the box so that your port is 12 feet from the kick, allowing your bass waves to fully open up. i think we both agree design is key to pretty much everything in audio

Yes, design is all key. It's a little easier to get a bigger subwoofer than to do that, but yes. >.>

 

[terra 5,000+ posts]

this is my question.... take a Fi ssd for example 10" through 18" do they use the exact same motor or do they treak things to make them perform the same cause a 10"cone im sure is lighter than a 18" cone wouldnt that make the 18" a little bit slower

Not noticeably.

 

[alerotdx 10+ year member]

pluto man, did you go to the n. w. audio show last sunday?

 

[Trey803 5,000+ posts]

its all in the air displaced 4 8s will displace more air than 1 15 of the same brand and line, however the 8s will generally have a faster center time which means a less distorted sound and cleaner bassedit: it also depends a lot on your type of box

you would be talking about group delay and this does not always correlate to woofer size