Which setup would be louder?

[blazian87 10+ year member]

I currently have 1 12" Fi Q fully loaded in a 2.5 cu ft ported box tuned to about 30hz. I'm thinking of going with 2 12" IDMAX v4's in 1.6 cu ft sealed for each because that is all I can fit. I'm looking for more SQ this time around but want it to be louder than the 1 12" I have. I cannot fit a 15" in my trunk so that is out of the question. I have an Audioque 2200D amp with 0 gauge wiring and high output alternator and upgraded battery as well. I'm running the Fi Q at rated power or more 1500Wrms+ and will be running the IDMAX's at about 1000W each. I know the ported box will peak higher at tuning frequency but overall, should I expect an increase in output from 1 12 ported vs a 2 12" sealed? I'm thinking it will because of more cone area and more power. What do you guys think?

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[conor_thompson 10+ year member]

Im gonna say I don't think it will be as loud but will have better sq. I might be wrong though

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

Might not be as loud at tuning, but it's going to be close, and should be louder everywhere else and should give you a bit flatter response.

 

[mrawesome]

a ported box gives ridiculous output there but little elsewhere. the sealed box you want to put in will have a flatter response and better bass below 30hz. The output from 2 sealed boxes should be the same volume or louder than the ported, except maybe at the tuning frequency of the ported. Even if it isn't louder, the sq will be much better.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

Thanks guys, anyone have any first hand experience with this? Theoretically it makes sense, but want to hear from people who actually have done it. On paper, going from sealed to ported should give a 3db increase at tuning all things equal. Yet adding a 2nd woofer should give me back that 3db. Doubling the power should also add another 3db increase. My Fi Q for the most part takes a good 1000-1200W or so to sound decent. When it goes higher than that, it starts to sound a little distorted so I don't really like putting too much pressure on it. My amp is 2200W at 1 ohm so I want to split the power to 2 subs so I can have less stress on just one woofer and plus the added bonus of better SQ from the sealed boxes. From what I hear, the IDMAX is very efficient in getting loud without much power. The Fi Q takes quite a bit of power to get it going IMO.

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

That's mostly rhetoric.. The idmax is a high Q low fs woofer. That means it has a weak motor and soft suspension. It should give it a nice fat low end response in a mid to large sized enclosure and will move down low easily, that is what most people refer to as "loud without much power" the cone moves a lot on low power down low..

Anways the Fi Q is going to move less, your porting it. That reduces cone excursion. A high Q fi Q is basically an idmax, with a beefier motor, coil and more powerhandling and xmax. It will handle 1000 watts much better (right now your single handles 2k) and has 50% more xmax. The low Q one you have won't have quite a much low end as an idmax, on a watt per watt basis, but once you throw in some power compression I bet it's pretty close. Maybe the idmax v4's are better, but I know in all the previous versions, 1000 watts of power while "rated" was often asking for trouble and eventually led to coil rub. Since you can't give your idmax's the large box the really want to not need 1k to each, that may be an issue. Your box is fine for you sub, just realize you'll likely be able to run into thermal issues before mechanical.

Anyway here is another option to consider, I know I brought them up before. They are a very good value.. xmax is rated at 12mm, but that's geometric. Data-bass.com did a review and said 20mm was a much more reasonable number and only at 25mm did the drivers begin to make any noise. I know most dayton drivers that have been klippel tested end up with more xmax than they rate it at.. They also use triple shorting rings, AND have a bigger coil, yet rate their powerhandling as lower.. Guess who's overrating and who is underrating between ID and Dayton ???? Just guess! lol. Oh, and they are literally half the price of the IDMAX, 500 dollars for a 2.5inch coil and I am fairly certain they aren't using a shorting rings, if they are I can't find anything on it, and that was always a complaint on the IDMAX's in the past. Waste of money to get the IDMAX's IMHO.

If your going to spend 500 on a driver get something like an LMS-R if you want to have crazy excursion and low end, at least there your getting LMS technology and shorting rings.. As I said there is more good tech in the dayton driver for 1/2 the price. Output is going to be pretty close and the Dayton likes the box size your using more, SQ I'd put the money on Dayton every time.

Anyway here is someone using the Dayton in a 1.6 cube box, he loves it

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/sealed-subwoofer-build-projects/28373-rss390ho-small-sealed-1-6-build-finished-walmart-truck-bedliner-paint-2.html

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

Wow @T3mpest; you really gave me something to think about.. Now it's even harder to decide haha.. Since the Dayton is underrated, you think it can handle about 1kW each daily? I do care about SQ so if the daytons are going to be about the same as an idmax but without the huge price tag and better thermal capabilities, then I would definitely consider it as an option. I am worried about output. I want to be able to utilize most of my amp's power and my H/O alternator so the extra power doesn't go to waste. It doesn't have to be crazy excursion but enough to feel it up front and be as accurate as possible.