A slight deviation from the normal sonosub… (1 Viewer)

[Mike Keith]

How about a Cubicon Cylinder (20" Dia) loaded with one of Aura's new Reference Series Aluminum Cone Woofers.
Aura 15.4 MSRP $999.00 15inch diameter with 2.5 inch peak to peak excursion, and a new magnet structure that's supposed to be 80% efficient in the gap.
DCR=2.9 Ohms
Sd=765 cm sq
BL=18.26 TM
Vas=163 Liters
Cms=196 µM/N
Mms=329g
Fs=20Hz
Qms=6.16
Qes=.36
Qts=.34
SPL=88.4 db Re.2V
Volume Occupied=5.8 Liters
Power Handling 1500 Watts
The Cubicon Cylinders are supposed to be of superior construction compared to standard Sonotube for about the same price.
20"X62" for $80.32 ea From Lewis & Company.
Looks like this driver would be ideal for a Passive loaded into a small 2 cubic foot box, but what would happen if I went with a much larger sealed Cylinder, what can I expect.
Has anyone used these Cubicon enclosures hear?
http://www.cubiconcorp.com/shapes.htm

 

[Mike Keith]

I can’t believe no one has any opinion on this new subwoofer, seems like a winner to me. They have a patented magnet design (NRT) that is supposed to be more than 80% efficient in the voice coil gap instead of the usual 30% which should make for very low distortion and good linearity even with it’s extreme X-Max of 2.5 inches. I’ve thought very carefully on many drivers for the ultimate sub and so far this seems to be at the top for air movement and low distortion, however these are designed to be used in a very small box, so it should probably be used in a sealed or PR coupled cube. They even have a military contract for this new magnet technology for use in a 5KW generator that’s about a quarter the size of it’s competitors
Check out the specs on the MR 15.4 and 18.4, the PDF documents are to the right of the woofer pictures.
Aura Subwoofers
http://www.aurasound.com/
Military Generators
http://www.aurasystems.com/

 

[Brian Bunge]

Mike,

It sounds like a good driver, although I wouldn't pay anywhere near $999 for it. Especially since the new Adire driver will have slightly more Xmax for I imagine a lot less money. Also, they don't say if the Xmax is true linear peak to peak excursion so I'm a bit skeptical of that number without independent validation.

Brian

 

[Patrick Sun]

The price tag is a definitely a deal breaker.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Yep, the specs look pretty good to me. Would be nice in a 6 cubic ft ported tube.

 

[Dustin B]

The Xmax thing Brian mentioned would be a concern of mine as well. I really doubt that 2.5" is a linear p-p measurement. It wouldn't surprise me if a Dumax measured Xmax on that driver was less than 2/3 of 2.5". If you want a kick ass driver, like the other said wait for the Uber15 (it will likely be a 1/3rd the cost as well).

As for the cubicon stuff, interesting. It even says they will laminate or veneer the tube for you. But do you have more specifics on what they are made out of and how their stength would compare to a sonotube (being thicker doesn't necessarily mean stronger)? We know sonotubes are strong enought to hold as much concrete as you can fill them with. We don't know that about the cubicon stuff.

 

[Mike Keith]

Dustin:

The Cubicon tubes I'm told are far stronger and more ridged due to the fact that they are not spiral wound as a typical sonotube, the winding of the Cubicon seam is cross hatched or something like that, I'll have to talk to the manufacturer again I can't remember what exactly he said.

Neil, Patrick and Brian:

The Price is definitely a problem with me too, I've talked to Aura about a dealership and my paper work is in process now, if all goes well I will be able to obtain these drivers for half price, or $500.00 for the 15.4. I'm told by one of the engineers that this is indeed a full 2.5 liner P-P excursion which they claim is the best in the business, however I too am skeptical as advertisements are not always truthful and that's still a lot of money for an experiment.

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

I am kinda in the same boat as you but looking into the 12.4's.

Here is a cut from an email I have from an Aura product manager

TThe inductance of the MR-12.4 is 0.38mH, while it's 0.41mH for the MR-15.4 woofer. These low values are achieved through the use of single-layer edgewound aluminum wire voice coils and copper sleeves on the pole piece.

As for excursion capabilities of the woofers, the maximum peak-to-peak cone/suspension excursion for the MR-10.4 and MR-12.4 woofers is 2 inches. These two woofers use a voice coil with a 14mm winding length and 38mm long Neodymium radial magnets.

Likewise, the maximum peak-to-peak cone/suspension excursion for the MR-15.4 and MR-18.4 woofers is 2.5 inches. These two woofers use a voice coil with a 25.4mm winding length and 50.8mm long Neodymium radial magnets.

Simply looking at the relation of the voice coil winding to air gap length does not give an accurate representation of the linearity of a woofer. It is the combination of the magnetic and suspension (surround and spider) behavior under dynamic (not only static) conditions which determine the linearity and sound quality of a woofer, assuming pistonic operation of the cone.

For these new Mobile Reference woofers we have literally spent countless hours examing the BL, Cms, Le vs. excursion graphs using our Klippel distortion analyzer, THD measurements at extreme power levels in typical enclosures, DC rectification investigation, and most importantly listening to these woofers with all types of music.

Our goal for these woofers was to have the unprecedented sound quality with superb tonal definition, bass articulation and punch, effortless dynamics, and low-level resolution, to name a few. We believe we have achieved this goal and so do our customers. I hope you will feel the same way.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

Remember that it's MSRP for $1000 so the street price could be close to the Uber15 (God I hope they don't call it that).

I doubt you'll find a lot of people that have worked with that driver.. The question is how much better is it than... say a $150 tempest.

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

I doubt you'll find a lot of people that have worked with that driver..

no, but you are bound to find a lot more people who have experience with the Seismic 8196E, Aura 1808 or the NorthCreek leviathan...all are varients of eachother.

..and these should be very similar to the MR series drivers in terms of sound quality.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

As for excursion capabilities of the woofers, the maximum peak-to-peak cone/suspension excursion for the MR-10.4 and MR-12.4 woofers is 2 inches...
Likewise, the maximum peak-to-peak cone/suspension excursion for the MR-15.4 and MR-18.4 woofers is 2.5 inches.

That's certainly doesn't sound like "Xmax" to me. Peak-to-peak suspension excursion?

 

[Brian Bunge]

To reiterate what Jack said, I'd have to say "NO SALE" on those puppies. Sounds like less excursion for more money. Someone needs to tell them the definition of Xmax. Isn't what they are specing called Xmech (as in the actual mechanical limits of the driver)?
In my experience with car audio drivers, "street" price is usually 75-80% of MSRP, so I'd imagine this sucker would still be upwards of $800.
Concerning the new Adire driver, the German in me loves the name Uber15! Although, I don't necessarily want Jack to win!
Brian

 

[Alexis]

Aura makes good drivers. The big Wilson subwoofer uses a pair of Aura 18" drivers.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

SLIGHT deviation? That's one huge price delta from say and Adire Tempest cost! I don't question the mfgrs' quality, but that's a lot of money to us non-wealthy folks.

 

[Mike Keith]

The most intriguing thing to me is their magnet and motor technology, they seem to be ahead of the pack in this area which makes me wonder if this would actually translate to a audible improvement over something like the Uber15 / Maelstrom drivers motor technology. These Aura drivers should be extremely linear and have a very flat BL curve as well as very low distortion, I could however do without the fancy color changing paint they use on the basket, god I hate car audio hype and the prices that go with it, that being said I still find this a very intriguing product.

I spent so much time, money and research on my mains I fell compelled to go all out on my upcoming sub project and stay within the same theme which is,

Ø No ordinary boxes
Ø Ultra low distortion
Ø At least one thing I haven’t seen on another design
Ø No compromise on the quality of components.
Ø A cosmetic appeal that makes many say "What the Hell"

 

[Jack Gilvey]

The most intriguing thing to me is their magnet and motor technology, they seem to be ahead of the pack in this area which makes me wonder if this would actually translate to a audible improvement over something like the Uber15 / Maelstrom drivers motor technology.

Without some DUMAX results, I haven't seen anything to indicate why this would be the case. You can look at the Brahma DUMAX on the Adire site, it's the real thing. It does seem that they're using Xmech and Xmax interchangeably, possible for the car crowd. Also, "Uber15" and Maelstrom use completely different motors.