Car sub, Home use? (1 Viewer)

[RayJK]

I ran across this in my wanderings over the net. http://www.thezeb.com/caraudio/audiobahn_specials.html
Specs are:
AW1805X
Fs 21.9 Hz
Qts 0.41
Qes 0.44
Qms 5.4
Vas 142 Liters
Vas 5.0 Cu. Ft.
Re 3.15 ohms
Le 1.95 mH
Xmax +/-25
Pmax 1200 watts
EBP 50
Freq. Resp. 16Hz-500Hz
Efficiency 97 dB
Dimensions:
Depth 7 3/4"
Hole 16 3/4"
Diameter 18 1/2"
I can get it to match the Tumult almost exactly in a 160L smaller box according to WinISD. At $250 it ain't bad.

 

[Chris James]

Hi Ray. The sound quality of the Audiobahn is lacking. It will definitely get loud, but it will be no where near the quality of the Tumult (using Brahma as a reference to Tumult SQ).

In my opinion, there is a reason why an 18" "Ultra Excursion" sub is $250.

 

[RayJK]

It is last years (2001) model so soon it will be 2 years old. That was the reason I figured for the sale. In terms of SQ, just how much SQ is there from 15-100 Hz?

Not wanting to argue car vs. home but if a given woofer is "flat" from 20-100hz in an appropriate enclosure (with or without modifying electronics and at the volume you want). What makes one sub have a good SQ and another one not? Besides power handling and efficiency why would a Maelstrom be thought better or worse then this Audiobahn? I don't know enough to debate this but would welcome opinions to point me in the right direction.

 

[Chris Bates]

Ray...I have been building sub enclosures for many moons. I started with car audio, and then branched out into home audio. I have PERSONALLY used audiobahn subs (my choice is the alum15x) and, with the right enclosure, they are a stellar performer. Dont get me wrong, there are better subs out there, but they are way more expensive. I say go for it, you wont regret it.

 

[Chris James]

In terms of SQ, just how much SQ is there from 15-100 Hz?

There can be large differences in SQ from subwoofers. The only Audiobahn line that has good SQ is the ALUM series. If you want to use an 18" sub, I would reccomend the Blueprint 1803. The Maelstrom is good, but I think the Blueprint has the upperhand.

 

[Chris Bates]

Lets not forget guys that SQ is relative. Many things can affect sound quality, The best sub in the world would sound like warm crap if its not in the right enclosure, or hooked up to a cheap amp. Not to mention the cables, wires and the receiver. All of which can affect a subs "perceived" sound quality. I doubt very seriously that Ray has the best receiver on the market, nor does he have the best amps. If he did, the cost of the sub wouldn't be an issue. So the discussion of "SQ" at this point is moot. Were not talking about a Pyramid sub here, were talking about a very decent sub, from a very decent company. Is it the best...no, but all of its "parameters" say that it should perform very well, So I say...WHY NOT. Besides, I doubt very seriously that all things being equal, that any of us could tell the difference between any of the subs mentioned as "sounding" better than the others as long as the enclosures are properly constructed, and the source is decent. Let me ask you this....When was the last time any of you guys heard a great sounding sub, and said Hey, that has to be Blueprint 1803.....or a Brahma, or Tumult? I'd be willing to bet that its a lot less often than one might think. Speaking as someone that has to be thrifty myself, I fully understand trying to get the most bang for the buck, so if a sub performs well, who cares what name is on it. I have been building sub enclosures for the past twelve years, several of those years being professionally, so I can so with a certain degree of expertise, that Ray would do well to purchase this sub, and either build an optimized enclosure for it, or have one professionally built. I can also tell you that whatever sub you decide on, you should always test the sub yourself in order to derive the TS parameters. I do for every single enclosure I build. Most of the time the factory TS parameters are close enough to actual to not make a difference, but I have come across many, many subs that the factory TS parameters were WAY off. And thats with "top of the line" subs as well as the average sub.

Ray, I honestly feel that you would be very happy with this sub, but it boils down to what you feel comfortable with. Most opinions are based on personal preferences or prejudices for one product over another, so the only thing to do at this point, is give it a shot. It may or may not be to your liking, but you wont know until you try. I have had the privilege of hearing many, many, many subwoofers over the years, Ive heard TOP LINE subs that sounded like a Kraco 6x9, and Ive heard "Cheap" subs that sounded like a million bucks. The Audiobahn sub is a good sub, if you feel like your getting a good deal, go for it.

About 45 cents worth.....

 

[RayJK]

Sorry to throw you off but I do have really good equipment (Cinepro & Parasound amps, VMPS ST III SRE, Toshiba SD-9200, Digital Leeza, etc etc) and haven't owned a receiver since the days of Quad almost 30 years ago.

The SQ question was raised because I don't notice too much difference between my Parasound GMAS sub (18" modified McCauly driver,-3db @ 14 hz,) compared to my VMPS Larger Sub (Megawoofer option, 15"&12" active, 15" PR -3db @ 17hz). The Parasound is still the best sub I have ever heard but it is not 5 times better then the VMPS. This made me think if there would be that drastic a difference between this Audiobahn and the Maelstrom.

The cost isn't a factor but I do like getting the most bang for my buck. In the space I have, 2 Maelstroms will work just fine and are probably what I will be getting if I don't want to build a separate smaller box. This Audiobahn sub is just something I ran across and looked like a good deal. I never realized that the opinions would be so strong about it.

 

[Chris Bates]

Sorry Ray, I only said that about your equipment to prove a point. By no means did I intend it to sound like I was flaming your equipment. There is no doubt that you have good equipment, I was using the term "best" in the strictest sense of the word. Most people dont feel the same way I do about mobile subs in a home environment, but I have had great results on certain subs, and unlike A LOT of opinions on the forum, mine comes from first hand, real world experience.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

There is no best:
Amp...
Sub...
Pre/Pro...
Receiver...
Car...
Woman...
Wine...
Beer...

Opinions are like butt holes, everybody's got one and we
all know how to use them!
FWIW I was going to go with a Bahn Alum12Q but was disuaded
by the anti car audio sub guys here on the forum..
I am instead going with the AV12..

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

I think that it's nice if a sub has a smooth response. But what about the ability to play multiple/overlapping pitches or accurately replicating the echoing bass in a concert hall? As for bass SQ, there are terms such as muddy, bloated, boomy, etc that people use to describe it.

I've heard in my car that a 15" Adire Tempest driver begins to sound muddy when you get it playing multiple pitches at over 120db. However, the bass never becomes harsh unlike the car audio drivers i've had in the past. I guess I would just think twice before buying a car audio driver for home use.

 

[RayJK]

No problem Chris (Bates), I didn't take it as a flame but I didn't want this to be thought of as a just an exercise in cost cutting.
You folks must be on top of the sub world as I didn't even get a question about the GMAS. Mentioning that beast usually generates a few questions

 

[Chris Bates]

>>>I've heard in my car that a 15" Adire Tempest driver begins to sound muddy when you get it playing multiple pitches at over 120db. However, the bass never becomes harsh unlike the car audio drivers i've had in the past. I guess I would just think twice before buying a car audio driver for home use.