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Is a good 10" sub better than a average 12" sub?? (1 Viewer)

Dave_Whiting

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
80
THe two subs I am looking at are:
aad c-10 (10" 22-200 Hz 160 watts class ab)
http://www.aadsound.com/Products%20P...ct%20page.html
or the famous
sony SA-WM40 (12" 120 Watts)
Now I can get the sony for NZ $500 and the aad $NZ 700. By the way the aad retails for $650 usa, so I am getting a great discount. The aad supposed to be good with music which is a plus. My main speakers are the aad c-800
http://www.aadsound.com/Products%20P...ct%20page.html
like in the picture and the receiver HK220. Will adding one of these subs make a big difference to bass and should I get the good 10" or the average 12"??
Any reccommendation would be great as well as past experiences.
THanks
 

Rory Buszka

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
784
Size is not everything.

My Blueprint 10" in a properly-sized ported enclosure with 150 watts blows everything you could find at Best Buy off the shelf (excepting possibly that huse JBL 12" sub they just got in, but its excursion is comparable to my Blueprint so it doesn't count.) It certainly goes lower than my friend's SA-WM40 and could out-displace that thing any day. Now I just sit back and imagine what I could do with 250 watts. I could take over the world with bass!

Once you get a taste of a true long-excursion woofer, you won't ever want to go back.

The biggest difference is that big mainstream consumer-sound manufacturers like KLH, Sony, Energy, Acoustic Research, and others need to fit subs in small boxes, so they need to add lots of EQ. For this reason, the woofers reach their limits a lot more quickly than say, a DIY projectlike mine where the box volume is usually only slightly larger, but it is the proper air volume of r the woofer. The other thing you will notice about those mainsteam manufacturers is they build in extra bass boost to their amplifiers at about 30-40Hz to cover over the fact that their subs have no real bottom end, just muddying it over with BoOoOm. Consumer subs are good for consumers, but we aspire to reach a higher standard, and that AAD C-10 looks like it might be better for you despite its smaller woofer diameter. What the smaller woofer lacks in diameter it makles up for in excursion. And it has a lot more power, whereas the SA-WM40 noticeably runs out of steam with only 120 watts RMS.
 

Neil Joseph

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 16, 1998
Messages
8,332
Real Name
Neil Joseph
A Sunfire is an example of a small sub that beats most 12" (larger) subs. It has a very wide driver excursion and lots of power to help it to move a lot of air despite its small stature.
 

Jeff Adams

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 13, 1999
Messages
1,549
Dave, I have been waiting for someone to bring up the AAD speaker line. I had a PSB Subsonic 3 that blew out about a year ago, so it was a good time to go sub shopping. I demo'd alot of other subs in my own home. I tried a PSB Subsonic 7 & 6,the top of the line Earthquake sub,4 different Sunfires,Monitor audio,Mirage,Velodyne and of course the aad c-10. The range of price was $450 all the way up to $2000 and I was most impressed with the aad c-10. The price I paid for it is going to kill you too. $410. I have read reviews on the Earthquake which state that it is one of the most brutal subs out there, I didn't share that same view. For $1600, I was not impressed at all. The Sunfires were okay but they did not play low or loud enough, and you could tell they had limits. The aad c-10 is small in size, easy on the pocket book and looks, sounds and performs like it costs $1000+. I love this subwoofer. Very clean with tight well defined bass, but it also pounds and rocks for home theater use as well. The movies that everybody is talking about right now are the Star Wars II and LOTR EE dvd's, some people are saying that there subs blew because of these movies, my c-10 was flawless with them. And I have watched them more than once. I did want to ask you Dave,how do you like your aad towers? I have never heard their towers.
 

Jeff Adams

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 13, 1999
Messages
1,549
Also, to answer your question. I have always gone with 10 inch subs for both my home and in car audio. And I have been into car audio for over 10 years. The 10's just seem to react quicker, they seem to play a little tighter and more defined. They give me that punch you in the chest sound and feel that I like. But they can also play low as well. Not to say that 12's or 15's are sloppy or not defined, but IMO I just like the way 10's sound. And if you want loud, just buy 2 of them. I plan on buying another one real soon.
 

Dave_Whiting

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
80
Thanks for the info Jeff sounds like the c-10 is a winner. By the way $700 nz is about $350 US :) . I quite like the towers, they seem to be very detailed and revealing which I am not used to. I need to break I my ear some more I think.
 

Jeff Adams

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 13, 1999
Messages
1,549
No problem Dave. The C-10 is a winner. I plan on buying another one soon. And I guess I was a little confused about the $700nz. Thanks for the clarification. I could have got one for $375, it was the floor model and was almost brand new but I wanted one right out of the box. I also saw a different sub that they offered that actuall had 2 10's in it, I can't seem to find it on their website though.
 

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