AV123 MFW-15 Subwoofer

mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
Let me know what you think!!! Based on what I've been reading [Craigsub & others] this sub is a great value. If it has specific weaknesses that a newb like me should know about then please let me know.
if I had to guess, the amp would be the weakest link on this unit. just 350w ... but what I always hear AV123 say is that the amp was CUSTOM made for the driver.

so that either means the driver is real efficient OR it just can't take too much power.

MAYBE with such a "weak" amp, you'd really need duals for big rooms.

waiver: all this just my "guessing"
 
Alamar

Alamar

Full Audioholic
if I had to guess, the amp would be the weakest link on this unit. just 350w ... but what I always hear AV123 say is that the amp was CUSTOM made for the driver.

so that either means the driver is real efficient OR it just can't take too much power.

MAYBE with such a "weak" amp, you'd really need duals for big rooms.

waiver: all this just my "guessing"

Thanks for the input "mikesub" [ :) ].

My media room is under 2400 cubic ft. so I would call that a mid-sized room. Add to that I don't like to play my movies & games loudly so I suspect that I won't be pushing the unit to the breaking point. What I'm looking for is a tight/dynamic/accurate/precise/musical type of sub that doesn't need to go too loud. I want to avoid what I have now which is muddy/boomy/loose and in general crappy.

Honestly I've considered duals but I suspect that it would be overkill in my 12x25x8 room. Of course if anyone thinks that I'm wrong then please let me know the error of my thinking.
 
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mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
Thanks for the input "mikesub" [ :) ].

My media room is under 2400 cubic ft. so I would call that a mid-sized room. Add to that I don't like to play my movies & games loudly so I suspect that I won't be pushing the unit to the breaking point. What I'm looking for is a tight/dynamic/accurate/precise/musical type of sub that doesn't need to go too loud. I want to avoid what I have now which is muddy/boomy/loose and in general crappy.

Honestly I've considered duals but I suspect that it would be overkill in my 12x25x8 room. Of course if anyone thinks that I'm wrong then please let me know the error of my thinking.
haha, don't call me that yet, still very unworthy.

i also have a very bad memory, I actually forgot if my previous room had 2400 or 2600 cubes. But, I had always considered it "big" in terms of subwoofer sizing. Maybe because I wanted full room pressurization. the muddy/boomy/loose thing can probably be only proven by ground plane measurements ... since the full gamut of FR, THD, GD tests are done by Europeans, I'm not sure when this MFW will be tested.

maybe i'll wait til this becomes ex-stock or at least have been tested before I fall in line.
 
E

evan

Junior Audioholic
Thanks for the input "mikesub" [ :) ].

My media room is under 2400 cubic ft. so I would call that a mid-sized room. Add to that I don't like to play my movies & games loudly so I suspect that I won't be pushing the unit to the breaking point. What I'm looking for is a tight/dynamic/accurate/precise/musical type of sub that doesn't need to go too loud. I want to avoid what I have now which is muddy/boomy/loose and in general crappy.

Honestly I've considered duals but I suspect that it would be overkill in my 12x25x8 room. Of course if anyone thinks that I'm wrong then please let me know the error of my thinking.
I heard this sub in a larger room than that with 2nd story cielings and You could still FEEL and hear it with no problem . This sub rocks
 
Gimpy Ric

Gimpy Ric

Moderator
I don't think the amp power @ 350 watts is a problem. If you read craigsub's post, before Sheep ruined the thread, he said output was comparable to a PB-13 Ultra, which isn't too shabby.

An efficient driver with the proper cabinet may not require much power. Think of klipsch, which makes VERY efficient speakers, they don't require much power to play LOUD.

In several weeks I'm replacing an aging and modified M&K MX 200 with a satin black MFW-15. I'll let you guys know how it plays in my large open great room.
 
Alamar

Alamar

Full Audioholic
I don't think the amp power @ 350 watts is a problem. If you read craigsub's post, before Sheep ruined the thread, he said output was comparable to a PB-13 Ultra, which isn't too shabby.

An efficient driver with the proper cabinet may not require much power. Think of klipsch, which makes VERY efficient speakers, they don't require much power to play LOUD.

In several weeks I'm replacing an aging and modified M&K MX 200 with a satin black MFW-15. I'll let you guys know how it plays in my large open great room.
I wish someone close to me [Metro Atlanta GA area] had one of these boxes so I could drop by and have a good listen :)
 
E

evan

Junior Audioholic
Go to the Av123website and post an auition thread . there maybe someone close by
 
Soundman

Soundman

Audioholic Field Marshall
ok, well, I'm hearing awesome things about the MFW-15. Up untill now I was considering the PB-13 Ultra. But I'm wondering if 2 MFW-15's would be a better value? What do you guys think? :confused:
 
croseiv

croseiv

Audioholic Samurai
This seems like a very impressive option. The only drawback I can see is is having to use two subs. And Craigsub reports the Ultra as having better low end extension. Something to consider. The Ultra is one heck of a sub, but the AV123 duals wins in the "slam" arena. Many options out there now.:cool:
 
Soundman

Soundman

Audioholic Field Marshall
This seems like a very impressive option. The only drawback I can see is is having to use two subs. And Craigsub reports the Ultra as having better low end extension. Something to consider. The Ultra is one heck of a sub, but the AV123 duals wins in the "slam" arena. Many options out there now.:cool:
OK, so the Ultra extends lower, but dual AV123's has higher output capability, meaning it could do a few more SPL's, correct?
 
Soundman

Soundman

Audioholic Field Marshall
This seems like a very impressive option. The only drawback I can see is is having to use two subs. And Craigsub reports the Ultra as having better low end extension. Something to consider. The Ultra is one heck of a sub, but the AV123 duals wins in the "slam" arena. Many options out there now.:cool:
Something else i noticed is that the MFW-15's are stackable, so they wouldn't take up any more room then a single sub if space is an issue. I'm going to have to think long and hard on this one....hmmmmm
 
Soundman

Soundman

Audioholic Field Marshall
So, how much extension am I giving up by going with dual MFW-15's instead of the PB-13 Ultra?? :confused:
 
Matt34

Matt34

Moderator
So, how much extension am I giving up by going with dual MFW-15's instead of the PB-13 Ultra?? :confused:
I think Craigsub posted some graphs comparing the Ultra and dual MFW-15 here.....or maybe it was in his thread over at AVS?
 
Soundman

Soundman

Audioholic Field Marshall
I think Craigsub posted some graphs comparing the Ultra and dual MFW-15 here.....or maybe it was in his thread over at AVS?
I looked at the graphs. It's a little hard to read (small print), but looks like the PB-13 does go a bit lower. It's hard for me to tell though. Do you think the Ultra is worth the extra cost?
 

Loki

Enthusiast
These are the graphs Craig posted using a peak hold setting for Chapter 5 of WOTW (Pods Emerge).

PB13-Ultra


Dual Stacked MFW-15


Single MFW-15


The Ultra appears to dig deeper with more linear infrasonic bass while the dual MFW-15's have the edge from 20Hz and up...
 
mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
looking at the 1st two charts ... the dual MFW's only have a 1-2db "edge" over the ultra.
 
Soundman

Soundman

Audioholic Field Marshall
These are the graphs Craig posted using a peak hold setting for Chapter 5 of WOTW (Pods Emerge).

PB13-Ultra


Dual Stacked MFW-15


Single MFW-15


The Ultra appears to dig deeper with more linear infrasonic bass while the dual MFW-15's have the edge from 20Hz and up...
Well, it does appear that the Ultra performs better at lower frequencies, and output on both setups appears to be pretty similar, a slight edge to the MFW-15's. So, does everyone think the Ultra is worth the extra cost? I'm looking for high prformance mainly for movies, so what's a better option? :confused:
 
croseiv

croseiv

Audioholic Samurai
So, does everyone think the Ultra is worth the extra cost? I'm looking for high prformance mainly for movies, so what's a better option? :confused:
I feel my money was very well spent getting the Ultra. I would still buy one even with the review of the dual MFW-15s. That's just my opinion though...
 
croseiv

croseiv

Audioholic Samurai
I'm looking at those graphs and only seeing a very slight volume edge going to the dual stacked 15s.
 

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