Need a Sub Solution

[Jeff R.]

Well I just sold 1 ED A2-300 and I had my amp fail on my remaining in the past week (big surprise). So I am officially in need of a sub for the HT.

I was planning to do a build with the Stereo Integrity 18" subs, basically build 2 - 4.0 cubic Ft sealed boxes and have a pair of sealed 18's. The SI's are on back order for at least another 2 months.

So now I have to decide whether to run a pair of the following options.

Stereo Integrity - 15's in a 3.0 cubic ft box (Cost is going to be $520)
Parts Express - RS 18's in a 4.0 cubic ft box (Cost is going to be $740)
Parts Express - Ultimax 15's in a 3.0 Cubic ft box (Cost is going to be $520)

My gut tells me that all three will be very close in output since the 2 - 15" options have better excursion, while the 18" has the larger driver. Just wondering if anybody had a recommendation to consider, I am leaning toward the Ultimax right now since it is on such a good special on PE website, and has the free shipping.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[Jeff R.]

Crickets chirping away....

I am leaning toward the Ultimax from PE just because I think I have a little higher level of trust for the reliability on PE supplied product over Stereo Integrity. However I found out I only live like 20 minutes away from where SI is located so I can go and pick up my subs directly and not have shipping costs.

 

[j_garcia]

Guess it depends. Can you wait for the 18s to come in or do you want it NOW? I'd probably just go pick up the 15s. Unless you have a massive room, I can't see dual 15s not being enough, even sealed.

 

[Jeff R.]

I was thinking the same....you know how you always wonder what the the 18's vs the 15's......it will play mind games with you.

 

[ousooner2]

Dayton 18" HO
Dayton Audio RSS460HO-4 18" Reference HO Subwoofer 4 ohm 295-472

 

[Jeff R.]

Dayton 18" HO
Dayton Audio RSS460HO-4 18" Reference HO Subwoofer 4 ohm 295-472

That one was on my list.....are you saying that you believe it will yeild a significant output level over the 15" Ultimax?

 

[Jeff R.]

Well I just ordered a pair of the Dayton 15" Ultimax subs and 2 of the DIYsoundgroup's 3.0 Cubic Foot Flat Pack. Hopefully in a few weeks I will be back up and running. I am curious to see what kind of output I will get from this pair of 15's vs. my A2-300s. I am hoping for about 20% more output and much better sound quality with the sealed design vs the ported 10's.

 

[fuzz092888]

If possible you should invest in a miniDSP or something like that to give those subs a little EQ. Sealed subs generally need a little boost in order to counter their natural roll off depending on how low you'd like them to reach. A high pass filter at around 20hz would save you amplifier power, but if want to get down into the teens expect that you'll need a fair amount of power.

 

[Jeff R.]

Thanks Fuzz. That was my plan. I have one on my DIY 10's now. I am thinking about buying this for powering them. EUROPOWER EPQ2000 I can pick up a used one for $199.

 

[fuzz092888]

I haven't modeled the ultimax, but 700 watts each should be plenty. I made a dual opposed with 2 LMS Ultras and they are severely under powered with 800 watts each. Consider yourself lucky in that respect.

 

[Jeff R.]

Is there any reason I should spend the extra money and get a Crown XLS2000, or even drop back to the XLS1500 instead of the Behringer EPQ2000? Does the Crown eliminate the need for me to have a miniDSP? Is there a significant reliability gain with the Crown?

 

[lsiberian]

Is there any reason I should spend the extra money and get a Crown XLS2000, or even drop back to the XLS1500 instead of the Behringer EPQ2000? Does the Crown eliminate the need for me to have a miniDSP? Is there a significant reliability gain with the Crown?

The Crown XTi is what you want. It has the built in dsp.

 

[Jeff R.]

That is a major price jump to the XTi....why would I not just get a EPQ2000 and buy miniDSP. Would that not yield the same fucntionality? If I went the XTi route I would need to go with the 1002 which is 500W RMS to each 15" sub, would that be sufficient?

Thanks!!