Funky Waves FW 12.X Subwoofer Review

[admin]

The Funkywaves FW 12.X Ported 12" subwoofer is a beautifully crafted piece of furniture. It must be said here, measurements alone do not adequately explain the unique sound of this sub. The tonal character is not matched by any of the other shootout entrants. It is a true subwoofer, offering flat performance all the way down to 20 Hz without any electronic equalization whatsoever. This product is, in a nutshell, very old school in its approach to making a small box go down to 20 Hz. It does so, not by any electronic signal manipulation, but by good old fashioned mass loading. There are definitely both advantages and disadvantages to this approach which are discussed in detail in this review.

Discuss "Funky Waves FW 12.X Subwoofer Review" here. Read the article.

 

[bigbassdave]

In before Billy

 

[GranteedEV]

*looks at his maelstrom driven by a J2500 pro amp*
*...considereds a compressor like Paul suggested*
*....NAH... I just need another sub or four!*

On a side note, nice review. Just goes to show that LMS is truly the definition of "beast". I'd love to see AH review an 18" LMS based sub! IIRC Nathan Funk prefers the 5100-Pro over the 5400-Ultra.

My favorite part of the review though was the comment about lights dimming due to the ridiculous wattage... been there before

 

[billy p]

Like they say youz get what you pays fer...... Didn't expect anything less being telling you guys along...

Good job audioholics and especially to you Nathan...

 

[MinusTheBear]

Congrats to Funky Waves on the excellent review.

The way I read into this review is the Funky Waves 12.X has the highest build quality, best extension and output down low and the most linear of the subs tested? A true home theater sub.

 

[GranteedEV]

Congrats to Funky Waves on the excellent review.

The way I read into this review is the Funky Waves 12.X has the highest build quality, best extension and output down low and the most linear of the subs tested? A true home theater sub.

But extremely inefficient and high wattage. Just like real men like it

 

[KEW]

No doubt, this is the sub for the hard core Audioholic. As I read it every shortcoming was really a opportunity to buy more gear and obsess over settings!
However, when it comes to the bottom line, this sub delivers.

This was a great read. It had the normal interest of reading about a great audio component, but added the education of involving the coordination of the subcomponents since this is not the normal "all in one" integrated sub. Some of this is good thought-fodder for DIY as well!
It will be interesting to see what type of package FW puts together if they decide to cater to the "plug and play" customer (of course, one valid point is in a smaller room where the volume is never cranked, there may be no need for a compressor or subsonic filter).

I noticed that the Yamaha pro series (such as the P3500S) has a built in high-pass filter that can be set as low as 25Hz. Unfortunately, the Yamaha series don't offer quite the amazing bang for the buck as the Behringer EP4000.

 

[GranteedEV]

I noticed that the Yamaha pro series (such as the P3500S) has a built in high-pass filter that can be set as low as 25Hz. Unfortunately, the Yamaha series don't offer quite the amazing bang for the buck as the Behringer EP4000.

Although it's not * yet * a "compressor" I'd rather use a miniDSP for high pass filter functions and leave the amp filter off. I'm a control freak so I need to model that transfer function before I implement it

btw, besides the behringer, the amps I've seen people use often with DIY subs are Crest, Marathon, Crown K2, QSC, and Face Audio. Not that anything's wrong with the Behringer EP2500. It's a reverse engineered version of the QSC RMX2450, and so is my Tapco J2500. No copyrights on amp designs I guess.

 

[KEW]

I was wondering how much of the desired functions the miniDSP could address. I haven't really paid close attention to it's abilities or limitations (they seem pretty "soft") - just filed it in the "worthy of further attention if the need arises" category.

Maybe that will be Nathans best option. Is there a way to "lock" it? I would expect a certain percent of customers would want to be able to manipulate things and another group would simply want to make sure it never lost its settings and put their equipment at risk!

 

[GranteedEV]

Is there a way to "lock" it?

The SVS review IMO shows that DSP is indeed the way to go, properly implemented at least. The sledge amp was doing these compression duties very effectively. I'd assume this is also what JTR and Seaton have been doing with their 4kW amps but I"m not quite sure.

Right now the minidsp does not have the software for this function as far as I can see, but likely has the hardware. It also comes in a DIY version with no enclosure for the soldering sorts. I think if there's demand, DSP4You will develop this software.

Either way, I'd love to see FW or Antimode etc come out with a DSP-based device for this functionality. Perhaps this review will open up demand in the DIY market?

 

[HexOmega]

Congrats to Funky Waves on the excellent review.

The way I read into this review is the Funky Waves 12.X has the highest build quality, best extension and output down low and the most linear of the subs tested? A true home theater sub.

My take on it was similar, save for the addition of: lowest value, and by far and away the absolute UGLIEST woodgrain finish of any sub in the shootout.

Thanks to Paul for a very thorough and professional review!

 

[Matt34]

My take on it was similar, save for the addition of: lowest value, and by far and away the absolute UGLIEST woodgrain finish of any sub in the shootout.

Thanks to Paul for a very thorough and professional review!

The good think about the Funky Waves operation is that you can finish the subs in almost any way you like. You can even build an enclosure out of aluminum!

 

[MinusTheBear]

The craftmanship that goes into these cabinets is top notch. Beautiful work.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=794670&postcount=683

I am thinking many wouldn't want their subwoofers to have a complete tear down next to a Funky Waves built subwoofer.

 

[GranteedEV]

My take on it was similar, save for the addition of: lowest value, and by far and away the absolute UGLIEST woodgrain finish of any sub in the shootout.

Thanks to Paul for a very thorough and professional review!

look, I realize it is different strokes for different folks but....


you are insane.

 

[Rogozhin]

I just checked out funkywaves website, and there is only one woodgrain finish that I would consider (wheat), the one tested looks terrible. I also noticed that the same model costs $1950 if you want to purchase it within the United States, so why is the retail price listed in the review $1750?

I am also curious about the recommendation considering you're paying $1300 ($300 for the TC Sounds LMS-R 12" DVC Subwoofer at partsexpress, and $250 for the EuropowerEP2000, $100 for EQ.2) for a sub cabinet that isn't that small and is butt ugly. My wife said that the only way any of those finishes would jive in our house was if we renovated to a log cabin, so the WAF is irrelevant.

14.5" wide 24" high 24" deep
115lbs shipping weigh

 

[billy p]

I just checked out funkywaves website, and there is only one woodgrain finish that I would consider (wheat), the one tested looks terrible. I also noticed that the same model costs $1950 if you want to purchase it within the United States, so why is the retail price listed in the review $1750?

I am also curious about the recommendation considering you're paying $1300 ($300 for the TC Sounds LMS-R 12" DVC Subwoofer at partsexpress, and $250 for the EuropowerEP2000, $100 for EQ.2) for a sub cabinet that isn't that small and is butt ugly. My wife said that the only way any of those finishes would jive in our house was if we renovated to a log cabin, so the WAF is irrelevant.

14.5" wide 24" high 24" deep
115lbs shipping weigh

Did you stop and think what would the sum of all the parts cost if your buying a comcercial made sub...likely less than 1/2 of retail, so what is your beef. And fwiw if you don't like the teak he'll do custom as I have the same enclosure but in walnut venner....I believe he has a long list of wood veneers to please just about anyone's needs....

Cheers, Bill

 

[3db]

Nice review and thnaks.

If I understand what I quickly glossed over,

1. the amp used to drive this monster is Berhinger and it is supplied with the sub?
2. the reviewer recommends a compressor as wel to get the most out of this unit. Isn't that DSP or some form of electronic control?


Although I'm very impressed with its capabilities, I suspect that all the tweeking required to get the most out of this sub is too much both in money and effort for most people to dial it in correctly. I'm wondering if this will reduce the target market.

 

[GO-NAD!]

This is the review I was looking forward to most of all. I was wondering how a "commercial/DIY" (I know - kinda oxymoronic) sub would compare to the purely commercial offerings. It certainly held its own! But, the same issues that us DIYers face must also be addressed with the FW 12.X.

Using external professional amplification usually requires conversion from balanced to unbalanced connections. This can lead to ground loop problems, if I'm not mistaken, although I was fortunate enough not to encounter this. And, with the power demands of this model, a separate power circuit could also contribute to ground loop issues.

There's the fan noise (I solved my fan noise issue by putting the amp in a separate room).

Then, there's subsonic filtration (of course, that requirement depends on how hard you push the sub).

I think this is a great subwoofer. However, in it's current form, it will remain a niche product, confined to those who can't/won't do cabinetry.

 

[pbc]

The SVS review IMO shows that DSP is indeed the way to go, properly implemented at least. The sledge amp was doing these compression duties very effectively. I'd assume this is also what JTR and Seaton have been doing with their 4kW amps but I"m not quite sure.

Right now the minidsp does not have the software for this function as far as I can see, but likely has the hardware. It also comes in a DIY version with no enclosure for the soldering sorts. I think if there's demand, DSP4You will develop this software.

Either way, I'd love to see FW or Antimode etc come out with a DSP-based device for this functionality. Perhaps this review will open up demand in the DIY market?

Nathan mentioned over at AVS that he is working on incorporating the MiniDSP into his designs for those who want it.

I'm enjoying the MiniDSP so much I have relegated my DCX2496 to the basement and am contemplating selling it.

 

[gliz]

almost 2 grand, it had better be good! great review, but i too think that it is ug-lee!!!