Cavediver said:
Ok. I looked at the graphs on the link you provided. So, having no experience with this kind of thing, they mean nothing to me at all. What do all the graph's mean?
If you look at all the graphs,
The first one is the FR (how loud the sub plays at what frequency). Ideally, you want this to be flat (unless you like it otherwise) and to extend as high as you need (IE: to where your main speakers pick up) and as low as possible, to a point. Everyone wants a sub that goes to 1 hertz. BUT, this is almost non existent so getting the lowest possible for the size of driver is what you should look for. Example, all 8inch subwoofers SHOULD be able to hit 35hz. All 10inch subwoofer should be able to hit below 30hz (27 or so). 12's should be able to hit low 20's (23Hz) and so on. But, the design of the driver and box dictate these parameters and some perform better, and worse.
Second is power compression. Power compression is where the voice coil heats, thus increasing resistance, thus resulting in a non linear increase in SPL vs. input power increase. (thanks WmAx).
The third and forth graphs are referring to Harmonic distortion. Basically you want this to be low. Obviously you can't have 0, but 10% and under is considered very good. Generally, the higher the distortion, the "boomier" the subwoofer will sound.
Fifth is Group Delay. This is how long the driver takes to change between notes. Often referred to as transient response. This can also contribute to boomy subs. Sometimes called "slow", this is a poor term for this application(slow) as the driver moves at different speeds to make different notes. If it was moving slow, it would be playing a different note all together.
Hope this helps, If anyone sees something incorrect, PM me, and I will fix it.
SheepStar
