Over the past few days, I've been scouring the net looking at whatever reviews and comparisons I could find on various subs and compiling some results into a spreadsheet. This is a pretty gross approximation considering that I couldn't get data from the same reviewer using the same methodology across different subs. Nevertheless, I was just trying to get a picture of how the SB13 Ultra may compare to some other subs. Essentially, my data says that the SB13-ultra should be roughly -3db @20hz and <2db lower max SPL (up to 80hz) compared to the F113. See the attached thumbnail for the results I collected.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Again these numbers are just estimates. The numbers are not captured from the same review source for each sub so in some cases I modified the numbers slightly to make them more comparable.
- The rows are sorted by the 20hz output from largest to smallest
- Given the error in the data, it is fair to say that rows 9-11 have negligible differences in output (which is expected with those subs).
- I'm making an assumption that the SB13 ultra numbers will be slightly better than the discontinued SB13-plus results with all other test parameters being equal.
I think the overall picture here is consistent enough with expectations to be believable. Of course the ported subs have higher output (esp at 20hz) and the paradigms manage to overcome some of the sealed limitations with their tremendous amp power and multiple driver configurations. Whether or not that -3db difference at 20hz between the F113 and the SB13-Ultra will be noticeable in real-world listening is of course debatable. That is why I'm still waiting to hear PBC and Jakeman's comparison as that should be quite interesting. Once it is available and is thoroughly tested by Audioholics and other sites, hopefully we will see if the SB13-Ultra can manage to hit 100db at 20hz from 2m. That would be amazing given the size and price but from my findings, I doubt that will be the case. Likely close, but no cigar.
Cheers