I am not too aware of any other company using Pro Subwoofer Drivers in their Subwoofers (outside of those built for the pro market, of course). This has been a relatively recent trend in the market, as I understand it.
The DIY community has been playing with this setup, and it is hard to tell if PSA was at the forefront of that or vise versa.
Pro Drivers from B&C, La Voce and Eminence seem to be the top candidates for use in these builds. They are not cheap, either, with the 21” B&C and Eminence Drivers retailing over $600 each.
The Eminence NSW seems to be the Driver of choice for many as it is the most capable in terms of its Motor and Suspension being able to withstand the excursion required to perform so far below its resonant frequency. It can also handle more power, which is very important for being able to perform below its Fs.
GSG Audio is selling several of the Pro Drivers and have ‘tuned their builds’ to excel with these Drivers. Marty builds are the most lenient and can work well with a very wide range of Drivers from Pro to Home Audio product. On the other hand, the Devastator builds, originally designed by John of GSG, require these Pro Drivers to operate properly.
Even in those Subwoofers, you can see clearly the strengths of the Pro Driver: they excel at Mid Bass production and are highly efficient above the Driver’s Fs, however as you go deeper excursion and the lack of efficiency quickly become limiting factors for most of the Drivers.
Researching the Devs, you can easily see their modeled responses dropping hard below Driver Resonance. Everything that Driver can give below that point is because their Power Handling.
Where the commonly used La Voce and B&C are rated for 1000w/2000w peak, that Eminence NSW is rated for 2000/4000w.
It is truly a beast mode driver that can perform low, as long as you can keep dumping power into it.
One other thought here:
For people that know Speaker Design, using the Pro Drivers is a bit controversial because there are some rule… defying attributes. These Drivers were not really meant for this usage: it is brute force alone that makes these drivers perform at Home Theater level demands.
This is why I want to see somebody test these. An impartial experienced reviewer with the knowledge and experience to perform and publish the results will go a long way to dispelling the myth around this concept.
To those that think this is unfair… to expect a company to send a product out for a third party review for an unadulterated airing of the laundry… clean, dirty, or whatever, I say get over it.
If a company won’t let their product be tested, much less won’t freely support such a practice, what are they afraid of?
You say they can’t keep them in stock without testing, when testing could either refute their efficacy or reinforce their prowess and further drive business to new heights.
Frankly, I won’t trust the guy that won’t send his product out! And when I’m considering dropping $2k or more, I want to know what I’m getting.
No, a test won’t tell you how it will perform in your home, but you can absolutely know without a doubt if the product is designed well. And that is what we are talking about. If it is a good design and you can see the metrics side by side, apples to apples, with other Subs commonly lauded for their cost and performance, we the consumers can decide for ourselves whether to invest in that product or take our business elsewhere.
The last time I saw a blow up of somebody not wanting measurements posted of their gear was Tekton Design and the blowup with New Record Day. That was ugly and I don’t think anybody but them really knows the true story, however, Eric’s Speakers will forever be tainted in my mind for his steadfast refusal to allow anybody to test them.
Conversely, I know another Speaker designer that paid out of pocket to have his Speaker tested at the NRC is Canada because he understood the importance of getting that impartial third party proof of what his design is capable of.
All I want is Tom to send a Sub to a good review site, let the put it through its paces, and return it. He can still sell it as an outlet, and still make money on that unit. He proves the efficacy of his design. He makes more money still
In this business, consumer education is important. Without it… you may as well be selling cables with battery packs.
*shrugs
