Subwoofers are now automobiles: what sub is which car?

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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
This discussion is too good not to be its own thread: if subs have a car equivalent, which cars would be which subs? I think we have to define our ranges before we can really start making matches here. So lets say that the lowest end subwoofer is something that you get in a $120 HTiB, like a passive, plastic bandpass enclosure loaded with a very cheap 5" woofer. That would be like the crappiest car you can buy. I think in our analogy, even equating them to cars would to too kind, we might say these are like a vespa or a rickshaw. In fact I think that we should only be considering powered subs since a car equivalent to a passive sub would be like a car with no engine.

But the nicest sub would be something like the Funk 18.2 or Magico Q-sub. Let's say these are like the Koenigsegg or Bugatti Veyron of subwoofers. With that being the scale, what is your sub the car equivalent of? What would the more popular subwoofer be in cars, or even less well known brands?

For me, I would say that handling the equivalent of linearity, and output the equivalent of speed. Let's say that top speed is like maximum long-term output, and 0-60 or 0-100 is like CEA-2010 burst output. I guess braking distance would be like group delay.

To set some kind of standard here, I will start by saying that one of the most common and least expensive subs, the Polk PS108 is now the least expensive new car, the Nissan Versa ($12,110). So what does that make a Paradigm Signature Sub 2? Or an SVS PB16-Ultra? or a Dayton Sub1500? an Hsu Research VTF-3 mk5? or a Deep Sea Sound Mariana 24S? Tell me what you think!
 
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snakeeyes

Audioholic Ninja
I’m thinking my HSU VTF2 MK5 perform very well so probably a base model Porsche 911 but not the highest end 911 Those start at $91,100 :)

https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/

I’m thinking the VTF15H MK2 would probably be the GT2 RS for $293,200 :)
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
What would Josh Ricci's ZOD Audio Maul be? One of these?
:) More to cars that sports cars....
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
I’m thinking my HSU VTF2 MK5 perform very well so probably a base model Porsche 911 but not the highest end 911 Those start at $91,100 :)

https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/

I’m thinking the VTF15H MK2 would probably be the GT2 RS for $293,200 :)
I'm thinking the VTF-2 mk5 would be something that performs well but is inexpensive and does without amenities in order to get the most performance for the price. Maybe its like the new Toyota Supra? The VTF15h mk2 is more like a 911 Carrera, in that it is a high performer but not all that uncommon. The GT2 RS would be a much rarer sight, maybe like a JTR Captivator 2400 or something like that.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
What would Josh Ricci's ZOD Audio Maul be? One of these?
:) More to cars that sports cars....
I was thinking about that too, and I would say that pro-audio subs are like the industrial trucks of subwoofers. They don't have great handling and aren't pretty, but they sure do have a lot of horses under the hood. Yeah, that insane truck is the ZOD alright....
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
If Hsu Vtf15H Mk2 is a Porsche 911... The I'm gonna say Outlaw X13s are Jaguar F-type SVRs!
1548156046014.png
 
M

m3incorp

Audioholic Intern
Sounds like we are only comparing price. lol My HSU VTF 15H Mk2 is like my C7 Corvette Z06. Great performance at a great price point.
 

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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Guys I really don't know cars that well. Because all I do is obsess on audio! Help me out here what would my SVS PB 4000's be?
 
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
What would Josh Ricci's ZOD Audio Maul be? One of these?
:) More to cars that sports cars....
After looking at the specs on this thing I don't think even a truck like that would describe Id have to go with a friggin tank! It's still a vehicle so I guess it kind off qualifies
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Guys I really don't know cars that well. Because all I do is obsess on audio! Help me out here what would my SVS PB 4000's be?
I want to say those would be something like maybe an Audi RX8 or an Acura NSX. Very sophisticated and very high performance, but you do see one out in the wild every once in awhile so they are not super rare. They are pricey but not insanely expensive like some of the exotics.
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
My Velodyne DD18 Plus is like a BMW 7-series sedan. Big, nice-looking and stylish, well-made, good-performing, some nice features, with some technology that needs a re-think (like Velodyne's useless auto-EQ function, and BMW's annoying iDrive), and intended for people with more money than sense.

Kidding aside, the DD18 Plus was more competitive in 2011, but Dave Hall is focused on being a LIDAR billionaire now and not competing in subwoofers. If I were in the market now I'd probably go with Funk Audio.
 
Matthew J Poes

Matthew J Poes

Audioholic Chief
Staff member
My Velodyne DD18 Plus is like a BMW 7-series sedan. Big, nice-looking and stylish, well-made, good-performing, some nice features, with some technology that needs a re-think (like Velodyne's useless auto-EQ function, and BMW's annoying iDrive), and intended for people with more money than sense.

Kidding aside, the DD18 Plus was more competitive in 2011, but Dave Hall is focused on being a LIDAR billionaire now and not competing in subwoofers. If I were in the market now I'd probably go with Funk Audio.
Have you used the recent 2016+ version of iDrive. It’s pretty universally liked, many reviewers consider their infotainment and interface is among the best in the market at this point. My dad has a bunch of BMW’s and has had them from each generation going back to the 90’s. I’ve used every version of iDrive along with many of the competitors. I like today’s newest iDrive. I think it’s a much smarter/safer way of interacting while driving or stopped and needing to access quickly.

All of these systems bury things into menus but the new voice assistants are pretty useful. The 2018 version from BMW is actually useable.

Compared to Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Audi, or Mercedes, I think BMW’s is the best. I haven’t used the newest version of the Mercedes interface but I haven’t read anything To suggest it’s superior.

I’ve heard very mixed things on the Tesla and similar Volvo interface. One one hand people like the iPad like touch interface and large screen. On the other, some feel it’s slow and menus are too hard to find.
 
Matthew J Poes

Matthew J Poes

Audioholic Chief
Staff member
I want to say those would be something like maybe an Audi RX8 or an Acura NSX. Very sophisticated and very high performance, but you do see one out in the wild every once in awhile so they are not super rare. They are pricey but not insanely expensive like some of the exotics.
R8! Rx8 was a rotory powered Mazda.

If these subs are like that, in fastest form among the fastest super cars on the planet, what’s a JTR 18, Deepsea, etc? They are extreme performance but still pretty average build and finish. I feel like a Ferrari or Lamborgihni needs to be both extreme performance, cutting edge technology, and beautiful hand crafted finish.

Now what would my ugly poorly finished 18” sub be? I’m going with the 1000hp Supra from the first Fast and Furious.
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
Have you used the recent 2016+ version of iDrive. It’s pretty universally liked, many reviewers consider their infotainment and interface is among the best in the market at this point. My dad has a bunch of BMW’s and has had them from each generation going back to the 90’s. I’ve used every version of iDrive along with many of the competitors. I like today’s newest iDrive. I think it’s a much smarter/safer way of interacting while driving or stopped and needing to access quickly.

All of these systems bury things into menus but the new voice assistants are pretty useful. The 2018 version from BMW is actually useable.

Compared to Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Audi, or Mercedes, I think BMW’s is the best. I haven’t used the newest version of the Mercedes interface but I haven’t read anything To suggest it’s superior.

I’ve heard very mixed things on the Tesla and similar Volvo interface. One one hand people like the iPad like touch interface and large screen. On the other, some feel it’s slow and menus are too hard to find.
We have a loaded 2017 BMW X3, and IMO the iDrive system is still annoying compared to similar functionality in our 2016 Audi S3. Both are inferior to what I've used in 2019 Chevy Malibu rental cars. I've been in a 2019 X3, and there was a better version of iDrive that supported ApplePlay (that wasn't available in 2017), but I didn't do an exhaustive test of the iDrive capabilities, so it might be a significant step up over our 2017.

The 2017 Tesla Model S I test drove had what I thought was a good interface. The Model 3 turned me off in so many ways that I admit I didn't pay much attention to the user interface.
 
Matthew J Poes

Matthew J Poes

Audioholic Chief
Staff member
We have a loaded 2017 BMW X3, and IMO the iDrive system is still annoying compared to similar functionality in our 2016 Audi S3. Both are inferior to what I've used in 2019 Chevy Malibu rental cars. I've been in a 2019 X3, and there was a better version of iDrive that supported ApplePlay (that wasn't available in 2017),but I didn't do an exhaustive test of the iDrive capabilities, so it might be a significant step up over our 2017.

The 2017 Tesla Model S I test drove had what I thought was a good interface. The Model 3 turned me off in so many ways that I admit I didn't pay much attention to the user interface.
My dad has a 2018 x3 M40i and 2018 M240i loaded and I like the interface fine. Little annoyances. Compared to my older and less loaded Toyota’s the interface is more confusing but only because my infotainment system is so basic. His GPS is significantly better. Mine is unusable. My mom has a 2019 Subaru Forester. It’s nice but it’s just not as well thought out. Some aspects of the interface are simpler to use but only because it is so much less capable. Her GPS is also not the best.

I’ve never used a Chevy with a modern infotainment system so I guess I can’t conpare. I hadn’t read anything to suggest it was good. I have used the Cadillac CUE system and it not only seems to be near universally panned but I found it awful. It was slow and locked up, hard to find commands. I would have assumed they were related systems. Maybe the newest ones are better.

I’m looking at a new car now and I want something nicer than what I’ve had. I have looked at the Audi A4/S4 and the A6, equivalent BMW’s, the new Genesis G70 3.3T, Lexus GS, etc. The infotainment and soundsystem are one of my concerns and so far I still think I like the BMW best (though the Genesis has the best sound system I’ve tried).

A Tesla Mosel 3 or S are both sort of on my list but. It all that seriously. It would have to be used and I haven’t been wowed enough to take on the life of an electric car.
 
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