[Trucidation]

I'm looking for some input on a 15" sub I should go with.

What I currently have:

Budget of $200/$230 shipped.
8 cuft box tuned to 20hz
300W Bash plate amp
Dayton DVC385-88 15"
The Dayton bottoms out on me.

Main goal is to shake the house and not worry about the sub bottoming out. :daydream: Will probably add a bigger amp down the line.

The subs I'm currently considering are the Fi SSD15 and Mach IXL-15.2.2.
I've seen a few members here use the Mach IXL in their builds and they seem happy. I haven't found anyone who has used the SSD15.

This is what I have modeled in Winisd. I couldn't figure out how to add it to my attachments on the forums.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3841274004/sizes/o/

The SSD15 has a little more cone area, slightly more sensitive. The IXL-15 has a lower Fs. Otherwise, I'm unsure of any other pros or cons I should look at.

My only other thoughts on a subwoofer, wait and see how much the Tempest-X GenII will cost shipped. I know the Shiva-X was $30ish to ship to me, so I think the Tempest will be over my budget when it becomes available.

 

[Mike P.]

The sub can't be bottoming out in that setup. It's nowhere near it's limits. You are more then likely clipping the amp. Shown is the excursion with 300 watts and the HPF and boost the Bash 300 comes with.

 

[Trucidation]

Well, that's what I was hoping for when I bought this sub used. It shouldn't bottom out when I modeled it.

I hear a muddled clanking noise when my gain is set any higher than 9 o'clock while watching scenes at a fairly low volume. My gain set 1 notch up from minimum eliminated the noise I was hearing but the overall output is too low. If it wasn't making this clanking noise I'd hear a flapping noise during some scenes.

 

[Mike P.]

Was the amp used also? Maybe the default HPF was changed if it was used. Also are you sure the sub has the coils wired is series?

 

[Trucidation]

Amp is new, I didn't do any modification to the boost or HPF. I wired the coils in series, yep.

 

[Mike P.]

I rechecked the parameters and the sub is dual 8 ohm coils. It would need to be wired in parallel for a 4 ohm load. That will make a big difference from having the coils wired in series as it is now. Rewire the sub and let us know how it goes.

 

[Trucidation]

Actually, I get my wiring mixed up. I do have it parallel, not series like I said. So I have a 4 ohm load.

 

[Mike P.]

Now that the wiring has been figured out, back to your original post.

Main goal is to shake the house and not worry about the sub bottoming out.

If the sub wasn't making noise due to amp clipping, would it have enough output for your needs?

 

[Trucidation]

I mainly bought the Dayton with the intent to upgrade down the line. I only paid $50 for it, so it was good enough to test the amp and get an idea of how the box would sound.

With the gain at 11 o'clock or about, the output was good, went much lower and a definite step up from my previous sub in general.

 

[Mike P.]

The Fi and Mach 5 have similar performance, the Mach 5 works in a smaller cabinet, and can handle a bit more power. Both would require a 6" diameter port. The Fi is shown with 800 watts and a HPF at 18hz, the Mach 5 with 1000 watts and a HPF at 18 hz.

 

[Trucidation]

I didn't want to make a fresh box just yet, my current one has a 6" port already. Was planning on building a bigger box/sonotube next year, haven't decided yet on which. They do model so closely, I was leaning towards the Fi 15 since it seems to have a slightly higher db output and looks good in a bigger enclosure. Just don't want to pull the trigger on one and someone point out a reason to go with the other.

 

[Mike P.]

Either one will work in the box you have now, and will work better in a optimum box in the future.

 

[Ricci]

I don't really see a point in updating the driver without upgrading the amp as well. None of the others are going to eliminate the amp clipping problem or get significantly louder off of the same amount of power. The Dayton DVC doesn't physically bottom until well over 20mm excursion one way.

 

[Trucidation]

I just wasn't sure what amp clipping sounded like. The Bash amp was supposed prevent audible clipping according to the product description. I put the SW level on my receiver +3 and it gave me a little more oomph, I don't hear the amp clipping so I think I'm actually set and saved spending extra money.

I appreciate the help folks. :kiss:

 

[kompulsive]

I've had great experiences with Dayton thus far.