I've got a pair of small ported "bookshelf" type speakers in a well insulated garage - they use decent drivers (Vifa XT25 treble, Seas W11 4.5" midbass). The sound quality is good, but obviously they don't play that low.
I've just picked up a mini 2.1 amp with a crossover for a sub output (adjustable between 50-200Hz), with the sub output delivering up to 100W.
I'd like to add a sub to the system; mostly to take the low end load from the small speakers. The intended use is music only, and (within reason) bass quality over quantity.
100W isn't a lot for a sub driver, and so far I was looking at the JL Audio 8W1v3-4 (8W1v3-4 - Car Audio - Subwoofer Drivers - W1v3 - JL Audio) from a combination of "not too expensive", "doesn't need too much power", and "JL Audio stuff is usually pretty decent".
Are there any other options I should be considering? Size (of the driver or enclosure) isn't really critical as I have space. The only issue is that it's got to be available in the UK. There are lots of options from US vendors, but obviously the shipping would be prohibitive.
I've just picked up a mini 2.1 amp with a crossover for a sub output (adjustable between 50-200Hz), with the sub output delivering up to 100W.
I'd like to add a sub to the system; mostly to take the low end load from the small speakers. The intended use is music only, and (within reason) bass quality over quantity.
100W isn't a lot for a sub driver, and so far I was looking at the JL Audio 8W1v3-4 (8W1v3-4 - Car Audio - Subwoofer Drivers - W1v3 - JL Audio) from a combination of "not too expensive", "doesn't need too much power", and "JL Audio stuff is usually pretty decent".
Are there any other options I should be considering? Size (of the driver or enclosure) isn't really critical as I have space. The only issue is that it's got to be available in the UK. There are lots of options from US vendors, but obviously the shipping would be prohibitive.
That Focal is a decent looking driver - and a good price too.
Possibly too much in terms of power requirement though? The specs appear to indicate 200W nominal and 400W max.
Possibly too much in terms of power requirement though? The specs appear to indicate 200W nominal and 400W max.
This is not for your car, but for the garage, right?
Wondering why you're looking at car woofers, several PA woofers around 12" that fit the bill and are cheaper.
Wondering why you're looking at car woofers, several PA woofers around 12" that fit the bill and are cheaper.
Mostly because I don't have much experience with sub drivers, and all the ones I know of would require much more wattage to drive.
Could you advise on models of the 12" PA woofers I should consider?
Could you advise on models of the 12" PA woofers I should consider?
This driver is good for garage duty. What price (and size volumes) are you looking at?
Scanspeak 22W/8857T00 Woofer - Revelator Range
Scanspeak 22W/8857T00 Woofer - Revelator Range
The speaker won't know if its enclosure is in a car or a garage. And it doesn't cost £270. Although I have lots of available power my speakers rarely ever see all of it, so if you're not worried about the JL why worry about the Focal. It's not some power hungry monster.
Physical size: not worried. Cost: I was thinking probably <£200, so the Scanspeak is probably a bit too much; though I do really like their mid and treble drivers.
Mostly because the JL specs (on their website) indicate that 100W would be fine for that driver. The same might well be true of the focal, but the spec sheet appears to indicate something more in the 200W range is what it's designed for, so the 100W amp may be a bit underpowered to do the Focal justice.
You seem to be confused.
The wattage rating on a driver is the maximum long-term power it can stand without melting. If, in a HiFi situation, you find yourself worried about power levels, then you have used the wrong driver(s).
100w is plenty to get a cone moving. Pick a driver that does what you want in a box you're happy with, and go from there.
If anything, a bigger driver will likely be more efficient, and therefore require less power to hit a given SPL.
Chris
Fair enough; I was just assuming that throwing a driver designed for, say, 300w+ on an amp capable of 100w max wouldn't be making best use of said driver - in terms of how that driver's been designed.
Or to put it another way, if you had two similar drivers, but one rated to handle a much higher power level, I'd assume that driver would have advantages (and compromises); such that it would handle the higher power level, but also that the lower rated driver would be a better choice for a weaker amp?
Or to put it another way, if you had two similar drivers, but one rated to handle a much higher power level, I'd assume that driver would have advantages (and compromises); such that it would handle the higher power level, but also that the lower rated driver would be a better choice for a weaker amp?
OP,
I'm going to give you a list of 5 drivers (UK) to check where you want to go.
Seas L22RNX/P H1252-08 Woofer - Prestige Series Woofer
Beyma Speaker 8 Inch 50 W RMS Diameter 200 mm 8BR40/N: Amazon.co.uk: Hi-Fi & Speakers
ScanSpeak 22W, 8534G00 Woofer - Discovery Range | Hifi Collective
Monacor :: Monacor SPH-220HQ
Seas CA22RNX H1288-08 Woofer - Prestige Series Woofer
I'm going to give you a list of 5 drivers (UK) to check where you want to go.
Seas L22RNX/P H1252-08 Woofer - Prestige Series Woofer
Beyma Speaker 8 Inch 50 W RMS Diameter 200 mm 8BR40/N: Amazon.co.uk: Hi-Fi & Speakers
ScanSpeak 22W, 8534G00 Woofer - Discovery Range | Hifi Collective
Monacor :: Monacor SPH-220HQ
Seas CA22RNX H1288-08 Woofer - Prestige Series Woofer
If you can find a JL 15w0, give it a listen in a sealed box. They have a "Hoffman Balance", as I like to call it, of efficiency and small box size and so would seem well suited to your use and power.
It's not a shabby sounding driver for a 15 either.
It's not a shabby sounding driver for a 15 either.
Check also the SB34NRX75-6. Works great in a 150L sealed (response to about 30Hz) and is efficient enough to be very loud on 100w and is cheap for what it delivers.
SB Acoustics SB34NRX75-6 Woofer
SB Acoustics SB34NRX75-6 Woofer
The spec to look at is sensitivity when you are running with limited power. In my experiences JL products in general always require a lot of power, while Focal are fairly easy to drive. JL has improved some in recent years but still isn't there yet.
The rated sensitivity of a driver doesn't correlate much with how it'll do below 100Hz. In that region, the cabinet alignment dominates.
Chris
Chris
It might be just me, but I've always found more efficient speakers in general to require a lot less drive power (and ultimately sound better). JL drivers are usually lower SPL/watt to begin with, plus they are designed to be shoe horned into a tiny cabinet further reducing efficiency. If you physically push the cone when installed in their recommended sealed cabinet it's easy to see why they don't perform well without at least their recommended maximum power.
Lots of useful replies - many thanks. I'll check out Inductor's list of drivers.
I contacted JL Audio to query suitable drivers. Their response was very helpful, and echoed chris661's comment about larger drivers usually being more efficient (which I see is the case with their 12W1v3 vs the 8W1v3).
I contacted JL Audio to query suitable drivers. Their response was very helpful, and echoed chris661's comment about larger drivers usually being more efficient (which I see is the case with their 12W1v3 vs the 8W1v3).
Of course that was my list for 8" and <100€. If you go with 10 or 12" and 250,00€ the lista gets different.��
You'd be very welcome to add some more suggestions 🙂
I've made a list of all the drivers people have suggested so far (including the JL Audio models I was considering). I know that Chris stated that driver sensitivity is less important below 100Hz, but I charted the likely dB of each driver - given its rated sensitivity and the claimed wattage output of the amp vs driver impedance.
Once you've corrected for the various ways the drivers are rated e.g (1W/1m vs 2.83V/1m) it is interesting how the car audio drivers lag behind the others (how important that is I don't know).
What I do see is quite a difference in pricing; with the JL Audio and SB being a fair bit more expensive than the others.
The 4 Ohm Focal 30A4 (the 12" version of the 10" 25A4) looks reasonable; in terms of being a bit more sensitive than the JL 12W1v3, and less than half the price. How it compares in terms of sound quality I don't know, but what few of Focal's drivers I've heard have been OK.