Looking for Decent Budget 8" Subwoofer Driver (UK)

It's a real beginner's DIY project so i don't want or need anything that is priced more than £50. They'll be running off of a Hypex DS1.2 plate amp

Has to be available in the U.K - no U.S stores please.

Any suggestions?
 
CPC has a bunch of cheap drivers that would work fine for something to play with but don't expect marvels.

I tried to link to the drivers on CPCs website and it told me access denied, you'll have to search for yourself.

Just simulate with the T/S parameters of anything you select to ensure it will work in the enclosure size you're after.

£50 isn't a lot when it comes to a subwoofer.

Something like this might be your best bet.

Subwoofer Alpine SWG-844 specifications.

https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-car-audio-systems-swg-844_p-27173.htm

Just as an example and not a definitive suggestion.

If they have these in stock...

JBL GTO 804 8" 800W Subwoofer [JBL GTO 804] - PS59.99 : Car Audio 4 Less, Car Audio System

I don't think you could do better for the price.

Car audio is a very price competitive sector and the 4 ohm impedance will work very well with your Hypex amplifier.

Subwoofer JBL GTO 804 specifications.

T/S parameters show that it has a low fs, lowish VAS but middling Qts value. It should work decently well in both sealed (especially with some boost) and vented enclosures although you'd have to simulate to see exactly what it will do. It also has 12mm of xmax, which is impressive for a driver of this size. Plus it's made by JBL and not some no-name brand.
 
CPC has a bunch of cheap drivers that would work fine for something to play with but don't expect marvels.

I tried to link to the drivers on CPCs website and it told me access denied, you'll have to search for yourself.

Just simulate with the T/S parameters of anything you select to ensure it will work in the enclosure size you're after.

£50 isn't a lot when it comes to a subwoofer.

Something like this might be your best bet.



Subwoofer Alpine SWG-844 specifications.

https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-car-audio-systems-swg-844_p-27173.htm

Just as an example and not a definitive suggestion.

If they have these in stock...

JBL GTO 804 8" 800W Subwoofer [JBL GTO 804] - PS59.99 : Car Audio 4 Less, Car Audio System

I don't think you could do better for the price.

Car audio is a very price competitive sector and the 4 ohm impedance will work very well with your Hypex amplifier.

Subwoofer JBL GTO 804 specifications.

T/S parameters show that it has a low fs, lowish VAS but middling Qts value. It should work decently well in both sealed (especially with some boost) and vented enclosures although you'd have to simulate to see exactly what it will do. It also has 12mm of xmax, which is impressive for a driver of this size. Plus it's made by JBL and not some no-name brand.
Keep your eye on the sensitivity. 91dB is pretty poor, 81.6dB is awful!
You will get what you pay for.
 
We're talking about subwoofers here. 91db is extremely high for domestic type subs. Most hover around the 85dB mark. 81.6dB for 1 watt of input power. This driver has 84.6dB re a 2.83VRMS signal this is absolutely par for the course. Look at Tang Bands range of 5-10" subs, same thing there. Domestic and car subs are insensitive so that you can get deeper bass from a small box, especially when plenty of power is cheap. People like small boxes.

If you want high sensitivity with a subwoofer then go the pro route, but if you do that you'll need 15-21" drivers and hundreds of litres of cabinet volume. No thanks. At least not for me.
 
The best value subs (and drivers of all kinds for that matter IMHO) are from SB Acoustics that can be purchased from Falcon Acoustics. I think you can get an 8" driver for £90 and you'll never need to buy an 8" sub again (until you wear it out I guess!) so has a lot more value than a £50 driver you'll through away in a month.
 
Hey all, really helpful advice from everyone. I was going to go fo the JBL sub, but then with shipping and tax it starts to creep toward 70 odd quid, and I was feeling a bit wreckless, so i went for this bad boy ..which was 30 quid more. Plus i got a bargain on the Hypex DS1.2 - someone here sold it me for £40. So in total it's not too bad for a decent budget Subwoofer. Thanks again =D
 
Last edited:
Should have gone for the 4ohm version instead to maximise the power delivery from the hypex amp. Then again it does give you the option to buy a second driver in the future and go push/pull with them to reduce the highish levels of 2nd order harmonic distortion those drivers produce.

Either way it's a good driver.
 
Should have gone for the 4ohm version instead to maximise the power delivery from the hypex amp. Then again it does give you the option to buy a second driver in the future and go push/pull with them to reduce the highish levels of 2nd order harmonic distortion those drivers produce.

Either way it's a good driver.

Just called up Falcon and the nice bloke there said it hadn;t gone out yet and he could swap it for the 4 ohm for me! He said the advice was good to go with this as for a first stand-alone sub it would be easier to work with.

Thanks again for your help