Hello,
Long time lurker, first time poster. After many years perusing this website I was pleasantly surprised to see the V2 update.
In it all the systems are placed into tables which can all be organised by Max SPL, sensitivity and cabinet volume etc.
When I arrange all the systems in terms of cubic feet, to me there’s seems a sweet spot, or a few standouts.
Looking around 2 ft.³, the
”MTX15” in small box” is in the lead, with 101.8 dB @ 20Hz
If we scale this up to 16 drivers, we are looking at 34cu ft, and able to hit 125.8 dB.
This is Gjallarhorn and M.A.U.L. territories, give or take a few dB (the advantage goes to the 16 small sealed subs)
Of course 16 subwoofers is going to cost more than 1 large one in a big cabinet, but it’s got other advantages going for it.
Ease of transport, ease of placement, ease of resale. Perhaps also vertical scalability eg. How many MTX 15” can I buy for one RF TS3 19”?
There’s no free lunch- you need more amps. But what’s the 10+ or 100+ buy price of classD OEM amplifiers modules (400W into 4 ohms). My guess would be under $100 ea.
So is the ideal subwoofer a single large one eg. 18-24” in a very large cabinet eg. 18-36cu ft.
Or multiple smaller ones? Some recent data suggests that multiple small ones help smooth out room modes. These days, some manufacturers are marketing 8” drivers as subwoofers, so surely a 15” driver in a 2.1cu ft cabinet is small enough?! We are bass nuts, it’s probably considered too large for 99% of the general population (or spouses)
But in terms of scalability, it certainly takes the risk/anxiety of the out of the equation of
“Is it low/loud/clean enough?”
Well, just build a couple now, and build more later until you’ve quenched your bass desires.
I have owned quad 10” Peerless XLS woofers, and own two TC Sounds LMS-R 15”, but never experience horn loaded subs.
What other factors am I missing? Or should I just go back to letting us dream about our unobtainium 32” subwoofer screwed into the wall of an adjacent bedroom?