Sonsub or box - which is better?

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  • Ken Lopata
    Junior Member
    • Aug 2000
    • 17

    Sonsub or box - which is better?

    The age old question. If I were to use 2 of Avatar's 15" Tempest speaker in a sonosub or box, which would sound better. A ported sonosub or a box with a couple of PR's. I know either one would be alot more powerful then my Paradigm Servo 15, but would they be as musical - not having a servo.Thanks, Ken.
  • ThomasW
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Aug 2000
    • 10934

    #2
    Hi Ken

    Another "front range" dweller is heard from

    Your question is a "hot botton" issue on the net these days. So here's my opinion.

    There should be no significant qualitative/quantitave differences between a "box" sub and a "tube" sub, if all other things in their design are equal.

    It's simpler to produce tube subs and they "inherently" will work better due to the shape. But, if a "box" sub has adequate wall thickness and proper bracing, it would/should sound the same.

    Now that being said, I haven't run out and built "identical" box and tube subs for an A/B comparison. But I have built several tube subs this summer, and to me they sound no different than a good box.

    Now to your specific question:

    By using 2-15" you are doubling the "swept volume". This creates greater output but not necessarily better performance.

    If you're willing to "pay the price" (meaning build a pretty large enclosure) then you will certainly get better performance from an optimized dual 15" setup than your current sub

    The servo mechanism doesn't make your sub "more musical". There are many that would argue that it would be more musical without the servo mechanism. It does limit excursion, control distortion, and make the unit more bulletproof. Most of the time these are good things. Be that as it may.....

    "Musicality" in a sub tends to be pretty subjective. But there is a large consensus of opinion that designs that are "critically damped" meaning a Qtc of 0.5 are the most musical.

    For the DIYer that translates to a "sealed" box, and a large one at that.

    From a practical standpoint using a tube will result in a significantly lighter and easier to move enclosure as compared to a large reinforced MDF box.

    I've got several threads on the "Tempest" scattered around. I'll gather them up and create a "resource page" here ASAP

    Hope this helps

    Thomas




    theAudioWorx
    Klone-Audio

    IB subwoofer FAQ page


    "Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-Bresson

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