Passive subwoofer amps help!
I acquired two massive subwoofers (over 230lbs each) that were mated to a $100k+ custom system and I need to power them somehow. In my limited research, I'm a bit confused about all this. I'm used to my subs being powered. The subwoofer amps I've found by Dayton Audio seem to be very lower powered. Can I just buy an SVS PB16 amps off ebay and build a box and use that? That gives plenty of subwoofer power and the ability to control with phone. Or is that a big sin in the subwoofer world? Why are there not more external high powered solutions for this with a volume knob, low pass knob, and phase switch on the front.
I did look at the Klipsch RSA-500 but it specifically lists the subs this amp is to be used with. Also, for $1k+, it's not that powerful.
@phusis Good article and no arguments from me. I cringe every time someone characterizes a subwoofer driver as being "fast" I do not care so much about efficiency. I care most about accuracy and by a huge margin it is the enclosure that causes the most trouble, not the driver. The majority of enclosures are musical instruments. |
@phusis Funny you should mention the K2. They were the last Crown amps I will ever own. Their control over big sub drivers with high BL products was terrible. I think it was the back EMF that destroyed one of mine, the other went in the dumpster. @audiokinesis Your's is a reasonable argument. I have several problems with vented designs. The first is their low bass falls off sharply under the resonance frequency. With very low notes (organs) at high volumes you can hear the port. Enclosure sizes are generally larger. A 15" vented design is huge, worse if you use 4 subwoofers. My approach takes the same path as my RAM TRX. You use a huge motor and a ton of power (2500 watts per sub) in small sealed enclosure along with room control, digital crossovers and digital EQ to make the driver do what you want. So, you burn up a voice coil once in a while. I keep two drivers in reserve although I have yet to lose a dual voice coil Dayton yet, it is only a matter of time. Subwoofer drivers take a beating as it is leading to a high failure rate in any event.
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@audiokinesis I use Dayton Reference subwoofer drivers and I get them from Parts Express. I have not seen anything that is functionally superior at any price. They make sub drivers suitable for any enclosure situation. I do not like putting electronics inside subwoofers. It is not a great environment for electronics. Forgetting about the pounding they take, heat is a problem in small sealed enclosures. Pushed loud for extended periods sub drivers get hot producing an oven environment. How hot I can not say, but I dissected an old driver that I used for 20 years and the voice coil was black! |
If you want higher performance you will need a two way crossover such as a MiniDSP or a preamp with digital bass management. I do not like Crown amps. I have had them twice and both times they were unsatisfactory. I use QSC PL380s which are killer subwoofer amps, but on the pricey side. The GX5 will be fine and it has a built in subwoofer low pass filter. DO NOT use the RMX series amps. They have a habit of self destructing. I personally destroyed 3 RMX 5050s, fortunately under warranty. Finally, QSC insisted I switch to PL380s, a more expensive amp by $1000 each and they did not charge me the difference! They are the best subwoofer amps I have ever used. QSC gets an A+ for service. |
