Parts Express has
Dayton Audio PA460-8 18" Woofer / Subwoofer Driver for $119.98 - $14.40 when you apply promo code
JANCARTC25 in cart =
$105.58.
Shipping is free.
Thanks to community member
doubleedgedpen for finding this deal.
About this item:
- Strong, low-mass carbon fiber impregnated paper cone
- I-beam rolled edge 1.5 mm steel frame
- Low distortion motor system w/copper cap
- Powerful 80 oz. ceramic ferrite magnet
- Vented pole piece/vented voice coil gap improve thermal management
- Black motor parts and black polyimide voice coil former dissipate heat
- Bumped back plate for unrestricted excursion
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That is $1,099 for FOUR 18" subwoofers with good performance down to 25hz, and UNPARALLELED performance above 40hz!
In home theater, multiple subwoofers have significant advantages over single subs. If you have the space, many people consider four subwoofers to be ideal.
These PA460-8 drivers were originally chosen for the VBSS build because of their low cost and great performance when used in a specially designed enclosure. Back when this was originally designed, these drivers were available for around $70 each. Around 2020 the price soared up to around $180 each, causing a lot of people to abandon this driver for cheaper alternatives. However this driver was always seen as the perfect fit for the VBSS subwoofer.
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This is a woofer, and at best a low end PA subwoofer. It has half the xmax of the B&C 18TBW100. NOT GOOD in a low range HT sub. If you want kickbin and ~20hz extension they could be OK.
If you're building a traditional home theater DIY sub, there are plenty of other better choices - SI HT-18 v3, various Dayton, car audio sub drivers, etc.
Only problem is wife approval factor for me needing the inuke/NX and a place to keep it... the Marantz Cinema 50 I have is already too big.
Only problem is wife approval factor for me needing the inuke/NX and a place to keep it... the Marantz Cinema 50 I have is already too big.
I don't have these subs but have other DIY ones using NX amps. You do your basic DSP settings and levels on the amp and then you're done with it. I use a smart strip to power it on with the AVR, and all the final fine tuning is done through your AVR room eq. After that you never need to mess with the amp.
The real measured power output of the Behringer NX amps is a whole other topic. Feel free to ask if you want the details.
These VBSS subwoofers are indeed "Fun and Cheap!" I highly recommend them. They are a perfect place to start if you want to tackle your first DIY subwoofer build. The designer has a whole webpage about the design with dimensions, instructions, and a cut-list. There is also an AVS Forum thread with over 4,200 posts where people share their tips on building the enclosures, powering the subs, tuning, and calibrating them. There are also several YouTube videos of these VBSS Subwoofers.
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It just so happens that in the hands of a genius designer (@MTG90) it could be turned into an amazing budget subwoofer.
In many circles, this the the "Go-To" subwoofer for mid-bass. Having two of them in my living room right now, I can say that I am very happy with their performance above 30hz.
They don't do very well as subwoofers (below 50hz) in a sealed enclosure. The most popular design is in a 6.25 cuft vented enclosure tuned to 20hz.
2 VBSS subs and a Behringer NX3000D could be made for ~$700).
There are definitely better performing builds. They just cost a bit more, need bigger enclosures, and need more amplification. There are several subwoofer drivers to choose from in the $300-400 range. As you mentioned: the B&C 18TBW100 ($402), the LaVoce SAF184.03 ($329), the Dayton UMII18-22 ($299).
A 9 cuft vented subwoofer, tuned to 18hz, using the B&C 18TBW100, could probably be built for around $550 each.
2 of these subs and a Behringer NX6000D could be made for ~$1550.
The 9 cuft subwoofer with the $400 driver and $449 amp is definitely going to out-perform the 6.25 cuft subwoofer with the $105 driver and the $289 amp. There are better design for sure, but sometimes people are working on a budget. For that, the VBSS is about the best bang-for-your-buck subwoofer that I know of right now.
Such units are usually very low sensitivity and require loads of power.
To oversimplify just for basic understanding, if you have two 15 inch subs, each in it own sealed box they will both move the exact same amount of air at say an excursion of 2mm. But if one has a very heavy beastly cone and a huge motor in a small box with a sensitivity of 78db with 1watt and the other a lighter cone and small motor in a larger box with a sensitivity of 90db with 1watt then to hit 102db@1meter, the 1st box needs 256watts while the 2nd just 16watts.
Now what if you add EQ such as 6db of boost at 25hrz, example one will need 1024 watts to support the 6db of boost relative to the 256watts @102db@1meter. Example 2 just 64 watts to support the 6db of boost.
Both will need to sweep the same amount of air/excursion though to hit 102db so that is why with lower excursion subs you want to up the diameter. One 18" is about 1.5, 15's, so one 18 with 6mm Xmas is about equal to 1.5, 15s with 6mm or a single 15 with 9mm.
Rough estimates with other factors involved.
Plus some large looking magnets on cheaper speakers are poor, even very poor quality and have less manetic force then they look like they would.
All that said, I'd choose these for open baffel subs, hifi use above 35hrz or maybe pro audio sound reinforcement. I personally would likely not choose them for dedicated home theater.
Passive parts will be very expensive and you need to make adjustments to tune well.
Bass management in many AVRs will work or use miniDSP products.
Add in some form of basic room compensation via PEQ or DSP or Dirac software.
There is no other way.
Not a design for very many people but fun for the right kids.
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It looks like stock is running low at Parts Express, so they have sold quite a few of these this week.
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