Hello all,
After a problem with the mighty G5 I tried out some new subs thanks to Marty at FHRX Studios. The 4 subs that we tested where the Boston G5, Crossfire XT212, Hertz HXS300 and Vibe Space 12. Subs where tested off Zapco 750.2 and Audison SRx2s.

My thought on the day:
Boston G5: What a woofer in terms of SQ. In its smallish 0.9cuft box not many woofers in the under $1k bracket will sound better. Like to play hard and accurate, great for fast dance music. Not so good for R&B etc as the bass is there but doesnt blow you away.

Crossfire XT212: My vision is still blured. It is one crazy woofer with so much air being pushed out it can really make anyones head pound. Driving around with only 600WRMS off the Audison it can turn heads, off the Zapco it was sheer pressure. Did not have as much control as I would have thought but dam is it loud!!!

Hertz HXS 300: New kid to help Hertz have a SQL woofer. Not a bad sounding woofer, only required smallish boxes as well. Big plus to the woofer is its price, only RRP$461 with the others around the $750+ mark. Very similar to the HX series but just a little louder. Not as accurate as the G5 but not bad either. Excursion is quite good as well from this little woofer. Definately a cheaper alternative for lots of bass. Stick 2 in your car with over 1000WRMS to feed them and headaches will come.

Vibe Space 12: This was actually running off a Audison SRx3. It was in the VIBE slot ported enclosure. Even at a disadvantage power wise ( it is rated at 1000WRMS!! ) it still performed very very well. Just looking at them you can tell they are special. It combines the accuracy of the G5 with more SPL than the Hertz and not far off the Crossfire. It is everything you could want in a great to excellent sounding woofer that can wake the neighbourhood. Sub in a box is a bit expensive at around $950. :doubt:

If I had the money I would get the Vibe Space 12 and with the box you know you are getting the best performance. SQL all the way. If I was crazy about SQ the G5 would take it out. For pure SPL the XT. For good alround performance that wont cost you the earth definately look at the HXS. It is not that far behind the others even though it is cheaper. :D

Nice, I've never heard the crossfires, but my mate did some research into them and they are meant to be pretty good spl wise...

Good stuff...
U had a listen to an idmax?

I looked at the specs and it seems ok SPL wise but when you see and hear it god dam. Wish I had more power to run it at full potential. DD95/9900 series would probably be louder but the XT is only like $750.

To be honest I'm not a huge fan of the IDMAX, just something about it that I dont think it to be king SQL woofer, definately not bad though but just not the best.

Testing the G5 in a ported box ( 27Hz tune ) and straight away unlocked lots of db and sacrificed minimal SQ. The G5 has a presence, hard to explain kinda like it has a bigger ( cone area ) than it really does.

You had a listen to the Vibe?

Yeh didnt mind vibes stuff but only heard them in a big ported box.

I've been thinking about a magma, or an IDQ 15 cos the 9's can play so low...

Maybe...

The 3512 sounds very nice with 1100 w rms of headroom to play with :) mmm Just upgraded amp power to eclipse da 6213.

Still playing around with it all though.

Vibes Black Air Bandpass Enclosures Pwn all !!
Bass so Deep and Rich that I am sure Spot Welds would give way after about 20mins...

MMM gotta love the VIBE!

You should listen to a Vibe in a box made from the factory.... :D

I will probably look into a Vibe Space 15 as the next woofer. New car new gear and that will be a while off me is thinking with talk of buying a house with the missus. :think:

So you have 9's up front with tweeters is there a mid woofer as well? Was thinking of a good 8inch splits set and 15incher as the next set up.....

Bandbass enclosures are insain if it can be done right. :bowrofl:

I've been thinking about a magma,

You talking about Earthquake Magma? If so, they're damn good subs.

Charisma told me about the HXS woofer a little while ago. From his description, the $470 cost for each is very very reasonable. I will be looking into these more....

Charisma told me about the HXS woofer a little while ago. From his description, the $470 cost for each is very very reasonable. I will be looking into these more....

Yeah they are very very good for the money. Plus if you damage them Hertz will fix them :D
If you want something to sound like an expensive woofer but pay under $500 it would be the go, give it anything from 100W to 2Kw and it will play along. There is also a 15inch in the range :bowrofl:

Yeah they are very very good for the money. Plus if you damage them Hertz will fix them :D
If you want something to sound like an expensive woofer but pay under $500 it would be the go, give it anything from 100W to 2Kw and it will play along. There is also a 15inch in the range :bowrofl:

Yeah, Hertz make some nice "value for money" gear. Take a look at their HSK-165 splits, they're damn nice to listen to and for ~$300. Alongside Audison (under Eletromedia - as is Hertz), some very damn good amplifiers.

I just got a Xtant X104 from FHRX and damn am I impressed the amount of bass this thing puts out, its easily comparitive to a similiar 12"(kills my old alpine type r). It fits in a small box(im running a 0.76c/ft sealed box and only running 250rms) it can take 600wrms but someone on car audio aust is feeding their X124 (12") 1kwrms. The SQ of this driver is also splendid I believe they retail for about $600ish.
Awesome looking as they are hexagonal in design but the basket is round so fits into a normal hole without any mods. Due to the extra surface area due to its shape they seem to be a lot more efficient.

Worth a listen guys. Can look HERE. (http://www.xtant.com/html/products/XSubwoofers.cfm)

Luke

Starting with SQ first, the IDMAX is a tad better sounding that the XT212 and HXS300 and is about on par with the G5 and Vibe Space12 (remember that Vibe are like JL Audio; subwoofer specialists). However the IDMAX is not as good as the Diamond TDX. The TDX is arguably the best sounding SQ subwoofer you can get for under a couple of grand.

Moving along to SPL, the IDMAX is not quite as loud as the XT212, HXS300 or Space12 (although it does come close), it does output slightly more sound than the TDX and G5. :D

Overall, when talking 12" subwooers (the order would be different for 10"s) my rankings would be:

For SQ:
1st: Diamond TDX12
2nd: Vibe Space12
3rd: Image Dynamics IDMAX12 / Boston G512

For SPL:
1st: Crossfire XT212
2nd: Digital Designs 9112
3rd: Hertz HXS300

:D

G5 in a ported box (2.1cuft tuned to 26.5Hz ) gets it right up there with the Hertz from what I have tried in terms of SPL.

Have tried the Hertz HXS in a 1.1cuft tuned to 35 / 40 / 45Hz and in a 2.1cuft tuned to 25 / 30 / 40 and it definately liked the smaller ported box around the lower port tune. :D Easy way to add lots of bass in your car for under $500 that Hertz. :D