SUBJECTIVE
by Tim Kelly
Big Buck Bass
This time around the subs in this test were decidedly high-end models with power handling capabilities as high as 3000 watts peak! They were all plopped into small sealed boxes and tested in a Toyota Tacoma ExtraCab. The amplifier used was Rockford Fosgate's new Power bd500.1, a mono 500 watt digital bass amp. Though they make two more powerful models, the bd500.1 was all the amp this test needed. In doing the test I really wanted to make sure I kept the buyer in mind. The goal of the woofers according to their makers was lots of high excursion, high energy bass. In other words, boom and zoom. With that in mind, I chose music that readers should be able to associate with.
For rock I used Nirvana's Nevermind, track 5 "Lithium". The recording on this album is much better than anyone ever gave it credit and "Lithium" starts with a high impact kick drum matched by bass guitar. It was basically a sound quality and impact check.
For techno or dance I used Yello's "Baby." While many of you may not recognize them, you should remember "Oh Yeah" from the movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." All the music is synthesized but very complex and very well arranged. I used track 3, "Rubberband Man," because it has a synth bass line that moves like a staccato march through different frequencies.
Next for pop/rap I used Ludacris' "What's Your Fantasy." This was the all out get-you-noticed bass test. It's not bad to screech along with; and the bass track is so over boosted you need woofers like these four to do it justice. I weighted it more than any of the others because I felt this is the target that will be buying these subs.
For the first time I also tested with the radio. Let's face it, you're not listening to a CD all the time and with satellite radio coming, we'll all be spending more time away from our CD collection. The problem here is that I can't control the music. But most pop radio stations like KISS-FM here in Phoenix and Los Angeles heavily boost the bass to make inferior factory systems sound like something. So the test was -- does this sub make other people turn and look in traffic and does it make me move in my seat like some freak on a bad trip? Last, I got a recommendation from someone who used to make a living with their ears. A pair of tracks completely unknown to me previously and in a different language. With that combination, you're forced to listen to music. You don't know the rhythm or the lyrics so your mind can only concentrate on the tone and pitch. First was Cheb Mami's "Meli Meli." Turkish Pop sung in Arabic is about as good as I can describe it. Again this is synthesized music, but Cheb has an excellent voice and track 4 "Parisien du Nord," is like listening to rap in another language. Second was Salif Keita's "Folon." Track 2, "Mandjou" has a very smooth bass drum and bass guitar about a half beat apart. I used this track as a sound quality check.
That's it. There was no equalization, only the gain and the 24 dB crossover on the Rockford Fosgate amp. I shifted the box around the Extra Cab to see if it helped but in most cases it didn't. The ratings were done so that one of the four subs did it better than the rest, not to a standard only known to me. That's why there is a 10 in every category. Another sub may do better, but since I didn't hear it this test, it doesn't count.
Audiobahn AW1205X
Excuse me, I'm wiping the blood from my ears. Like Vance predicted in his tests, the Audiobahn is the output champ. Though you cannot really compare it to the Ultimate or the Earthquake because it has dual 2-ohm coils, there was no doubting this sub has a warehouse full of output. With the Audiobahn AW1205X, you can forget about accurate, fast bass. What this sub does is burp, "brump," and move air like a wind tunnel. And in the smallest box of the bunch! A giant motor structure coated with chrome means you want to mount it backwards or in a Plexi box. Though it's fun to watch the cone fly in and out like the MA Audio.
A champion on the radio, and with bass CDs or on Ludacris's track, you absolutely get noticed with this sub. You're not going to get low bass, but you're going to the fattest part of the bass curve on today's recordings. You'll also want to cross it over very low to prevent it from sounding muddy. I had to use the lowest setting on the Rockford Fosgate bd500.1 for both the Audiobahn and the MA Audio. Presentation, like the MA Audio is impressive. Shipped in a wooden crate that you can use for something else, you know you're getting more than just the sub. This sub allowed me to forget about all the things a sub should do and just sit there and enjoyed the abuse.
MA Audio SYW12K
You can't believe the size of this thing. It comes in a rounded wooden box, much like how expensive alloy wheels are shipped. However, UPS managed to break the wooden drum. Fortunately the sub was unharmed. MA gets big style points here for cosmetics. I don't think I've seen a basket so lathered in chrome. If you buy this sub, you've got to mount it to show off the chrome basket. The suspension is so incredibly stiff I think it's possible to stand on it. The massive 2000 watt RMS and 3000 watt peak rating is probably justified. With the coils in parallel, the bd500.1 was easily pumping 750 watts plus to the sub. It was like a walk in the park. However, all this stiff suspension means a lack of definition, as the amp doesn't get the control it would with a more compliant suspension. You'll also need a big amp to really make it crank. The SYW12K is a crank-it woofer. On the radio and on Ludacris it zoomed in and out, pounding out bass. On more musical stuff, the bass notes ran together, but MA Audio readily admits this is not an audiophile woofer; it's an SPL woofer.