# Beefy 8 inch sub: Sundown SD-2



## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

First off thanks to sundown audio for giving many of these out for us lucky guys to review! 

linky to original thread

Product Page Sundown Audio SD-2

So what are these exactly besides from being huge, handsome and intimidating? Well these are sundown audio's offering for small box beefy 8's. Looking at them, the last thing one would think of would be small box subs. Indeed they look monstrous and they also look like they would be expensive. After man handling them a bit I have to say I am surprised at the hardware provided for the price (in a good way).

These reached me in Canada pretty quickly... wowzers.

First impressions were when I took the box from the fedex office... ouch, heavy! These were certainly not going to be standard issue 8's...not at over 15lbs each.

Let's get on to some pics

A few things come to mind. Huge, bulky, handsome. But also look at the surround on these guys! It certainly eats up what could have been more cone area. The cone looks small but this is ,in part, because of just how bulky this sub is. No matter form what angle you look at it, this screams testosterone hehe.










More shots, here we can see how easy it is to take pics of them on their sides. Also notice no back vent.
From the web site
*



The solid back plate allows the SD-2 line to be mounted directly against the enclosure wall eliminating the need for venting space behind the motor assembly -- this reduces effective depth requirement by another inch! The SD-2 line is still able to effectively vent the voice coil through 16 holes drilled around the basket perimeter as well as a vented voice coil former allowing it to handle it's rated 500-watts RMS with ease.

Click to expand...

* To clarify though the rating for the 8 is 300 watts.










Here is a good shot showing some of the build quality we can expect from this line. Everything is neat and tidy, nothing is flimsy. from this shot you can see the push terminals (always a plus) that are solidly mounted and also the thick basket. The basket is no joke and I wouldn't expect this kind of hardware at this price range.










Here we can see the cone from behind. I always like to try and see just how solid or flimsy a cone is and I can assure you this is one hell of a stiff cone.










So to get back to just how small the cone is? From my measurements it's about half way in between a 6'5 inch and a regular 8. So it's not to bad considering how big that surround is.

Here are some comparison shots.


















And finally here we have a shot next to a small sealed box that they are suppose to go in. That's a small box for such a big sub. Can't wait to hear how they sound!










Another nice touch is the stitching of the surround to the cone. Some might find it a bit tacky, others like me might find it a really nice touch. Either way it blends nicely as it is black like the rest of the hardware.

Stay tuned for some TS parameters and of course the listening test!


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## rexroadj (Oct 31, 2008)

This is such a great opportunity! Great pics! Stitching is NEVER tacky! Agreed on push terminals, and sewn in leads! Anxiously await your findings......as well as my own. 

They are beasts for sure!


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## sundownz (Apr 13, 2007)

Glad to see the first impressions ; most of the visible parts of the woofer carries over from our SA-8 v.2 model woofer -- which you can see has a pretty respectable suspension performance (Patrick from Red Rock commented that it was indeed very good from such a high travel 8" woofer) :

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...er-specs/122971-sundown-sa-8-v-2-klippel.html

Klippel reports greater than 21.8mm one-way linearity from the suspension.

This leaves alot of leeway in the suspension for dynamics when the linearity of the motor is surpassed (no worries about tearing the spider or surround or these parts generating distortion). Even the SD-2 8" model has the capability of moving close to 1" one-way without being damaged (obviously not within linearity but it can do it).

We implemented the stitching on the SA-8 v.2 for some of our SPL guys that were separating that joint; in particular one application where we have about 5kw on bursts on a custom SA-8 v.2 for 150+ dB SPL


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## bmiller1 (Mar 7, 2010)

Man, those are some good looking, stout little subs. I can't wait!!


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## Lorin (May 5, 2011)

I rarely get excited about an 8 inch sub, but that one looks very nice. 15 years ago I ran six 8 inch subs in an isobaric-bandpass box and absolutely LOOVED it. Subs like this one make me consider doing so again, minus the iso part


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

No way to not come out of this impressed. I have been using them with MS8 and they integrate into every genre (thanks to tuning) without a problem. These are fantastic. Super punchy and detailed once tuned.

Right now I have just one of these in a 2012 santa fe. I am not a big basshead so I am not looking to be heard or feel the bass more than hearing the music.

Having said that

This single woofer, in a tiny box certainly delivers the bass. More than I need. It’s interesting to think that sometimes it’s not 100% about performance but other aspects come into play such as keeping room for groceries and such. The box is so small and takes so little room yet, I can get it to shake my SUV, annoy the neighbours and give me a back massage. I get a lot more bass then needed for music listening. 

With MS8 tuning disabled, the sub part becomes truly unleashed and no matter how much I push it it just keeps on delivering more and more bass. I am truly impressed. And this seemingly effortlessly. It is not too surprising as Jacob said that these being an underhung design, the motor will run out of steam before these guys run out of travel. They can move no doubt about it.
Currently I use them LP at 90hz 24db running off about 400watts in a .35cubic foot enclosure.

I measured in car response no tuning
80hz 75db
63hz 82db
50hz 94db
40hz 85db
31hz 85db
25hz 78db
20hz 69db
Man even at 30hz this thing is going on strong. Crazy.

Even without tuning, in this particular enclosure, they are nice and punchy and certainly fun to listen to. They do need a fair amount of power to get going though compared to another 8 I have been using. However power is cheap so to me it seems like a great compromise.

These certainly come highly recommended.

*Thoughts*

*Door mounting:* doesn’t seem like it would be possible without a lot of door work. Just when you think you could maybe fit one inside your door, you will realise that you need a lot of clearance in front of it because of its thick surround and excursion capabilities. No way this would fit behind a stock door card speaker grill.

*Rear shelf IB*: It seems to me that simply because of how much travel they can do, that they would do alright in this configuration. Since these aren’t really expensive, it wouldn’t be a costly experiment. That being said. These require and perform so well in such a small enclosure I believe it would make more sense to mount them on the rear shelf but with their tiny enclosure. This way you get guaranteed performance and maintain the practicality and room in the trunk.

*Music listening: *One of these is sure to satisfy anyone looking for added low end for music listening that doesn’t want to take up a bunch of room but yet will still be able to turn it up and loosen up some body panels.

*1 or 2?: *If room is no concern and money either then the more the merrier. It can be louder but it can also simply help bolster the really low end via EQ. Personally I am satisfied with 1, I don’t find myself wishing for more bass however, another one will be going in hehe


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## sundownz (Apr 13, 2007)

Thanks for all the details !


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## bmiller1 (Mar 7, 2010)

Great review A^7.  You addressed aspects that the other reviews didn't. Thanks!!


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Very solid review! Thanks for taking the time to type all that up. I can't wait to get the install started in my customer's 350Z using a pair of these. Should be nothing short of wicked!


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Finally got some time to measure TS with the WT3. 

*Measured*
Series
Re	6.064	ohms
FS	55.85	hz
QTS	0.7763
QES	0.8745
QMS	6.916
Le	6.85	mH
Mms	71.59	grams
Vas	0.5917	cu ft

parallel
Re	1.541	ohms
FS	55.85	hz
QTS	0.8073
QES	0.9083
QMS	7.26
Le	1.642	mH
Mms	71.59	grams
Vas	0.5917	cu ft

*From sundown*
Series
Fs: 45.2 Hz
Re: 6.03 ohms
Qms: 7.31
Qes: 0.63
Qts: 0.58
Cms: 138 uM/N
Mms: 89 g
BL: 15.55 NA
Vas: 7.74 L
Sens: 82.29 dB 1w/1m
Le: 6.26 mH
RMS: 300 watts


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## sundownz (Apr 13, 2007)

Looks about right until fill break-in is achieved *thumbs up*

Took alot of play time to get down to 45 Hz Fs


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Really... I have never really noticed play time changing TS... will have to revisit this then after they get some break in.


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## sundownz (Apr 13, 2007)

Fs drops as does Qts as the CMS rises (loosening of the spider).

The spider is designed for a good bit more throw than the SD-2 8" is capable of so does take quite a bit to soften.


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## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Update.

More time with these makes me love them even more… euuu makes me love IT even more. I have just stayed with the singular sub because I really don’t feel the need to add another one.

I have used many what I will refer to as “standard” 8’s and none of them come close to this “serious” 8. It plays everything gracefully, the low gut wrenching stuff doesn’t come out with authority like it would from a larger sub but it plays it and always sounds good doing it: unlike standard subs that bottom out or start to sound akward and strained. I haven’t ever had to pull back on the volume with the SD-8 and it has always sounded composed and up to the task.

I have listened to a variety of stuff, mostly dragon force, metallica, killswitch and bucket head but some rap like jarule and some pitbull that has lots of heavy overemphasized base.

On the weekend I had to haul some stuff so taking out the sub was a breeze since it is so small, definitely ups the convenience factor… and it also reminded me how better off all the songs sound with the sub hehe.


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## mrclm (Jul 22, 2013)

I absolutely love mine. My previous install was in an extended cab truck where I had a 12 running on twice the power I currently have in a box 6 times larger than what I'm using now. And my SD-2 8 is nearly as good. It isn't as loud, but for regular listening it is better. Clean, clear bass that goes low out of a single 8. Seriously, before this sub, I wouldn't have believed you. I'm a "don't believe the hype" kind of guy, but have discovered that everyone who has gushed about this sub wasn't hyping. They're legit. And I have found that the longer I play it, the better it sounds. I put mine in late last Fall, and have heard it improve over time. I can comfortably say, this was the best $150 I've ever spent on car audio.

My current application is a 1995 Ford Ranger regular cab with a .3 box and a RF Punch 40ix under powering the sub.


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