# New Dayton Ultimax 8"



## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*New Dayton Ultimax 8&quot;*

So Dayton finally decided to enter into the beefy 8" realm with a miniature version of the Ultimax series. Nothing really special about it (not shallow mount, etc), but for the price and the usual Ultimax features it looks to be a possible contender for less.... $129 each. I've already modeled it for myself and all specs checkout in BB6, and if it's like other Dayton products the specs are accurate. That's a good thing in some regards. 

2+2 ohm dvc coil

Copper sleeve & pole cap

Xmax= 16mm one way

Fs= 31.6hz

Qts= .58

EBP of 42 (screams sealed)

Series inductance 1.14mh

Rms power handling of 300

Mounting depth 4.7"

.35 sealed recommended box is on the small side though with a Qtc of .96 unstuffed (nothing peculiar about that these days), but the F3 is in the high 40's!! Modeled it in IB (trunk baffle) of 15 cubes for one and netted xmax on 150 watts down to 17hz. Response will vary per car so I won't dig into that too deep, but it appears a little bottom heavy with a curve similar to most house curves once a generic cabin gain file was applied which was interesting. 













https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-um8-22-8-ultimax-dvc-subwoofer-2-ohms-per-coil--295-508


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## DDFusionV2 (Jul 11, 2016)

Looks like the Epic 8


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

Same frame, but I believe that's about as far as similarities go. Back plate is different, coil was stainless steel wound with aluminum wire on the epic. Cone and surround are obviously different.


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## DDFusionV2 (Jul 11, 2016)

It's not a bad platform to go off of. A bit dated now but priced ok


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

From what I was told, P.E. (I'm thinking Dayton) bought out TC Sounds so who knows, but you're right. Doesn't seem like a bad lil driver for the price considering what it offers vs what's out there. Time will tell.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;quot;*

Sooooo..... my personal verdict is in! 

Reiterating on my experience in a 97 LS400 that came with the Nakamichi package, I've changed the system once the stock changer went out (still got cd's stuck in the damn thing) so keep in mind the only components that were changed out were the headunit for a JVC KW-R900BT, the stock amp removed for a JL XD700/5 v1, and initially the original Nak 8" sub for an Arc8 D4. The doors are still stock 4" ported drivers with passive tweets in the sails. 

The Arc8 was chosen first due to so many boasting on the ID8's IB performance, but proved to be the hardest to work with. With both coils in parallel, the bass was very dry with only the ultra low bass being apparent although somewhat impressive in that aspect. Still it was far from musical. With a limited 5 band EQ there was no helping it in the range where most music lives. Driving one coil improved things drastically, but also seemed to sacrifice output. While the sub kept some bottom end & played flatter up to a normal crosspoint of 80-100hz, overall output decreased and the sub ran out of steam quicker making it easier to reach excursion limits before a good volume was reached. Didn't stay as clean either. 

Next in was the Boston Acoustics G108-4 which in it's own rights is a nice sub. For the average person looking for an upgrade from stock, the Boston would be fine with it's better control & output in 40hz (perhaps closer to 50hz) & up range. Bottom end was down (flat is bad) while kick & punch were more pronounced. I tried lowering the crossover point to help out, but that doesn't really fatten up the bottom end. It just messes up the blend between mids & sub while taking the small 4" to their limits which isn't good either. Dialing in an extra amount of the available 50hz band gives a little bit of meat, but still not in the range where needed. I concluded that with it's excursion limits of 10.5mm (IIRC) & higher Fs of 46hz, trying to extract more in a SQ setup by adding in the dsp tucked away in the closet would no doubt limit it's output so I eventually gave up on it. Still, I liked it much better than the Arc8 and similar spec'd subs might work fine for others so don't completely dismiss it. 

Enter the Ultimax 8". The frame was too large to set down in the stock hole so I played with it inverted for a very short while (maybe an hour or so) to get a slight taste and liked what I heard. Finally having some time to remove the trim from underneath the deck and play contortionist to get the sub front mounted, it fit with no problem. Hole was almost perfect for the flange & surround as if it were meant for it. Wired into series ( the 700/5 is only 2 ohm stable) came out just right as the 150 @ 4 ohm rating is exactly inline for the half power IB standard. No amp gain adjustments were made. Still the same since day one of the amp install.

With the same tiring tracks I've been playing in the car for the past year or so, I already noticed a difference.... and a very good one. Kick & punch are down quite a bit from the G108-4 using the same crossover points. It's much smoother in it's upper response and able to disappear into the front mids more easily which is far better than the Arc8 with it's lackadaisical upper performance that left it to sound sloppy. On the very low end, it's just a tiny bit down in amplitude from the Arc8, but with way more control to the point I can turn the sub up to higher overall levels, quite a bit higher. Not a bad tradeoff at all, one I'd prefer! Surprisingly I was able to settle on a crossover point of 90hz @ -24db for the Ultimax and the 4" @ 110hz @ -24db which netted the right amount of blend for natural sounding drums. With the Arc I found myself trying to go higher to extract more (120hz at times) and lower with the Boston (sometimes even 60hz) to tame it. Now it's easier to make the sub disappear yet plays deep enough to not feel the need to boost anything. Guitars, synths, come across clearly with the meaty part of the remaining note having a fair amount of beef that you can feel. The sub sounds very accurate as well. You don't get exaggerated kick drums like how the Arc8 played. What the track presents, the sub plays where you can easily distinguish the different percussive mixes within a song. 

I'm really liking this sub so far and is a good sign that it will be even better once the outboard dsp is installed.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

did this sub kill the lows to death?


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&quot;*

The low end monster award goes to the Arc but you'd better have beefy mids to pull it off. You also give up accuracy for that extension which sounds fun at first, then sloppy overall later on. The Ultimax has nice lows but only when it is present which is how it should be. Those same songs have a more distinguished bottom end that I didn't realize before. So were the lows killed to death? No. I say its been resurrected alive!


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

DDFusionV2 said:


> Looks like the Epic 8


 And what happened to TC Sounds .... again?


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## rob feature (Nov 15, 2015)

Good stuff - thanks for the review Bayboy!


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

DDFusionV2 said:


> Looks like the Epic 8


Really? I know you know better than this. 



Bayboy said:


> Same frame, but I believe that's about as far as similarities go. Back plate is different, coil was stainless steel wound with aluminum wire on the epic. Cone and surround are obviously different.


^^^What he said^^^

Beyond the basket, I doubt these have much at all in common. 

Compared to the TC Sounds, the Dayton has higher sensitivity, higher Fs, lower inductance, higher Qts and less excursion. Different cone, surround, voice coil, former, and back plate. 

But yes, I suppose if you look just right, it "looks like the epic 8."


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

rton20s said:


> Really? I know you know better than this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


but a slight change in the sb acoustics and arc blacks make them completely different in his eyes


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

SkizeR said:


> but a slight change in the sb acoustics and arc blacks make them completely different in his eyes


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;amp;quot;*

I see no reason to compare the Epic to the Ultimax. From my perspective they're on opposite sides almost. While the Epic can take a box as small as physically possible and Q will still be low, the Ultimax leans towards a much larger box if you're wanting to keep Q at a usual level. Recommended box of .35 includes heavy stuffing but to depend on that to meet the exact target may be a crap shoot. To me, it would be best to err on the larger side when building the box instead, then stuff as needed. Of course, an impedance sweep would be required in any case to know the exact result.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Not sure about Dayton. there seems to be rave reviews about SQ/ability but there also seems to be a few build quality issues that makes me nervous.


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## geshat00 (Jun 1, 2016)

What about VS the Eminence High Excursion DVC? The BL on the Eminence nearly doubles the Dayton Ultimax!


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## Onyx1136 (Mar 15, 2009)

captainscarlett said:


> Not sure about Dayton. there seems to be rave reviews about SQ/ability but there also seems to be a few build quality issues that makes me nervous.


What's issues with build quality are there? You're the first person I've heard complain about the build quality of them.


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## mirkinator (Feb 22, 2016)

Onyx1136 said:


> What's issues with build quality are there? You're the first person I've heard complain about the build quality of them.




I returned a 10 because it had a rattle. The replacement they sent me had the same issue but not as bad. 

There is a comment in the reviews saying that Dayton had a problem with the glue on the spider on the first batch. He said he repaired his own and hasn't had issues since. 

A friend has the 15 and his sounds fine.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Onyx1136 said:


> What's issues with build quality are there? You're the first person I've heard complain about the build quality of them.


Look on PE! I noticed a while ago, that when they changed the format of the reviews, a lot of Dayton Product reviews went missing!! so don't count the recent reviews on PE as the total sum of unsatisfied/negative reviews.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Subs aside I know this Class T amp got some/mostly hideous reviews around reliability 

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dta-100a-class-t-digital-mini-amplifier-50-wpc--300-383


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## mirkinator (Feb 22, 2016)

captainscarlett said:


> Subs aside I know this Class T amp got some/mostly hideous reviews around reliability
> 
> http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dta-100a-class-t-digital-mini-amplifier-50-wpc--300-383



That's funny, I have that amp and I love it. It's been powering a pair of overnight sensations for a couple years now with no problems, the setup sounds great. It's on my computer desk and it stays on 24/7. My only complaint would be that the blue LED is a bit bright.


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## Onyx1136 (Mar 15, 2009)

Having issues with a different size woofer from a different production run isn't all that relevant. That's about the same thing as when your buddy tells you to never buy any Toyota because he had one that broke down on him once 5 years ago.


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## mirkinator (Feb 22, 2016)

Onyx1136 said:


> Having issues with a different size woofer from a different production run isn't all that relevant. That's about the same thing as when your buddy tells you to never buy any Toyota because he had one that broke down on him once 5 years ago.



It absolutely is relevant to the statement I quoted. This is a general statement about Dayton build quality. 



captainscarlett said:


> Not sure about Dayton. there seems to be rave reviews about SQ/ability but there also seems to be a few build quality issues that makes me nervous.



I received the replacement 10 almost a full year after I received the first one. It's possible that it was the same production run but not probable. It's more likely that they did not resolve the problem in subsequent batches, IMO. 

I should mention that I have had multiple Dayton subs and have never had problems with any of them other than these. I have always been a Dayton fan due to the price to performance. I see this issue as a fluke. I even kept the second UM10 because the noise is only audible at higher volumes, which this setup never sees.


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## Dumple (Dec 16, 2010)

I've been toying the idea of 4 in an ib trunk baffle set up with about 100 apiece


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&quot;*

No issues with mine. Plus being backed by a 5 year warranty doubled with P.E.'s customer service is a major plus to me.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Onyx1136 said:


> What's issues with build quality are there? You're the first person I've heard complain about the build quality of them.


^^ Not 100% with you on that, and I've not made a complaint, its'a a statement!

Ultimax 
*
Another Flawed Dayton Driver with Great Potential*
The sub performs well, and the frequency response is quite good. However, there is a mechanical noise coming from the driver during transient changes and high excursion. This is the THIRD Dayton driver that has had this issue and I am beginning to lose faith in the brand. Parts Express is always accommodating, but this is getting ridiculous and making me look bad in front of customers. I don't think I will be buying a Dayton again. I will be calling shortly for a replacement.


*
Rattles*
I bought this driver with the intention of getting a small driver that packs a big punch. The construction is top notch and it definitely looks the part. Unfortunately, it has had a mechanical rattle from the start, even at low volumes. At first, I thought that perhaps it needed to be broken in, but there has been no change.It looks like I'm going to be removing this subwoofer and replacing it with something more reliable. It is a shame, because it certainly looks indestructible. I just wish I didn't wait so long to realize it. Now I'm stuck with it!

*
Quite underwhelmed and displeased.*
I've had this driver installed in my car for a week now. It is in a 1.75cu.ft. vented box tuned to 35hz, dual 3" precision ports also bought here! Getting the tuning any lower for this driver in such a small box with a non slot port seems about impossible with regards to the displacement of the port length alone! Despite WinISD showing golden port velocities the noise is there and quite defined at higher volumes. I'm thinking some of the thiele small parameters as listed are wrong because WinISD has always been true to life for me.Its driven by a 450w rms amplifier at 4ohm.The output seems really weak and lacking impact at anything other than maximum excursion. Near its max excursion the motor starts making some awful scraping/popping noises.I've had to turn the gain down on the amp to less than 1/4 so that the driver isn't making mechanical noises when every other speaker in the car is just fine. Shipping carton got wet and the driver has screw marks on the mounting flange so it cannot be returned. Its coming back out this weekend and going in the trash.




Other Dayton's
*

Voice coil came apart 300w Dayton denies warranty.*
Has this sub the 5.3ft enclosure recommended by Matt P on here 15 min into our Christmas party it starts making scratching noise. They said the voice coil former was bottomed and broke off, or as I suspect, the voice cool split and bottomed before I could get over to shut it off. Anyways, I replaced it with a Stereo Integrity HT18 rated at a lower [email protected] 600 but it sounds better, it's louder and will definitely handle more power. I own 9 other Dayton audio products but after their handling of this I won't buy again.

*
Good times gone...*
I purchased this subwoofer a little under 2 years ago, and for the first 18 months I couldn't have been happier. I purchased the SPA1000 plate amp to power it, and used winisd to build a high cubic foot, slot ported enclosure for this beast to reside in. I enjoyed loads of heavy, articulated bass that plunged the depths with an ease beyond what I could have imagined. Then one day, while playing at a very reasonable level, i started to notice a scraping noise coming from the driver. Over the next 2 days the driver noise became worse until finally it was unlistenable. After contacting parts express I was told to send it in for a warranty claim (sweet 5 year warranty) and that they would "send a replacement upon receipt". Well, after $30 in shipping and hounding them for a week to get a response, i was told the coil was burnt, and so no warranty replacement was coming, and that they do not repair drivers so I'd never see this sub again. I tried talking to the tech about what could have possibly happened, and they just stopped returning my emails. Drivers overheat, people bottom them out, things happen... but none of these things make sense with my driver. First he tried blaming my amplifier until i told them that was theirs also, then he said surge protection, I've got that on the amp... after that they asked about the box, and then finally just stopped responding. I really would like to recommend one of these drivers, but I dont know how mine failed, and dont know how common this is. I will day howerever that I was EXTREMELY disappointed with customer service, and I still cant believe they blew me off. I have spent thousands here over the years, so if it happen to me it could happen to anyone! Great driver, but the support ruined the purchase for me. 2 stars
Was this review h
*
Nothing like what I and my client expected*
Well we were all pretty excited to get this very large diameter subwoofer installed with a new SONY STRZA 3000 receiver and 8inch Elura Read label in ceiling speakers...Sub being driven by a Dayton 1000 watt amp..

In a word it was very good until the volume was increased to a moderately loud level... It then began to make the most horrible noises Ive ever heard from a subwoofer.... mechanically it seems fine and box dimensions are per Dayton specifications... I even built a second box to "sealed " specifications to try and fix the issue later that afternoon...
I was very embarrassed in front of my client and now cannot collect on this final payment _which would have been today - but now is delayed until I bring in a suitable replacement ....
Extremely disappointing...and will not be using this subwoofer for any more builds....needless to say it and the Dayton amp are going right back to PE.
*
Plays low but quality is questionable.*
I bought this sub a couple months ago and installed in car using sealed specs, 2cu ft with about 600watts rms. After 45 days it stopped playing so removed it and found spider came unglued and tore from cone. PE was great and refunded my money but found this was an issue that was supposed to be fixed a while back, poor glue was used by Dayton. Apparently still a problem but it's sad because really liked the sound I got from it. Switched to SI Mag 3 for same price and that thing takes a beating, doesn't play as low but deff not concerned with build quality from SI.

*cheaply made*
I bought this sub-woofer to replace the speaker in my old Cerwin Vega powered sub-woofer box.At first I didn't think it was working at all because of the low volume, it's 4 ohm just like the original but it has 2 places to hook up like a dual voice coil but it doesn't wire like a dual voice coil because I tried to wire it at 2 ohms for more volume and it wouldn't even work.Even one of the terminals had broken off tying to un-solder the wire because it's very thin and cheap like cardboard

*Repeated failures, known problem with adhesive*
These drivers have a known problem that causes a part under the dust cap to separate and rattle. This was supposed to be fixed in 2014, yet it keeps happening.After three failures I have to advise not to get this particular driver. It's not worth the risk.

*Two defective subs in a row*
I ordered this based on all the positive reviews. The first sub had a loose magnet structure, I replaced it and got another one with the same exact issue. I could only hear the vibration from the loose magnet when running frequency sweeps between 60 and 90 hertz. When listening to movies and music it was very hard to hear the defect. Parts express was great and offered to test a third before sending it to me but I decided to go with the higher quality reference HF 15� instead and am glad I did. This sub does play very low but is of extremely poor quality. If you buy one run a sweep before keeping it or have parts-express test it before they ship it to you.




As I stated before, I kept an eye on the Dayton reviews for a long. long time, because i was intrigued with the good reviews they got, but perplexed by the many bad reviews about build quality. Even more nervous considering I live in the UK, and so if there was a defect it would cost a lot more than you guys in the U.S. would pay for shipping, naturally .... and with the amount of bad reviews I saw, I was dissuaded even more. When PE revamped the site (review section) a lot of negative reviews seemed to vanish overnight, along with the class t amp, reviews and all. I could go on with various other forum comments and videos, but surely you guys are clever enough to work google. 

3:29 am in the UK, good night.


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## Onyx1136 (Mar 15, 2009)

I was talking specifically about the 8" Ultimax. Once again, just because a similar driver in a different size has a few issues doesn't make all of them suspect.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

Not going to defend any shortcomings from any company albeit I'm a Dayton fan, have successfully used their products for years, and keep several of their products on hand. 

Now there _was_ an issue with the Ultimax when they first came out and how long that lasted I'm not sure. It still could be going on to be fair. However, I'd like to point out & ask for clarity sake, where are the dates for those complaints you posted? Some of those complaints seem to come with those who like to throw the baby out with the bath water..... stating that they _will never buy Dayton again_. That's all fine and dandy in their own rights, but a failure in one line means every product is crap now??  A bit over the top isn't it? 

Higher rates of failure _than normal_ in the Ultimax line's early runs? Possible and noted. Failed to be addressed in later runs and even carried over to other lines? I'd like to see more objective proof of that because note that I stated _higher rates than normal_ by which I'm suggesting that compared to other lines, not just high failure rates still existing altogether to warrant such expressions by some of those claims. Same thing happened to the MS-8, BM MKIV, PPI Phantoms, and numerous other products throughout the years with similar reactions from consumers. Still, those same products retained enough value for those who didn't have issues or when the issues were worked out in later runs. So with that can we be honest & fair when addressing the Ultimax or is this going to turn into a "Dayton is the Devil that raped my dog and killed my family to death" thread?


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## geshat00 (Jun 1, 2016)

geshat00 said:


> What about VS the Eminence High Excursion DVC? The BL on the Eminence nearly doubles the Dayton Ultimax!


Any answers yet?


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Onyx1136 said:


> I was talking specifically about the 8" Ultimax. Once again, just because a similar driver in a different size has a few issues doesn't make all of them suspect.


1) Give it time

2) The addition of an 8 doesn't all of a sudden make the whole brand reliable. 




Bayboy said:


> So with that can we be honest & fair when addressing the Ultimax or is this going to turn into a "Dayton is the Devil


Just addressing the nonsense that I was the only one to complain ..

When it comes to handing my money over i expect nothing else but honesty, but there is always two sides of a coin. Again, much as I want to, I've seen far too many negative reviews (more and above the few on PE) that has put a question mark over *will I* or *won't i*. Your experience gives one more vote in the 'will I' camp however, i'm still hesitant which is a shame given that a lot of people talk highly about the SQ performance. 



geshat00 said:


> What about VS the Eminence High Excursion DVC? The BL on the Eminence nearly doubles the Dayton Ultimax!





geshat00 said:


> Any answers yet?


I think it's near insanity to judge the entire performance based on a singular parameter. But at near half the price I can see the attraction


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

I have to add that I have Dayton's via Paul Carmody's Classix II https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/classix-ii

As for the subs .... I've always had my eye on the Ultimax and RS Series


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

geshat00 said:


> Any answers yet?



No comparison to be had. Totally different driver as far as end goals IMO. I modeled the Eminence dvc 8" when it came out and there's simply not enough excursion nor is the EBP low enough to place it in the same capability of the Ultimax 8". It's F3 is quite high due to a very low Qts although the latter holds true for the Epic 8" when considering a sealed enclosure. Yet the Epic has an ultra low Fs, high power handling, & plenty more xmax to make it work. 

If you're looking at a vented enclosure, you could work with it to some satisfaction, but IIRC it wasn't all that impressive in the numbers considering other drivers in the 70 buck range. Still going to require a bit of port length unless you can work two sharing the same airspace & vent. Probably why they recommend a passive radiator design. It's an odd driver that probably won't do well on the car audio market.

If looking for IB action, again, nothing to see here unless you want to drive one coil leaving the other open to increase Qts to a more acceptable value. However, power handling will decrease to the point of putting it's use in question. IB mechanical handling is half power for non spec'd IB drivers. The Eminence is 150 watts so driving one coil would reduce it's mechanical handling to around 38 watts as well as reducing efficiency. Perhaps if it was for a stock sytem including amp, but in the mean time someone throws in a Kicker for the same or less cost with more output.


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## Onyx1136 (Mar 15, 2009)

captainscarlett said:


> 1) The addition of an 8 doesn't all of a sudden make the whole brand reliable


I never made any comments about Dayton as a brand or their reliability as a whole. My comments have been strictly limited to the Ultimax 8. Don't apply your logic to my argument. All I've said is that even if there were problems with other Ultimax woofers, it makes no sense to simply assume that a different size woofer from a completely different production run will have the same problems. 

It's very simple. All I'm saying is wait for proof that something is wrong before you decide that something is wrong.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;amp;quot;*

That is the problem I see. Those reviews/complaints painted the whole brand from the flaws in one line and if they feel the need to abandon a whole brand due to such, then so be it. But let's see it for what it is... How many dropped or dogged JBL after the MS8 debacle? Given time, were the unit issues fixed?

Now as to Dayton, are other products really flawed due to this issue with Ultimax? Is the issue still ongoing? Has it carried over to all sizes? Does the fact that the subs have a 5 year warranty stand for nothing? The way I see it, if enough returns are made, I'm sure the company will or has made revisions to fix the problem.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

I don't know what logic you think i'm putting on your comments, but your assertions so far have been pretty inaccurate at best. You said that I was the only one who complained. Incorrect. 




Onyx1136 said:


> It's very simple. All I'm saying is wait for proof that something is wrong before you decide that something is wrong.


http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/4164153-post30.html




> 1) Give it time





Bayboy said:


> That is the problem I see. Those reviews/complaints painted the whole brand from the flaws in one line and if they feel the need to abandon a whole brand due to such, then so be it. But let's see it for what it is... How many dropped or dogged JBL after the MS8 debacle? Given time, were the unit issues fixed?
> 
> Now as to Dayton, are other products really flawed due to this issue with Ultimax? Is the issue still ongoing? Has it carried over to all sizes? Does the fact that the subs have a 5 year warranty stand for nothing? The way I see it, if enough returns are made, I'm sure the company will or has made revisions to fix the problem.


it's hard for some people 

I think I've said enough, given enough proof, with videos included, shown you a few reviews where they said PE reneged on the warranty for whatever reason, stated that when PE changed the site a lot of negative reviews went missing ... and all i hear from you guys is conjecture. I'll leave you to your thoughts.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&quot;*



captainscarlett said:


> it's hard for some people
> 
> I'll leave you to your thoughts.


Likewise.....


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## Patrick Bateman (Sep 11, 2006)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;amp;quot;*




Bayboy said:


> I see no reason to compare the Epic to the Ultimax. From my perspective they're on opposite sides almost. While the Epic can take a box as small as physically possible and Q will still be low, the Ultimax leans towards a much larger box if you're wanting to keep Q at a usual level. Recommended box of .35 includes heavy stuffing but to depend on that to meet the exact target may be a crap shoot. To me, it would be best to err on the larger side when building the box instead, then stuff as needed. Of course, an impedance sweep would be required in any case to know the exact result.


The published specs of the Epic 8 and the SoundSplinter 8 (which is basically the same driver) are quite a bit off. This is fairly normal, manufacturers tend to 'cherry pick' the driver, instead of publishing an average or median of a few measured drivers. Here's what I measured, versus what's published:

my measurement / published
fs : 34 / 24
qes : .37 / .26
qms : 4 / 7.2
qts : .34 / .25

The Ultimaxx 8 looks kinda interesting, but I still like the Type R 8" better. Or better yet, the Type S 10". The Qts on the Ultimaxx 8 is on the high side, and the price is more than the Alpine options.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;amp;quot;*



Patrick Bateman said:


> The published specs of the Epic 8 and the SoundSplinter 8 (which is basically the same driver) are quite a bit off. This is fairly normal, manufacturers tend to 'cherry pick' the driver, instead of publishing an average or median of a few measured drivers. Here's what I measured, versus what's published:
> 
> my measurement / published
> fs : 34 / 24
> ...


Interesting difference in published vs measured which I'm sure changes Q value in the recommended sealed. Qms looks better though. 


The higher Qts of the Ultimax 8 is of advantage to me as I'm running it in the back deck of a sedan. It's the reason why I wanted to try it.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Just to update, strange 2 star rating for the new Dayton, but the review is missing!!! PE/Dayton reviews often seem to go missing.

Subwoofer Drivers in the Speaker Components Department at Parts Express | 14


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

captainscarlett said:


> Just to update, strange 2 star rating for the new Dayton, but the review is missing!!! PE/Dayton reviews often seem to go missing.
> 
> Subwoofer Drivers in the Speaker Components Department at Parts Express | 14



Not sure what's going on with that, but I usually add a review for products I buy from wherever. I went to add one for the UM8-22 and there's a new system for adding reviews than what it used to be. Can't remember the steps, but by the time I got it figured out, I got distracted and left it alone. May add one later, but I still stand by my impressions of the sub in the way I am using it. Got rid of a grille rattle in the back deck and was able to get more volume out of it without the annoyance. It's staying if that means anything. Can't wait to pair it up with a set of JBL Power 5.25" comps in the doors.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

Then again..... I just remembered your view on this so now I regret even replying. A waste.


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## 1fishman (Dec 22, 2012)

captainscarlett said:


> ^^ Not 100% with you on that, and I've not made a complaint, its'a a statement!
> 
> Ultimax
> *
> ...


 I went through 4 Dayton subs myself. 2 HO 12" had the cap/disk under the dust cap come off sent the first back (I had to the pay shipping) and took the second apart myself and glue the disk, been good ever since. (There seem to be a oil resadue that wight have been the reason the glue didn't stick) 
The 2 Ultimax 10" developed voice coil noise but i couldn't be sure if what happened, none of the other subs iv'e used ever gave me any issues.


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

Bayboy said:


> Then again..... I just remembered your view on this so now I regret even replying. A waste.


... and I remember that some had a problem between POV and legible Facts! Interesting!!!


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;quot;*

I own the damn thing. What more do you want besides to ***** about something you don't own, never used, and obviously don't want? Get the sand from between your crack and move on!


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## captainscarlett (Mar 15, 2011)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;quot;*



Bayboy said:


> I own the damn thing. What more do you want besides to ***** about something you don't own, never used, and obviously don't want? Get the sand from between your crack and move on!


Sorry, I've run out of cookie's so i can't give you one! Once again, I think I'll leave it there.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;amp;quot;*



captainscarlett said:


> Sorry, I've run out of cookie's so i can't give you one! Once again, I think I'll leave it there.


Hell, you should have left several replies ago.... You've had nothing to add except for a view based on some reviews you've read, and some conspiracy that still hasn't gained you worth being taken seriously if you've read everyone else's replies. You've been refuted the whole way, yet you want to win like the fat kid laying on the floor having a diabetic fit but is still trying to get the last piece of cake.


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## Jheitt142 (Dec 7, 2011)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;quot;*

I have owned 4 SD215A-88 for three years now. 

I ran them sealed for 6 months, then ran the 4 in a 3.5cuft box tuned to 50hz for SPL giggles then I ran just three sealed because I liked how three look. And now I finally run 2, each has its own ported 1cuft box tuned to 38hz. 

These subs are $25 and I have yet to have one fail. I will forever buy Dayton. 

I've had a type R come apart on me, had an atomic ELE somehow crack it's basket, I've blown more dust caps off DC's then I can count. 

Everything has its issues. The difference is with Dayton, I can wreck 4 for the price of 1.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

*Re: New Dayton Ultimax 8&amp;quot;*

I've used Dayton for many years as well. Only had one or two issues that was quickly corrected with warranty replacements. A 5 year warranty means a lot and I don't see where that has dropped so that speaks to their confidence in their products. 

These remarks towards reviews without totally investigating are silly. I know for sure that there was trouble at partsexpress recently, something dealing with tech talk but that's as far as in willing to say. Not sure if it is related, but the review system has been revamped to one of authenticity. In order to leave a review, verification that you actually bought the product must first take place. There's a good reason for that which is quite obvious, but I digress.


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## Loudy (Nov 10, 2010)

I have (4) Classic 12's in a ported box from a Dayton SA1000, a Titantic 15 on a Beringer EP1500 in a "coffee table box" and another plate amp running the sub in my computer set-up. I also have made the Dayton III "Refried" project which can get down. 

Its hard to beat the Dayton stuff for bang for your buck. Like any brand, their will be ups and downs but PE has always quickly corrected any issues I have ever had.

PS the Titantic 15 ported on WAY too much power has been solid for years now and can still rattle every window in my house if told to.

EDIT: I also just bought L,R,C in wall Daytons but they're not installed yet. I have no worries though.


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