# BA SPG-555 subwoofer musings ...



## JAG (May 6, 2006)

Lot's of posting on subwoofers today , so I thought I'd share this with you.

I've been asked by many to write a review on the Boston Acoustics SPG 555 sub ..... but I've been putting it off. *I'm worried I may come off as a gushing enthusiast.*

The problem I have found with reviewing this sub , is that I can find ZERO faults with it ..... At this point in my long music loving career , it's the very best mobile audio sub I have ever heard , by quite a margin.
I've owned virtually ALL of the best subs available , and this one trumps them all ..... Yes , we even demoed the $2000 Critical Mass sub that CA&E scored so highly , and the SPG is better  
So instead of writing a full review at this time , I will just tantalize you with these few things ....
When we were first testing the new SPG , we decided to put it up aganst a JL W7 in a brutal torture test .... Here is a photo of the SPG sub , with the W7 sitting on top of it .... We were doing high SPL testing when the W7 blew up , after it had been soundly trounced by the SPG in EVERY way !!










In another thread here on DIYMA , a friend asked what sub would hang with a W7 , because his friend blew a W7 recently ..... If he had of had a SPG , he could have simply took 2 minutes and replaced the voice coil ... Don't even have to take the enclosure from the car , or the sub from the enclosure. Take a look ....










If I blow my sub , I just reach in my glove box , grab out my extra voice coil and Allen wrench , and two minutes later I'm up and playing again  

Recones ? Forget re-cones .... If something accidentally punctures my sub's cone , i just grab my extra replacement cone, and Allen wrench , and five minutes later I'm up and playing again ....










Did I mention it sounds fuggin awesome


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## ca90ss (Jul 2, 2005)

$700 
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-fWmAqPb9ecR/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=065spg552


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## 00poop6x (Jan 20, 2007)

NICE. Was always reluctant to use this sub due to price and not sure if I could sell it off easily...

For music, how much power was it given? Which amp were you using? A little more info would help.

Looks like I'll be adding a few of these onto the order sheet.


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## DS-21 (Apr 16, 2005)

No offense, but have you compared this sub to something good, like a JBL WGTi, Aura NRT, or the better affordible woofers (XLS, XXLS, TC2+/TC1000)? Comparing it to something that doesn't even have a Faraday ring in the motor doesn't strike me as an especially useful in this company. Sorry, I'm not a fan of the W7, in either its car or its home variants. Too much exposure to really good woofers, I guess.

Also, the modularity strikes me as being of profoundly limited utility outside of the piss-off-the-neighborhood car audio subculture. I've never blown a woofer (or come close to it) in a home system, where they have to work much harder to reach a given SPL, let alone in the small confines of a car.


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

DS-21 said:


> No offense, but have you compared this sub to something good, like a JBL WGTi, Aura NRT, or the better affordible woofers (XLS, XXLS, TC2+/TC1000)? Comparing it to something that doesn't even have a Faraday ring in the motor doesn't strike me as an especially useful in this company. Sorry, I'm not a fan of the W7, in either its car or its home variants. Too much exposure to really good woofers, I guess.
> 
> Also, the modularity strikes me as being of profoundly limited utility outside of the piss-off-the-neighborhood car audio subculture. I've never blown a woofer (or come close to it) in a home system, where they have to work much harder to reach a given SPL, let alone in the small confines of a car.


No offense , but you have not heard it ....


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## ArcL100 (Jun 17, 2005)

PP cone =/

I'm with DS-21 on the ease of repair - ya, it's a neat design feature, but who blows woofers enough to consider serviceability when selecting drivers? On the other hand, if you're as DS-21 so elequantly put it and clearly BA's target demographic, an SPL-head, I guess in the long wrong it may very well pay for itself.

Additionally, you skipped over DS-21's question. Everything is relative, so have you indeed heard any of the driver's he mentions?

You coulda just said here's a pic of my shop, not, look really closely and you can see what I'm referring to . Are those audiobahn's in the first pic?

The pictures are cool, but give us some more info 

-aaron


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## bassfromspace (Jun 28, 2016)

DS-21 said:


> No offense, but have you compared this sub to something good, like a JBL WGTi, Aura NRT, or the better affordible woofers (XLS, XXLS, TC2+/TC1000)? Comparing it to something that doesn't even have a Faraday ring in the motor doesn't strike me as an especially useful in this company. Sorry, I'm not a fan of the W7, in either its car or its home variants. Too much exposure to really good woofers, I guess.
> 
> Also, the modularity strikes me as being of profoundly limited utility outside of the piss-off-the-neighborhood car audio subculture. I've never blown a woofer (or come close to it) in a home system, where they have to work much harder to reach a given SPL, let alone in the small confines of a car.


I'd be willing to send my W7 to NPDANG for testing if you would send out one of the aforementioned subs for a little comparison. This'll allow you to see how it stacks up to some "really good woofers". 

LMK


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## dragonrage (Feb 14, 2007)

Holy mms batman!


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2007)

bassfromspace said:


> I'd be willing to send my W7 to NPDANG for testing if you would send out one of the aforementioned subs for a little comparison. This'll allow you to see how it stacks up to some "really good woofers".
> 
> LMK


diyma subwoofer smackdown!!!

I'm in too ... with no vested interest in the outcome. I'll submit a Boston SPG555 (4 ohm) to the test 

Who wants to submit an affordable super-sub ... with a state-of-the-art motor, including copper shorting rings/paths?

Honest ... i'm in this one just for fun !!!


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

werewolf said:


> diyma subwoofer smackdown!!!
> 
> I'm in too ... with no vested interest in the outcome. I'll submit a Boston SPG555 (4 ohm) to the test
> 
> ...


You're in this because you KNOW the Boston will rule , and suprise the hell out of nearly everyone


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## bdubs767 (Apr 4, 2006)

werewolf said:


> diyma subwoofer smackdown!!!
> 
> I'm in too ... with no vested interest in the outcome. I'll submit a Boston SPG555 (4 ohm) to the test
> 
> ...



I have a w15gtimkII that wont be used for a while that could be added


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2007)

somebody maybe start a new thread ... more work for npdang!

*diyma subwoofer smackdown!*


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## cvjoint (Mar 10, 2006)

you did test this sub against the 13W7 right? I mean, in certain parts the frame on the boston is over 14 inches, not quite space saving is it?

13W7 should fare better because it has almost twice the xmax capabilities and more surface area. Only a maniac would burn coils on these subs in a car so I don't think power handling is that big of a factor.


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2007)

cvjoint said:


> you did test this sub against the 13W7 right? I mean, in certain parts the frame on the boston is over 14 inches, not quite space saving is it?
> 
> 13W7 should fare better because it has almost twice the xmax capabilities and more surface area. Only a maniac would burn coils on these subs in a car so I don't think power handling is that big of a factor.


be fair  i don't think AVI was touting the SPG as a space-saver ...at least in this thread, near as i can tell. He just said it's performance trounced the W7 ... without any cone area qualifiers 

again, i've got no vested interest one way or 'tother. 

*smackdown!*


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## CMR22 (Feb 10, 2007)

werewolf said:


> diyma subwoofer smackdown!!!
> 
> I'm in too ... with no vested interest in the outcome. I'll submit a Boston SPG555 (4 ohm) to the test


Is there a thread in which you review the SPG? I'd really be interested in reading your thoughts on this sub.


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2007)

CMR22 said:


> Is there a thread in which you review the SPG? I'd really be interested in reading your thoughts on this sub.


of course not


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## cvjoint (Mar 10, 2006)

werewolf said:


> be fair  i don't think AVI was touting the SPG as a space-saver ...at least in this thread, near as i can tell. He just said it's performance trounced the W7 ... without any cone area qualifiers
> 
> again, i've got no vested interest one way or 'tother.
> 
> *smackdown!*


the marketing Crutchfield has is mainly oriented around this sub outperforming 12 inch subs with the area of a 10 incher which is nothing short of false information. Jl uses a lot of techniques to increase surface area and we should give it at leas a fair chance based on basket dimensions IMO

Oh, and...x2 on Smackdown! Me have Idmax to enter 

JL looks better on paper no matter how you look at it. I haven't heard either so I'll stick to paper spec arguments.


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

Boys , boys ..... LOL

Let me please ask you to remember one thing ..... I said the SPG is the best car sub *that I* have ever heard. This is MY opinion , and that is not up for debate. Key word here is MY OPINION .....
As far as what it was tested against ... A 13w7 ( not a 12 , forgive me ) , a Critical Mass UL-12 , a 12" IDMAX , a TC-1000 , a Stereo Integrity Mag , a JLw6 , an Arc Flatline , several other Boston Subs , and ANY and EVERY other sub that just happened to be in the shop that month  

However I must state , this was NOT some kind of intense head to head testing with measurements .... *but simply a test of what sub sounded the best ....*

The ONLY exception was the W7 face off .... and that was ONLY done to show about 12 doubters that the new BA sub could actually play as loud as the W7 , but sound better doing it.


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

I'm gracefully bowing out now ..... My only intent was to show some of you how cool the new SPG is ....


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## cvjoint (Mar 10, 2006)

I was just trying to see if actual driver size had any impact on your judgement since the Boston is such an oddball  

Props for testing all those uber-woofers!


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## ArcL100 (Jun 17, 2005)

AVI said:


> I'm gracefully bowing out now ..... My only intent was to show some of you how cool the new SPG is ....


Haha, it's fine man, I think we just wanted a lil' more insight then "it sounds amazing"

-aaron


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

I only meant I was bowing out for dinner ... LOL


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

ArcL100 said:


> Haha, it's fine man, I think we just wanted a lil' more insight then "it sounds amazing"
> 
> -aaron


Yeah , but that's kind of what I was hinting at ..... It's difficult to write a review without also mentioning the shortcomings , and this sub just has none to my ears. I could go on about specs and such ... but NO words can really describe how good the sub really is. I'm perfectly satisfied with it , and that says a LOT ....


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## ArcL100 (Jun 17, 2005)

AVI said:


> Yeah , but that's kind of what I was hinting at ..... It's difficult to write a review without also mentioning the shortcomings , and this sub just has none to my ears. I could go on about specs and such ... but NO words can really describe how good the sub really is. I'm perfectly satisfied with it , and that says a LOT ....


Box type/size/alignment, power you tried it on?

-aaron


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

ArcL100 said:


> Box type/size/alignment, power you tried it on?
> 
> -aaron


We tried it in a 1 cu ft sealed box made from 1" MDF , as well as a 2.1 cu ft slot loaded design , with a 22" x 14" x 1.25" port ..... It got SOOOOO cleanly loud in the sealed box , that we couldn't figure out how ANYONE would ever want the ported design. 
We tried it on about ten different amps , including :

Arc 2500XXK
Arc 2300SE
Arc FD1200.1
Boston Acoustics GT-22 ... GT-24 ..... and GT-28
Phoenix Gold Ti
JL Audio 500.1
Tru amp
Audison Vrx mono
and several others .....

Power ranged from as low as 300 watts , to 2200 watts RMS. Anything over about 800 watts seemed to really make the sub sing , but as crazy as it sounds , it sounded VERY good with as little as 500 watts ....


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

How do like the performance of those Boston amps Derrin? Sub apps or otherwise.

And is the everyday price on this bad mofo $600??


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## torog (Oct 2, 2005)

AVI said:


> Power ranged from as low as 300 watts , to 2200 watts RMS. Anything over about 800 watts seemed to really make the sub sing , but as crazy as it sounds , it sounded VERY good with as little as 500 watts ....



I've always been wondering why a speaker needs a minimum amount of watts 
The more watts the more excursion and more clipping and bad sound, no??


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## khail19 (Oct 27, 2006)

torog said:


> I've always been wondering why a speaker needs a minimum amount of watts
> The more watts the more excursion and more clipping and bad sound, no??


Completely depends on the speaker's design.


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## torog (Oct 2, 2005)

khail19 said:


> Completely depends on the speaker's design.



hmmm but doesn't sound like sq to have to crant it up to get a good sound.


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

B-Squad said:


> How do like the performance of those Boston amps Derrin? Sub apps or otherwise.
> 
> And is the everyday price on this bad mofo $600??


The BA amps are truly very good. I was pleasantly suprised just how good of an amp , a speaker company ended up designing ..... Then again , it was co-designed with McIntosh engineers  
It has a LOT of really cool features and design savvy , and they are VERY well made. They are about 19% underrated on their power too !!!
They are plenty good to run ANY frontstage , and I would have been completely satisfied to use them if I hadn't have had an offer from Arc I just couldn't refuse.
Their only down-side is the lack of a regulated power supply. This isn't a major thing , but would have been nice IMO .... 

As far as the SPG pricing ..... that's about right for the everyday selling price on it. It may help to know this ...... This sub is EASILY comparable to the VERY BEST subs available , and should NOT be thought lightly of just because BA made it ...... Trust me , listen to one , and you'll understand.
Also .... A single SPG is ALL you will ever need in ANY car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No pair necessary .... matter of fact , a pair would just make a car into a torture chamber


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

AVI said:


> The BA amps are truly very good. I was pleasantly suprised just how good of an amp , a speaker company ended up designing ..... Then again , it was co-designed with McIntosh engineers


Serious? I swear I read it was Audison?? 

I'd like to hear one but that ain't going to happen anytime soon. No way any of the local Boston dealers would have one...plus they are not found on ebay for me to try. I have $600, but not for the best sub ever made...that money has to go to my other addictions.


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## JWSewell (Aug 13, 2005)

From what AVI is saying a need a pair!


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

FYI here is a guy selling a pair http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb3/showthread.php?t=260866


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## audiorailroad (Mar 6, 2007)

B-Squad said:


> Serious? I swear I read it was Audison??
> 
> I'd like to hear one but that ain't going to happen anytime soon. No way any of the local Boston dealers would have one...plus they are not found on ebay for me to try. I have $600, but not for the best sub ever made...that money has to go to my other addictions.


so what if it was mach or audison. they're both excellent manufacturers.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

audiorailroad said:


> so what if it was mach or audison. they're both excellent manufacturers.


I like to get my facts straight.


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

B-Squad said:


> Serious? I swear I read it was Audison??
> 
> I'd like to hear one but that ain't going to happen anytime soon. No way any of the local Boston dealers would have one...plus they are not found on ebay for me to try. I have $600, but not for the best sub ever made...that money has to go to my other addictions.


I was just at the Boston factory a short time ago , and spent a day talking with the to brass ...... *It was definitely McIntosh *, and Boston now OWNS the car division of McIntosh ....


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## DS-21 (Apr 16, 2005)

Actually, isn't it the other way around, i.e. DRM (Denon/McIntosh) owns Boston?


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## CMR22 (Feb 10, 2007)

About D&M Holdings Inc.
D&M Holdings Inc. (TSE I: 6735) is based in Kawasaki, Japan and owns the Denon, Marantz, McIntosh Laboratory, Boston Acoustics, Snell Acoustics, D&M Professional, Denon DJ, ReplayTVâ and Escientâ brands. Denon, Marantz, McIntosh and D&M Professional are global industry leaders in the specialist home theater, audio/video consumer electronics or professional audio markets, with a strong and long-standing heritage of manufacturing and marketing high-performance audio and video components. Boston Acoustics, with its signature The Boston Sound, is a leader in premium loudspeakers for home and automotive audio markets. Snell is a super premium speaker brand. The ReplayTV and Escient brands represent award-winning technologies in digital home entertainment. Additional information is available at www.dm-holdings.com.


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## crxsir121 (Oct 18, 2006)

Which one of these amps sounded the best with this sub??? I was thinking of picking up a boston gt24 or gt28 amp to power this sub Want to stay away from Class D amps this time around. IMHO they just don't sound as good as Class A/B amps...





AVI said:


> We tried it in a 1 cu ft sealed box made from 1" MDF , as well as a 2.1 cu ft slot loaded design , with a 22" x 14" x 1.25" port ..... It got SOOOOO cleanly loud in the sealed box , that we couldn't figure out how ANYONE would ever want the ported design.
> We tried it on about ten different amps , including :
> 
> Arc 2500XXK
> ...


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

crxsir121 said:


> Which one of these amps sounded the best with this sub??? I was thinking of picking up a boston gt24 or gt28 amp to power this sub Want to stay away from Class D amps this time around. IMHO they just don't sound as good as Class A/B amps...


WOW ... Old thread ressurection. The GT-28 and the 555 paired up is just sick man .....


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## crxsir121 (Oct 18, 2006)

AVI said:


> WOW ... Old thread ressurection. The GT-28 and the 555 paired up is just sick man .....



LOL!!! Just starting over with my sub stage. I had a 500/1 and 12w7 and it was awesome. I hope this new setup will sound better sq wise


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## havok20222 (Sep 5, 2007)

Don't the ID-Max and IDQv3 have a modular design as well. My new IDQ has all sorts of Alan wrench spots to take apart different pieces of the sub.


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## the other hated guy (May 25, 2007)

I got one of these brand new for 400+shipping if somebody is interestd


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## freeride1685 (Oct 3, 2007)

AVI....any commentary on the specific difference between the GT-24 powering the sub and the Arc 2300SE?

I have a GT-24 that i was planning on using with it but i want MORE POWER!! 

sometimes when i get pissed off at life i like to feel something that is much bigger and badder than i am...it helps calm me down...kind of like looking at the ocean or the mountains or something :blush: 

Thus, i was very interested in the new Arc KS1000.1, which if i remember correctly, is probably more in line with the sound of the SE than the XXK....anyway, i would really appreciate some insight into the performance differences between the BA GT-24 and the Arc amps with this sub.


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## backwoods (Feb 22, 2006)

I'll throw my two bits in. I used one of these in an IB config on the rear dash of my car. Got VERY loud, but not very musical. I gave it one evening, and switched it back out. 

So, my useage is not very extensive, but I found the sub rather dull, and more of a one note wonder then what I was looking for.


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## Sex Cells (Jul 21, 2007)

AVI, You wouldn't happen to go by the name of 'blue' on ca.com would you?


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## JAG (May 6, 2006)

freeride1685 said:


> AVI....any commentary on the specific difference between the GT-24 powering the sub and the Arc 2300SE?
> 
> I have a GT-24 that i was planning on using with it but i want MORE POWER!!
> 
> ...


You really can't compare the Boston amps with an ARC SE ... It's like comparing a Chevy to a Mercedes ...


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## rsvchad (May 28, 2007)

backwoods said:


> I'll throw my two bits in. I used one of these in an IB config on the rear dash of my car. Got VERY loud, but not very musical. I gave it one evening, and switched it back out.
> 
> So, my useage is not very extensive, but I found the sub rather dull, and more of a one note wonder then what I was looking for.



This sub really performs best in the recommended 1 cu.ft. sealed box. Mind you I've never heard one of these installed IB, but I can only imagine that it would sound exactly as you described. Excessive output on the bottom end with poor transient response.


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## gozaine (Jan 4, 2012)

good subwoofer


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