# Fi Audio site/product changes, IB subs "gone", new SQ line?



## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

Fi updated their site, one change is they discontinued their IB line. I was going to pick up a second IB 18 for my rebuild, I thought I'd wait for FiDay and see if they had them on sale.

From facebook


















I'm assuming when they move to One Audio they will change the sub, perhaps even cosmetically, so if I need to buy 2 subs anyway, why stick with them? (Perhaps they will just use a sticker on the dust cap like for the Fi and I can peal it off) Are there any other IB sub recommendations out there? SI SQL 15"?






Home | Fi Car Audio


Fi Car Audio. Custom American Made Subwoofers. From 180+ dB SPL monsters to award winning SQ subs. All built in-house in Las Vegas, Nevada USA




www.ficaraudio.com









Welcome | One Audio







www.oneaudiousa.com


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## dumdum (Feb 27, 2007)

What did you wish to know? 😉

the uk importer was curious and wanted a car to test some one audio IB2 in, so here I am now…

so I have the ib2, 2” coil, big copper sleeve in the motor, I have replaced a pair of Acoustic elegance ib15au and can tell you they are everythingthe AE does and more, more in the sense of the coil is longer and they don’t groan under high excursion like the ae did on sub 20hz stuff when pushed, output they are ridiculous compared especially in the sub 20hz, I’ve not been able to bottom them or upset them in any way and I have tried because that’s why I ended up with a pair, if you want total SQ with the ability to get boisterous these are the ones to get

there will be an ib3 with a three inch coil which is a replacement for the Fi Ib v3 with upgrades to lower distortion, it will take more power than the ib2 due to its bigger 3” coil, not sure on xmax compared to the two

there will also be a pair of neo 2” and 3” which will be a step above with more motor force than the ferrite models, I will probably end up with a pair of ibn2 18” in my boot which will take some creativity as it’s full with two 15” currently and 18” will JUST fit in a manifold in the centre of the boot with amps, processor and lithium cells wrapped around them 😎

there is also a ht model which is a home theatre model, again I don’t have specs for any of these drivers, I can just give a subjective comparison to the AE drivers

they are proper sq subs in the 2” coil, low inductance and decent xmax, I’d guess my pair have 50% more xmax than the AE they replaced

they are focusing on 18” and 15” as they are the most common sizes that are sold for IB, but they will be made in 12” and 10” plus a beastly 22 or 24” I forget which in some models if not all… but don’t quote me on that

And yes it is Scott from Fi’s effort at sound quality woofers

If anyone knows me I change stuff round and if it doesn’t work it doesn’t stay, these subs will only be replaced by bigger brothers 3” larger 😎


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## daloudin (Nov 2, 2020)

Sounds_Insane said:


> Fi updated their site, one change is they discontinued their IB line. I was going to pick up a second IB 18 for my rebuild, I thought I'd wait for FiDay and see if they had them on sale.
> 
> From facebook
> View attachment 354168
> ...


AE or SI (not the SQL15 : IB- 24) are the other two commonly used IB Subs but both of them are actual "IB" Subs meant to be used in HT residential use. They need HUGE Airspace on both sides of the sub. If you are looking for a Sub to be used in car audio then @dumdum already covered all of that... The point being that you need to define what you are looking to do since the listening space is critical in defining how "IB" you truly are - just ask @JohnL2001


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## dumdum (Feb 27, 2007)

daloudin said:


> AE or SI (not the SQL15 : IB- 24) are the other two commonly used IB Subs but both of them are actual "IB" Subs meant to be used in HT residential use. They need HUGE Airspace on both sides of the sub. If you are looking for a Sub to be used in car audio then @dumdum already covered all of that... The point being that you need to define what you are looking to do since the listening space is critical in defining how "IB" you truly are - just ask @JohnL2001


The ae10to18au are designed specifically for automotive use 👍🏼


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

I had a single Fi IB3 18 in my trunk baffle. I pulled that out since I'm looking at getting the '23 version of my car. In '23 there is some crap in the wheel well so my amps will not fit like that. I'm going to put them (and a new DSP) between the baffle and back seat in the floor. Since the baffle will need to move back I'm going to flip the sub so the cone is facing back, and while I'm at it, I might as well add another sub in there, to add a few dB's and to use the sub channel on the second amp, which is only 550W @2ohm (Fi IB3 is single 2 ohm coil).

Yeah, an 18" barely fits in my trunk. That is 1/2" plywood for the floor and that is about the clearance I have on top. A pair of 15s would fit easier but I'm concerned about output compared to an 18, granted I'll also have double the power going to them. I"m not in it for the SPL, but I also do not want to lose anything.


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

dumdum said:


> so I have the ib2, 2


Those are some nice looking subs. I have a feeling they are a little more expensive than the Fi 🥺


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## daloudin (Nov 2, 2020)

Sounds_Insane said:


> I had a single Fi IB3 18 in my trunk baffle. I pulled that out since I'm looking at getting the '23 version of my car. In '23 there is some crap in the wheel well so my amps will not fit like that. I'm going to put them (and a new DSP) between the baffle and back seat in the floor. Since the baffle will need to move back I'm going to flip the sub so the cone is facing back, and while I'm at it, I might as well add another sub in there, to add a few dB's and to use the sub channel on the second amp, which is only 550W @2ohm (Fi IB3 is single 2 ohm coil).
> 
> Yeah, an 18" barely fits in my trunk. That is 1/2" plywood for the floor and that is about the clearance I have on top. A pair of 15s would fit easier but I'm concerned about output compared to an 18, granted I'll also have double the power going to them. I"m not in it for the SPL, but I also do not want to lose anything.
> View attachment 354185
> ...


So with this being a leaky trunk baffle vs a full on IB then you may not need the full-on IB style subs. Unfortunately, there's no way to really model this and until the new OA specs are published there's no way to know if it will be the same as the Fi IB or even similar... do you have time to wait for them to get up to speed or are you itching to build now?


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

daloudin said:


> So with this being a leaky trunk baffle vs a full on IB then you may not need the full-on IB style subs. Unfortunately, there's no way to really model this and until the new OA specs are published there's no way to know if it will be the same as the Fi IB or even similar... do you have time to wait for them to get up to speed or are you itching to build now?


Yeah, it's a trunk build. I did my best to seal it off. The good thing with a rebuild in the same car is I can fix my mistakes and do things better the second time around.
I have time to wait, I won't be doing the reinstall until spring. I was just thinking if I was to go with SI SQL, thay are on sale for another week or so. Fi said the new OA site will be up soon.


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## daloudin (Nov 2, 2020)

Well 2 x 15 beats 1 x 18 for cone area but without doing an efficiency/excursion plot it is debatable if they would have more output than the 18... SQLs are power hungry even when IB.

2 x SQL15 = 260 Sd
1 x Fi IB318 = 188 Sd

I would still wait till OA website and specs are up before deciding unless you can use the SQLs somewhere else later on?


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## dumdum (Feb 27, 2007)

Sounds_Insane said:


> Those are some nice looking subs. I have a feeling they are a little more expensive than the Fi 🥺


You may be pleasantly surprised then… the ib3 should be roughly the same as the old fi Ib had it gone through the current economic climb that everything has gone through, they do look nice though 🥰 compared to the ae based on looks alone they are far nicer as a finished product… I am reliably informed you will be able to get silver or copper badges and spacers… or even get them powder coated potentially

with my car being orange and I know the ral colour now I can very much see spacers and neo slugs in orange potentially 😎


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## dumdum (Feb 27, 2007)

daloudin said:


> So with this being a leaky trunk baffle vs a full on IB then you may not need the full-on IB style subs. Unfortunately, there's no way to really model this and until the new OA specs are published there's no way to know if it will be the same as the Fi IB or even similar... do you have time to wait for them to get up to speed or are you itching to build now?


The OA IB3 will essentially be an IBv3 with some improvements to lower distortion, it will still be a ferrite hooligan 😉 so same or better specs 👍🏼


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## daloudin (Nov 2, 2020)

dumdum said:


> The OA IB3 will essentially be an IBv3 with some improvements to lower distortion, it will still be a ferrite hooligan 😉 so same or better specs 👍🏼


Indeed and IIRC they spec out to something like 50 cubic feet to get Qtc into the 0.8s so probably gonna start choking off some of the bottom end? I don't have the specs for IBv3 so I'll use IBv2...

Here's the model comparing 2 x SQL15 to 1 x 18 (AE IBAU and Fi IBv2) all in 50 cubic foot sealed and pushed to xmax at 20Hz... NO CABIN GAIN - this is Non-Anechoic SPL.
White Trace: SQL15 = 2,000 Watts
Blue Trace: AE IBAU = 200 Watts
Red Trace: Fi IBv2 = 900 Watts


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

I guess I have no idea that SQL will still take up to 2000 watts even in this configuration


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

I had to use the way back machine to find the T/S for the Fi IB3 18, I have them in WinISD but was looking for their specs in case I entered something wrong.


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

I have a question for you guys, So my trunk now behind my baffle is about 13 cubic feet, if I model 13 cubes sealed in WinISD and add a second sub it doesn't change much, looks like I lose 1.5dB at 20hZ before cabin gain, does that sound about right considering this isn't true IB? Adding a second (or third ) 18 won't drastically change the response?
Overall I should be gaining about 6dB by adding a second sub on it's own amp.


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## daloudin (Nov 2, 2020)

Sounds_Insane said:


> I have a question for you guys, So my trunk now behind my baffle is about 13 cubic feet, if I model 13 cubes sealed in WinISD and add a second sub it doesn't change much, looks like I lose 1.5dB at 20hZ before cabin gain, does that sound about right considering this isn't true IB? Adding a second (or third ) 18 won't drastically change the response?
> Overall I should be gaining about 6dB by adding a second sub on it's own amp.
> View attachment 354229


That sounds right. 

Unfortunately there's no good way to model a leaky trunk baffle since it is technically an aperiodically damped sealed enclosure and the damping is not consistent at all frequencies and SPL levels. In general terms I usually model trunk baffles as sealed +15% as a baseline to see if the driver(s) model anywhere close to what we're after but that is still just a SWAG. 

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


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## JohnL2001 (Jan 19, 2020)

daloudin said:


> AE or SI (not the SQL15 : IB- 24) are the other two commonly used IB Subs but both of them are actual "IB" Subs meant to be used in HT residential use. They need HUGE Airspace on both sides of the sub. If you are looking for a Sub to be used in car audio then @dumdum already covered all of that... The point being that you need to define what you are looking to do since the listening space is critical in defining how "IB" you truly are - just ask @JohnL2001


I gave One of my 18s to my daughter over this 😆 (going from 2) hoping for a more smooth output instead of 60hz playing normally but 40hz knocking the window tracks out of place. 

walled off van equal to an extended cab s10 cabin maybe (for whoever needs to know)


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## Randy G (6 mo ago)

Sounds_Insane said:


> I had a single Fi IB3 18 in my trunk baffle. I pulled that out since I'm looking at getting the '23 version of my car. In '23 there is some crap in the wheel well so my amps will not fit like that. I'm going to put them (and a new DSP) between the baffle and back seat in the floor. Since the baffle will need to move back I'm going to flip the sub so the cone is facing back, and while I'm at it, I might as well add another sub in there, to add a few dB's and to use the sub channel on the second amp, which is only 550W @2ohm (Fi IB3 is single 2 ohm coil).
> 
> Yeah, an 18" barely fits in my trunk. That is 1/2" plywood for the floor and that is about the clearance I have on top. A pair of 15s would fit easier but I'm concerned about output compared to an 18, granted I'll also have double the power going to them. I"m not in it for the SPL, but I also do not want to lose anything.
> View attachment 354185
> ...


Dang Dude. That’s a Pro job. Wish you could help me.


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## hurrication (Dec 19, 2011)

dumdum said:


> with my car being orange and I know the ral colour now I can very much see spacers and neo slugs in orange potentially 😎


Do you know what the design of the neo motors will be like?


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

Well, now I have a different problem...








Someone was selling 2 Fi IB3 2ohm 18's somewhat local to me, so now I have 3. The new ones have a matte finish carbon dust cap, so I'll use those 2 in my car, not sure what do to with my original one, maybe sell it.

I don't think I can fit 3 in my car, and then I'd need another amp...


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## dumdum (Feb 27, 2007)

hurrication said:


> Do you know what the design of the neo motors will be like?


I did… but they changed… the ibn2 was really funky looking (that’s all I can say), but I think it’s been changed to a three neo slug more conventional looking motor now, the n2 is where I’m heading with 18’s I think 😎


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## ItsonlyaHONDA (Sep 9, 2021)

Sounds_Insane said:


> Well, now I have a different problem...
> View attachment 354716
> 
> Someone was selling 2 Fi IB3 2ohm 18's somewhat local to me, so now I have 3.  The new ones have a matte finish carbon dust cap, so I'll use those 2 in my car, not sue what do to with my original one, maybe sell it.
> ...


You can put that one on your rear deck, 😏


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

ItsonlyaHONDA said:


> You can put that one on your rear deck, 😏


18" Front Sub?


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## ItsonlyaHONDA (Sep 9, 2021)

Sounds_Insane said:


> 18" Front Sub?


Or you can do this lol


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## Randy G (6 mo ago)

I have a Fi AUDIO SSD 18 that I want to sell and used for about an hour.


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## pwnt by pat (Mar 13, 2006)

You need one more so you can mount them isobarically


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## Lou Frasier2 (Jul 17, 2012)

Randy G said:


> I have a Fi AUDIO SSD 18 that I want to sell and used for about an hour.


awesome subs had one for about a year but decided that I wanted loud bass so I sold mine and bought the Neo 4.7 18 dual 2 ,now im happy


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## deadrx7conv (Aug 25, 2010)

N.7???


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## Jscoyne2 (Oct 29, 2014)

daloudin said:


> Indeed and IIRC they spec out to something like 50 cubic feet to get Qtc into the 0.8s so probably gonna start choking off some of the bottom end? I don't have the specs for IBv3 so I'll use IBv2...
> 
> Here's the model comparing 2 x SQL15 to 1 x 18 (AE IBAU and Fi IBv2) all in 50 cubic foot sealed and pushed to xmax at 20Hz... NO CABIN GAIN - this is Non-Anechoic SPL.
> White Trace: SQL15 = 2,000 Watts
> ...


The AE seems to have incredible sensitivity....


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## daloudin (Nov 2, 2020)

Jscoyne2 said:


> The AE seems to have incredible sensitivity....


That's cause they're designed for IB use and limited power. 

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


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## Sounds_Insane (8 mo ago)

I wanted to compare the Fi Audio IB3 18 to the Acoustic Elegance IB18AU to the Stereo Integrity IB-24.
I couldn't get WinISD to take the IB-24 without errors, so these are done in Term-Pro. These do not have cabin gain, at rated power, but there are some interesting results.

For response, Lowest is Fi, then SI then AE









SPL, AE is louder, then SI then Fi









Excursion at 10Hz is SI, Fi and AE


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## daloudin (Nov 2, 2020)

Sounds_Insane said:


> I wanted to compare the Fi Audio IB3 18 to the Acoustic Elegance IB18AU to the Stereo Integrity IB-24.
> I couldn't get WinISD to take the IB-24 without errors, so these are done in Term-Pro. These do not have cabin gain, at rated power, but there are some interesting results.
> 
> For response, Lowest is Fi, then SI then AE
> ...


For the SI IB24 make sure you have CMS in uM/N and SD at in^2...
All drivers in optimum sealed, driven to xmax, Non-Anechoic SPL:
Fi in Blue
AE in Green
SI in Red


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## dumdum (Feb 27, 2007)

daloudin said:


> That's cause they're designed for IB use and limited power.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


Be wary of sensitivity and where it’s measured frequency wise…

the OA is very much as sensitive but will probably have a more real life sub bass sensitivity like jl and Fi use


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