# dB Drive subwoofers - any opinions?



## Brian Steele (Jun 1, 2007)

Got my hands on one today for testing. The "Platinum Series" PLW12D2. dB Drive claims the driver "is crafted for the bass pounding enthusiast or SPL competitor". I haven't had the opportunity to test that claim yet, but I did test the t/s parameters: Re: 3.44 ohms (coils in series), Fs=28.3 Hz, Qts=0.55, Qes=0.62, Qms=4.6, Le=1.4mH, Vas=1.75 cu.ft. I estimated usable one-way excursion as around 15mm. Based on these specs, dB Drive's recommendations for sealed alignments seem to be spot on. Vented is another matter - well, I guess that's where the SPL part comes in .

Anyone else here have experience with these beasts?


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## Neil (Dec 9, 2005)

Very typical in the car audio world for manufacturers to understate the recommended ported enclosure on higher Q drivers. Take a look at the newer RE Audio XXX, for example. And, dare I say, they appear to be a bit under-motored for the stated purpose.

I haven't used those specific drivers, but everything else I've seen or heard from dB Drive has been fairly run-of-the-mill.


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## Brian Steele (Jun 1, 2007)

Neil said:


> Very typical in the car audio world for manufacturers to understate the recommended ported enclosure on higher Q drivers. Take a look at the newer RE Audio XXX, for example. And, dare I say, they appear to be a bit under-motored for the stated purpose.
> 
> I haven't used those specific drivers, but everything else I've seen or heard from dB Drive has been fairly run-of-the-mill.



I took a pic of it today while doing the tests: 










There are actually some pretty decent features, like the cone vents and the vents below the spider (there's no pole vent on this beast). The magnet "cover" is actually rubber and I guess can be removed (something I'd be inclined to do, seeing that it seems to be partially blocking the vents below the spider - never understood the reasoning behind insulating the magnet structure with a rubber boot anyway). 

Good point about the motor strength. Note however that the lower motor strength does result in a higher peak in the response at the vented box's Fb. Maybe that's the target?


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## Neil (Dec 9, 2005)

In SPL competitions, low Q drivers completely dominate. Aside from the efficiency advantage they typically hold, the high degree of damping that comes from the motor is especially useful in keeping the driver under control during huge bursts of power, and also couples very well with any Helmholtz resonator.

Look forward to reading more about what you find out from it.


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