Dayton 18" HO Reference subwoofers

[Gorilla83]

Guys - what are your thoughts on these new drivers from Dayton? The rated xmax is only 12.75mm from the manufacturer, but Josh Ricci's initial testing shows that number to quietly surpass the 20mm mark which puts these immediately in the 'high value' category for the DIY crew.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=295-472&scqty=4

I had been toying with the idea of building a slew of UXL-18 sealed drivers to experiment with, but now that these are on the market they seem like a more value oriented alternative. They seem to model very well in a dual opposed setup (6-7 cu ft) vs. a single UXL which is actually more expensive.

Some interesting comparisons:

2 Dayton 18's
7 cube dual opposed sealed box
2500 watts
Max excursion ~18mm at 25hz or so

vs.

1 X LMS5400 Ultra
4.5 cube sealed box
2500 watts
Max excursion ~31mm at 15 hz or so

While close at the 10hz region, the Daytons are stronger throughout, with a large advantage in the midrange section.

[Gorilla83]

Another - 1st order 6hz HPF filter applied to both

Dual opposed dayton 18's in a 7 cubic foot box with 2500 watts (2ohm rating from my Crown).

Vs.

Single UXL-18 in 4.5 cubes with 1800 watts (4 ohm rating from my Crown)

Both within reasonable excursion levels to 10hz.

[sbdman]

Seems like the Daytons will certainly give you above the amount of SPL you'll need, and with some tailoring, and room gain, both the deep end and smoothness you'll want.

Guess I'm in disagreement with Bosso on this one, I think he's gone too far off the edge, first with Craig, and now anyone who is into lower excursion, higher efficiency drivers. It looks to me that it will be an excellent system to compare with your Caps - and should be able to do as much damage (if popalock comes to visit)!

The HO's certainly look like well built and designed units, and I'd bet that they will meet your expectations. The only change I'd make to your plans would be to make singles rather than duals. Just having flexibility sounds like it might help in the latter stages of tuning and would be worth the extra money.

[craigsub]

Andrew - You will be building something which is comparable within a dB or so of an SS-18.2.

Of course, The SS-18.2 is ready to go for $950 complete with a grill and a cabinet that would take a long time to DIY.

For overall performance, and for someone who wants to DIY, it's a solid choice. I do wish the woofer had a concave dustcap like ours - the type it has is very susceptible to damage. We spend more getting ours done concave for that very reason.

[diamonddelts]

I've been eyeing these new Dayton Reference subs as well. However I personally believe it would be better to go with one UXL in a sealed box over a dual opposed box containing two Daytons for the same price. I always go with my gut on these types of buys.

And what is up with Master Maybe in all the DIY threads. He is turning into another FPB. He goes into every thread and argues with other members based on what HE will tolerate in HIS home theater room. Jeez. If you don't want 130d of bass nirvana or headroom then fine. That's his choice. i wish he would stop forking his jaded opinion down other people's throats all the time.

[Fatcat]

I saw the new Dayton 18 HO in the new PE flyer and I was wondering how they would be as well. I have 2 of the Dayton Reference 15 drivers (the HF variety) in sealed cabs in my studio setup and they sound excellent and are well built for the money. I wonder if they will build 18 inch HF drivers as well?

Best.....Carlo.

[Gorilla83]

Seems like the Daytons will certainly give you above the amount of SPL you'll need, and with some tailoring, and room gain, both the deep end and smoothness you'll want.

Guess I'm in disagreement with Bosso on this one, I think he's gone too far off the edge, first with Craig, and now anyone who is into lower excursion, higher efficiency drivers. It looks to me that it will be an excellent system to compare with your Caps - and should be able to do as much damage (if popalock comes to visit)!

The HO's certainly look like well built and designed units, and I'd bet that they will meet your expectations. The only change I'd make to your plans would be to make singles rather than duals. Just having flexibility sounds like it might help in the latter stages of tuning and would be worth the extra money.

I've been going back and forth between single vs dual opposed and at the moment I'm in favor of the duals setup for the following reasons: 1) To save time/space/materials by building fewer cabinets and 2) I have a very good idea of where I want to place the cabinets and the duals will work well in these areas.

With that said, should I change my mind, MDF is only about 30.00 a sheet in my area with a lowes coupon. :biglaugh:

Andrew - You will be building something which is comparable within a dB or so of an SS-18.2.

Of course, The SS-18.2 is ready to go for $950 complete with a grill and a cabinet that would take a long time to DIY.

For overall performance, and for someone who wants to DIY, it's a solid choice. I do wish the woofer had a concave dustcap like ours - the type it has is very susceptible to damage. We spend more getting ours done concave for that very reason.

Craig - I'm simply wanting to try out my new router and table saw and figured this seemed like a good project to take on. For most of us enthusiasts, at 950 for an 18.2 it's definitely not worthwhile to build your own. In my case, I'm just looking for a fun project to take on. An added advantage for me is that I can size the boxes so they fit my room exactly which is really cool too. Now, will my dual opposed boxes turn out as nice as an 18.2? Most likely (almost definitely) not, but it's sure fun to give it a go on my own, LOL. Hell, at 500/pair for these things it can't hurt to try. If they wind up sucking, I'll scrap the enclosures and try something else. If I even come close to an 18.2 per cabinet, I'd be really happy.

BTW Craig I think it's really cool you have the DIY section on your site!

I've been eyeing these new Dayton Reference subs as well. However I personally believe it would be better to go with one UXL in a sealed box over a dual opposed box containing two Daytons for the same price. I always go with my gut on these types of buys.
.

My original plan was to do a handful of UXLs in small sealed boxes - until I discovered these drivers.

Here are the pros/cons for the daytons as I see them. IMO the pros seemed to outweigh the cons:

Pros:
-Readily available from a well recognized vendor, PE. Should any issues arise I know they will send me replacements ASAP.
-Slightly lower cost (500/pair vs 530 shipped for a single UXL). If I buy 4 at a time, this cost lowers to 933 for 4 of them.
-More output (see graph above) especially above 20hz (3-6db more as per simulations)
-More drivers to spread heat dissipation

Cons:
-More space required
-Not yet proven/vetted by users

Thoughts guys? If I'm missing something feel free to point it out, I'd like this to be an open discussion.

[Gorilla83]

BTW I've been conversing with Erich H. over at AVS via PM regarding flat pack enclosures for these guys. It seems like he has interest in producing a single sealed enclosure around 3.5 cubes both with and without a plate amp cutout. Would be really cool to see flat pack options for those who don't have the tools or the time to cut their own enclosures yet want the flexibility and/or savings of DIY. His best guess on timing was within the next 2-3 weeks.

[diamonddelts]

I've been going back and forth between single vs dual opposed and at the moment I'm in favor of the duals setup for the following reasons: 1) To save time/space/materials by building fewer cabinets and 2) I have a very good idea of where I want to place the cabinets and the duals will work well in these areas.

With that said, should I change my mind, MDF is only about 30.00 a sheet in my area with a lowes coupon. :biglaugh:



Craig - I'm simply wanting to try out my new router and table saw and figured this seemed like a good project to take on. For most of us enthusiasts, at 950 for an 18.2 it's definitely not worthwhile to build your own. In my case, I'm just looking for a fun project to take on. An added advantage for me is that I can size the boxes so they fit my room exactly which is really cool too. Now, will my dual opposed boxes turn out as nice as an 18.2? Most likely (almost definitely) not, but it's sure fun to give it a go on my own, LOL. Hell, at 500/pair for these things it can't hurt to try. If they wind up sucking, I'll scrap the enclosures and try something else. If I even come close to an 18.2 per cabinet, I'd be really happy.

BTW Craig I think it's really cool you have the DIY section on your site!




My original plan was to do a handful of UXLs in small sealed boxes - until I discovered these drivers.

Here are the pros/cons for the daytons as I see them. IMO the pros seemed to outweigh the cons:

Pros:
-Readily available from a well recognized vendor, PE. Should any issues arise I know they will send me replacements ASAP.
-Slightly lower cost (500/pair vs 530 shipped for a single UXL). If I buy 4 at a time, this cost lowers to 933 for 4 of them.
-More output (see graph above) especially above 20hz (3-6db more as per simulations)
-More drivers to spread heat dissipation

Cons:
-More space required

Thoughts guys? If I'm missing something feel free to point it out, I'd like this to be an open discussion.

I must admit the pros seem to possibly outweigh the cons at this point. You make some excellent points. Since you have volunteered to be the guinea pig:D for this I will watch your thread closely. The Dayton drivers seem to good to be true at their price point however there is only one way to find out for sure.

My biggest con with them was the listed low xmax of 12mm for the Dayton(24mm for dual drivers) vs. 34mm for the UXL 18. I am also full aware of Ricci's test which states the Dayton may get up to 20mm of xmax. But you make excellent points about reliability and replacements. I could be swayed towards going the Dayton route depending on your review of them. It will be fun to see how these things shape up!

[Gorilla83]

These daytons do seem like a great value, almost too good for the price. Apparently the xmech is right at 32.75 so there is certainly some margin for error. I guess we will see soon. I know Ricci has been doing some informal listening with this sub and it sounds like he was impressed with it so far. I'm hoping he's able to get the full outdoor measurements done this weekend with the nice weather. :applause:

[sbisheff]

What forum are you guys on that's talking about the sub? AVS? HTS? DIY Audio?

Scott

[HuskerOmaha]

What forum are you guys on that's talking about the sub? AVS? HTS? DIY Audio?

Scott

I thought this was CHT forum?:eek:

[sbisheff]

I thought this was CHT forum?:eek:

Oh I just saw Ricci and didn't know who that was. Thought it might have been on another forum.

[Gorilla83]

What forum are you guys on that's talking about the sub? AVS? HTS? DIY Audio?

Scott

Scott - I do have a thread going in the DIY section over at AVS as well as the discussion here.

[sbisheff]

Scott - I do have a thread going in the DIY section over at AVS as well as the discussion here.

Ahh got ya, makes more sense now :D I can't access AVS from work so it makes it hard to follow stuff there. They've blocked most forums :mad: