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Exile Big 15 subwoofer. Anyone here have experience with one?


SURFNUT

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Doing an audio build and was intent on doing two L7 12's under the helm. The box design just barely would not fit correctly. So drop back and punt. Now looking at 1 L7 15 inch kicker possibly ported or maybe going with an Exile Big 15. I will be running 3 pair of Rev 10's on the tower and I am looking for a subwoofer solution that will keep up with my Rev and in boat set up that will fit under the helm.

Edited by SURFNUT
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The output of most high power 15" subs will be similar....because they have the almost identical surface area and that is the primary determining factor with output. The other factor is excursion, which is largely secondary since more excursion requires more power and is accompanied by lower sensitivity.

There are dozens of subwoofers by different labels using the identical parts coming out of China build houses, whether these are assembled in China or once the parts arrive in the States.

If you like the Exile BIG15 then also look into the DC Audio (by Soundlab) Level 3, which is $285 new at most any of their retailers. Same pulp cone, triple stacked magnets, same cast basket, 3" voice coil, dual spiders, etc. Give 'em plenty of power and they will hammer.

Because the Kicker L7 is square it has an increase in surface area, however, this comes with greater moving mass in the added structures that a square cone requires. But this is another jackhammer woofer that will definitely pound. MLA has considerable first hand and applicational experience with the Kicker subs, so I would visit with him on this.

Also look into the JL Audio 13.5-inch sub. It's very close to a 15-inch in displacement, but has some real advantages in musicality.

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The output of most high power 15" subs will be similar....because they have the almost identical surface area and that is the primary determining factor with output. The other factor is excursion, which is largely secondary since more excursion requires more power and is accompanied by lower sensitivity.

There are dozens of subwoofers by different labels using the identical parts coming out of China build houses, whether these are assembled in China or once the parts arrive in the States.

If you like the Exile BIG15 then also look into the DC Audio (by Soundlab) Level 3, which is $285 new at most any of their retailers. Same pulp cone, triple stacked magnets, same cast basket, 3" voice coil, dual spiders, etc. Give 'em plenty of power and they will hammer.

Because the Kicker L7 is square it has an increase in surface area, however, this comes with greater moving mass in the added structures that a square cone requires. But this is another jackhammer woofer that will definitely pound. MLA has considerable first hand and applicational experience with the Kicker subs, so I would visit with him on this.

Also look into the JL Audio 13.5-inch sub. It's very close to a 15-inch in displacement, but has some real advantages in musicality.

Mike and I spoke last night very briefly about the situation. I hate to keep bothering him. I am just trying to get ideas on what the best fit for my system is going to be. I can only afford to do this once. Mike recommended considering a ported box instead of sealed enclosure. Looking at the kicker sub with only 1000 watts rms recommended I am concerned that it will not be enough base at that level to keep up with 125 watt rms in boats and 6 Rev 10s running 320/330 rms each. After the expense of this build I do not want to end up short in the base department. I saw the exile big 15 and big 18 on their website and noticed the 1600 watt rms 3600 peak and thought wow this might be the answer. I am so uneducated in this department....maybe bigger wattage is not always better... I dunno. Thanks for the suggestions you have offered. I will likely go with whatever my installers recommendation is. I just wanted to be able to offer some options. It doesn't appear that many of the vendors that I am aware of offer big wattage options in the 15 inch zone.

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If the measurement to fit two 12" L7's in a sealed were close to fitting, then I think you may find that a ported L7 15 is also going to be close.

I would not hesitate for a second, to drive the L7 15 with the same 1600 watts rms. Im personally running their entry level comp 15 with 1000W rms, for over a year now.

I know they released a big-12 2.0 but dont know if they ever did a 15. I think what you might be seeing is the discontinued big 15 1.0.

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SURFNUT,

Don't get too wrapped up in the wattage rating of a subwoofer.

First, that rating is typically the thermal capacity and doesn't necessarily relate directly to output.

Second, it's an unqualified spec and impossible to compare from brand to brand. A brand or label can state any number that they want. Some are very conservative. Some are very liberal. Some have no tested method of arriving at that spec.

The truth is that all 3" voice coils of contemporary subwoofers will in actuality be almost identical in their ability to dissipate and handle heat and thus will handle similar power. Same when comparing 2.5" voice coils, same with 2" VCs, etc. There are no space age materials available to one subwoofer that aren't available to others.

If you have an amplifier that will deliver an honest 1000 watts @ 50 Hz with a 12.0 volt supply then you have all the power needed to drive any 15-inch sub featuring a 3" voice coil to its full potential. Sometimes with unregulated amplifiers you may go a little larger in power to make certain that you can achieve that power under actual usage conditions.

Big voice coil woofers definitely sound better when over-powered somewhat. The safety is up to the user, a good enclosure design and build, and system tuning.

Edited by David
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David,

Thank you for your advice. I actually did speak with Mike this afternoon. After our conversation I have decided to run the Kicker W7 15 inch sub in a sealed enclosure due to the fact that that is all I have room for but we are going to power it with 1600.1 amp. Mike told me that he has been running one of these for quite some time in the 1500/1600 watt rms range with no issues. I am going to attempt to do the same. If it fails then next time around I will decrease the gain. Thank you and Mike both for your advice. I cannot wait to experience the final results of my build. Ill post a few pics when we are done.

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I have an Exile Big 15 in a sealed enclosure under the dash in my LSV. I am pushing it with a Wetsounds SD2, which is only rated at 1250w at 4ohm. That amp pushes it just as hard as the previous Xi2500.1 amp at 1ohm from Exile. I really like the 15 in a sealed enclosure since it gives it faster response. I listen to EDM mainly, but throw some hard rock/heavy metal into the mix when I'm in the mood. I like the tight/fast response from the sealed enclosure, don't need the boomy ported sound. It isn't as loud, but it sounds better to my ear.

Edited by gorilla
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gorilla,

I agree with everything you stated.

The Exile xi2500.1 amplifier was a true 1650 RMS watts, which makes it a beast. But that is only a 1 dB increase over the bridged Wetsounds SD2. Not enough to be a real audible difference.

A ported enclosure can sound superb in terms of musicality. But for that you need a well-damped bass-reflex alignment and not necessarily the one that gives you the most peak output. Ideally for SQ you would also want a woofer with a lower 'Q'. Keep in mind that many of the best home stereo speakers and studio monitors in the world are bass-reflex....speakers like Wilson Audio, B&W, and many more that have bass that is near perfection. So there are many manifestations of ported woofers, some musical, some not.

If running a larger subwoofer and you want that quicker bass feeling then you would run both the port and woofer on the same front baffle so that they are direct radiating. Firing the port inside the helm cavity certainly gives you a boost in low bass output but also adds considerable group delay. Something you might accept as a trade off with a smaller 10" sub in order to get the extra low end umph.

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