subwoofer plate amp recommendations

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 1222 times.

genjamon

subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« on: 31 Aug 2022, 01:13 pm »
I have an old Dayton Titanic Mk3 subwoofer from around 2003 vintage.  The original Dayton 1000 watt plate amp started operating intermittently a few years ago, so I mothballed the sub.  Now I'm thinking of replacing the plate amp.  Could just go with the latest Dayton SPA1000 plate amp that would be a drop-in replacement for the 12" x 12" cutout, but am curious if there are recommendations here on AC for better quality plate amps than Dayton offers.  Some quick googling on my part was not very informative.

Edit: Forgot to clarify - it's the 15" version of the Titanic Mk3, with the 1000 watt (not sure if that's peak or RMS) plate amp.
« Last Edit: 31 Aug 2022, 07:29 pm by genjamon »

DannyBadorine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 376
Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #1 on: 31 Aug 2022, 01:20 pm »
I have been down this road and couldn't find a better alternative but I didn't like the noise that happens when the Parts Express Amp is turned on.  Madisound has some plate amps to look at that might be good but they're expensive.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/AMPS/SpeakerPower-SP2-1400-Subwoofer-Amplifier

MiniDSP has some amplifiers that I considered but there is no auto-turn on.
https://www.minidsp.com/products/plate-amplifiers/pwr-ice250

You could also go down the road of just getting a non-plate amplifier and seal up the sub, which is what I did. 
It all depends on how much power you want and if you are ok with having a class D amplifier to get that much power.  Do you want DSP or just the basic one band EQ like the Dayton has?

genjamon

Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #2 on: 31 Aug 2022, 01:36 pm »
Thanks for the reply.  Yeah, I had considered sealing it up and an outboard amp instead, but that adds complexity and space for the outboard amp somewhere, even if on top of the sub.  Would rather a plate amp if I can find a good one.  DSP might be nice, but don't think that's the priority.  I do have a Behringer DEQ unit I can put in-line if I really want to optimize. 

But I also might just want to sell this guy once I have it fixed up.  Tried selling as just the driver and cabinet, but got no interest despite a number of price drops.  A fully repaired unit with a new plate amp might just sell.  I just would hate to throw away a good driver and cabinet.

Early B.

Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #3 on: 31 Aug 2022, 04:51 pm »
But I also might just want to sell this guy once I have it fixed up.  Tried selling as just the driver and cabinet, but got no interest despite a number of price drops.  A fully repaired unit with a new plate amp might just sell.  I just would hate to throw away a good driver and cabinet.

Probably not worth selling, even with a new plate amp. 

Doublej

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 2688
Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #4 on: 31 Aug 2022, 05:03 pm »
If it were mine, I would just give it away or see if I could repair the existing amp. A 20 year old, non-unique subwoofer, working or not, is not going to be worth much.

genjamon

Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #5 on: 31 Aug 2022, 05:36 pm »
The way I see it, you get a Titanic Mk3 woofer in an already-finished cabinet, just needing an amp.  A current kit on Parts Express is almost $400 after taxes, and you have to finish the cabinet yourself.  https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-15-Ultimax-Subwoofer-and-Cabinet-Package-300-7097

Wouldn't my woofer/cabinet be worth $200?  $700 with a brand new $500 Dayton plate amp?

Anyway, I'm not sure I'd get rid of it just yet, or if it wouldn't just go to a friend for the cost of the new amp.  Thanks for any amp suggestions.


Early B.

Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #6 on: 31 Aug 2022, 05:52 pm »
Wouldn't my woofer/cabinet be worth $200?  $700 with a brand new $500 Dayton plate amp?

Your woofer/cabinet is essentially worthless. For $700, someone can buy a comparable brand new, brand name sub. Besides, why would you assume the risk of spending $500 on a new plate amp just to make a paltry $200? 

genjamon

Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #7 on: 31 Aug 2022, 05:56 pm »
Because it pains me to throw a perfectly good woofer/cab in the trash.  If there was an easy way to recycle the woofer, I'd probably just go that route. 

Where can you get a comparable brand new sub for $700?  I'm genuinely curious.

Early B.

Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #8 on: 31 Aug 2022, 06:52 pm »
Because it pains me to throw a perfectly good woofer/cab in the trash.  If there was an easy way to recycle the woofer, I'd probably just go that route. 

Where can you get a comparable brand new sub for $700?  I'm genuinely curious.

There are tons of them. For instance, a servo sub will sound 10x better than the Dayton:  https://www.rythmikaudio.com/L12.html

And this one is a classic:  https://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-2mk5.html




genjamon

Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #9 on: 31 Aug 2022, 07:03 pm »
Interesting choices.  One is a 12" sealed sub, and the other is a 12" ported sub.  I actually owned a pair of DIY versions of the Rythmik for about six months.  They were a better fit than the Dayton when I lived in a small space, but when I moved they couldn't push enough air.  The Dayton on its own kicked their butts, and not just in total output, so I sold them.  Sorry, if you can find a quality sealed 15" sub of the Titanic Mk3's calibre for less than $700 I'd be amazed.  The best I can find is this HSU for $950 (https://www.hsuresearch.com/products/uls-15mk2.html), and I have no idea the driver quality in comparison with the Titanic.

Doublej

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 2688
Re: subwoofer plate amp recommendations
« Reply #10 on: 31 Aug 2022, 08:49 pm »
Then you shouldn't have a problem replacing the amplifier and selling it for a profit.

Good luck!