New Micro WMD Subwoofer Kit

Kevin P · « **on:** 16 Dec 2003, 05:41 pm »

The new Micro WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction) is going mainstream before the end of the year. We are selling these in “kit form” only to start. The kit is super easy to build since you get a finished cabinet with no wood working involved. Just bolt both driver & amplifier in place and play music. Assembly time should be about 1 hour and only basic hand tools are needed for assembly.

For reference this is the same cabinet, amplifier and all associated parts as the Parts Express Titanic 10" subwoofer. We just substitute the Adire Audio XBL^2 driver for the PE unit.

The cabinet is a miniscule 14" x 14" x 14 1/4" so space shouldn't be a problem. The driver is an Adire Audio design XBL^2 10" with tons of excursion driven by a 250W plate amp with the necessary EQ built-in.

Output for this little guy should be right on par with the RAVA but in a smaller package. Also...from initial measurements distortion from 25HZ up is lower than the RAVA at standard listening levels due to the XBL^2 motor.

Price? How about $439 for the entire kit including complete finished cabinet, grill, 250W amplifier, 10" XBL^2 Driver, mounting hardware, pointy feet etc..... You get performance very similar to the RAVA in terms of output/musicality in a smaller overall size.

Finished Pics

http://www.diycable.com/images/MicroWMD.jpg">

Parts Break-down (note: this is the PE driver shown)

http://www.diycable.com/images/MicroWMDParts.jpg">

Brad · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Dec 2003, 06:13 pm »

I guess you fixed a typo on the pricing....

Kevin P · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Dec 2003, 06:52 pm »

Brad,

I'm not sure which typo you are talking about????? Price is $439 plus shipping for the entire package.

jackman · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Dec 2003, 07:04 pm »

Kevin,
Congratulations on such an impressive product. For the money, your sub looks like the one to beat. I wish I had known last week when a friend purchased a Rava. Although the Rava is a nice sub and a good value, the newer driver in your sub (also from Adire) looks to be a better option for music. I'm still lusting after that larger WMD...

Jack

Carlman · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 Dec 2003, 08:12 pm »

I'm seriously considering this kit against the UFW-10 that Onix sells.

I feel certain they'll both have strengths and weaknesses overall but, I like the tuning flexiblity of the UFW. The UFW is 200 more but both are within my budget. Of course, I'd rather go cheaper if it will accomplish the same thing(s).

I was curious how it compared to a Monitor Audio ASW 210 which I owned a few years ago. That sub was reviewed as 'musical' and such but, ended up being 'soft' and not very punchy.

I want this sub to imitate a kick drum and not sound like a 'traditional' sub. I want it to be as seamless as possible (for the price) but, I don't know what to expect at this price. The MA I had was $500 new and it wasn't good at doing what I'd hoped.

I had Revel F30's with 10" drivers that absolutely kicked butt. But, were too big for my room. So, now I'm trying to get back that same kick but, with 1 10" instead of 2.

I'm a sub newbie but, not a newbie to hearing what I like and want. I hope my description is helpful in eliciting an assessment of this $439 sub. How different is it in real listening than the Rava? I'm not too concerned about specs, I care how it sounds and reacts. Please comment on the sonics.

Thanks,
Carl

P.S. I left Kevin a voicemail as well...

Kevin P · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 Dec 2003, 10:45 pm »

Carlman: Talked to you on the phone but I'll respond here just so that there is a public record in response to your quesitons.

I don't know much about the Onix product. I do know that Mark offers really good bang/$ products and that the cabinets are top-notch in terms of build quality and cosmetics. The amp also looks like a good product.... you need the extra power to realistically use the parametric EQ option. EQ will eat power fast.

I seriously doubt the driver can hold a candle to the Adire unit. They don't list any specs on the driver so I'm just venturing a guess but I do know how the Adire XBL^2 units stack up against everything else on the market. There isn't anything we fear.

More than just excursion the XBL^2 motor really has a lot of other features that recommend it's use. I'd bet my paycheck on the fact that XBL^2 will become an industry standard in a few years.

In terms of subjective performance that is a real can of worms. How they sound is going to depend on a lot of factors. The room and positioning is going to have the most profound effect. Kick drums are probably going to be more a factor of mid-bass performance. They have harmonics way up there and those will be frequencies outside of the pass band of the sub. The sub will produce the part you feel though.

JackStraw · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Dec 2003, 02:20 am »

Hmmm very interesting. When I hear "Parts Express Kit", I wonder about the quality of the amp and the cabinet cosmetics.

Kevin, Is there any plan to include an option to use the Hypex HS200 amp to include an active crossover like the Rava SE?

For those playing along, this review of the PE Titanic kit provides more pictures, along with a typically enamored Wes Phillips review... http://www.onhifi.com/product/dayton_titanicsub.htm.

Kevin P · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 Dec 2003, 06:25 am »

JackStraw:

Wonder away... the amp is an inexpensive Class A/B product made in China. It isn't the quality of the Hypex units but for sub use it works great. I would expect the Q/C to be excellent because they sell tons of these things. Warranty is one year on the amp and I've used a unit very similar to this unit without any complaints in my own system.

In terms of cosmetics...... it is black just like all the PE units. These are more of a cost effective solution that forgoes fancy cosmetics for simple yet quality construction. I like black subs but if you prefer something in a fancier finish I'd say your going to be best off looking at other products.

Bob Reimer at Creative Sound Solutions (http://www.creativesound.ca/) offers a nice little package in a piano black finish and an option with the Hypex amplifier if that fits your needs better. His little unit sounded great at VSAC and Bob is a quality person to deal with. You might want to check with him for a fancier cabinet with the Hypex amplification if that fits your needs.

JackStraw · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 Dec 2003, 02:41 pm »

Quote from: Kevin P

JackStraw:

Wonder away... the amp is an inexpensive Class A/B product made in China. It isn't the quality of the Hypex units but for sub use it works great. I would expect the Q/C to be excellent because they sell tons of these things. Warranty is one year on the amp and I've used a unit very similar to this unit without any complaints in my own system.

In terms of cosmetics...... it is black just like all the PE units. These are more of a cost effective solution that forgoes fancy cosmetics fo ...

Thanks for the quick response, this sounds like a very cost effective product... it might be a great option for me.

I haven't seen the PE black finish. Is it similar ACI's architectural black? See http://www.audioc.com/speakers/speakers.htm for a bunch of examples. That would match my system (and wife's preferences) very well.

Kevin P · « **Reply #9 on:** 17 Dec 2003, 04:10 pm »

JackStraw: It is hard to tell from a picture on the internet. My guess is that the PE finish would be more textured than the pictures I see on the ACI page. I would also guess that the ACI units are going to have a better finish due to the difference in cost.

Here is a closer pic of the PE cabinet finish.

http://www.diycable.com/images/MicroSub.jpg">

gonefishin · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Dec 2003, 06:04 pm »

Kevin...just to make sure...this sub doesn't have an Xover included on it's amp?
I couldn't find any info at your website...but my brother is still pestering me to get him a sub ordered. I guess I'd be a little more excited to order a sub for him, if I didn't like his darn Valencia's the way they are. Although...the sub would probably only be hooked up when doing multi-channel stuff...like movies or playin' Desert Storm on the X-box (yes, I'm hooked)

thanks!

Kevin P · « **Reply #11 on:** 17 Dec 2003, 06:12 pm »

gonefishin: It is the PE 300-796 which is your standard plate amp with variable low pass, gain, phase etc.. etc...

http://www.partsexpress.com/pdf/300-796.pdf

We won't have info on the web site until after Christmas. We have to do some measurements and work on a couple other projects before I release these for consumption.

Just give me a call if you want to chat.

JackStraw · « **Reply #12 on:** 22 Dec 2003, 11:36 pm »

The daisy chain capability of this amp is intriguing. It makes you wonder... what would be better, one big mutha sub or a series of thoughtfully placed smaller ones? I'm thinking for a mixed HT/Music system.

For example, one 15" Tumult based WMD is price equivalent to 3 Micro WMD kits. And, with the flexibility of placing multiple smaller boxes you can address room modes, etc. more thoughtfully than with just one box. The biggun will have more sub 20Hz output, but I'm guessing that from 25 Hz on up you might do better with even just 2 of these kits.

Comments?

Kevin P · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Dec 2003, 01:24 am »

I think there is a good argument for multiple subs vs. a single larger unit. A lot depends on your living area and the flexibility in layout. If you only have room for one unit then a larger & higher cost single unit may be the only choice you have. Multiple subs tend to even out room nodes to some degree. Also.. depending upon where you cross them over you can have directional cues coming from a subwoofer. In cases where you are running them up above 70-80HZ having a stereo pair can certainly improve your music system for the better.

In terms of output you can get the same response curve with several smaller drivers as you get with one large one. A larger unit doesn't necessarily go lower. Our WMD 15" isn't tuned to plumb the depths. Look at Nousaine's numbers and you will see it falls quickly below 25HZ. The Maelstrom (18" driver) in the same size box as the Shiva will have a much higher F3 (58HZ vs. 34HZ in a 70L box). There are plenty of parameters to look at... suspension compliance, electrical characteristics etc... and not all drivers are optimized for the same types of enclosures.

In the final decision it is smartest to have a general idea of how large of a unit you can live with (box size), financial budget and room layout. If you end up having the room to accommodate multiple subs I'd prefer two for the reasons above. Also save some money in your budget for room treatments of some sort. They will have as large of an effect on the musicality of your system as will your choice of subs. If you can work with someone on the front-end with a complete design that is often the smartest route to take, both in terms of performance and getting the most bang/$$

Kevin P · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Dec 2003, 01:32 am »

Oh... forgot to mention. You can daisy chain any powered sub. There is nothing special about that characteristic of the PE amplifier. The PE unit is a good sub amp for the following reasons:

#1. It is inexpensive.

#2. It has the desired boost needed for this driver in this cabinet (6db @ 30HZ).

#3. It has all the standard plate amp features.... pretty much like every other plate amp in this regard.

#4. It has enough power to for the application. The driver alone doesn't need 270W of power in this cabinet design until you add the 6db of boost @ 30HZ. Anytime you add EQ it eats power quickly. In this application we are trading some amplifier power for extended frequency response. The driver has the excursion to deliver down low unlike many cheaper drivers that you can EQ but the distortion rises dramatically due to the motor hitting it's limits. Without the EQ we could easily run the driver on 150W or less.

#5. Did I mention that it is inexpensive?

Kevin P · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 Dec 2003, 06:40 pm »

We are going to be delayed on the ETA for these little beasties. The PE box & Adire driver have a mis-match in size so I'm looking at ways to solve this problem. I'll post an ETA once I have a better idea of how long it is going to take....