Since the other thread was getting a bit long, I figured I would start a new one here.
First off, I'd like to thank everyone who came out to hear the subs, brought subs and Jim for letting us play in his shop all day. Subwise, nothing blew up and everything went fairly smooth. Though, in true LAB spirit, something did blow up. The PL9.0 went up idling before the beginning. Luckily Jim had a spare, so the day could go on.
We started the day off by just lining all the subs up and making noise. We ran them in pairs and in singles. We also later on in the day separated them into 2 groups big(LAB12, TFL21, TH115, LS1208, QW218) and small(mini, Growler, UCS1). Though some of the small guys were quite impressive.
It was interesting hearing them all side by side. Each sub had their own certain characteristics that made them stand out.
We also took time in the beginning to measure them all. Each sub was measured in singles and then as a pair. Jeff Knorr has all the SMAART data, and hopefully he will be posting it soon.
Anyway, onto my reviews of them:
Lets remind you guys of what we judged them on:
-Sound Quality
-Size vs. output
-Overall output
-Overall Rating
First up, is the Growler:
I gave it 8's all around. One thing I noticed is that they have a lot of ass for their size, but not a lot of impact. They did well with dance music and sounded very "musical," but lacked impact from the kick hits. However, they do pack a good amount of output for their size. When I had the dB meter out, they were doing ~118dB cont. with the PL9.0 blinking -10 every so often. We had to put a Yorkville TX4 on top of them to keep them from moving around too much. Everyone agrees that the plastic corners suck, and they can go without them. Out of the UCS1 and TH mini, they had the most "ass" to them. However, in singles, the output just disappears. I would NOT recommend running them 1 per side. They just lose a lot of the get up and go.
So, the Growlers get an "8" overall. I'd say they are pretty decent boxes for their size and cost.
Next up is the TH mini:
These guys were quite impressive! They are the size of a small trash can, but can keep up with the turbosound 21's! They had a VERY smooth sound, and put out a ton of sound for their size. They had a noticeable drop in the low reign, but it should be expected for their size. They kept right up with the Growlers in terms of output, but the growlers had a little more bottom end to them. I gave them a solid 10 on size to output ratio, as it was very impressive. They got a "7" overall, and would be great for band PA systems. I didnt get a chance to meter them with the dB meter, but I was pretty impressed over all.
Next up was the UCS1:
These guys are pretty solid subs. They are a little bigger then a Growler, and with that, they pack more punch. The Yorkville's had more in the 70-90hz range and I liked their sound. They didnt quite have the low low end that the Growlers did, but they were no slackers. They just hit harder. They were also able to do around 118dB cont, with the PL9.0 flicking -10. They are very good sounding subs, and I gave them an 8 on sound. But, only a 6 on size to output, as they still lack the overall get up and go. Overall I gave them a 6.5, as they are solid subs, but just lack in a few areas.
TH115:
You know, I was pretty disappointed with this one. For $2100, I was expecting more. Of course, there was only 1 there and it would have been nice to have a second... But for just one, I wasnt feeling it. But, with that said, they sound great. They went the lowest out of any single sub, and sounded the best by far. They have a very smooth sound, but lack in the midbass. DJ's would not like them. They got a 10 on Sound Quality, but I only gave them a 6 on output. When I measured the single sub, it was doing 112dB cont, with the PL9.0 flickering -10. Personally, I do not think they are worth the money. If you are looking for a very "musical" sounding sub that goes low, then it might be your ticket. But, one just wasnt as impressive as I thought it would be. I gave them a 7 overall.
Next up, The LS1208:
Yorkville screwed us over and only sent one, so we had to make due. But with that said, this was one of the more impressive subs of the bunch. For just a single unit, it packed a lot of punch and carried a lot of ass too. It had a little bit of a "woofy" sound to it, but I think with some EQ, that can be fixed. It had the most midbass out of any of the horn loaded subs. But, it completely blew me away. This is what I would consider the best bang for the buck sub of the bunch. I gave it a 7 on SQ, 8 on overall output and an 8 overall. For only $800, this was a very impressive sub. 2 UCS1's couldnt keep pace with it. I was getting ~120dB cont from just a single unit, with the PL9.0 flickering -10.
Next up, the QW218:
These guys did a pretty good job. They ran with the big boys pretty well, and had a surprising amount of get up and go. They blew the smaller subs away, but lost one on one with the larger subs. I was getting around 124dB cont. from the pair. I was pretty pleased with them, and for being a double 18, it was pretty cool. I gave them an 8 on Sound quality, 7 on output and an 8 overall.
Next up, The LAB12:
Hands down, the winner. Nothing could keep pace with them. They were topping out my dB meter(126dB) and making the room quake. They hit hard, go low and rattle your insides. They got a 9 on sound quality, 10 on output and 9 overall. If only they werent so friggen huge! These guys stole the show, as expected. If you go this route, make sure you have a big truck and lots of help moving them, as they are not small!
Finally, the Turbo 21:
Another sub that didnt impress me too much. Ive heard them before and think they do much better when you get about 6 or 8 of them. But a pair, well, it just wasnt anything to brag about. They sound good and have a smooth sound, but the TH mini's were able to get within a few dB of their performance. The 21's seemed to knock out the lower notes a little better, but in the 60hz+ range, it was a crapshoot. They got a 7 on SQ, 5 on output and 6.5 overall.
And that about sums it up! It was a fun day with lots of interesting results. I'll be posting pics soon, and I hope that as everyone gets home, they will be posting replies!
Evan
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