Blog

Time to take advantage of the weather and run some new bass systems through the gauntlet...There are a bunch of new systems to test in 2013 that are already lined up and some others that are being worked on. Stay tuned...

On that note 2 new systems have been tested and added to the Data-Bass. One is the sealed system test of the Obsidian Audio 18" driver, which at less than $200 offers a whole lot of displacement capability for cash strapped bass heads.

System #2 is a new 18" vented test cab that has been added to the enclosure lineup. It is a compact 25Hz unit which barely houses the port and an 18" driver. The first driver tested in this new cab is the excellent BMS 18n862 which offers a compelling mix of high displacement, low THD, high power handling and very lightweight.

 Stay tuned...

We're excited to release our new restyled site and a few upgraded features. db-2.5 now includes the Highcharts javascript API. This powerful graphing tool allows us to leverage dynamically generate charts rather than relying on static images. The advantage is now we can perform real time comparisons and use up-to-date dynamically compiled data. For example the CEA 2010 all-time max and min are now calculated on the fly and the chart is generated at your disposable. So even if we added a new system that changes these values, they will be automatically updated.

Additionally, we have a new feature on every measurement page that allows you to select any additional system to create an overlay series (using AJAX) for comparison. Overlay graphs are rendered in purple. You'll be able to compare any system to any other system on the same chart with relative data. This new tool has never been available for pre measured subwoofers until now. Check out the DTS-10 LMS-R Measurements as an example.

Currently we have not input the full amount of raw data for every measurement we have taken. We have recently developed an easy to use content management system to manage this data and we will be updating our database over the next few months. The final result will be a fully dynamic data set that does not use any static images whatsoever…. Expect for photos.

Finally Jeff Bagby has agreed to let us use his Woofer Box Model and Circuit Designer software and incorporate it into data-bass.com. We will be tediously converting the visual basic code into javascript and mesh it with the Highcharts API. The final results will be the most flexible and easy to use box modeling software developed. It will also work on tablets and mobile phones without the need to download an App. You'll be able to create, model, share and compare your systems to any other system either measured or modeled.

No release date for this feature yet. Tentatively scheduled for db-3.0

As part of regular driver testing they will now be tested in one of our standard sealed enclosures. This is an easy way to keep everything relative and since sealed enclosures are the smallest, simplest, most predictable and well protected design it makes since to use them for quick measurements of various drivers and evaluation of their design characteristics and trade offs.

The first batch are live now including the:

• 18 Sounds 21LW1400
• B&C 21SW152-4
• Sundown ZV3 18D1
• Fi SSD 18D2
• Mach 5 Audio UXL-18
• SSA Xcon 18D2
• PSI 18" eD AV2

Many more are coming...

After a really long delay since our initial test this system has finally been correctly retested armed with the current equipment and amplifier and a little more wisdom. We have had to increase the scale of the maximum output graphs for this one. 

Driver test results and commentary on Mach 5's new 18" beast are now available on the driver page. 

Shortly we will be adding a forum to the data-bass.com website to enable more people to discuss and interact about subwoofer systems and designs.

This test was conducted a few months back and it has finally been edited down and uploaded.

A new driver test has only been added for the Fi Car Audio Q18 D2.

Data-bass.com officially is a "real" website now because we have a new home page and a twitter account. More updates coming soon! Follow us at @databass_audio

The measurements and data for Velodyne's flagship Digital Drive Plus subwoofer are now live.

You may have noticed a number of  the systems have missing SPL numbers in the charts. These systems were among the first measured and we are going to be remeasuring them with our more powerful amplifier and under CEA-2010 THD specifications so they match up to the remainder of our tested systems.

Happy Holidays!

It took a few extra weeks, but the new version is here. We have a lot of new systems, articles and drivers and we'll be adding many more soon but in a much shorter delivery cycle than we previously have had. Thanks for your continued support and enjoy!

Josh & Kyle

We promise plenty of new subs and features that are included in our new updated website. We also have created a completely custom management system so that future updates will happen much faster and at a more consistent rate. Our new release will include systems from SVS, Elemental Designs, Epik, Rythmik and more including the brutal DIY GJALLERHORN which is our first system tested at 2 meters groundplane rms to produce over 120dB at 20Hz not only under CEA-2010 but also during long term output compression testing!

Hello data-bass followers, Good news!

We'll be launching our second version of data-bass.com very soon. The new version mostly includes back-end changes to the custom content management system. Our new robust system is specifically designed for our own loudspeaker database and now has a number of new features that allow us to more easily manage the content so new information can be presented to you more often. We'll also include a slew of new systems, drivers and articles for you to chew on with the new update.

We added a new sponsorship page and we are now accepting sponsorship contribution for our testing efforts. We do need your help and we appreciate any amount you can put towards our cause. Currently we fund our 100% of efforts out of our own pock and while we’re committed to continued testing, any additional resources are extremely welcome and greatly appreciated.

Exciting news about our next round of testing will be announced in the next few weeks. Thank you for your support!

We changed a bit of the UI to make it look a tad more spiffy. We will likely be doing UI updates as an ongoing thing for the next few months.

For our second round of testing we’re looking to put together some popular commercial subwoofer systems and some new drivers that have yet to be put to the test by anyone! No date for a deadline yet, but the next round will use a full 10,000 watts of power so we won’t have too much clip limitations.

We have a few bugs that we're sorting out. We noticed a compatibility issue with IE7 where the navigation menu did not work. This should be fixed now, but please report if you're still having issues with IE7. Thanks for the feedback!

Launched the site today, hooray! Many more tests to come, stay tuned and we appreciate your support.

Welcome to Data-Bass.com. After quite a bit of work and a few hiccups along the way, we’re off and running with our beta version! We only have a handful of systems tested and entered into our database at this time, but our system is designed to scale up quite a bit, so we hope to add many more systems this year and the next! We could use your help in this endeavor. If you are interested in temporarily sending in a system or woofer to be evaluated and have the data added as part of Data-Bass then please email our staff. We have the resources available to handle even very large, bulky and powerful systems. Your feedback is also encouraged. We are receptive to your comments, criticism and suggestions, so if you have an idea for a new test, a suggestion for the site itself, or a comment on how to improve Data-Bass drop us an email.

Our goal is a simple one: To provide real and relative measurements among home, car and pro audio subwoofers in order to advance the understanding of system design, tradeoffs and real world performance characteristics. We are not trying to prove one system is better or worse than the next but we do hope to reveal information about performance that may be difficult to otherwise compare. We would not likely be here today if it was not for the efforts and inspiration of other enthusiasts and their test sessions that have gone before. Ilkka Rissanen, Ed Mullen, Charlie (Slartibartfast), the various ProSound subwooofer shootouts, etc, etc.. who have compiled a considerable list of relative data for home audio, pro and diy subwoofers. We would like to continue the tradition of accurate no-nonsense evaluations while hopefully expanding on the concept in the process. We want to evaluate as wide of a range of brands, sizes and types of systems as possible in order to gather and spread accurate knowledge and separate myth from fact about subwoofer performance. We hope you enjoy!