BFM Tuba 24 vs. fEarful 15 sub

[aborgman]

Application - small bar (<200) rock band, used with two Community XLT 43 two way mains on sticks.

Power - 300-500W @ 8 ohm

Single subwoofer, 24"w x 24"d x30"h or smaller, the lighter the better.

I'd be building these myself - the fEarful I would do as a foam core fiberglass build, so I expect the weight would be <40lbs. The weight on the T24?

Both fit the size requirement, I expect the fEarful would be lighter...

Which would be:

Louder?
More expensive? (Depends on driver decisions?)
Sound better?
???

 

[fast slapper]

With the power available, a dual loaded t24 with bp102's should be louder above 70hz and less importantly below 40hz. The t24 will be cleaner, which you may or may not prefer. I expect costs to be similar overall. I'm not sure what foamcore costs.

T24 would work better built as two 16" enclosures v-coupled. 2.5db's(almost double input power) for a piece of wood is a good deal.

 

[aborgman]

With the power available, a dual loaded t24 with bp102's should be louder above 70hz and less importantly below 40hz.

I'm not worried about below 40Hz, I'll be high passing it at 50Hz in all likelihood.

You think a single dual loaded t24 with bp102's would be louder max SPL, or just more efficient?

Based on looking at the fEarful data, it looks like it'll get to about 124dB @ 500W broadband, with a -3dB point around 50Hz. Excursion limited at around 800W, and a couple dB louder.

The t24 will be cleaner, which you may or may not prefer. I expect costs to be similar overall. I'm not sure what foamcore costs.

Basically nothing - I'm ignoring wood/fiberglass costs because I basically have access to both for free.

T24 would work better built as two 16" enclosures v-coupled. 2.5db's(almost double input power) for a piece of wood is a good deal.

...but then it's too big for transporting and fitting in the places we play.

 

[fast slapper]

The t24 will be louder above 70hz regardless of power. It has a big sesitivity advantage starting at 70. Below that the fearful as the edge. T24 will "kick" harder in the chest. The fearful has more "thump potential".

I would go t24 in this case. You need more 70-100 than 50-70 for classic rock. Build it as wide as you can.

It ultimately comes down to personal preference.

 

[greenboy]

I'd be building these myself - the fEarful I would do as a foam core fiberglass build, so I expect the weight would be <40lbs.

Since a fair number of 15/6 enclosures with midrange chambers and dedicated mid drivers are coming in at 46-47 pounds using (1/2") plywood, it's likely a 15/6 sub using the same plywood is in the 42-pound range. With properly constructed foamcore you'd have no problem being quite a bit lighter yet.

 

[OtterOnBass]

If it were my band, I'd do a pair of BFM T39 at 14 inches wide with a pair of Eminence BP102 speakers. It would give you incredible sensitivity and volume.

There's a world of difference between the sounds of a direct radiator and a horn-loaded sub. The horn-loaded is different from what you're used to, it's like the bass comes from nowhere, clear and clean. That means that dirty thump that brings the bass from being felt to being heard is gone. If you like that, you're going to miss it. You may want to hear one before committing. I built a BFM Titan39 as a bass cab and PA sub, and I like getting chest-thump without the mud. The horns require EQ, crossovers and limiting - which are pretty standard these days anyway.

 

[RicPlaya]

Aborgman,

Just curious, which cab did you build?

I too am looking at both these cabs