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Subwoofer: 15'' o 18'' speaker?

I

ilmaio

Sep 3, 2009
76
0
44
Cremona - Italy
www.myspace.com
#1
I have to buy a couple of subwoofer form my band; for economic reason we choose to buy behringer (we already have two 12'' active speaker and we are very happy with them, exceptional quality/price ratio)

Regarding the subwoofers i saw that behringer offers two models, the EUROLIVE B1500D-PRO and l'EUROLIVE B1800D-PRO.
For what i understand the amp section is identical in the two (1000 watt rms), the only differences are the speaker (15 vs 18) and of course weight and size.

I can't decide wich of the two to buy, is the difference (soundwise) of 15 and 18 so big? The 18'' is worth the extra weight and size? or shoud i just stay on the 15''?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
#8
OP, there are a lot of differing opinions on this. Part of the answer depends on the kind of music your group plays, and the size and type of venues you are gigging in.

18s are more-or-less the "standard" size for common PA use. On paper, 18s tend to look like they produce better bottom end, and many times in the real world, they do. Do you play for audiences that dance? Do you need relatively high volume? Or are we talking coffee house type shows? If you need a lot of bottom end and/or volume, 18s could be the best route. However, I have been in a few dance clubs that were very "live" sounding (little to no sound-absorptive material such as carpet or wall coverings) where bands that used 15" subs sounded WAY better and more clear than those that used 18s. 15s will be a tighter bass without so much rumble.

As for one versus two, the total overall volume you need (dB) and the output capability of the speakers you consider will determine the route you need to go. Manufacturer specs are supposed to provide a basis for comparison, but one can never be sure that everything is really apples-to-apples ("music power" vs "peak power" vs "RMS", sensitivity 1w/1m, etc.)

My suggestion is to take some time checking out other bands in your area, if possible, see what they are using, and listen to see what seems to be working best. See if your local music dealers will let you rent a sub or two for a gig to see if they will perform adequately before you buy. 1,000 different people could post answers to this thread with well-meaning, honest replies, and you will still get at least 500 different suggestions! Specs and measurements are often handy, but in my 30+ years of playing in bands and running sound, some of the equipment that worked out the best wasn't "the best" as defined by the spec sheets and/or popular opinion.
 
#9
Thanks fourteenstrings, your explanation is very clear.

I play in a rock band (voice, keyboard, guitar bass and drums), we don't need very big volumes, and we usually play in small pubs, but sometimes in the summer we do some gigs outside, and for that we felt the need of a subwoofer, because when we play outside our two 800w PA speaker can't deliver so much power in the bass frequencies.

We are on a very tight budget, max 7-800€.
Waht do you think of this [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] 18''?
Is it decent? i repeat, we don't need a lot of power
 
#10
Since it's only for occasional outdoor gigs and since money is tight, i'd just beg/borrow/steal some subs for those gigs. Unused subs take up a lot of room in the garage. If you can't borrow subs, just stack another pair of regular PA 15's that are easy to borrow. That'd make more sense to me than buying cheap subs, or buying decent subs that sit around most of the year.
 
#11
Size and weight are a right royal pain when it comes to subs. I'm currently upgrading, and thankfully finding some newer models that are a bit lighter. I'm running one 800w RMS 15" sub with two 550w RMS mid/high cabs for bar and small venue work. THat works great, and doesn't take up too much real estate.

As for specs, I only mentioned them as a really good place to start your search. The ears are always the final judge.
 
#12
MNAirHead said:
I'm with music One quality sub may be better.


They get ugly fast--- why not used
Click to expand...

Truer words were never spoken. Every time I unload our Yorkie 18"s, I usually mutter "man, I'm glad I didn't pay much for these things". Need to hit these things big-time with some Liquid Nails to re-secure the rat fur.

Don't place too much weight on the 15" vs. 18" issue. Enclosure design, build, and quality have a greater influence on performance. A handful of builders are doing tremendous work with 10" drivers.

Riis
 
#13
RDUB is 100% correct, specs are the best place to begin comparisons and weed out gear that is less suitable for your needs. Sorry if I made it sound like they were totally useless, because they are not. Very important as a starting place and comparative tool.

ilmaio, I have heard several Mackie systems used in small bars, and the subs seemed to be as solid sounding as other small venue-oriented units that are out there. They weren't like "WOW!!!", but seemed to be adequate. It may not have been the speakers' fault, which brings up two important things to remember: The ears are less capable of hearing low frequencies at the same volume as midrange, so it can take a surprising amount of power and cone area to to get a solid bottom end in some situations. I have found that, in small venues, four full-range PA speakers (two per side) sometimes do a better job reproducing low end than a single biamped sub/mid-high combination on each side. Secondly, the ability of the person running sound is critical. A skilled sound guy (or gal) can make the worst of systems sound pretty good, but someone who doesn't know what they are doing probably can't make even the most high-end system sound right.
 
#14
ilmaio said:
Thanks fourteenstrings, your explanation is very clear.

I play in a rock band (voice, keyboard, guitar bass and drums), we don't need very big volumes, and we usually play in small pubs, but sometimes in the summer we do some gigs outside, and for that we felt the need of a subwoofer, because when we play outside our two 800w PA speaker can't deliver so much power in the bass frequencies.

We are on a very tight budget, max 7-800€.
Waht do you think of this [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] 18''?
Is it decent? i repeat, we don't need a lot of power
Click to expand...

If you only play outside occasionally, rent when you need subs. Outdoors, the bass has no boundaries to reflect from so you A) need far more power and B) more than one sub. Outside, 800W isn't enough for the full-range, so adding subs will require more amplifiers, too.
 

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