Can a 6.5” sub really be enough bass?
you don’t need much size does not matter
when it comes to subwoofers it’s how you
use it it’s oh god that’s you know and
now we’re keeping that in there
welcome to see dudes audio today we’re
gonna talk about the ever impending
question does size matter for subwoofers
at least we’re going to explore
basically what you can get with a six
and a half and an 8-inch
compared to like your typical 12 or even
the dual 15s that a lot of people want
to run for home theater use you know
bigger is better yes and though we’ll
talk about it a little bit when it comes
to accuracy of course the smaller
drivers are always going to do better
but with room gain and just the size of
rooms it can always affect what your end
result is and of course placement is
crucial but really what we’re going to
talk about should you even bother
spending any money on smaller subwoofers
and the short answer to that is yeah you
should but only when you need it like
when it’s applicable if you have a small
studio room a 10 by 10 room even a 10 by
15 room I mean we’re standing
technically in it’s like 18 by 30 feet
because it goes all the way back that
way we do have a half wall but I mean
I’ve brand this Mirage I think it’s an
mm 6 it’s a 200 watt RMS 600 watt peak
little guy I mean it is a monster and it
only weighs like 11 or 14 pounds very
small plate amp takes up the entire back
of it but this little guy really puts
out very clean bass and at very
respectable volumes but this would be
this well this is what you would
consider more of a mid fight a hi-fi
subwoofer because it does cost a decent
amount of money I think the retail value
when it was sold was about $600 so you
do tend to kind of substitute size for
accuracy when you start to pay more
unless you’re looking
like in SVS or an Hsu subwoofer you know
some of those big boys that are meant
for very large home theaters or just
normal sized home theaters and people
just want to go above and beyond but
when it comes to hi-fi and just to
channel listening and music listening
you kind of want it to blend seamlessly
and the problem with bigger subwoofers
is I always find myself turning a gain
knob way down because if I can close my
eyes and basically be able to kind of
point out where the subwoofer is the
subwoofer is too loud you need it to
kind of integrate with what you’re
running in the front and a lot of people
tend to run bookshelves and then they
run their subwoofer at like 60 Hertz and
lower you’re creating a giant null where
you want to kind of run it a little
higher and that’s where these guys come
in I mean you want 60 Hertz to a hundred
Hertz kind of just sloping right into
the transition point we’re gonna take a
look at basically the drivers and how
these two in particular setup for this
Mirage you are basically getting a cheap
kind of entry-level subwoofer this is
only gonna be about 60 to 80 watts RMS
maybe a hundred watts peak this is what
a lot of you are gonna see on Amazon and
stuff that sell for about 90 to 150
maybe 200 bucks tops you’re not seeing
any kind of power rating over 150 watts
RMS and they’ll do great honestly they
sound fantastic they can really fill in
your low-end the crucial point with a
smaller subwoofer again is placement you
want it put in the right spot of your
room for everyone that’s gonna be
different based on the room the best way
to do it in my opinion is the sub crawl
which is where you place your subwoofer
where you typically would be listening
to it run a you know sine wave or some
kind of bass track through it and then
walk around your room or as they say
crawl on your hands and knees to hear
the low and high points of the bass and
kind of pick where you want it if you
really want it to be exaggerated you
would go to the loudest point in the
room if you want it to be kind of more
smooth you go to the the middle point
you know the part where you say okay
it’s not too loud where I can almost
hear the driver itself moving and it’s
not too quiet where it sounds like a
dead spot this guy’s got a little bit of
a trick I’m wearing my very colorful
socks today for
a trampoline park actually which is kind
of funny this has two passive radiators
one on the right and left side as well
as an active in the front so where this
guy is gonna be ported this is a sealed
so even when you’re buying a smaller
subwoofer consider what you want if you
want the maximum I guess volume or like
listenable base in terms of just
loudness and being there and being
present you’re probably gonna go with
ported I mean
sealed is gonna be more for the people
that want just the accuracy and like the
finesse that comes with sealed
subwoofers especially with passive
radiators you get a little bit lower
extension at the risk of consuming a
little more power which is why this
little guy has over 200 watts RMS I mean
it needs it because it’s basically not
only accounting for the pressure that’s
being displaced by itself but the two
passive radiators as well so with that
being said we’re gonna just give you a
little little sound test and just a
little excursion of both of these just
so you can get an idea of you know what
you can buy for anywhere from a hundred
bucks here to you know well over three
four hundred dollars in a small
footprint that can fit just about
anywhere
so let’s hook them up
you heard that was clipping
see that’s the problem with Gordon look
at this
it’s just if you don’t have a very good
flavor you get a lot of chuffing wear
now if we move over to mmm six you’ll
hear no chuffing obviously it’s sealed
but uh trying could be a nice little
idea of what the amendment six can do
start at half game
so yeah as you can sell there’s a very
distinct difference between sealed and
ported but again that’s come out really
what we’re talking about we’re just
trying to determine whether or not
that’s sufficient so to give you one
more test we’re gonna hook up the dayton
behind me which is a twelve inch and
it’s I think I’ve had one hundred and
twenty watts RMS so again kind of more
of an entry-level subwoofer and we’ll
show you the excursion on that
when the speaker moves the least and
puts out the most sound that’s it’s
tuned frequency that’s the FS if anyone
owns this I believe it’s the Dayton sub
1200 or something like that it is a
fantastic subwoofer so as you can tell I
mean a 12 obviously has a lot more
volume but again we’re more talking
about just having the bass there if you
ran tower speakers or bookshelves just
in a room alone sure you’re gonna get
some bass from them but smaller
subwoofers are always gonna fill it in
more so basically what it comes down to
is what your needs are small subwoofers
you shouldn’t ignore completely except
for those home Peter in a box subwoofers
or the ones that Samsung sell you should
just avoid those like they’re the plague
but if you actually want to dish out a
little bit of money you know you can go
big for pretty cheap I mean again Dayton
audio 12 is 150 dollars and it is a
fantastic 12 inch subwoofer or you know
if you wanted to just kind of keep it
simple keep it cheaper keep it smaller I
mean we just did the Rockville 8 which
is still tucked away in the closet over
there and I mean even that did OK and
that was $85 or something like that so
it really just comes down to your budget
your room any small subwoofer in any
room is always gonna add bass it’s just
how much bass you want if you want to be
rocking out at like 100 plus DB on your
main speakers you want a subwoofer that
can keep up with it so you want a
subwoofer that can put out at least 100
decibels these two at most I mean this
sub $100 it’s only like 60 watts RMS
you’re only gonna get like 95 DB maybe
98 if you’re really getting close or
holding the DB meter right next to it
where the mm6 maybe you’ll get 103 maybe
104 dB
you know we’re of course Dayton audio
you’re gonna get closer to like 110
you’re gonna actually get or 108 you’re
gonna actually get significantly louder
volume but it doesn’t mean that those
don’t work in your situation they will
do great and they will suffice for what
you need we’re just trying to basically
make sure that people know that small
subwoofers do work size doesn’t
necessarily matter depend
what you’re looking for if you’re
looking in quality a sound tightness a
bass you definitely want to stick to
more like a 10 or a 12 we’re even
smaller like I said if you have a
smaller room for cart now that’s a good
question because for car audio basically
most cars are small the internal cabin
space is very small smaller than most
rooms
I believe it’s even smaller than a 10 by
10 room for most vehicles so with that
being said I mean you can run a six and
a half you can run an eight you can run
a ten whatever the heck you really want
I mean Chas you have a six and a half
which will get some footage of a real
quick forty two Hertz on a six and a
half I mean I’m sure that gives you a
decent enough frequency range so we’re
gonna go check that out real quick and
give you a little bonus feature for this
video so now we’re in Chad’s car he’s
got a Ford Fusion and we are gonna
listen to the six and a half or yeah six
and a half and we’re gonna see what it
can do again
decaf white clouds prepare to be
impressed
so yeah as you guys can see you don’t
need much size does not matter when it
comes to subwoofers it’s how you use it
it’s oh god that’s a you know and then
we’re keeping that in there it’s how you
use the subwoofer it’s where you place
it and it’s just like I said it’s all
about application and placement if it
works for you then it’s gonna work in
general and it’s gonna give you
basically what you want so we’re gonna
see what this little guy can do with
decaf white clouds get some excursion
clips look at that
damn let’s freakin move
it’s almost hitting those metal bars
Jesus there you have it guys size does
not matter thanks again for tuning in to
dudes audio can’t you can’t can’t
complain
small subwoofers small subwoofers
it doesn’t matter and take this level
for you and have probably one of the
best comparison between a replica of JBL
young and then we have an actual baby
right here quality that I would
let’s see what’s in here
typically people seeing what the Mackey
thumbs have to offer
6.5-Inch Subwoofer Review
Subwoofers come in all different shapes and sizes, but they all use similar basic building methods to achieve the results that you want. A good 6.5″ subwoofer driver will not only produce deep bass, it should also handle the high levels of midrange for that slam-dunk effect in songs. The best place to find a subwoofer for your car is a specialist car audio shop, but if you don’t have the time or the interest to shop, here are a few tips to help you choose the right subwoofers for your vehicle.
Firstly, subwoofers have different sensitivity to sound. The shape and size of the subwoofer’s basket will have a profound effect on the frequency response. Subwoofers with longer wavelengths will have a correspondingly shorter frequency response. Changes to the basket and woofer cone assembly will drastically affect how deep a subwoofer will play, as well as its susceptibility to damage. The graph below displays a 6.5-inch subwoofer with an amplifier/power amp, both of which have similar power handling capabilities and high excursion levels of around 9mm.
There are many reasons why 6.5-inch subwoofers are often found in sports cars and trucks as well as ordinary family vehicles. Obviously, the larger subwoofers in sports cars to help define the stereo image far better than smaller, lighter subwoofers in a family car. But there are other equally important reasons for placing a subwoofer in the cabin of a car. With a good quality enclosure and amplifier, you can dramatically increase the frequency response of a car or truck. In fact, some experts believe that the best bass response can be achieved when the subwoofers are installed in a vehicle with a flat roof.
When it comes to the enclosure design, it is important to choose a quality enclosure designed specifically for a particular subwoofers. Poorly constructed subwoofers may not fit well into their intended enclosures and therefore may not perform to their potential. Good enclosure designs allow for a maximum amount of sound energy to be transmitted through the woofer, thereby improving low frequency performance. To improve bass response, manufacturers often make use of radially-mounted speaker terminals that attach to the back of the speaker. These speaker terminals to help prevent feedback that can occur if a 6.5-inch subwoofer were connected to an improperly designed terminal.
If you wish to improve the output from your subwoofers, it is advisable to install good-quality speaker stands. Good quality speaker stands will keep the subwoofers at a consistent height above the rest of the speakers in the enclosure, improving bass effect and dampening low frequency response. 6.5-inch subwoofers are also better off with rigid surround mounting. This is because such type of mounts will help avoid shakiness in the subwoofers.
Finally, proper cabinet design and proper acoustics are important for a properly functioning car system. The ideal cabinets will minimize baffle and optimize sound; however, there are instances when more efficient cabinets may actually detract from the sound that is produced. It is also advisable to have a suitable subsonic filter on hand when installing the enclosure. Sound waves, particularly ultrasound ones, tend to have a tendency to reflect off objects, thereby creating an illusion of a thicker sounding speaker. Alternatively, the delayed sound may not reach all the way through the cabinet and be filtered in the lower frequencies. A subsonic filter increases the efficiency of low frequency response by removing these “echoes”.
6.5-Inch Subwoofer Buyer’s Guide
If you are planning to build your own car audio system, the quality of a good car subwoofers is a vital component. The size of the sound that can be produced from a particular vehicle depends on the type of amplifier box that it is using. You need to understand that an amplifier plays a pivotal role in order to produce a specific sound from your sound system. For that reason, it is extremely important that you have to choose a sound system amplifier wisely so as to get the optimal performance and the best quality in every aspect.
For that reason, if you are looking forward to change or upgrade the sound system of your car, it would be wise for you to buy a new one rather than making modifications on your existing speaker or sub woofers. However, before going out and buy a new one, you should first measure the size of your speaker or subwoofer box and find out the space that it occupies in your car. This will help you find out whether it is possible for you to fit the speakers or sub woofers without making any modifications or rearrangements to your vehicle.
When it comes to the choice of an amplifier, there are several different brands available in the market. Among all the brands that are out in the market today, it is highly recommended for you to go for the brand that is known for producing high quality car audio systems because it is known to use the highest wattage among all the other brands. Moreover, for that matter, it is recommended that you also purchase a brand that has a good reputation in the market for its consistent deliverables. This is because you do not want to waste your money on something that is not going to give you good quality. Therefore, it is advisable for you to purchase a 6.5-inch subwoofer box that uses a powerful amplifier so you can experience the bass sound while you are driving the car.
Many of the bass oriented manufacturers such as JL Audio, Acoustic, and Peavey, make enclosures which can mount a smaller sized subwoofer or even a full-sized subwoofer in a shallow mount. This is done by cutting a slot in the front of their subwoofers for a quick mounting solution. Since the subs are mounted deeper into the enclosure, they will produce stronger bass lines and the enclosures will sound much better. The problem with using a shallow mount for subwoofers is that it is harder to install the wiring for power and speaker cables through the shallowly placed wires.
The best type of shallow mount is made from wood, though plywood and MDF are also used. Some brands like Rythmics or Diatone have specialized mounts made from aluminum or steel. The advantage of the aluminum subwoofer mount is that it will provide deep bass lines while keeping the subwoofer secure and protected. Some brands like Diatone use fiberglass rods in their mounts to prevent any distortion that may be caused by the mounting wire being too close to the subwoofer.
Many bass enthusiasts prefer a subwoofer that can be placed in a shallow mount. These bass fans can then add a cabinet below the subwoofer in order to place the cabinet where they will maintain some form of bass extension. If you have cabinets made at your local home improvement store, you should be able to find some kind of mounting surface that will work with most cabinets. Remember that it will be important for you to experiment with mounting your subwoofers if you want to get the best results possible.
Free Air subwoofers are one of the latest fads in home audio. For those unfamiliar with the term, it is an innovative concept in home theater that permits the subwoofer to be cooled off from the air by the heat of the speaker. This is done via a small section of the subwoofer called the diaphragm. The cool air is then directed back at the speaker, resulting in better sound quality. So, how exactly does this work and is it practical?
First, it is important to understand that the air subwoofer is not the same as its name suggests. A subwoofer is not an air conditioner or refrigerant fed to your speaker. Instead, it is a speaker enclosure that allows you to install a subwoofer in your car or a home theater. They come in a variety of sizes, but the most common size is a 6.5-inch version.
There are two ways to optimize this type of subwoofer. If you are looking for deep bass, then you will need to get a subwoofer that has a large circumference and deep seating. On the other hand, if you want a low ceiling but deep bass, then you can get a subwoofer with a smaller circumference and a shallow seat. As with any home theater system, placement is crucial because the closer you are to the television or stereo, the better the sound.
If you have been looking for a mobile audio device that can easily take the place of your home stereo, you need look no further than the Crossfade CS-1000 dual zone sound system. This system has many great features that will help you take complete control over the type of music you want to play. It is designed to work with any iPod or other similar device that has a radio tuner port, allowing you to choose the type of music you wish to hear. You can even have certain songs played automatically as you walk by, which makes it perfect for office environments or buses.
The Exos-9 is perhaps the only portable wireless dual zone speaker that boasts both five loudspeakers, including a 6.5-inch dual voice coil subwoofer for supreme sound quality, and two powered sub woofers. The other speakers in this same category are just simply not as powerful and have NO subwoofer. The Exos-9 also features 200 watts of constant power, which is far beyond what most other systems offer. This allows the unit to run on a completely constant amount of power, regardless of the source.
With such impressive dual zone speakers, you may never want to move again! The Crossfade CS-1000 utilizes an innovative and extremely customizable graphical equalizer that gives you exact sound levels and superior sound quality every time, regardless of where you are in your vehicle. The exos-9’s graphic equalizer allows you to fine tune the system for each individual stage and the ability to manually adjust the equalizer is a huge step above most systems on the market. If you want the very best that there is in sound reproduction and live at your own ‘premium’ level, then consider the exos-9!
Planet Audio’s brand new Car Subwoofers will bring you supreme performance at the push of a button. The World’s First and Car Subwoofers the Planet Audio Ac10d 1500w is constructed for bass sound. It features optimized woofers and subwoofer cones for unequaled sound reproduction. In fact, it is capable of producing the best sound that an individual or a vehicle can produce.
The World’s First Car Subwoofer, the Ac10d 1500 watts is equipped with optimized four surround sound speakers for optimum performance. It has optimized rear woofer for maximum power and output, while its front woofer is designed in a unique pyramid wx65x. This ensures optimum performance from both the woofers. Other top features of this product include a sealed cabinet for maximum durability.
Planet Audio’s subwoofer products are superior to others because they use professional grade components and employ state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. They also offer different options for users to choose the right amp, enclosure, mounting, and connectors. By utilizing their extensive audio experience, they have developed an amplifier that is perfect for any type of vehicle. One example is the Planet Audio Radium. This amplifier allows the user to mount their amplifier and install a high quality amp enclosure with locking trim.
Last update on 2023-01-21 / Disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
3 verified buyer reviews
I’d just like to say “Thank you” to DS18 for assisting me in selecting the best 6.5″ DVC subwoofer for my DIY Bluetooth ammunition can blaster-box. Inside, I have a 100w x 2 amplifier, two AudioPipe ATX-100 silk dome tweeters, a 12v deep cycle VMax Charge Tank battery, and a lot of sound deadening material.
LIKES:
– Deep lows are impressive for such a small subwoofer ” (I own several subs…15″ on my main system).
– The price is quite reasonable.
– It can actually be used as a standard woofer in a 2-way configuration (enough mids for a good crossover point).
– Inside the package was a nice sticker, a hole cut prototype (which was very useful), and an SPL vs FREQ map (from the laboratory). That is both competent and beneficial in my opinion.
REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT
– It is extremely difficult to feed a larger head screw through the four holes and secure the sub to a flat surface for flush mounting. The metal rim component is located on the underside…and it must sit flush. Attempting to feed a screw around the frontside rim gasket will easily damage the speaker’s foam surround.
– The spring-loaded binding posts are adequate but not exceptional. It was difficult to force them all the way down to feed a wire into the holes. At the very least, they aren’t those flimsy F1/2 solder posts. Those are dreadful. If you are qualified, you can feed 12-14 AWG wire into the DS-18 binding posts. On short runs, I use pure copper 16/2 with no problems.
IN GENERAL
– I’m relieved I didn’t hurt this sub while mounting it. It’s a powerful little sub with a lot of low, smooth bass. I am not a skilled audio installer…but you will be impressed with a small bass reflex (ported) enclosure.
I have a 2018 Silverado standard cab and the stock system is completely inadequate. Obviously, space is a major concern. After months of experimenting with different enclosure designs, I decided that this subwoofer, together with a custom 0.25 cu. ft. sealed enclosure, was everything I could comfortably fit without losing either the ability to raise the center console or leg space. There were numerous reviews claiming that this sub “hits like a 10” and is “amazing.” I can promise you that it does not score a ten. Having said that, I would conclude that for its small scale, this sub performs admirably. I’d say that it produces about twice as much bass as any premium stock Bose device used in a car.
I do have a couple issues:
(1) It is possible to easily overpower this sub. I have a 300W amp, and just when I think I’ve got it dialed in, the sub bottoms out and I have to lower the gain even further. I have my amp set to what appears to be 50% power and yet find that some songs cause it to bottom out. I would argue that, while this sub can theoretically handle 200W RMS, at that stage, you are likely to experience some unexpected peaks above 400W. A more practical RMS value, in my opinion, is probably 100-150W, or you risk bottoming out.
(2) The terminal connections are my second problem. The way they are angled into each other makes using spade terminals a real pain. There would certainly be a short if the terminals I used didn’t have a sheath on them.
Finally, if you have the space, you should definitely get a larger subwoofer. If you don’t have the room, this is a great 6.5″ option.
They add drums, so it’s overpowering. We created small sealed boxes filled with polyfill. They’re hidden under the front seats of our 2016 JK Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Both are powered by a Pioneer GM-D8601. They do fill in the missing bass, but with a very boomy bass response. When modeled in a free software called Winisd, they have a 3db peak between 50 and 60 hz in their ideal sealed box capacity. There is no way to get rid of this peak no matter how much I change the box volume in the software. Using a better double din car stereo, such as the Kenwood DDX774BH, you can use the equalizer to reduce some of the unnecessary boom-iness. Our less-than-ideal small boxes have a 5dB peak, making it sound excessively boomy. We just transferred our DDX774BH to our regular driver and reinstalled the DDX272 in the Jeep. Since the Kenwood DDX272 lacked a better equalizer, we had to turn the subwoofer way down to reduce boominess. They’ve been in the Jeep for about a year and are still going high.
Pros:
+Affordable
+They add more bass than every other car speaker
+Plays loudly and cleanly
Cons:
-Boomy
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