diamond vs. audiobahn ?

ok i have two diaond audio m6 12's. they are great but i have had them for about a yr. and i have been looking into audiobahn. havent really heard too many of them and just wanted to see how many of u guys are audiobahn fans or do u think i should stick with the m6's ? so i think it would be the two m6's going against (three alum12q's or two aw1205q's or the 08's) ? thanks

Replies (6)

Swez on 04/6/2003 10:27:54
After looking at the general specs of the M6 driver, see it comes in 2+2 and 4+4 voice coil options. Which one do you have now? Also noted these are rated at 800 RMS... no small change spent here huh?

Well, depends on the amp you plan to use to power your subs. Say more about that please.

Bahns are OK... geared more for high SPL and Competition applications. They can take a fair amount of power, are pretty efficient and they do look nice too. Depending on the amp you are using, the tri-sub, 6 ohm DVC is you best bet. Are rated at 1000 watts RMS each... pretty HD amp to get most of 3 of these.

The 1205 is a 2+2 ohm version, same power rating and a bit more expensive than Alums. Again, depends on the amp used to push your subs.

Personally, If you are really wanting more SPL, 3 (Alum 12's) subs and plenty of amping power will get you there... if you have the space. But the key here... is adequate amp power.

To get the most from your Diamonds, looks like you'll need ~1500-2000 RMS to get you there. Same with dual 1205's. If you go with tri-sub application, now you are looking at an amp that supports +2,500 watts RMS or multiple smaller amps.

Say more on your goal OK?

Swez

xplicitblitzboi on 04/6/2003 16:49:17
Personally, i'd stick with the Diamonds, but if you are due for a change then try audiobahn if you like. just remember, if you are going to change your system, do it right, you get what you pay for in every aspect of the hobby.

ckoscin2 on 04/6/2003 17:44:40
i have a crossfire cfa-1000D (1000w @ 1 ohm) and i am getting a audiobahn a2300hcx (600w x 2 @ 2 ohm, 2400w x 1 @ 1 ohm) . any others that i forgot ? i know i would have to look at the charging system. right now i am running the two diamonds and my crossfire. and i am getting 143 db.

Swez on 04/6/2003 17:52:30
OK, got the plan here... a major powerplant upgrade and your present subs will not take that much sustained input watts.

Looks like the 3 Alum 12's will do you the most bang for the buck here. With 2400 watts RMS worth of amp power, each sub will see 800 watts RMS. A notable increase in SPL is derfinitely going to be present in this install. Should pick up about 5-8 dB of total SPL here, depending on sub enclosure design used. (perhaps even more)

The one thing you will need to research, is how much current will this amp draw as you press the limits. The Crossfire is a Class D amp and is probably drawing close to 100 amperes of current. The Bahn amp mentioned, is probably a Class A/B amp. These amps are typically ~55-60% efficient. So, for every 1000 watts they put out, they draw ~1600-1800 watts.

Bottom line, this new amp will draw in excess of 300 amperes of current. Here's the math:

2400 watts output = 2400/13.0 volts = 184.6 / 0.60 (eff.) = 307.6 amps of current

In short, going to need a very high output alternator, a large battery (reserve capacity) and wires to supply and carry all that current. Better to research and solve this issue first, then go for the next level of amp and subs.

Hope that helps,

Swez

ckoscin2 on 04/7/2003 04:15:21
yesterday i went to a comp and asked one of the guys there and he said that bahn's are not really for spl ? (he was running rockford) im my planes i just want a little of bolth spl and sq. i dont really plan to run in db drags. also at the comp i heard a astro van with four rockford 15's it hit 166.something DB !!! it was the best thing ever. thanks guys for all the help

Swez on 04/7/2003 12:55:36
In a sense, he was right. RF makes some very potent and rugged subs for Comps. Bahn is more or less an entry level sub for SPL Comp.

If you really want to get into the Comp & Db Drags in a big way, open your wallet big time! But if you desire high SPL and good SQ, you already have the subs. The amp noted (Crossfire) is a bit under powered to get maximum SPL from the Diamonds.

Your options are a well designed, ported enclosure and more watts from a different amp. Class D amps are much more efficient VS Class A/B amps. Class A/B amps are 55-60% efficient. Most Class D's are typically 80% or higher. Basically, Class D's draw less power input and a greater % of input power, is converted to more usable output.

Are you familiar with Harrison Labs products? The AE 1600.1 would be an excellent power plant for your Diamonds. A very high quality product... not a lot of frills... just raw power. The FMods are included to set your crossover freq to subs. Not cheap... but if you shop around a bit... who knows???

Have a look: http://www.thezeb.com/caraudio/harrision_labs.html

They also have a refurb list w/ big discounts... look here:
http://www.hlabs.com/bargain/

Specs page: http://www.hlabs.com/technical/amplifiers/page3.html

Take a look... these guys are serious about amps!

Swez