Sundown SA-12 Review

[AndyInOC]

I have had this sub for a few days now and am finally getting a chance to really give it a good listening to, mainly on my commute to and from work and this evening i finally had some time to just sit in the car and play some random tracks.

The car is a 2008 Scion xB, the sub is in the rear cargo area in a 2cu ft ported enclosure tuned to 29hz (I will be updating my build thread with that info as well) Sub is on the drivers side facing the hatch port is on the passenger side facing the wall which was recommended to me and works VERY well.

Build quality is outstanding, great fit and finish on all parts. Nice thick paper cone, stiff high roll foam surround, woven and tied down leads the list goes on and on, Jacob really scored on this driver. Here is a shot of the driver in the car. (pardon my dust i was short on time)

[AndyInOC]

So on to listening impressions.

The details : sub is wired to 2 ohms off of a Sundown SAZ-1000D which is rated for 600 @ 2. Perfect Match. Right now the sub is crossed over at 80 hz and sub sonic is set to 25. I don't really listen to a lot of rap or test tone music so the ssf is more or less a fail safe just in case.

Quick impression: The SA-12 is a GREAT sub, even at 80hz it is very easy to blend with my front stage and does not get boomy or sloppy. The transient attack is very fast. The impact is awesome when you start to put the boots to it, it has been a very long time since i have seen movement from my winshield wipers with music playing BUT it is NOT an SPL sub only! The SQ of the driver has been stellar so far, extremely musical, very quick, and can easily go from a nice subtle sq sub to a cut right through you sub on demand. And it retains it's composure very well at high volumes, I honestly have NO issues with this driver so far.

My musical tastes are far from average and span a wide spectrum so i will list the tracks i have really paid attention to so far and will add more over the next few days.

Sublime: What I Got (reprise)- I have always loved the bass line in this version of the song, the high and low transitions are reproduced very well with the SA-12, very effortless, tight and with great tonality.

Jonny Lang: Lie To Me- Absolutely outstanding impact on this song, the kick drum comes through with a hard hit and great sound, the paper cone really sounds awesome on drums, it is a sound I have missed and without doubt have regained

Lee Rocker: I'll Cry Instead- The driver really reproduced a lot of details i have been missing with the stand up bass in this song. Nice attack on the slappy bass line and the notes are heard individually, not just mushing together staying clean and sharp along with the drums, never faltering a bit.

Eagles: Hotel California (live)- Pretty much a must play with any sub test in my opinion, and i was able to take it from a nice tonal blended sub to an absolute beast hitting me in the chest with this track, while continuing to play both drums and bass individually at all volumes, neither one overpowering the other.

Boxenkiller - My favorite drum and bass track to play around with. Another track that i was really able to bring the beast out with and still keep the bass guitar nice and defined tonally. Drum rolls, kicks and bass guitar were all reproduced to some very high levels while not ever approaching boomy or distorted sound.

Bob Marley: Turn Your Lights Down Low (remix)- This is the version from the Chant Down Babylon album. Drum machine and synth bass that can get nice and low and fun to play with and also some fun little transitions here and there. Reproduced very well although in my opinion the recording could have been better, the sub showed that it really likes to dig deep and stay clean.

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones: Flying Saucer Dudes- The sub fell in love with this track! The drums are sort of all over the place going deep and back to regular, bass line everywhere. Overall a fun track to listen to made even more fun with the driver that this is,

Stevie Wonder: Superstition- A truly classic song with a fun and rhythmic bass line that the SA-12 is able to reproduce flawlessly. Each note discernable from the last and never stumbles.

Stevie Wonder: Ribbon In The Sky- Had to play this one for my girl, her absolute favorite song in the world and the SA-12 plays the stand up bass line with the subtlety that was intended, very well defined and you can feel the notes as they are played without mushing up the mix. This is one where the sub really amazed me in its ability to play music.

Tool: Sober - Outstanding attack! I could feel every rake of the bass strings throughout the song.

The Outlaws: Green Grass & High Tides- Very typical southern rock bass line. Fast attack throughout the frequency range reproduced effortlessly staying clean high, low and everywhere in between and hearing each note clearly. A fun listen.

Overall I am 100% satisfied with this sub (FINALLY found one i like) and i have yet to find anything negative to say. I do not hear any motor noise from it and it does what i want when i want it to. There will be more tracks listed and impressions given as the days pass, and if any of you have some favorites then throw them out and i will do what i can to give it a listen. I also hope to be able to gather a few members from here very soon so they can give it a test as well but this sub is definitely a winner in my book.

[sundownz]

Great review Andy, thanks for posting it up!

[finfinder]

Thanks for the review. Glad you liked it.
What subs have you listened to that you didn't like ?

[Boostedrex]

Sounds like you've got another winner on your hands Jacob. Well done! Andy, hopefully I'll get a chance to meet up with you one of these times when I head down to SoCal on business. I'd really like to check out your install as well as have a listen.

Zach

[AndyInOC]

Originally Posted by finfinder

Thanks for the review. Glad you liked it.
What subs have you listened to that you didn't like ?

I was never really able to get happy with my 12w6v2 that i had, it was just too finicky for me and i gave up.

My 13oV2 was a good sub in most ways but absolutely no comparison to this driver performance wise.

I am not a big fan of poly cone subs, they never sound quite natural to me so honestly i have owned many of them and liked few of them LOL.

Originally Posted by Boostedrex

Sounds like you've got another winner on your hands Jacob. Well done! Andy, hopefully I'll get a chance to meet up with you one of these times when I head down to SoCal on business. I'd really like to check out your install as well as have a listen.

Zach

That would be cool Zach, i always enjoy meeting new people and getting new opinions, ideas and critiques

[el_chupo_]

Andy,

First, thanks for the review. I am familiar with many of the songs, which is nice.

I have recently been listening to more classical, modern classical, and orchestra/symphony performed music. Do you by chance have anything like that? Something where you have some moderate kick drums, and some slowly rising deep drums coming in?

I have found some subs have a hard time bringing them in while staying composed/not sounding bad.

[w00tah]

Originally Posted by AndyInOC

I was never really able to get happy with my 12w6v2 that i had, it was just too finicky for me and i gave up.

My 13oV2 was a good sub in most ways but absolutely no comparison to this driver performance wise.

I am not a big fan of poly cone subs, they never sound quite natural to me so honestly i have owned many of them and liked few of them LOL.



That would be cool Zach, i always enjoy meeting new people and getting new opinions, ideas and critiques

That bold says a lot to me, since I think that in 1.0 sealed, the 12w6v2 is one of my favorite sounding subs.



I don't see me leaving my Incriminator anytime soon though




Kef

[fish]

Nice in depth review. I also like your enclosure, very slick. I'll have to check these out.

[AndyInOC]

Sorry for the delays I have been super busy. I don't have much classical music but I will definitely give it a listen and post my thoughts. Thank you for the compliments on the enclosure I really went all out on the construction of that one and will be posting pics in my build log this week.

[AndyInOC]

here is the link showing the box build in a little more detail AndyInOC 08 xB so far.....

[XllentAudio]

That's a really nice box.

Nice to see other Scions

[Mazda6i07]

Awesome review, i am considering picking up one of these as well for an sq build. Thanks

[Killa Camry]

HMMM IF MY 15WGTI mkii DOESNT WORKOUT MAYBE ILL TRY 3 12" of these?

[erwin.zeez]

Awesome review
the first look .....ahummmmmmmmmmmm
great one
now i m going to buy this one

[02xblazer]

great review.. im thinkin about making a center console box with a sa-10 powered by a sundown 1000 @ 2ohms. at 2 ohms would i be able to use a 4 guage wiring kit?

[borrows123]

Oh man...
You put a heavy system in your car and that's look very beautiful....

[SQ Monte]

I just put a pair of SA-12's in my car last weekend and am powering them with a Sundown SAZ-1500D.......huge difference in SPL from my previous setup, but they can also blend in nicely to where you can't tell the bass is coming from behind you. I am very happy with this setup.....not gonna lie though, I've been listening to nothing but hard hitting bass songs since I got the new setup in