That has me in a flux.
Then the 12 doesn’t fit and 10 is indeed the answer.
But then again, the SI BM MK V 12” sub can fit into a downright tiny (relatively) 0.6 cu.ft. sealed enclosure. I just get annoyed by the whole subwoofer size and a larger woofer can’t possibly move as fast as a smaller woofer; another one of those infamous audiophile myths.
Forgot to mention that I ALWAYS used sealed box!
If you were to take a 10 and 12 inch sub from the same family and put them in optimal boxes, you should not be able to notice a difference at normal or even spirited volumes. Take an ABX test where you use a special device or someone else who changes the sub periodically without you knowing which sub is playing and then you have to say which sub/speaker is playing. There have been several ABX tests at home theater AVS GTGs (Get Togethers) where this and other items were tested and sealed people including myself had trouble picking the sealed sub vs ported. 15” vs 18” subs, it was impossible to tell and the results bore this out.
Totally agree IF you are sticking to the 30-80hz range for a 15 and 18. Try 20-110 between an 8 and 15 and it'll pretty easy to tell them apart.
I don't think its that simple. Modeling one 8 vs a 12 for one driver model I had loaded was a 5.8 db difference at 45hz. It would take more than two 8's to make up that difference. Over 80hz the 8 starts building up an advantage of up to 3db at 100-110hz.
But now we’re mixing metaphors. 12s of similar design will have an output advantage over smaller drivers, simple physics dictates that. But sonically, they should sound the same when driven at volumes where the smaller driver is not stressed.I don't think its that simple. Modeling one 8 vs a 12 for one driver model I had loaded was a 5.8 db difference at 45hz. It would take more than two 8's to make up that difference. Over 80hz the 8 starts building up an advantage of up to 3db at 100-110hz.
Again, it all depends on the speaker and the box...model what you are looking at versus listening to some internet crackpot like me :laugh:. Even better, go listen to some stuff.
One other advantage of the larger driver, especially midbass is you feel the bass more. Meaning for those effects that can sometimes be felt in the chest, like a .50 caliber gun firing, a larger midbass will make you feel it more than a smaller midbass at the same volume. I’ve asked multiple times but haven’t heard a physics reasoning for it but I assume it is similar to what you said, the larger driver doesn’t need to move as far as the smaller driver for the same volume. Almost like a towel snapping, the shorter snap of a larger driver equals more felt in the chest. But usually you have to have the bass pretty hot to get this effect.
