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Deciding between Sundown subs

5K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  rob feature 
#1 ·
Quick and easy. I have the choice between the EV-3 and the SD3 subs from Sundown. I can choose 10" or 12" for either. Box dimensions and wattage are the same.

The SD3 has the low profile which does not benefit me as this is going in the trunk. However it seems to haver a lower FS. 25Hz as opposed to the EV-3's 32 Hz.

Does anyone have any wisdom?

Goals: SQ focus. Trying to build a fun daily driver that will bring some boom when I feel like listening to rap and electronic. My primary listening is not that style music, however, I am missing the bass when I do.

Amp will be the alpine S series. Front stage will soon be active 4 channel probably Focal Access. Haven't picked an amp for that.



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#7 ·
I found the SD3 in stock @ 3 retailers...all good ones.



I'd make that decision based on alignment though. SD3 for sealed. E for vented. Also the SA is the same price as the SD3 and not much bigger than the E...why not consider it?
I know I am gonna lose some cool points but I am having a shop install it. This is my first sub and I want it done well. The guy said he was unable to order it. Pretty odd that they are still online. I am gonna see if the E series can be returned and I can just bring in an SD3 that I buy.


Upgrading to the SA would mean a bigger amp, more money etc.

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#8 ·
SD3 10 and mine is ported against what Sundown says and it’s awesome.
 
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#9 ·
Now this is interesting... I had a pair of SA-8 ported previously and absolutely loved them. When dialed back a bit, they sounded sooo good, but could hammer down when you wanted too.
 
#14 ·
It’s been done a few times before with the SD3 subwoofer and since I love the sound of a good low tuned ported subwoofer, I had to try it. Ended up with a .98 cu ft box tuned to 30.5 Hz. Compared to the sealed box it was in before it has a ton more output and has more output in the lower octaves where it matters to me. With the low fs of the SD3 and underhung coil design, distortion is low but the softer suspension is a concern so you have to keep the power under 500 watts and use a subsonic filter..
You are another person that said the SD3 sounds better ported than in the recommended sealed boxes. Would using a passive radiator provide any more protection than just a normal port?
 
#15 ·
You are another person that said the SD3 sounds better ported than in the recommended sealed boxes. Would using a passive radiator provide any more protection than just a normal port?
Protection from what? I have no actual experience with using a PR, only ported and sealed.
 
#10 ·
I have kicked around the idea of SA subs but always hear that I will not be impressed by the sound. I found a 6th order design a few years back that I always wanted to try with an SA8.

OP, I have heard through conversation that the SD series actually sounds really good
 
#16 ·
The SD does sound good. Really good. I have a 10. I found its limits though in a sealed .55 cube enclosure with a subsonic & less than 600W. Just wanted more low end. So I went to a vented SA10 tuned to the high 20s in 1.5 cubes. While the SA suffers a bit with transient response compared to the sealed SD, it sounds great most of the time.

I can easily go back to the SD any time, but I haven't done it and it's going on a year. SQ setup. And on those days when I just wanna be silly it's more than I can handle for more than a few minutes. Even on under 600 worms, it's stupid loud down low.
 
#13 ·
Another good and somewhat less deep budget subwoofer is the Alpine SWS. I have the previous gen SWS10 in my van in a 1.2 cu ft box tuned to 30 Hz and it sounds really good, especially considering I paid just $89 for it at the time. The GB12 is really great sounding but one doesn’t have to spend that kind of money on a sub stage to get really good sound. I bought it because I had already tried many many different less costly subwoofers and just wanted to try something more upscale and I’m glade I did.

I’ll say this more for anyone new doing searches who may not fully understand yet but the whole application from box construction/execution to tuning and keeping the driver within its limits is where the major part of good sounding sub stages comes from. Even my SA12 sounded good in a 2 cube box tuned to 30 Hz with a lot of power on it. The guy I sold it to was a SPL type of guy who had a more powerful system and when he demoed my SA12 in my Mazda CX-5 with a 1000 watt amp he was like “holly **** this sounds good” and handed me what I was asking for. Of course having the front stage consisting of GB60 and GB15 with a good tune also helped seal the deal. :D:laugh:
 
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