I don't think they are that popular here, my "guess" is that while people may be liking 8" subs for their front sub or perhaps under front seats, practically no one here is running a lone 8" Sub (I am...lol) or even multiple 8's...

Some 10's, lots of 12's, maybe some 15's and lots of multiple subs, but not single 8's...!

 

Many moons ago, I had a system that consisted on 3x 8" (1 sub, 2 midbass) and 2x horns, and it was all powered by 2x 15W RMS. It won it's fair share of trophies too

In that system, the 8" sub was in a tiny 6th order bandpass that barely fit the driver.

As for why the current craze the OP notes: I don't see it. But I have seen it before.. I think it's just people chasing the shock and awe of what 8"s can do.

 

It count as twin, single 8's if they'll each have their own left or right channel?

 

I'd say here on DIYMA we are more about the 8" midbass drivers, whenever possible to fit.

 

or bigger… morel MW9 comes to mind.

 

It seems like 8-inch subs are getting popular lately. Some folks dig 'em for a few reasons. They're pretty impressive these days and not too heavy on the wallet. But why pick 'em over bigger ones when you've got the space? Well, some think lots of 8's can match up to the punch of bigger ones. Like, four 8's might not beat two 12's in size, but they can still bring some serious sound. It's kinda like taking a different road to get that thump. It's all about what floats your boat in the sound department!

 

Technology on subs/materials advances from year to year, even if they are small, they can have quite a high outout. I have run two 8" subs loaded with quite a lot of power and I was satisfied with their output in ported enclosure.
Many folks are running multiple 8" or even smaller 6,5" subs as under rear seat SW systems.

 

The 8” Alpine Type R was a direct drop in replacement for my Tesla Model 3 premium sub (plus the addition of an amp) and absolutely slaps.

 

Personally, I don't ever recommend them to anyone who has the space for larger drivers. I only see them as a necessary evil for extremely compact spaces, pickup trucks, etc.

I don't like using subs with an Fs higher than 32 Hz. Now 95% of the time I'm dealing with what on this site would be considered extreme budget gear, but that's what the majority of average people buy, so it is what it is.

With that said, I do think certain drivers like the b2 rampage 8 and a few others are impressive for a 8" sub. Still, imo, the purpose of a subwoofer by my definition is to play down as close to 20 Hz as possible, and an 8" diameter does not particularly help in this quest.

 

some of the best sounding subs have their Fs above 30Hz. Also... how much instruments dig under 40Hz? Why couldnt smaller like 8" sub have Fs of 20 - take a look at home speakers....
I was much more happy with my two KEF 8" subs in ported enclosure than with two JBL W15 gti in sealed enclosure... small subs were louder under 40Hz (same car, same amp, same DSP). Dont mess SPL with Freq range.

 

Pickup trucks are popular. The easiest thing to fit are 6.5s or 8s under the back seat.

 

8's have been popular for 40 years.

 

Helix: HELIX Q 15W
Focal: https://www.focal.com/sites/www.focal.fr/files/shared/catalog/document/fiche-technique-40kx.pdf
DLS: https://130.com.ua/manuals/en/Manual-Car-subwoofer-DLS-Ultimate-SP15.pdf

All High End very experienced reputable manufacturers whom do/did have the capabilities of manufacturing 15-16inch subs for -SQ-SQL.

yet literally all 3 of these key players ONLY use/offer a 10inch (only the nordica does have a 12 but thats the previous series) in there pure top of the line SQ series (Brax,Utopia,Nordica) I wonder why?


Just ask yourself couldnt AudioFischer make a 12inch Brax if he wanted to? or Focal a Utopia 12? did they already in the past and trashed them way back many years ago? again wonder why?

cone size aside they also go from 22.5mm xmax to 17mm (25kx vs 10wm) and Brax 12.5 from 14mm (Brax ML10sub vs Q10W) , same size cone,same manufacturer and better components,higher end item why less? wonder why?


perhaps there is a benefit to a lighter cone,smaller cone especially with the same basket design princible and motor etc?
depending on manufacturer some use the same motor on there 8 as they do with there 10 or on there 10 as they do with there 12 and in most cases the smaller cone has much better tonality,its not rocket science tbh.

 

Helix: HELIX Q 15W
Focal: https://www.focal.com/sites/www.focal.fr/files/shared/catalog/document/fiche-technique-40kx.pdf
DLS: https://130.com.ua/manuals/en/Manual-Car-subwoofer-DLS-Ultimate-SP15.pdf

All High End very experienced reputable manufacturers whom do/did have the capabilities of manufacturing 15-16inch subs for SQL.

yet literally all 3 of these key players ONLY use/offer a 10inch (only the nordica does have a 12 but thats the previous series) in there pure top of the line SQ series (Brax,Utopia,Nordica) I wonder why?


Just ask yourself couldnt AudioFischer make a 12inch Brax if he wanted to? or Focal a Utopia 12? did they already in the past and trashed them way back many years ago? again wonder why?

cone size aside they also go from 22.5mm xmax to 17mm (25kx vs 10wm) and Brax 12.5 from 14mm (Brax ML10sub vs Q10W) , same size cone,same manufacturer and better components,higher end item why less? wonder why?


perhaps there is a benefit to a lighter cone,smaller cone especially with the same basket design princible and motor etc?
depending on manufacturer some use the same motor on there 8 as they do with there 10 or on there 10 as they do with there 12 and in most cases the smaller cone has much better tonality,its not rocket science tbh.

I think the reason is making money

 

When I bought my first sub and amp (a 15" planet audio and harmony 800w amp for$120) getting back into cad audio after a long break I was talking to the shop owner. I told him I'd be out for a long time and was asking some "refreshe" questions 😂 he asked about my last system. His exact words when I said I had 3 18's were "we've got 8's that can put old school 18's to shame these days". He was pretty evasive when i asked if those 8's putting the hurt on ya at 18hz though 🤔😂 he almost had me thinking about running tiny subs instead of 15" or bigger 🤣

 

Don’t discount the guy that just did 147db at 17hz with a single 8.

 

I have two 8" JL subs in a custom ported box with 400watts @ 2ohm alpine amp, not the loudest setup (116db max) but they rock with accuracy.

If you dont want the loudest set (family guy) then 8" are your best choice, put a couple of them or even 3 in smallest area and have great bass.

 

IDK man..... I see more ppl with 18s&24s around here than 8s.... just saying 🤷🏽. Coming from a dude that has an 8" in his passenger footwell 😃.

 

I'm trying to figure out how to get a 15 in the passenger footwell...I thought I was settling for a tiny ol' 10 🤣

 

8" subwoofers definitely have their place in car audio...











....boomboxes.

Seriously though, this Dayton HF 8 brings surprising punch and LF extension. I'm sure a couple/few of them would be awesome for SQ purposes in a car.

 

I've had everything from 6.5's to 18s. The advantage of smaller cones it has less air movement and panel rattling (generally speaking). You can get clean bass without having the car fall apart, if you're into that.

However, there is a guy on YouTube getting 145 @ 26hz with a Sundown U6.5.

Honestly, I'd love to get a Focal SUB 5 KM to play around with, but it's an expensive science experiment.

I still use my old school Kicker 6.5s in a 6th in my office, sounds great.

 

My 8ninch front sub plays way lower than it should. My ssf is set at 25hz and it will quite handily play down to 30hz.

I've also built 6.5 sub systems that had not issue playing down to 30hz with just 2 subs.

8s these days are so big that they can displace more air than a lot of 10s through xmax over sd.

So while you give up the compactness of the driver you can still use the smaller overall box design.

Hell there is a guy on you tube doing window tricks with a pair of sundown u6.5s. Those subs have massive xmax for a 6.5.

And the z8 is supposed to use a similar surround design to reach a higher xmax than the current x8v4 which is a damn well impressive driver

 

Cone area is still king, but some people like to test that. It is always cool to see someone that has a very impressive sub stage and then you learn they are running 8's or 6.5s. A lot of people are driving pickups or SUVS and dont want to take up a hatch, or that is the only size that fits under the seat. Even on this forum, for a few years a common set up was 4 8" subs sealed. I think several ran the JBL/Infinity product with very good results.

 

It's not cone area it's air displaced.

You take 2 set ups with the same cone area but 1 has 2 motors and 1 has well 1. The 2 subs are going to have more motor force and more commonly better control of the cone considering having 2x the suspension and usually significantly less mms.

Then take the same set ups and say the 1 larger sub has 12mm of xmax and the 2 smaller subs have 24mm of xmax. The 2 smaller subs are going to be louder and have the capabilities to play lower because they can simply displace more air.

Cone area may be part of the equation but it's cone area × xmax that give the the best comparison.

And 8s are getting to the point of extreme excursion and power handling.

 

I wonder how many of the 8" fanboys are watching/following MBE.

 

God that dude is ignorant. I started watching him because of a DD review but I don't think I made the end of the episode.

He has a very basic knowledge of car audio and really doesn't build anything special

 

Crew cab trucks are now the new family station wagon, need a sub that fits under the rear seat?

 

Low profile 10s and 12s, 6.5s and 8s. The market is heavily driven by quad/extended cab pickups and what will fit under or behind the seats. Also driven by OEM replacement subs with the majority of manufacturers not going much larger than an 8 for SUV and sedan package tray systems.

I honestly don’t mind long throw 8s for hatchbacks, pickups, and small SUVs. They get loud when you want them, they are punchy when you don’t. For certain music types they are more than enough.

Tucked deep in a trunk behind a padded seat though? Probably not the best option.

 

Re Audio REX8 has an FS value of 19.8hz

woofers

https://reaudio.com/products/BOX%20V2%20PDF/REX%208%20SEALED(1).pdf

JBL GTO 804 has an FS Value of 29.6hz and there many more tbh that hit 32hz and under but I just cant see how 1 single T/S Parameter can be soo valuable especially if you go sealed.


there are plenty more but I truely dont understand where we are trying to get here? what is the concern here on one single TS parameter that is pretty much meaningless on its own?

there are plenty of drivers 8 inch that have FS values much much higher than there manufacturer recommended port tunes and honestly out of most of these drivers they are the ones that perform better in terms of SQ and SPL compared to there competitors in the 8 inch size those being Alpine Type R 8, Morel Primo 804 etc both have 42-43hz FS values and both are port tuned to 36hz and both work tremendously well for output and SQ.

Again if FS is that valuable there are plenty drivers that are 8inch drivers and have an FS lower than the concerned 32hz and actually those of all are the cheaper ones with Rex 8, JBL GTO 804 etc ,ironically the Rex8 even though its FS value of 19.8hz is actually recommending a much higher tune of 40hz in a vented box compared to the Morel,Alpine R.

 

There's always exceptions, but honestly I don't typically concern myself with 8" subs. Out of the ~50 subwoofers I've bought or sold or dealt with in the last ~year, exactly 0 of those have been 6.5" or 8" models.

 

I never run anything smaller in diameter than 15" subs in my systems for decades. I had to switch to much smaller subs because of space limitations, and I was super surprised how clean and authoritative smaller subs can be in a correct designed enclosure. I run two 8" ported. I also had few experiences with even smaller 6,5" subs - JL W3 and W0 series,...those little premature bastards are capable to impress. Of course you wont get broken ribs from those small subs output, but soundwise they are little gems (of course driver must be of a decent quality)

 

Gents please correct me if I'am wrong (I genuinely do not know just kindly wanted to ask) am I correct with the following?

Peak SPL Calculator

According to the above calculator a Brax ML10Sub will produce 111.7db at the listening position with the sub at 600rms at a 6.6ft.

add cabin gain (general rule of thumb 12db) and you have roughly 123.7db

if we take Andy's Harman target curve as our target curve he targets 10db difference between Low end and 200hz (I assume you wont have much cabin gain at that 200hz) which is the midbasses duty so as long as you have 113.7db at the front speakers your golden.

now lets see: Peak SPL Calculator
at 3.6ft from listening position and speakers rated at 87db (general sensitivity of most midbasses) and with 2 speakers you get 113.7db at 140rms per speaker with 2 speakers total.


long story short a single 10 inch (one thats as capable as the Brax ML10Sub or similiar) I assume is adequate for a front end recieving 140rms to achieve the golden target curve most are after not to mentioned the door speakers aswell as the sub will play happily with no negative effects while doing so at such power thrown at them.

I might be wrong at how I look at this (I mean the formula,cabin gain and so on) but this how I believe will end up more or less in real life.

lets take the worst case scenario and consider cabin gain 10db instead of 12db, consider the door speakers 88db at actual 1w/1mt even in that scenario the single 10 is adequate for such a front end recieving 71 rms which in actual music listening sessions if far more than enough.

 

1kW with low tuned enclosure might be on a low side regarding power except if you go IB, but that will require also a front sub or extremely capable front system....but that also depend of your goals for the system. Im not a stranger to SPL scene 😁 😇 🤘, running 10 x 15" on 60-100kW with 165+dB on music is nothing strange to me

 

Well, in all honesty, none of my system is "extremely capable" lol. I'm happy with the overall level of bass I currently have, I'd just like to be able to hit lower, ideally. I don't know, I change my mind on a daily basis. What's most attractive about the ht18v3 is the price tag. Maybe I'd like it sealed? I don't know... I've always liked ported.

If I already had an appropriate enclosure or had the tools and workspace necessary to build one then I would have already bought a new sub to try...

Commissioning a custom enclosure is expensive. In this case, the enclosure is 2-2.5x the cost of the subwoofer.

What I generally do is use whatever subwoofer(s) that I have until I run into somebody that wants to buy them for more than it cost me. Or I'll stumble upon a good deal for a sub already in a box that I would like to try (or trade for etc). This has been a fun way for me to test a lot of different currently popular budget models out recently. The downside is that it's 1 in 10000 odds of me running into a sub setup that I really, really want in this manner.

It's always fun to try new subs tho . If I ever come across some cool 8s for cheap, I will definitely pick them up and try them out!

 

Here are four high-quality SQ-oriented Dayton 8" subs (three of which happen to have < 30Hz Fs, and one slightly higher ).

All four are currently on sale for a steal of a deal. And with a 60-day return policy and 5-year warranty, you can't go wrong.
(sorry - shameless PE/Dayton fanboy )

Use code: CYBER2023 and save 12% more during the last day of the Parts Express sitewide Cyber Monday sale (through 11/28/2023 11:59pm ET).

Dayton Audio RSS210HO-8 8" Reference Series HO Subwoofer 8 ohm

Dayton Audio RSS210HO-8 8" Reference Series HO Subwoofer 8 ohmThe Dayton Audio Reference Series subwoofers take the quality and performance of the much acclaimed RS line into the subwoofer realm. As with the rest of the Reference Series, the main focus of these subwoofers is...

www.parts-express.com

Dayton Audio RSS210HF-4 8" Reference Series HF Subwoofer 4 Ohm

Dayton Audio RSS210HF-4 8" Reference Series HF Subwoofer 4 OhmThe Dayton Audio Reference Series subwoofers take the quality and performance of the much acclaimed RS line into the subwoofer realm. As with the rest of the Reference Series, the main focus of these subwoofers is...

www.parts-express.com

Dayton Audio RSS210HO-4 8" Reference Series HO Subwoofer 4 Ohm

The Dayton Audio Reference Series subwoofers take the quality and performance of the much acclaimed Reference Series woofer line into the subwoofer realm. As with the rest of the Reference Series, the main focus of these subwoofers is ultra-low-distortion. Second, third, and intermodulation...

www.parts-express.com

Home

Dayton Audio UM8-22 8" Ultimax DVC Subwoofer 2 Ohms Per CoilDayton Audio UM8-22 8" Ultimax DVC SubwooferExperience the Apex of Subwoofer DesignThe Ultimax Series of dual voice coil subwoofers, from Dayton Audio, are not for the faint of heart. Built using the latest in subwoofer technology...

www.parts-express.com