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Of subs, weight and bad backs...


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So after a long hiatus I may finally be getting back into a gigging situation. They already have PA on a stick (looked like SRM350's or 450's) so I was thinking it might be good to start getting information on subs. Problem is I had a car accident about 6 years ago and my back has not been the same since. I seem to be able to lift 50 pounds without problems but am worried about pushing it past 75+ Lbs.

 

Something that could cover 200 people would be overly adequate IMO and I would want to start off with a single sub. So is there such an animal that is relatively light, good sounding, decent thump and somewhat compact for under $1250ish. I was thinking passive would be the way to go though I like the convenience of an active box. However, I would rather lug in a 70 Lbs passive box followed by a 30 Lbs power amp rather than one box at 90 Lbs.

 

I am probably asking for too much but thought I would throw out some feelers.

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I've also been looking at devices to ease the load. One thing you may want to consider is an equipment "lift", called a "stacker". Some serve as combination carts/hand-trucks, and are made of various metals, including light-weight aluminum and magnesium.

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I had seen the LS720P's and the JBL PRX618S on the manufacturers websites. Both are under the 75 pound limit but was hoping someone knew of a comparable passive box at about 60 Lbs. I was really hoping Yorkville had an unpowered version of the LS720. Looked like the lightest passive box they offer would be the LS608 at 86 pounds.

 

Equipment to help move the box is a great idea but I will still need to lift it into/out of my vehicle as I don

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If the box is to small you will have to lift it into your car/truck. BTW, what type of vehicle do you have? Depending on that, a little larger box like MRX/SRX can be tilted into a truck or van and then either slide or end-over-end into the vehicle with very little lifting involved.

Thats how I do it, I need rather lightweight subs/speakers and cant dead lift any of them do to the pressure on my back. Dont try to carry them either, get a folding AL dolly for about 25-30 bucks, works great. Or a 4 wheeled caster board but for subs I find a dolly works better.

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The car in question is a hatchback sports car. It has a decent amount of space between the front seats and where the hatchback starts. In the past I have removed the front passanger seat to fit speakers that were too tall for the hatchback space. I will obviously need to do some measuring before making a purchase.

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Well I did say "relatively lightweight" and it appears there are decent options that are already under my weight limit that are active boxes. I don't think it's out there then to wonder if there might be passive boxes that would be a bit lighter.

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The car in question is a hatchback sports car.

 

My Hyundai Elantra hatchback, while not a sports car, will easily swallow a compact 18" sub with the back seats down, but it's certainly not an easy proposition. That's because I have to lift the sub straight up practically to my waist, then lean over and place it inside in order to get it over the trunk lip. It's awkward and it places a lot of strain on my back.

 

It is so much easier putting them in my van. I only have to lift them a little, then knee them in. That I can do myself without a problem. It an 18" sub is going into my hatchback, I look for help. I think that's your solution if you must move an 18" sub in a hatchback car, no matter how light it is.

 

70 pounds seems to be the point of entry for anything that thumps. 70 pounds is really light when you think about what this is.

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While it is about 15 lbs lighter than the PRX618 and the MRX518S. And 25 lbs ( approx ) lighter than the SRX 18" subs, it's performance is a little less, at least in terms of the written specs. Max SPL is 126 db and efficiency is 91 db. If that works for your needs, then it would be a very nice sub. You may need two, whereas with a SRX, you may get away with one. The EV ELX118 passive is $500.00 and weighs in at 70 lbs. It states a 134 db max SPL with an efficiency of 96 db. Pretty dang good deal for an all wood sub with an 18 built by a renowned manufacturer. However, this line is brand new and as yet, there has been no true life field experience with these. So, could be great, or, may not live up to expectations. If I were in your shoes and buying a passive sub, I'd be looking hard at the MRX or the EV. Great price, good stated specs, light weight. Not SRX performance, but less weight and cost.

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Well I did say "relatively lightweight" and it appears there are decent options that are already under my weight limit that are active boxes. I don't think it's out there then to wonder if there might be passive boxes that would be a bit lighter.

Proel makes a passive version of their Flash 15 sub.

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Can't seem to find much on the Proel 15 inch sub in the states.

 

I don't think I would go the cheap route. I would rather buy once, cry once (if there is something that will actually fit my needs). Eventually space would become an issue if I needed 2 subs to do the work of 1.

 

Doesn't anyone else make a decent passive 15" sub? Surprised JBL only has the one. Would prefer to go with Yorkville but that's just personal preference.

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The physical size between a 15 and 18 is 3" in diameter, really not much when you consider the box needs to be of a certian size to reproduce good low end. Why not just consider getting an 18 like the rest of the world? 15's aren't always the best choice for Sub info. But box tuning has a LOT to do with how a driver does IRL.

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