Bass guitar speaker as subwoofer?

[ppataki]

I have just finished my last DIY dual-opposed subwoofer project where I used two Lavoce SSF082.00L drivers and I am really satisfied with them. I am now venturing into building a second subwoofer for my main system in the living room
I only have space in the back of the room for an 8" subwoofer cabinet so I am thinking about building another dual opposed subwoofer but this time using four 8" drivers
I could very well use the SSF082 drivers again but on the other hand I would love to experiment with other drivers too

I accidentally bumped into this Lavoce NBASS08-20 bass guitar speaker and the simulations look really good, even vs. the SSF082:

At 500W (that is the max amp power I have) it would yield almost 101dB at 24Hz which is 1dB more than that of the SSF082 (red is the NBASS08, orange is the SSF082)
The only potential drawback I can see on all the simulated charts is the fact that at 500W the NBASS08 would be operating at 81% of its xmax vs the SSF082 at 60%

Another contestant is the Lavoce WAF082.00 (yellow) which would be 1.5dB shy (74% of its xmax)
It has polycotton surround instead of rubber which gives a much stiffer behaviour that I generally like, hence it ended up as another potential candidate

The normalized curve looks like this:

(but I guess this does not take into account the sensitivity)

I would appreciate any comments/suggestions, especially with regards to having any experience using a bass guitar speaker as a sub
Thank you

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

Guitar driver NBASS08-20 has advantage in sensitivity and almost nothing as downside. Subwoofer driver SSF082.00L can reach just a little bit lower, if it is your priority. Lavoce WAF082.00 can't go low enough.
I have build subwoofers with bass-guitar drivers with good results - better sensitivity than "ordinary" subwoofer drivers (which was important in those projects), but not suitable for home-theater duty (25 Hz output, etc).

 

[ppataki]

Thank you @Vladimir Filevski for your comments
Have you tried the bass guitar speaker in a sealed or a ported cabinet?
I am asking since my experience with sealed cabinets (I have built 15+ now) is that even if I use for example high Fs drivers with them, I can take them as low as I want with a low shelf filter or a Linkwitz Transform filter as long as I remain under xmax and within my amp's output power (depending on the SPL need, of course)
So that's why I did not rule out the WAF082.00 since based on my experience it could go low too in a sealed cabinet with adequate DSP and amp power
This is also the reason why I observe the custom amplitude response curve when doing simulations - it will show me how much SPL I can get at a given frequency with a given input power (respecting xmax in the meantime too)

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

I used them only in ported cabinets because high SPL was essential for those applications. Of course, if you are getting good performance with closed cabinets - why not? My experience with Linkwitz transform: it is good solution only for very specific applications.
I am strongly against using drivers which are not intended for low bass output (such as WAF082.00) for subwoofers duties. Too numerous reasons for that, to elaborate here.

 

[ppataki]

I used them only in ported cabinets because high SPL was essential for those applications. Of course, if you are getting good performance with closed cabinets - why not? My experience with Linkwitz transform: it is good solution only for very specific applications.
I am strongly against using drivers which are not intended for low bass output (such as WAF082.00) for subwoofers duties. Too numerous reasons for that, to elaborate here.

I will be able to share my experience about that later on since I will probably go for that model
Exactly for the same reason: to see why not (or the opposite)
I know it sounds silly but that's my way of experiencing and learning

 

[DVDdoug]

EQ/DSP can extend the frequency about as low as you want but +6dB requires 4 times the power and +12dB requires 16 times the power. The SPL output at the lowest frequencies is limited.

I'm not saying that's "bad". All speakers involve compromises.

The lowest note on a standard bass guitar is about 42Hz so most bass cabinets, and most "pro" subwoofers used live and in dance clubs don't go much below that. The compromises involved allowed for more total bass output.

 

[Sokel]

Bass guitar cabs are usually hipassed at about 30Hz or so.
Subs main strength should be below that,I mean 30Hz is about the range of a modest 3-way.

Pro drivers used in such cabs also suggest hipassing at 30Hz (or higher,depending the application)

Pros are high SPL,durability (big voice coils is a must),etc.

 

[ppataki]

Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated!
After thinking about it thoroughly I have placed an order for the NBASS08-20 drivers
I got scared by the 78Hz Fs value of the WAF082.00 driver to be honest...
The NBASS08-20 has an Fs value of 55Hz while the SSF082.00L has 52Hz so they are very similar from that perspective
I will create a new thread for this project once the speakers arrive

 

[DaveFred]

Did you ever measure the NBASS08-20-8?

I am curious how it would work as the woofer in a three way...

 

[ppataki]

Did you ever measure the NBASS08-20-8?

I am curious how it would work as the woofer in a three way...

Follow this thread and you will see soon:
Thread 'Using four bass guitar drivers to build a dual opposed subwoofer project' https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...build-a-dual-opposed-subwoofer-project.56479/