Ok, alot of people have been talking crap about Audiobahn. While I'm not about to be their posterboy, I am quite skeptical on the base claims everyone is making.

The biggest reason is because I run an audiobahn sub. Would I put this sub in my ride? Hell no, but if you compare the two, you can see there are obvious difference in quality. I don't like all of audiobahns products, but I can recognize the stuff they do that is worthy.

Now I know, all that chrome. All show and no Go, right? However I'd would bet that most of you have "heard" that audiobahn sucks, without actually ever hearing them. Forget the thick baskets and high sensitivity and any other thiele-small specs, and the fact that chrome plating is actually fairly cheap to do.

Sony also has a bad rap. I will agree that both Sony and Audiobahn's full range of products aren't the best you can get, but I am here to say that not all of their offerings are crap. I still prefer Alpine, Boston, and Polk Audio over most anything else, but I have used these products (sony and audiobahn) and have found them undeserving of the crap people claim they are. Sony has really been improving on quality.

If audiobahn is ****, then why does my cheap *** "not worth a dime" sub rattle my side mirrors, anything in my center console, my head liner, and every piece of plastic trim in my truck? Oh, and I run the gain at about 50% too. I want to get this thing metered, I'm in the 120's for sure with a sealed enclosure.

I don't expect anyone to say "Ok, I was wrong" but I do invite anyone to say exactly why [brand x] sucks.

 

I know it people always hating on audiobahn, i like their stuff alot and Polk b/c i can afford this stuff. I dont want that pricy stuff that claims "its the best" and emptys your pockets i jus wanna a good thumpin sytem not breaking windows stuff(doubt that would fit)

What vehicle is this sytem in?

 

For the most part its the same as why do people hate chevy, gmc dodge. Some have legitimate reason, MOST do not. People are exremely biased in this world.

 

I use to own Audiobahn I dont have anything against them I just dont prefer them.

 

I own a pair of the sony 10s and absolutely love them have had them about 2 years and sun the **** out of them and they still keep on rocking. I'd love to own a pair of Audiobahns, but just can't see a reason to change right now. I love it when people ask me what type of subs I am running, and then see the look on there face when I shrug and say Sony

 

my friend had two 12" audiobahns running off of 800 watts and it rattled the **** outta his truck. i built the box and installed everything and it ran beautifully. kept up with another friends 2 jl subs in a jl wedge box.

their subs rock, havent heard components though.

 

lol, cheaper doesnt mean worse. One of my polk 6x8's blew, and my lightning audio's are still going strong. Too bad Lumadar isnt here to see this

 

I personally have not heard Audiobahns but I know a few installers and a few audiophiles that have and say the SQ sucks. No one says they can't get loud or shake your truck but SQ is a whole other story. Most of your average music listeners don't know how to listen for SQ. I won't say the Audiobahns are terrible because I've never heard them....but I do trust the people I know.

 

first of all, just because a sub can make something in your car rattle DOES NOT instantly make it a good sub...

as far as audiobahn and sony being ****, i'd disagree as well. like you said michael, they may not be as good as alpine, polk, etc etc but they are absolutely decent. My 2nd and 3rd decks were sony decks, and my first sub/amp combo was sony. it rattled my seat, so it must have been good ;o)

seriosuly though, it was definitely decent, and i was never let down by any of the decks or the sub/amp i used.

 

What I define as a good sub/speaker/amp, would be if I heard it, and I liked it, and it served the purpose I needed served, then it is good to me. I don't really care if you think it is good or not. There are some brands out there that just don't sound good to me, or are too expensive for the sound. That doesn't mean I won't try out different lines they have, or even just a different product. I will try just about anything.

If it does what you need it to, and sounds good, then it is good to you.

Brand loyalty is stupid. There are certain brands that I tend to buy, but that is because I have had experience with them, and I know that is what I like, and what I can afford. I am open to just about anything.

 

SQ (sound quality) is SO much in the ear of the behearer... (as opposed to eye of the beholder )

When I bought my sub, I had a regular cab to contend with. So top mount depth was a major concern. I also has a MTX 801D mono amp(800+watts RMS @ 2ohms) so I needed something with plenty of power handling. Now the same amp and sub are in my supercab (obviously in a new box).

Could I say I got the best sub possible? Probably not. Could I say I got the great sub for the price, and initial needs? You bet! If I bought a new sub today, would it be an audiobahn? Probably not, but if they have the best offering for my current needs, then sure. Most importantly, if I went shopping I wouldn't just turn up my nose at them because of their name or chrome.

That's the point of this thread.

Yeah, Lumadar needs to show up, so we can butt heads about overpowering again. But I doubt he'll make it over "to the dark side!"

 

if you wanna see some in action go to www.realmofexcursion.com and the videos, you can see all brand and installs

 

hehe michael ive been trying to get him over here, but he thinks everyone will hate him since he was a mod on genedge heh.

by the way - he blew his 3 12" jl's 2 days ago (seriously)... overpowering is BAD!!! ;o)

 

Underpowering is worse :)

 

I hope your kidding, if you are then ok :D, but if you arnt then i feel sorry for you

Audiobahn is okay once you get to their higher end subs like the eternal and immortal, another reason people bash on them is they try to put more money into chrome than r&d, they also steal other designs for products from other companies, i dont remember which ones but they were going through a law suit a little while back, they might still be in one. but there are many reasons people dont like aBahn,i would take my Sub over about any sub made because its a beast
<---

 

Underpowering a sub is one of the fastest ways to wear it out....clipping ruins a speaker because it causes heat to build up. Most subs are under rated as far as power handling so they can handle a little more that they say....I'm not saying to give 2000 watts RMS to a 1000 watt RMS sub.

 

Well Mark is welcome to show up. There may be some initial static from the crowd if he was a dick over at GE (I got banned shortly after he became a mod so I don't know), but it's all for good fun over here....

But yeah, overpowering. It's good for SPL but you will lose integrity eventually. Yeah, more drivers probably die to "underpowering" which really means "over driving (volume) a underpowered system", I.E. Stupidity.

Then there is the fact that you have to double wattage to gain 3 dB. So sometimes it's not worth it, unless you like replacing speakers... I think he's on his third set of subs and speakers to my one.

 

my brother runs 2 12's audiobahn and he loves them.

They sound so nice i dont understant who would put them down.

 

Better not listen to your music at low volumes then! "Sorry Honey" <cranks up stereo another notch> "Gotta keep my system fresh".

To be precise, underpowering itself is not the problem. Its when Bill and his 200 watt sub tries to out pound Ted with his 1000 watt system. Both at the same volume, Bill's system will probably release the magic smoke first. (And it's really hard to get it back into the sub). But if they both use the same 300 watt sub, then Ted's coil may eventually overheat, or his suspension may start to loosen after long jam sessions...

But underpowering a system is just fine, just as long as were not talking 5 watts to set of Alpine F1 components. Not enough power to efficiently driving that monstrosity of system.

Very Important. Underpowering does not equal clipping. Only turning the volume up too high to compensate, can drive the amplifier into clipping. Then it's the SIGNAL not the power level that causes damage.

But if I had a subwoofer rated for 300 watts, I'd rather give it 200 watts, than 600, simply because I'm not made of money.

I'd feel safe with good name brands to be in the 200-400 watt range, maybe even 500, but more than that, I would probably start saving for another sub sooner than later.

Best general rule of thumb: To match your RMS Ratings. Especially if you buy from like quality, or even the same brand for all your components. Then you will have products practically made for each other, instead of claiming SPL and replacing your system once or twice a year (Your milage may vary)

 

nicley put, underpower is fine, its the retards who want it to be louder but dont care about distortion aand blowing their speakers, clipping creates a flate sine wave where as a regualr one is round at tops, when the wave is flat at the top the sub goes out and stops which burns the voice coil because its not moving, then it goes back in and stops where it also burns because of no moving, but a regular is curved at dop so it dosent sit there in one spot for no time, its right back the other way( if i explained it good)

but i would rather have an amp that does more power and turn the gain down to match what power i want, (and to all of those people that think the gain is a volume i feel sorry for you, because my friend does and he has blown a couple subs, he is like "let me go turn my amp and bass boost all the way up its not loud enough"


and not to be mean or anything, but i wouldnt dare give an Abahn sub 300-400, my SX i was running at least 300 watts over rms(because my amp is under rated it does at least 1300x1 and rms on SX is consertively rated at 1000, but they can handle 1400 daily an XXX will handle 2500, and an MT will take what u give it and be happy more than its rms except for the eternal and immortal because those would be able to take it i believe

 

audiobahn is garbage and thats my opinion and the opinion of about 85% of mecp installers. Its very cheaply made and i could install some DUAL brand subs that will rattle your mirror doesnt take make my door speakers rattle the hell out of my mirrors.

Its all show and no go ill give that they hit........with very crappy sounding bass. Even their high end line sucks. You can get a 2000W rms sub for 110 bucks on ebay.....Funny cuz orion makes their h2 which is like 1000w or 1500w rms and its HUGE and their like 400 bucks. Or their amps that are 4000W and you can get them for 300 bucks. Lets look at a real 4000W amp it probably wouldnt fit in your trunk and probably would cost more than your car. Their subs look cool but imo audiobahn is nothing more than a flea market bargain

 

i've heard audiobahn in only a handful of cars/suv's.. and wasn't impressed.. i just dont like their quality, nothing about them impressed me. yes they cosmetically look good, but that was it.. even with that said, i can't take a sub seriously when theres flames imprinted all over the magnet and basket, etc (personal taste, and a small dislike to flames, thats all, lol). quite a few times ive also seen their stuff constantly being sent out for repairs.. their amps in particular seem to not hold up.

we just rebuilt a box for a guy who had 2 sonys (forget which model)in his reg. cab s10, i was actually impressed to hear how well it sounded when it was done (damn those cabs are small though!!! my knees were hitting the windshield almost, lol)

 

s10's suck to work on....I dog sony but the p5's impress me alot they cant pick up alot of low notes like alpine but they hit hard, audiobahn well just sounds like ***

 

yeah the s10 wasnt hitting anything incredibly low or anyhing, but for the little space we had to work with for the sony's, it sounded tighter than i thought it would, which was a nice result

 

I have a friend....He owns a Jeep Grand Cherekee(sp?)....you know the ones that are all pimped out on 20's...well he has 2 12" Audiobahns in the back...i think....and holly crap....that thing sounds awesome. I think he has the entire inside dynamated(sp?).....When he has it crunk.....and your sittin in his Jeep....your hair moves cause of all the air thats bein moved by those things.....it rocks...

I think its all in the way you set a system up....Audiobahn doesnt make crappy stuff.....its that people dont do the right things to make Certain speakers sound good.