"Cult
of the Infinitely Baffled"
IB Subwoofer (aka IB subs)
Notable
"Quotables"; aka users impressions
of their IB subs
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From Phil
Hinton, taking about Shockabuku's
not yet EQ'ed Bat Barn 4 Fi IB 18" sub
The IB subs are absolutely stunning!
There is no other word I can use that would be accurate. However downstairs they
do look odd. I note that one so called subwoofer expert who has his muses
published in HCC, had the nerve to post not only the most condescending thing I
have ever read on these forums, but also show himself up in the most
embarrassing misinformed way possible. His criticism of the subs just showed to
everyone he hasn’t the foggiest how these things work. Let me say the MDF
boxes and there fixings have been lovingly built in great detail and secured so
hard that our journo friend would even be able to hang from them no problem.
They are secure and well engineered.
I have heard many systems in my time, not a boast, but just a simple statement
of fact as my role allows me the chance to see some stuff costing what most earn
in a lifetime. Only the very best boxed subwoofers (from manufacturers most of
us have only heard about) could compete with these IBs. I have heard better –
but at about 10 times the price level! The beauty of Mark’s bass is that it is
so understated for 60% of the time. They just breathe away. Its hard to describe
in words but they are so subtle at times you forget all about them. However this
is what subwoofers should sound like. There is a mass of headroom in the system
dynamics thanks to the way these IBs work, so unless the dynamics call for it,
they remain understated and perfectly balanced. The bit that makes you sit up
and take notice is when they are called in to do their job! Boy that is an
experience that you just don’t get with boxed subs costing the same as
Mark’s set up here. The sheer force of air being moved and a performance that
actually does go lower than 20Hz (many claim it, only a handful actually do
without distortion) is smile inducing. I swear I had a grin on my face most of
the drive home and was planning how I could introduce IB to my system at home!
Shockabuka's impressions of his
sub.
Actually, I'm a bit peeved I used up
all my superlatives when I posted my thoughts on the first manifold. Adding the
2nd has had exactly the effect I had hoped for. The same deeeep death-bass is
still there, but even more effortless. Significantly, the mid-bass (I'm thinking
50-60hz or so) is where I'm really noticing the biggest improvement. Listening
to Daft Punk's Discovery album, switching the subs in & out demonstrates
just how well they are integrating with my Sonus Faber main speakers. With the
subs in play, you can feel all those midbass beats in your chest, as tight as
you could want them..bam bam bam. Switching out the subs results in a
comparatively lifeless sound with weedy dynamics (I used to be quite pleased
with that sound...not anymore ). With the subs back in, and listening to Daft
Punk's "Superheroes", I'm getting that fantastic tight mid, and then,
about a third of the way in, the deeper stuff comes in & the tactile
sub-bass associated with a floor-mounted IB comes into play. Marvellous .
As I'm typing this, I'm trying out various tracks. MJ's "Billie Jean"
is definitely improved with the 2nd manifold. That bassline running through the
whole song is now significantly tighter, with a real distinction between each
note. That's the kind of bass I really enjoy, fast, tight, bottomless. I can't
really get my head around how big 18" drivers can do this, especially when
they're hardly run-in, but they do.
I've had a quick play with some test tones. Unfortunately, the tones only go
down to 10hz, which these things are quite happy to chuck out, which is the
point at which I turned down the volume...I'm not sure the structure of the barn
was going to be too pleased with a sustained 10hz 
.
In the interests of science though, I'd like to get my hands on some lower tones
to see just how deep these IBs can delve. The existing frequency response in
this room is patently not flat at the moment, so equalisation will be required
(I'm planning some REW measurements soon), so that should improve things still
further.
Anyway, needless to say I am thrilled to bits with these subs. If anyone is
contemplating going IB & is not sure whether they're worth the hassle...I
would say get off the fence & do it! I dread to think how much I'd have to
spend to get this kind of performance in a commercially available sub, if indeed
it's possible.
Right, I'm off to listen to some more music, and then try out some movies, where
the real terror begins!!
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From htnut, 4 Mach 5 IXL
18"s
The sound is incredible. When Nicktf
was over to see what he could expect from his IB build, I was fooling around by
the entertainment center while some bass heavy bit was playing on the HD DVD. I
was standing directly under the IB and could not place the IB in space. It just
seems to emanate bass that is correct regardless of the source or where your
ears are placed.
Output is prodigious. My lovely wife and I watched Final Fantasy, the Spirits
Within the other night. The opening scenes give the impression of a lot of
vibration in a scene by moving the scene around on the screen. Of course, the IB
followed the huge bass waves beautifully. Wife was bitching about the room
shaking. That means the IB was definitely working properly.
It is not like any boxed bass I have ever heard.
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From nicktf, 4 Fi
IB18"
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THIS IS THE MOST
AMAZING THING I'VE EVER HEARD IN A
HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you can't tell I’m incredibly
excited, ha ha
I have not yet equalized anything and the sound produced by these 4 18"
woofers is beyond phenomenal. I've been searching from something that is able to
both give me the details of bass guitars and harmonics generated by rhythm
guitars while being able to produce infrasonics, kick drums, etc., all at
terrifying levels with amazing clarity, and I've finally found it. The clarity
is unreal, but not as unreal as the weight and quality of the bass. SPL? TOO
DAMN MUCH FOR MY HOUSE!!!!!!!! Watching transformers is now an exercise in
brutality, but not at all overbearing like my previous high quality DIY box
setup, like things are really really happening and creating natural sounds in my
living room. My DIY setup was impressive, this IB setup is 4 times as tactile as
it was and understand that the DIY box setup moved about 3 times as much air as
a velodyne 18" model at 20hz (tuning of the DIY setup). The IB is louder,
cleaner, and realer. I honestly just can't describe it but being all the hard
work that went into it I was simply ecstatic to hear the results!
Building the box in place under the crawl space wasn't too bad but I'd suggest
if you're not a bigger guy and have a bigger friend at your side that you
consider building the box outside (I’m about 200lbs and so is my buddy who
helped, made things a lot easier moving around the baffle boards with the
woofers in place in the crawlspace). I ended up with some gaps, some as large as
1/4" by building in place and being far from an expert wood worker but
having sealed them up with caulk from the inside and outside air is not leaking
through these areas. And if it is then it's not anything I’m noticing with the
amount of output coming from this system. I did manage to bridge adjacent floor
joists also to prevent any horizontal movement in them. Even at higher levels
there is almost no vibration in the manifold boxes at all, simply amazing!!! The
house however is another story but it seems to be all coming from sound
pressure. Pretty much everything moves on every surface of the house when things
get cranking, ha ha!!!
Once I EQ this setup and calm down from the overall excitement it's generated I
will report back with a more detailed review of the system.
Anyone on the verge of going with anything other then an IB just do yourself a
favor and pull the trigger. I just can't imagine doing anything else. Sure you
could build a behemoth ported box utilizing four 18" woofers and have even
more output but I assure you that you will not be able to use it considering
this IB can produce more spl then my new construction very well built home can
tolerate!!!! My living room is 22 x 12 but opens up to the entire living area
(kitchen, dining room, entrance) to the house and has a 10' vaulted ceiling. I
estimate the volume to be around 3000 cubic feet but it's quite a bit more
considering the rear opening. My home is very very very well sealed however as
it breaths through a hepa filter filtration system, something my home builder
does so this may have some influence on my results.
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From Troy S, 2-Tempest-X
15"s
Dad wanted to watch King Arthur on
Blu-ray yesterday so we did that. The PQ wasn't anything spectacular, but man
that scene where they do battle on the ice and it all starts cracking, I thought
the house was falling apart. Awesome!!
Also, I'm really surprised at how much better music sounds. I don't tend to
listen to a lot of music on my HT; I'm usually watching movies or playing games.
I threw some stuff at it yesterday though...and wow. Not sure how to describe
it. It was just significantly better.
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From snapper, 4-Fi
IB18"s
If like me you sat the fence on this
whole idea for a while, read all the glowing reviews from people that made the
commitment to build one of these subs, and couldn't figure out the right way to
get there, well if there's a will there's a way, and it's way worth it. I had
such high expectations for this sub since I started looking into it last
November. I spent a lot of time reading through this great web site, and I think
that is critical to gain the knowledge to do it right. Everything didn't go
exactly as planned, but was in the end pretty easy to implement.
I am coming from an hsu 3.3 and it really shows how anemic a box sub is
especially when it comes to home theater. I had a friend over to listen to the
fully dialed in sub tonight and I asked him " do you think your box sub can
do that? ", he said, " that's impossible" ! And it is. There is
no way a box sub could simulate that kind of realism and power. We just had to
kind of sit back and laugh. The waves of energy are really something you have to
experience to put it in perspective. And once you do nothing else will satisfy.
And this cost me a total of about $1000. Sure, you have to build it yourself,
but there's a lot of satisfaction from doing it yourself and it's a lot of fun
if you want it to be.
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From carvernut, 8-AE
IB15"s
after watching a full movie using
the IB, i came to realize what i had been expecting of the IB to do was
completely wrong...
it's not in your face, drowning your ears in thick sloppy bass... to quote the
Benne Geserate sisterhood. "... you glimpsed the iron fist within the
glove"
it's subtle, hardly noticeable... adding incredible realism and depth where
before you only heard the sub struggling to perform in a constricting box to
give off something, to justify all that money you paid for it... the result? a
loud, brash in-your-face sound that 99% of all people consider bass.
But when you get down below a certain threshold you feel as though you have awakened
a sleeping dragon. a ripple of vibrations sweep over you, shaking you to your
very core.
Explosions give the sense of true shell shock, not just a loud boom buy your
traditional sub... but a true shaking of your very being, bluring your vision
and trasmiting a true blow to your very bones...
and organs... wow... just wow... the richness... i thought my old sub had
depth... just this IB now adds a true beauty and majesty to these awsome gods of
instruments. No longer simply assaulting your ears... but the very waves of air
seem to sweep over you... engulfing you and seeming to impart the true feeling
of the player and composer. In true the very soul of the organ is felt and heard
truely as if you stood before one, humbled at the pure majesty and grandeur of
these truly marvelous beings that we call organs.
If you want bass to drown out your speakers... don't get a IB system... it's not
what you want. But if you want something so perfect that it enriches even the
high-pitched flute... something that makes your system come alive and seem to
live and have a soul... enriching everything you listen to... IB's don't blow
you out of the water at 60hz... they don't rattle your head at 50hz... they
don't ripple your clothes at 40hz... but... at 30hz... then the party begins...
don't get me wrong... they add something very special and utterly fantastic in
afore mentioned frequencies... it's just not their forte... it's like playing a
low B flat on a trombone and a low B flat on a sousaphone... same note but its
ohhhh so much richer and mellow on the bigger instrument. But when you go to an
IB... you hear things you never knew existed on your conventional system...
subtle things yet... it adds so much.
and the rumbles and groaning in the Bridge scene where Aragorn and Frodo are on
the crumbling bridge in Lord of the Rings... holy crap i had trouble breathing
at the energizing of the room... it was scary at how much was there that i never
knew was there and that i had been missing out on... it's so real as if i could
feel the boulder drop into the bridge... i felt the slam and shudder as the
rocks gave way and dropped a thousand feet into the void.
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From avusm3, 4-FI
IB18"s
I watched the Live Free Or Die Hard
bluray last night. All I can say is OOOOOOMMMMMFFFFFGGGGG!!!!!!
Let me reiterate........HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!!!!!!!!!
Audible orgasms all around!!! That soundtrack is NUTS!!! From the very beginning
of the movie it was great. The scene with the terrorist shooting up the
apartment was awesome. Every time he fired I could feel the rounds pulsate
through my chest!! The whole movie blew me away. Hell, the scene at the end with
the F-35 was too much for words here. First the F -35 flew by....very nice.
Then, he started shooting at the semi and took out the freeway. As I watched the
freeway collapse down it felt like my ceiling wanted to do the same
thing!!! That is a GREAT scene.
Brings a tear to my eye thinking about it. I am sorry, I just can't say enough
about them! Every movie night I have had so far has been completely amazing. The
subs just make you feel so immersed in the movie. It's great to see my wife and
roommate who don't really care about audio or the project get so deep into the
movie watching experience now. Only one problem: Going to the theater is going
to be pretty tame in comparison. Eh...screw the movie theaters! I have a great
display, killer audio, and the comforts of home! That's why we do this right -
that and a slight chemical imbalance!
This sub does sound like a different beast from when I first fired it up. It
sounds MUCH better. I think I am getting everything set in pretty good. My wife
finished the braiding last night and I will run the wires most likely tomorrow.
Also, since tomorrow is my "Saturday" I will run the near field
measurements and post those.
For the price of the subs, the amp, and the wood I would put this setup up
against ANYTHING doubling or tripling the cost easily. I have heard some high
end subs (local high end stores) and nothing compares so far in my experience.
This has really opened my eyes.
Thanks for all the knowledge of everyone here and those that helped along the
way. This sub is everything I could have hoped for. Also, thanks to Scott at FI
for making subs like these available to people that don't have loads of cash.
Especially thanks to Thomas W for starting the "Cult of the IB". The
descriptions really sold me on the project and made me sell my RL's to pursue
this route.
If you have ever thought about going IB "JUST DO IT"!! It will not
fail to impress!!
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From mtbdude,
4-AE-IB15"s
Late that same evening (11pm) I have a Radio Shack digital SPL, with that 1m
from subwoofer I got a blinking 126dB, then my wife came down
stairs and said "what the heck have I created?" 
and further said "I must have spent too much $$$ to get sound like
that". Nah, just about $1,300 total + labor.
So, subjectively - I'm 110% + satisfied with my IB sub, and can't wait till
carpet/acoustic treatments are in, and then I can really dial in the sub via EQ.
I can't imagine how much "better" it can get, the sound is so clear
yet powerful now. With my room "open", we don't have the dual french
doors installed, still amazed at the power of the IB sub.
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From drtrina, 4-Fi
18"s
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Here are a few things that were running through my head:
1) What have I done?
2) Why is my chest feel like someone is hammering on it?
3) Why are dishes falling off the wall at the neighbors house?
It was utterly amazing!
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From Ed W.
I have 4x 15" drivers and the
output is stonking. You can play the explosion in Hitch Hikers Guide to the
Galaxy (which is all around 8Hz) with some serious wallop. Windows move and the
ground shakes... You need to factor in some active EQ to get the best out of an
IB, but these things often go flat to 20Hz and you can tune them flat down to
10Hz... Run them up to 80Hz or so easily and you will be stunned by the increase
in quality on the main drivers now that they are unloaded (my main speakers
barely move now, so linear distortion would have dropped correspondingly, stereo
imaging is much improved as a result)
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From Bob S., he has a 2 Tumult IB
"Well I have been infinitely
baffled !!! Tis a sweet thing ! It will take you places you have never
been......It will also turn your attic (or crawl space) into a speaker cabinet,
this is all fine except from the wife's point of view. (I am not sure what
happens if you live in town !!)"
"I forgot to mention one other unexpected
bonus. The sound stage gets gigantic with the IB, It is hard to believe how much
it changes the sound across the whole audible frequency range. Vocals,
cymbals...everything ! I guess most instruments and vocals have fundamental or
harmonics way down there......anyway got that all for free as I was only
expecting more bass !!"
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From Mike K., he has a 4 Avalanche
18" IB
"In conclusion, I am convinced
that this is the way to go for bass, sounds much better and far less muddy and
confused then I’ve ever heard in any system before. The fact that the IB is so
much faster (so to speak) and the attack decays so quickly is what caused the
perceived treble and mid brightness, in retrospect most of what I was hearing,
or should I say, not hearing, was this built up lingering bass energy that I had
with the Sonosubs. Now I had to re-train my ear-brain to understand the
phenomena that I was hearing, the more I listened, the more I liked. It’s so
amazing just how much good clean low bass will effect the entire spectrum, I had
no idea what I was missing until I lost all the slop."
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From Javier H., he has a 4
Cerwin-Vega 15" IB
Really. I don't think anyone can tell you how an IB sounds. You really have
to experience it to become a convert (yes, a member of the Cult, indeed). I
can't even begin to describe it, other than saying this is truly the most
perfect bass reproduction system I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.
It's simply transparent.
One thing I always thought was that bass would be "weak", and lack
the extra punch a vented design has over a sealed one. I was truly incorrect. I
have a 2 12" vented sub, ported at 20 Hz, and it sounds like a weakling
compared to the IB. Not to mention the fact that bass quality is a lot lower.
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From Ed B., he has a 4
AE-IB15" IB
Thomas and Cult Members, I have finally completed my AE IB15 IB
Sub (minus some trim work) and all I can say is WOW!! This is the most
articulate bass I have ever heard. It sounds great with music and still pounds
your chest when the movie calls for it. Thomas (and Noid), thank you for
emphasizing the need for 4 of the AE IB15s for my setup, I may have gotten by
with less, but the bass I am getting with this setup is incredible and I am very
happy I went this direction. Previously I was going to utilize a couple of
Outlaw M200s to power the IB15s, but I went ahead and picked up a EP2500
instead, nice amp. I also picked up a used DSP1100 Pro. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Derek., he has a 4
AE-IB15" IB
Like so many others, just wanted to
say thanks to Thomas & friends for spreading the word. Finished my IB almost
a month ago. No questions. Straight forward. Great bass. Actually I
"temped" one up in a doorway, circa 1990 but never got around to
building the real thing. Recently I was building a new room with a storage area
behind it, when I found this site. Would have built the room then built a couple
of boxes if I didn't find this site. Total Homer moment..
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From Joe, he has a 2
PE-IB15" IB
I just can't help it & must
admit I need more. I have had my IB in now for about a month or so & it is
perfect, but Damn it if the IB Gods wont quit calling me. I have made up my mind
to build number two ASAP. Don't get me wrong what I have is really plenty,
though there have been a few times I've pushed it pretty close to the drivers
limits. Given that most of the time I don't or can't (kids sleeping or
neighbors) listing at the levels that get me near the drivers edge. I just can't
resist the temptation for more, & the comfort of not running the drivers so
hard for the same levels with more of them. I thought at first just two drivers
would be enough though I did wont to use four in a single manifold, but couldn't
do so because of being against an exterior block wall on one side of the
manifold. So now I'm will be putting in another manifold on the opposite side of
the room to match.
Anyhow I just wonted to rant some, & say my thanks again to everyone here
for turning me into an IB junkie. I'm off for another fix, & will be
stepping up the dosage very soon ;)
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From JLowe, he has a 2
Avalanche 18" IB
The preliminary results are insane.
I moved from dual SVS 16-46 PC+'s, wow, who knew they were falling on their
faces so much! If the SVS pair could be called impressive, then the IB is simply
scary. Where I was scared to pump the SVS up for fear of it bottoming, I'm now
scared turning the IB up for fear of bringing my home down on top of me! Thanks
for all the help
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From Silent Woods, he has a 2 Avalanche
18" IB
The output of the IB is REALLY impressive! The
bass is far clearer than I could have imagined at the volume that it can play. I
don't hear any distortion at all from the drivers, even when I come close to
clipping the amp. It's just extremely clean and loud.
Any misgivings that I had about the
IB not being musical are totally gone. The bass is so clear and tight and pure
sounding that all the music that I've tried tonight sounds better than anything
I have heard in any home theater system yet.
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From Denver Doc, he has a 2
Avalanche 18" IB
Hello all! Happy to announce I have
my IB install with the 2 avalanche 18's up and running in my crawl space. Man
talk about tuneful. This has both slam and rapid decay--its quite unlike
anything i have heard in home audio--no bloat or "lumpiness" at all.
Even the pair of sealed and P-EQ'ed Infinity subs using 1.5kW a side sounded
mushy and slow by comparison. Been a discussion over at Madison bout the ideal q
and f3--lead thread extolling the virtues of Q=1 and Fc of 40 Hz. Man what
nonsense IMHO. This rocks, rolls and simply flabbergasts. My only misgiving is
lack of body slam versus a big horn aimed at your chest as the bass is
vertically directed. At the mouth of the IB opening, the transients could snuff
out a road hazard flare.
IB rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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From Zedguy, 4 Tempest IB
he built for his uncle
Over the past few years I have built
subs including Tempests (ported and sealed), the passive radiator Stryke HE 15,
ported AV 15 and most recently a sealed JBL SUB1500. All have performed
admirably in their various applications but nothing comes close to the Tempest
IB. It is the deepest, cleanest bass I have ever heard.
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From Prototrax, he has a 4 DB
Drive PL15D4 IB
I will never go back to a ported subwoofer if I
can help it. The bass is smooth and well defined. You can actually hear
different notes being played on a bass guitar. Compared to the sound of my old
subwoofers, these new ones lack the "muddiness" of the ported boxes.
This was a move in the right direction.
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From JonFo, he has a 4 Stryke
AV-15" IB
OK, I've had it for less than a week, but the
thing just blows me away.
We just watched Terminator 3, and it about shook
the house down. And this house (and the HT) is glued and screwed together; every
joint in the place has expanding foam in it. The drywall in the HT has screws
every 6 inches, and it still made the place shake (and a few rattles I'll have
to chase down).
A good IB beats $8K worth of Velodynes any day.
It made my MartinLogans really rock. I now have
bass that can keep up in terms of clarity, speed and volume.
It is the *best* damn investment I've ever made
in Audio. Thanks for all the support on this site.
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From Phillip H., he has a 2 Dayton
IB15" IB
I'm a bass guitarist and have been for a long
time. One thing I have never liked about home theater subs is that they tend to
"mush' the bass. With this setup I could hear every little subtlety in the
bass playing. It was like I had my Eden cab in the corner and was jamming along.
Then I decided to try a home theater
soundtrack.....
Hmmmm... Finding Nemo has some pretty fantastic
bass....
Put in the chapter with the girl tapping on the
glass.
--- insert sound of Phil's jaw hitting the floor
---
Holy freaking crap - unbelievable. (but what's
that rattling - oh, I have to move that DVD shelf).
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From need4speed, he has a 2 Atlas
15" IB
Its surpassed all my expectations...it sounds just awesome....my
previous 220L sub couldn't come close to how this sounds. I'd recommend that any
DIYer that has the space try this.
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From Brady A., he has a 4 AE IB-15" IB
When I first fired it up it sounded ok but something was
missing. I kept running downstairs and turning it up a little each time. I was
playing the same song the whole time and decided to toss in rough boys 38
special. When the song started it scared the crap out of me. It felt like mike
tyson (young version) was punching my stomach. Then I smiled and played it again
and again and again. The reason I thought something was missing in the first
tune was because there was. What was missing was all the bloated crap coming
from my old sub,and I was used to that sound. As many have said before you have
to sort of relearn how to listen to the new sound,kinda like breaking your ears
in. Also you guys were right about the amount of detail a bad sub can cover
up,what I can hear now is simply amazing.
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From Rick, he has a 4 AE IB-15" IB
But back to the IB - FANTASTIC!!!! I hung on to my Seismic 12
because of a healthy dose of scepticism need less to say - it's toast - buh bye
- I'm selling it.
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From Kdd, after installing
3 of his 6 TC-Sounds 15"s
Holy crap! This IB may force me to rebuild my room; the bass is
phenominal but shakes the crap out of the structure. At 10Hz to 16Hz, the floor
feels like an earthquake; no need for a buttkicker any more.
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From Maurice, after installing 4 AE IB-15" IB
I Got the subs, and spent some hours
late last night installing them, I have amp issues, but even so all i can say is
WOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!
But i have only spend like 600dollars, the bass is incredibly clean and it hits
hard fast and deeper than i imagined. "eagles hotel California" dts cd
is amazing, a few scenes from "event horizon" made me queasy, and
"matrix reloaded" is just ridiculous!!!!
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From Chrisbee, 4-AE IB15"s
The IB now produces effortless bass as low as one could wish for
[<10Hz]and as loud as one can physically endure [120dB+]. The original
clarity has increased further and the interplay between deep organ notes has
become markedly more complex. Beating between the large pipes is suddenly very
noticeable with the frequency of the beating woven into constantly changing
patterns as the pipes chuff or gently breathe themselves into life, change or
hold pitch then die away again. The true timbre of the great pipes is now
revealed with effortless clarity.
On the briefest of notes one can hear the attack, sustain and decay completely
without conscious effort. On certain organ CDs the whole house shakes to
incredibly loud and very deep bass. One senses that the audible organ is
superimposed on a heaving sea of infrasonics. The inaudible tones of which
manipulate the voices of the great pipes to an unwritten score. The IB manages
all this with nothing more than a few small millimetres of cone motion. Usually
cone movement is invisible and only touching the surround gives any sense of
vibration.
Drums have become much more realistic with great depth and occasionally, real
shock value. Electronic, electric and acoustic bass now have enough muscle to
satisfy a hardened fairground ride operator or habitual head banger. From
nowhere the IB thunders with massive authority, almost malevolent weight, to
disappear into inky silence just as suddenly.
The sense of incredble weight is the hardest thing to describe about the sound
quality of an IB. A small fraction of a second is enough for single deep note to
convey a huge mass rising and falling instantaneously but with stupendous
gravity. The IB does this regularly on pipe organ and electronic synthesised
bass. Not only does the IB manage this in a fraction of a second but it speaks
to you with great clarity how the note began and how it swelled and was
sustained. Whether the sustain was level, or dipped and rose again. Before dying
back to decay into nothingness. Nonsense! (You say to yourself) How can such a
short note produce this strange effect of immense weight? I'm afraid the only
way you will hear it for yourself is from a True Infinite Baffle Subwoofer.
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