18" T30s vs 2 QSC KSubs and some 120dB+ 18"+30" T30 Vids

[Jasen Chandler]

I decided to start a new post as the other one wasn't quite to the point. A lot of people on these forums read all the hype about the Tuba Subwoofers and look at a bunch of charts and wonder how they really sound and what kind of output they have compared to other alternatives. Well we had the opportunity to setup in a 48' x 22' LDS Church multi-purpose room. I took 2 of my QSC Ksubs and 4 T30s, a set of 18" wide and a set of 30" wide. We stacked the 18"s on top of the 30"s and V-Plated them. They were not corner loaded and were not near a boundary in fact they were almost in the middle of the room. The 2 Ksubs were setup next to each other under the table we were using. The only reason we setup was to test how these subs sound in this size room.

The Gear Used:

2 -- QSC K10 powered speakers
2 -- QSC Ksubs powered subwoofers
1 -- Rane Mixer
1 -- DBX Driverack PA+
2 -- 18" wide 3012lf loaded T30s
2 -- 30" wide 3012lf loaded T30s
1 -- Samson SX1200 amp
1 -- Macbook Pro 15" with Virtual DJ and iTunes
1 -- Dell Inspiron with Traktor and iTunes

You get the idea.

My Driverack has several presets the presets we used today were K10 + Ksub where the Ksub is low passed @ 90Hz and the K10s are high passed @ 70hz. There is no delay or equalization and K10 + T30 where the T30s are high passed @30Hz and low passed @ 100Hz and the K10s are high passed @ 65Hz. The K10s are delayed the length of the horn path in the tubas, there is no equalization.

The next thing I'll note before we move on is that the K10s are amazing speakers. That that much sound comes out of them seems to defy physics. They are clear and neutral sounding. They get very loud and have good dispersion/ I love how light weight rugged and easy to setup they are did I mention they sound excellent and have power for days? The output you get with them is just awesome and their sound off axis is really good. There just wasn't a place in the room we were in tonight that had bad sound, they are able to get quite loud with out exibiting the harsh compression sound that most PA speakers have, especially near field.

KSubs:

The K subs are great, they fit under the table so with a table skirt in place you wouldn't even know they are there. We were able to get to 100Db with them without much trouble. The sound is clean and uniform. They were adequate for this size room and would have gigged just fine. They can be had for around $1,100 shipped. The construction is excellent the finish is tough and setup is a real piece of cake and they are just about impossible to blow.

What I don't like is they really drop off quickly around 45Hz and are really boomy around 60Hz. The Deep switch is useful at really low (back ground) music levels but at higher levels it is just best left on normal so the subs don't sound hollow at higher volume. I think most if not all small gigs or weddings can be handled with the 2k10 2ksub solution.

T30s:

There is a lot of hype surrounding these subs and hoe AMAZING they sound especially considering the low cost. I love my 18" tubs they are very light and easy to move. The 18" is easy to move and super light. The 30 inch wide are rockin, but unless you really need it the 18" is a great compromise and easy to pack mommy.

The T30s are tight sounding, super efficient and go lower. Everyone their tonight agreed they sounded better with the tops with the delay on.

To keep a long story short the 18"s which are similar to the Ksubs in size handily destroy them. The T30s are so efficient and just absolutely thump. I love them and am glad I built them.

Here are some videos for your enjoyment. I didn't do graphs or charts or whatever as I didn't have time.

This first video is the KSubs, it shows the position of the Meter close to them and around the room, the mic is distorting but the bass IRL was very full and good. They couldn't reproduce the 30ish HZ low note in this song. This is all they can do without starting to bounce off the limiter, at this volume there is no head room left. In each video we move around the room to demonstrate the high levels of SPL in the room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9alv2mNxnrI

This next video is of the 2 18" wide tubas, they are stacked on top of the 30" and v plated not wall loaded at all. The song is different but the results are pretty much the same as with the song we played on the KSubs. The BIGGEST difference here is that not only are the T30s laying waste to the Ksubs but they are doing with a lot less power and TONS of headroom. Boundary or Corner loading these provides even more output . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28nEi_yR3b4

And finally we played all 4 except it was only 3 of them because the Speakon on the bottom right tuba didn't get twisted in. The levels in this room were intense during this video. The bass was loud and clean, they subs blend super good with the k10s and they are just monsters. These subs have a TON of headroom and are just so darned efficient. I am quite happy oh and can you say 130Db??? They do 110+ in room easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV8c8Va6Lxw

This setup just owns about everything out there that is comparable.

If you have the money to build and the patience then you should do these!

[DJPhatman]

And all in the "no-no" zone

Stick them in a corner, or at least less than 2' from the wall.

[LelandCrooks]

Thanks. The number one request is real world comparisons. And without proper placement, which is problematic sometimes, they still performed well.

[Jasen Chandler]

We purposefully set them up away from any boundaries and firing right into the room to get more of an apples to apples comparison. Even placed this way they provided chest pounding bass at as you saw triple digit SPL. I failed to mention how crazy these will get when they are corner loaded, the visceral nature of the bass is akin to the best clubs.

I am going to build 4 more 18" wide 3012lf loaded T30s.

On a side note I have an associate that has T24s and another that has T48s. You can't beat the portability of the T24s and the T48s, just a pair of them really put out the bass. That said, for music playback I wouldn't own anything but a T30. I would venture to say that 4 18" T30s would provide enough output for 90% of the venues a mobile DJ will encounter. The system is modular, scalable and when V-Plated and corner loaded they are just crazy.

Years ago when I had my other mobile rig I had to bring out 4 dual 18" JBL subwoofers and a 200ish pound amp rack to get this kind of low frequency output. Gone are the days of chasing down 3 or 4 circuits to power the rig, pulling a huge trailer behind a van and taking hours to setup and tear down.

[loudsubz]

Good stuff, thanks for posting. I love watching youtube videos on the BFM designs to get an idea of how they actually perform, thats my biggest peave is not being able to watch/listen to them in real world applications.

When I am done my tubas I am going to do the same.

[loudsubz]

what version of "Put on" is in the first video? Is it a dance remix?

[Jasen Chandler]

I believe it from one of the ultimix disks.