The Good and the Gross

For this post I decided to break away just a smidgen from the sound designer topic and focus on something related but still different. In my stunning Toyota Camry, I have a pair of 12" subwoofers that provide a soothing shaking effect that tends to deafen my backseat passengers and rattle my car apart. My subwoofers are four years old and have been decreasing in quality over the years. Therefore I have decided to show you two examples of subwoofers I have found: one good and one just plain gross.

Lets take the bad news first. The Audiobahn AW121T Flame Excursion is a reasonably priced subwoofer with one selling for around the $50 mark if you can find it. It seems to have been discontinued and probably for good reason. At lower volumes the AW121T can hold its own rather well. But crank that volume to more elevated levels and problems begin to erupt. The buzzing and rattling can cause headaches. Trust me here since my four year old subwoofers are having the same problem. Unfortunately these subwoofers blow out at a low wattage load as well so you many get a bang for your buck; just not the one you want. Brand new subwoofers should not be having the same problems as four year old subwoofers. This here is a problem.

But we have good news! The MTX Audio TR4512-04 is a slightly heavier and more expensive subwoofer that is worth the extra money. Now available for around $70, the TR4512 is a powerful subwoofer that can handle up to a 400 watt load. With a slightly smaller magnet than the AW121T, the TR4512 can still handle a wide variety of musical styles with ease. I think I will be choosing the TR4512 as my replacement subwoofer. Unfortunately the bank account of a college student seems to remain barren at all times. XP

Audiobahn aw121t flame excursion subwoofer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.buy.com/prod/audiobahn-aw121t-flame-excursion-subwoofer-550w-rms-1100w-pmpo/q/loc/111/203305413.html

Evans, D. (2010, March 25). Best and worst: car subwoofers. Retrieved from http://blogs.smarter.com/gadgets/2010/03/25/best-and-worst-car-subwoofers/

Mitek thunder round tr4512-04 subwoofer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.buy.com/prod/mitek-thunder-round-tr4512-04-subwoofer-250w-rms/q/loc/111/213517591.html