Better than the stock, and worth the $28?

Romeo Wolf

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I thought instead of getting another Bluetooth Speaker which might turn crap eventually, I decided to go with the idea of using an aftermarket subwoofer for my Aiwa Exos-9 since the stock sub might be a bit damaged, or is just a weak 20W dud. It distorts at boosted frequencies (45 & 60Hz) especially at low volumes. I accidentally managed to make it distort hard on a speaker blowout video where the bass on big woofers just launched out of nowhere and pushed the subwoofer on my Aiwa pretty dang hard. It shook the closet, but left me with slightly more distortion. I had the EQ on with bass at 12+ Db at the time. It was also at low volumes since I was cautious of loud spark noises, but man the bass got me and the subwoofer. It goes low, with bass reflex. But it's kind of Sony SRS-X55 screwed up (watch Clavinetjunkie's video)

Now, I am looking at Dayton audio as it is a great place for a replacement subwoofer. I see they've got a nice DC160-8 6-1/2" subwoofer for $27.99. 8 Ohms (as the original sub said) 34Hz free air resonance, 86 Db Sensitivity, 5yr Warranty, 100W Max. (Original sub and 4 other speakers 20W, so 80-100W total and not the BS 200W claim) Richer bass, cleaner. Ferrite Magnet.

The thing I'm most concerned about is the bass and distortion. I play a shit ton of bass heavy music (Innovative Bass Collection, DJ Magic Mike, DJ Iceman J, Bass Mekanik, etc) and the stock subwoofer goes deep into the 30s (I use it in the closet, so that explains it) while it does go deep, It's already distorted. I always have it at low-medium volumes yet the bass is +12 Db. The new Dayton subwoofer should be a big improvement over the stock. Especially with the EQ off.

Will this Dayton DC160-8 handle all the bass I play, especially with the bass maxed out on the EQ, keep clean sound and go deep at the same time? Let me know in the comments! If not, why not suggest me another aftermarket subwoofer that will meet my needs? (Keep it under $100 please!) Thank you!

Note: my birthday is on July 26th and I want to make replacing only the subwoofer as much of an improvement as possible to meet my specific needs. Everything else is fine.
 
Will this Dayton DC160-8 handle all the bass I play, especially with the bass maxed out on the EQ, keep clean sound and go deep at the same time?
Maybe, maybe not. Depending on the levels you want to play, you might still quickly reach the limits of the Dayton speaker element, the amplifier powering it, or both. Also, if the sensitivity of the Dayton speaker (86db) is less than the sensitivity of the original element, you might find the bass is reduced.
 
I love Bass, and I laugh at the thought of a six and a half inch speaker being able to produce enough bass to satisfy me, much less make me happy.
If I were you I'd save up for at least a 10 inch, 12 inch would be better, and the 15in might actually make you happy.
 
Mr. Wolf, as someone who also listens to such things as Bass Mekanik I can tell you that any 6 1/2" so called subwoofer is not going to give you the sort of bass you're trying to get.

Boosting the bass by the 12dB you mentioned is only going to cause the amplifier to clip and result in distorted sound.
 
Search for a used 10" or bigger sub if you want to keep the price under $100. I have found good older subs for well under than amount, recently got a Yamaha for less than $50 and got a big Axiom that needed a new capacitor for $65. Make sure you test them first.
Of course these will be too big for your closet.
 
Another thing -- I didn't follow what system you've got, but if it's the same Aiwa as that disassembled in a video you posted in another thread, its subwoofer element has two voice coils, one for each channel. The Dayton DC160-8 element has one voice coil, which means you can hook it to the left channel or the right channel, but not both. I.e., not a suitable replacement.
 
"With great power comes great bass" - Voltaire

"Cerwin Vega, for people who care more about good bass than the structural stability of their building." Gene Czerwinski

"There's no replacement for cubic inches." Dr. Emmett Brown
 
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Search for a used 10" or bigger sub if you want to keep the price under $100. I have found good older subs for well under than amount, recently got a Yamaha for less than $50 and got a big Axiom that needed a new capacitor for $65. Make sure you test them first.
Of course these will be too big for your closet.
He could use the sub as a stool to sit on while in the closet!!
 
Another thing -- I didn't follow what system you've got, but if it's the same Aiwa as that disassembled in a video you posted in another thread, its subwoofer element has two voice coils, one for each channel. The Dayton DC160-8 element has one voice coil, which means you can hook it to the left channel or the right channel, but not both. I.e., not a suitable replacement.
It's the same model, but a different unit.
 
I love Bass, and I laugh at the thought of a six and a half inch speaker being able to produce enough bass to satisfy me, much less make me happy.
If I were you I'd save up for at least a 10 inch, 12 inch would be better, and the 15in might actually make you happy.
I've got Sanyos with 16-inch woofers. They're pretty good I'd say.

But the enclosure is only suitable for a 6.5" woofer. Anything bigger than that won't fit.
 
If it's the same model, your proposed Dayton DC160-8 won't work as it's a single voice coil. You need a double voice coil unit, with each voice coil 8 ohms.
I'm struggling to find something like that online. Most of them are only 4 Ohms.
 
I've got Sanyos with 16-inch woofers. They're pretty good I'd say.

But the enclosure is only suitable for a 6.5" woofer. Anything bigger than that won't fit.
Is that it in your closet in your avatar? Sure looks like more will fit. Otherwise, all you can do is not expect to have decent bass.
 
Is that it in your closet in your avatar? Sure looks like more will fit. Otherwise, all you can do is not expect to have decent bass.
I use an Aiwa Exos-9 in the closet, and that's where the subwoofer would need replacing. The Sanyos are enormous, so there's no way in hell they would fit.

You mean my avatar? Hell no! It's not in the closet. It's actually in my bedroom where my two home theater systems are. That's a very underrated Zenith 711B Powered subwoofer with the strange power switch no other unit of the same model has. It's the kind where you have to plug it in, but it's not Bluetooth (bc it's very old, 25W RMS, $8)

The aiwa is a Bluetooth Speaker, with a subwoofer built-in. It has dual midrange and dual tweeters. Thousands of 5 star ratings mean people love it. Me? ...It's questionable for one bleachy audiophile who-he-was-to-never-get-enough-bass kind of person who's struggling to find a powerful and suitable replacement subwoofer.
 
The aiwa is a Bluetooth Speaker, with a subwoofer built-in. It has dual midrange and dual tweeters. Thousands of 5 star ratings mean people love it.
I'm sure it's great for its intended purpose, and that's why people like it, but that purpose isn't mind-puddling bass.

Similarly, I like my SONOS -- it's a great replacement for a clock radio in the bedroom -- but it will never achieve the sound quality and thumping bass of a proper set of speakers.
Me? ...It's questionable for one bleachy audiophile who-he-was-to-never-get-enough-bass kind of person who's struggling to find a powerful and suitable replacement subwoofer.
I think you want to be looking for a proper set of stereo speakers, a substantial amplifier or receiver, and a powered subwoofer.
 
Just so everyone is clear, this is the Aiwa Exos-9 that Romeo is referring to: https://aiwa.co/products/aiwa-exos-9-bluetooth-speaker

It's a bluetooth speaker. It's not giving him mind-blowing bass, so he wants to replace the large driver in it.

Romeo: You will never get mind melting bass out of an Aiwa Exos-9, no matter what components you put into it. It wasn't designed for that. It doesn't have nearly enough power on board to do it. I would not pump any more money into it. Just step away from it, and enjoy it for what it is.

Big, low bass comes from big woofers, hooked up to big power. The easiest way to get this is using a dedicated powered subwoofer like the 12" Dayton SUB-1200. It will cost a little over $100, and it plugs into the LFE or "sub out" of a integrated amp, receiver, or preamp. It's designed to work with other main stereo speakers. It has it's own amp onboard so it doesn't drain any power from the stereo amp. It will make the sub included in your Zenith surround sound system wet itself, then collapse into oblivion. And the Dayton sub is considered a low, low budget model. Better subs, costing $500-$3,000+ will be light years better at laying down deep, powerful bass.

So again: do not try to get big bass out of your bluetooth speaker. Do not try to hook up a powered sub to your bluetooth speaker. Yours doesn't have the right connections. You need a receiver, integrated amp, or preamp/amplifer, connected to two stereo speakers, with a dedicated powered subwoofer (in its own enclosure, with its own amp) connected to the preamp. And please don't listen to this system in your closet.
 
I would not pump any more money into it. Just step away from it, and enjoy it for what it is.
I can just give it to family, and for Christmas get a Yamaha YAS-207. I'm doubtful that Anyone here likes soundbars, as this "Bluetooth speaker" comes with one. The soundbar may not fit in the closet, but the subwoofer is shaped like a Bose Acoustimass module (only smaller, like my Zenith in my avatar) it also costs the same, at $300 for hopefully deeper richer better sound.

Here's a pretty fun review for this one:

I'm out of options. So for now, I could just wait till my birthday to pick a vintage receiver, get a Bluetooth receiver, and play anything into my sanyos from there. Moving my Sanyos into my bedroom is a challenge, because we have a two-story home, and the fact that they're huge and have to weigh 100+ lbs. They have massive thunderous sound w/bass reflex and the $40 I spent for them can't be beat! Who needs a subwoofer for that?

Model: SSV16 (*RARE*)

I can change the avatar to my sanyos. Should I do it instead of the baffling Zenith subwoofer?
 
I can just give it to family, and for Christmas get a Yamaha YAS-207. I'm doubtful that Anyone here likes soundbars, as this "Bluetooth speaker" comes with one. The soundbar may not fit in the closet, but the subwoofer is shaped like a Bose Acoustimass module (only smaller, like my Zenith in my avatar) it also costs the same, at $300 for hopefully deeper richer better sound.
Almost certainly not. It may have poorer bass than the Aiwa; at best its small subwoofer will be roughly the same. There's only so much undistorted bass that you can squeeze out of a small cabinet and smaller speaker element. The key to strong, clear bass is moving a large volume of air. A small speaker and cabinet simply can't do that.
 
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