# Dayton subs



## Hometheatrguru12 (Apr 1, 2012)

I have been eye-ing the dayton powered subs and im looking for some advice....

I have a yamaha 5.1 reciever and im looking for a nice but cheaper sub for my home theater. Mostly for music and movies, looking for one that puts some good bass levels out.

Are Daytons good woofers? Would a 12" be too big for me?

Thanks!


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

1st, welcome to HTS!!

The Daytons seem to be very popular with people; A LOT of people even use their amps/drivers to make DIY subs. I don't know (but very much doubt) if a 12" would be _too_ big; it depends on your room. HOWEVER, if it's within your budget I'd get it as it will have deeper bass than the 10" version (all other things being equal). :hsd:


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Welcome to the Forum. Have fun. Dennis


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

Hometheatrguru12 said:


> I have been eye-ing the dayton powered subs and im looking for some advice....


Welcome to HTS, Hometheatrguru12!

Which Dayton subs(s) are you looking at?


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

I bought a Dayton Sub-1200 for my computer audio system, should be here at the end of this week, maybe Saturday. I would be glad to share my impressions, although you'd want to keep in mind I'm using it for low duty, near field music listening. For $129, assuming it works , you can't really go wrong - it's far cheaper than trying to purchase all the components and build your own cabinet, and the cabinet looks pretty nice.

For home theater use, despite the glowing reviews, I'd really think you'd want a pair of these at the minimum, but I guess it all depends on what you are used to.


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## Hometheatrguru12 (Apr 1, 2012)

Thanks for the welcome! 

tesseract: I'm looking at the 1200.

SteveCallas: i have really never had a 'Real' subwoofer. the only one i had was a woofer from a sony stereo cd player and i had to modify it to work with my system (it really never worked, had a really dirty lfe level :/ ).

just looking for a good woofer for a good movie experience ( aka. Star Wars )


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

Ok, if you are coming from no subwoofer, I'm sure this will be great, as it's supposed to be decent to ~30hz or so. My main system has dual 18" LLTs, so I'm not expecting too much, but again, for the application, it should be fine. I'll let you know what I find.


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## Hometheatrguru12 (Apr 1, 2012)

Ok  that would be great!


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

The Dayton Sub-1200 actually got here yesterday - quick delivery. As a precursor, keep in mind my expectations were low and I am used to very accurate, capable bass. Duty is for near field listening on my computer audio system, crossed at 100hz temporarily using an Onkyo TX-NR3008.

Taking it out of the box, the sub weighed a bit less than I was imagining, and the cabinet is not well braced. A tap on the side of the sub returns a very hollow, not well damped sound. Overall, while plain looking, the cabinet is neat and tidy with rounded corners - I like it. I pulled pretty hard on the fabric handle attached to the woofer grill to try and get a look at the woofer, but it is attached VERY tightly, so I figured I'd just let it be. Port is down firing and the feet are pretty short, so in its final resting place on carpet, there is barely an inch of clearance underneath the sub. I'm going to need to fix this with something to provide additional clearance, as I'm a firm believer in having clearance at least equal to port diameter....it's going to bother me until I do.

I calibrated it to my Boston Acoustic A25s and then increased it 3db hot (personal preference), and have been listening to several songs since then. Overall impression is that the sub is relatively one-noted, and judging by ear, that one note is probably around 50hz. It's not BAD - it works, it produces bass, it has some dynamic capability at the levels I am listening at, and it isn't offensive. It is definitely a bit soft and mushy though, and the extension is puzzling to me, as I was expecting it to be solid to the low 30s, but it doesn't feel that way. It may well be the port not getting enough room, but I'm just not getting any sensation of low end bass. The Resident Evil Main Theme has a really nice repetitive bass note centered at 37hz, and when played loud on a capable system, it can tickle your stomach. With the Dayton sub calibrated 3db hot when my gain knob was at roughly 70%, I only came close to mimicking the effect by turning the gain to 100%. 

Is it better than the old school Sony 10" sub it replaced? Yes. Would I use it in a home theater for movies? If my budget was extremely tight, yes - you can't buy or build something comparable for this cheap. I would have loved this deal when I was a poor college student :R Otherwise, if you have a few hundred dollars to spend, you'd be far better off going the DIY route with a more robust driver. You'll get more layers and texture of bass from a more capable driver, enclosure, and amp, as well as more solid extension. 

I'm going to keep it, it fits the need for this system ok, and I didn't want to spend much on a computer subwoofer to begin with. What I really learned during this is how much I'm digging these A25s :clap: These white ones are 50% off at onecall - I'd highly recommend them for an inexpensive bookshelf speaker - very nuetral and pleasing.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

If i was on a budget i wouldn't hesitate to buy a Dayton powerd sub. They get good reviews and seem to be popular as previously stated.:T


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

bambino said:


> If i was on a budget i wouldn't hesitate to buy a Dayton powerd sub. They get good reviews and seem to be popular as previously stated.:T


+1. Bambino's words are EXACTLY why I recommended the Daytons. As I stated, I don't own a Dayton, but considering you can have two Daytons for the price of one BIC it seems like a "no-brainer." Also, using 2 subs will give you more than just _more_ bass :hsd: ; you'll usually get better sq all around.


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

If you're in the $260 range though, I wouldn't buy either option, I'd build a sub.


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Nice! Have fun. Dennis


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Just of curiousity what would you build for $260 that could be accomlished with 2 Daytons?


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

$260 is tight, so I'd be looking at something like a Dayton DCS450-4 and their 250 watt plate amp in a healthy sized ported enclosure. Won't be a superstar, but should have more detail and extension than a pair of the 1200s.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Great reply but I (in my opinion) think it would be more economical to buy 2 Daytons as opposed to building given the time and effort to do it DIY.


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## lucky53s (Mar 20, 2012)

DIY does offer that sense of accomplishment though. It's very tempting..... I'm very handy but have never undertaken a task that combined woodworking (I would want to build my own box) plus electronics.


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

bambino said:


> Just of curiosity what would you build for $260 that could be accomlished with 2 Daytons?


+1. I'm also honestly curious just what could be built for ~$260? I'm not a DIY expert, but I have built a sub (or two) and $260 doesn't seem like it would go very far. At the very least, you have to buy drivers, an amp AND an enclosure (or enclosure materials).


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

Your labor has to be assumed free - if not, go with the Daytons. I just want to act as a bit of a sanity check to the glowingly positive reviews found on Parts Express - the sub isn't bad, you can do worse, but it isn't nearly as good as they have made it out to be. It's definitely a good sub for the price, but if you want to start getting into multiples, you should consider other options, as your extension will still be limited, and it will still sound a little mushy.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

I have to agree with Steve, if you just need a single sub at a price point, the Dayton fits the bill. Don't spend for multiple Daytons, get instead one sub capable of true 30 Hz or below performance.


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## Hometheatrguru12 (Apr 1, 2012)

Update!!!:
ended up with a Sony SA-W2500 for 5 bucks at an estate sale   here is the page for it http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...mnrf8G&usg=AFQjCNGMV4PDwAID8l1928mI_MB5OpEKlA.

Works great! Now i know what real bass feels like


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## turkishvalo (Jul 5, 2012)

I love dayton audio. I have a couple 10 in Titanics


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## pharoah (Jul 21, 2012)

you dont see much about the model anywhere.i really like the sound and output of my dayton c1500k.


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## DaveCarrera4S (May 27, 2013)

I wonder if multiple 12" Dayton's (or Monoprice) subs would provide a good low end experience?


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## DaveCarrera4S (May 27, 2013)

Might check this out 15" Home Theater Sub Powered Subwoofer 600W Sub15F. A 15" for $200 is something to consider. I just bought one...still putting it through its paces. :T

http://www.onlyfactorydirect.com/p-1266-15-home-theater-sub-powered-subwoofer-600w-sub15f.aspx

Theater Solutions Sub15F Home Theater 600 Watt Powered Subwoofer Specifications
Ported Powered Subwoofer
15" High Efficiency Low Frequency Front Firing Transducer
400 Watts RMS and 600 Watts Max In Cabinet Amplifier
23-150Hz Frequency Response
24dB per Octave Crossover
High Level L/R Input and Output Spring Terminals
L/R RCA Inputs
Variable 23Hz to 150Hz Control Knob
Gain Control Knob
0 or 180 Degree Phase Switch
Built-in Auto Shut Off
9' 10" RCA Cable, "Y" RCA Adapter and Full Instructions Included
Dimensions are Height 21 1/8" x Width 18 1/2" x Depth 17"
55 Pounds
This Price is for 1 Powered Subwoofer


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## BoomieMCT (Dec 11, 2006)

I wonder if it could be parted out easily? Assuming this has the 12" DVC driver (which I thought it did) it could be repurposed into something like this. The bass wasn't crushing loud, but it was articulate and went as low as the expectations in the OP. 

I know the 8" Dayton sub is cheaper than the parts alone.

_edit: The old 12" sub had the 12" classic woofer. I don't know what this one has, but I'm sure it could still be repurposed._


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## jon96789 (Mar 21, 2013)

I built a subwoofer using the Dayton RSS315HF-4 and a 500-watt plate amp... You could probably get the subwoofer and the 250-watt amp for $300. Build this and you will know what real bass is... My 500-watt puppy killed my previous Polk PSW650 and Def Tech SC6000, and they cost $1700 combined.


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