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15" vs 18" subwoofer - which to buy?

If price and room space/aesthetics were not a big issue, is there any reason to get a 15" subwoofer over an 18" one? My main issue is not disturbing the neighbors too much. I'm confused about the difference between a 15" and 18" subwoofer. I want to get the best sound quality possible for low-to-medium volume use.

I've heard that an 18" subwoofer can be played at low decibels and provide good bass resolution and fullness of sound, while to achieve the same volume with a 15" subwoofer, the power has to be much higher. So for any given sound volume, the main difference is in distortion- and higher distortion sound may be more obtrusive. Is this true? it seems counterintuitive that an 18" subwoofer could be better for neighbors than a 15" subwoofer.

However, I compared a B&W800 (12") vs B&W850 (15"). I listened from the other side of the store wall (not as thick as my apt), and at minimum levels which I found satisfying for HT, I found the 12" more obvious and 'boomy' sounding while the 18" produced a more subtle (though actually more powerful), lower frequency vibration, like a very low-level rumbling background earthquake. The 15" subwoofer did seem more of a disturbance because of it's 'obvious' sound. However, I worry that an 18" won't even start producing quality sound until a certain volume that was much higher than a 15", and consequently potentially more disruptive for neighbors. Is this true? What is the relationship between subwoofer size, low sound volume, and subjective listening experience?

Unfortunately, it will be difficult to get an opportunity to hear both the DD-15 and DD-18 which I am considering, so I hope someone can help out here.
no_slouch
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
Eldartford you make a good point. I know some don't understand the concept of multiple subs in a system.
I think you hit the nail on the head. This is why I have went this route.Blind folded it will be nearly impossible to point out the subs in my system.
no_slouch OP
48 posts
 
Thanks for your responses so far. I will audition Bag End and Martin Logan, in addition to Velodyne. Up to now, I am inclined towards Velodyne because of the easy built-in room correction features. I'm not sure that Revel is available in Hong Kong, where I plan to make the purchase. I will also look into the Aurios and Auralex Gramma, recommended from a previous posting.

I guess I have a very basic question..before getting into differences in speaker design, if possible. That is, is it possible for a large subwoofer (or several smaller subwoofers in one enclosure) to be effectively played at an equally low volume as a small subwoofer? I'm really not concerned about large volume sound for the medium-term, and want to achieve the best possible sound, i.e. bass extension, resolution/clarity, and fullness, at extremeley low to low volumes. All other things being equal, should i just get the largest subwoofer (or largest total cone volume, for those who advocate using several smaller cones) possible? I guess I don't understand the physics involved..

my Velodyne dealer recommends the 18" over the 15", independent of room size (mine happens to be about 14 x 35 feet), placement issues and price. he said the main reasons people would go for the smaller subs is because of price and lack of physical space for the cabinet, and that inside this subwoofer line, volume/neighbor issues are a total non-factor, since i have control over the volume. is this true at low levels, or is there a "minimum" effective volume threshold for the 18" which is higher than for the 15"?
rives
953 posts
 
I'm going to recommend something entirely different. Get 2 lesser subs rather than one big one. You can place them in such a way to cancel out certain room modes and get a much more even response throughout the listening room. I also think those with parametric eq built in is very useful, you can fine tune the one mode (floor to ceiling) that you usually can't do much about based on positioning. The Harmon Group wrote a great paper on number of subwoofers. There's a link to it on our resources page. There's also a paper we wrote on speaker placement, which includes subwoofer placement.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
If it is a question of 2 smaller subs vs one larger one, I absolutely agree with Rives. The recommendation for large cone area assumes that cost is not the deciding factor (which I admit may be unrealistic unless you are building the subs yourself). Velodynes don't come cheap.

The loss of low frequency at low volume is mostly the result of human hearing characteristics, rather than actual reduction of SPL from the speaker system. Corrective action for this is the "Loudness" control that used to be a common feature of preamps.
flemke
595 posts
 
Get the DD-15. I have mine set at 4 and have no plans to crank it up any higher.
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