Image Dynamics IDQ10 V2 D4 Car Audio Subwoofer (dual 4 Ohm voice coils)
Written: Mar 16 '04
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Pros: Superlative sound quality, economical volume requirements, and relatively low power requirements.
Cons: Rear of subwoofer is not as aesthetically pleasing as the front. Limited power handling.
The Bottom Line: An extremely well designed car audio subwoofer with impressive depth, accuracy, and musicality. SQ over SPL.
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| wk446's Full Review: Image Dynamics IDQ10 Car |
Image Dynamics IDQ10 V2 D4 Car Audio Subwoofer Review
SPECS:
- 10 inch car audio subwoofer
- Version 2 of the IDQ line from Image Dynamics
- dual 4-Ohm voice coils
- 250 watts RMS power handling
- 500 watts peak power handling
- Suitable for sealed and ported enclosures with small volume requirements. Recommended sealed enclosures of only 0.35-0.7 cubic feet.
- sensitivity rating of 89.9 SPL
- mounting depth of 5.25"
- Xmax: 13.2mm
APPEARANCE/BUILD QUALITY
The appearance from the front is quite striking with the flat cone and the silk screening of the Image Dynamics logo. However, by looking at the rear of the subwoofer, one would never know the potential or quality of these drivers. The blue paint used of the magnet structure and spider appears slightly cheap and the wiring connectors are not as beefy as expected. However, the overall construction appears quite good, e.g., how the rubber surrounds attach to the cone, the metal stamping of the spider, to name but a few.
INSTALLTION SPECIFICATIONS:
I have 2 (two) IDQ10 V2D4 subs mounted in a custom sealed fiberglass enclosure in the trunk of a BMW E36 sedan, firing upwards. They are wired into a 4-Ohm mono load driven by two bridged channels of a Arc Audio 4150 XXK amplifier (roughly around 320 Watts RMS conservatively rated). Each subwoofer contains 0.62 cubic feet of physical airspace plus the addition of fiber fill to bring the overall volume of each enclosure to 0.70 cubic feet. The subwoofers were set at low-pass 80 Hz 12 DB/O. The volume recommendations (0.35-0.70 cubic feet) and depth of the speaker at 5.25 inches, make subwoofer construction quite flexible. As mentioned before, both subwoofers were mounted in a sealed enclosure. Since the E36 sedan is notorious for such a well-sealed trunk, the subs vent into the cabin area through the factory mounting holes left by the removal of the rear speakers - thus I run solely front stage with subwoofer rear fill. Even though my vehicle is quite well insulated, additional sound deadening materials *must* be used - panels will vibrate. The subwoofer installation was done professionally.
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:
JVD KD-SH99 Head unit
a/d/s 325is Separates
Arc Audio 4150 XXK
Dynamat Extreme sound deadening material
High Quality cables and connections
LISTENING IMPRESIONS:
My subwoofer listening preference is primarily for accuracy (quickness, weight, and extension). I listen mostly to acoustical and vocal jazz (Diana Krall, Holly Cole, Molly Johnson, Sting), but my music collection varies - from well recorded rock/pop (Bryan Adams, Jack Johnson, John Mayer) to Moby, New Order, and even 50 Cent.
I value my hearing so I do not listen to music at extremely high levels. The dynamic range of jazz and classical music is quite high so I do turn the volume up to make sure I can hear the softer passages at a reasonable level. I expect my audio system to reproduce dynamic passages as realistic as possible.
That being said, I am extremely pleased with both the performance and installation of these subwoofers. Their "quickness" contributed to very satisfying musical reproduction with very low distortion.
Their "presence" surprised even the installer who noted: "they (the IDQ10 V2D4s) have the weight of 12s with the quickness of 10s." He was very also quite impressed. He was very surprised by their low frequency extension. As a pure SQ (Sound Quality) subwoofer, I would definitely recommend that you take a listen.
** These subwoofers were not available to me in Canada. I did a great deal of research on them prior to purchasing them - messaging other owners, reading many forum messages, etc... The internet is full of "interesting" opinions so please do your research first. Based upon my research, I purchased them without first auditioning to them - something I generally do not do or advocate. I still have an ear to ear smile on my face every time I go for a drive.
- Dennis
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 125.00
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Epinions.com ID:
wk446
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Member: Dennis
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I am a self-professed audiophile. I enjoy communication, fine food, automobiles, technology, and photography.
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