Now that's a hot looking subwoofer!
Written: Nov 05 '06
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Pros: Great looking subwoofer, excellent bass performance, nice clarity
Cons: extremely heavy
The Bottom Line: This is probably the best looking subwoofer on the market, that can still provide the high quality performance that any enthusiast demands.
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| biscuitfarmer's Full Review: AudioBahn AW1200 Car Subwoofer |
I am a huge car audio enthusiast. Ever since my first car back in 1997, I have been trying to push the envelope on what my vehicles can do. My very first car, a 1995 Mustang started out with the most simplistic of sound systems, featuring a floating box for ease of removal, with a couple of 12" subwoofers and just a basic amp. I upgraded the deck, the wires, and all of that, but at the end of the day, it was still your basic sound system.
Since then I have done much more work, including a full car audio system on my competition 2003 Toyota Celica GT-S. I went all out on that car, with custom fiberglass enclosures, custom highlights, and lots of performance to go along with it, including nine 10" subwoofers, and more door speakers than anyone could ever imagine. There were amps all over the place, extra batteries, capacitors, everything. It was definitely the sport compact car audio enthusiast's dream setup.
Ever since then I have been involved in the industry, attending shows, working on comptetition cars, while trying to avoid sinking too much money into my own vehicles, as I have a son to feed now. Regardless, I have managed to create quite the impressive sound system in all three of my vehicles, and plan on doing substantially more into the future.
But the one that comes from all of this, is that I truly do know my car audio. I have tried so many different subwoofers, played around with numerous decks, and seen a large variety of application combinations that have worked and haven't worked. I have touched hundreds of systems in my years, and with that experience, I know what will work and what won't work.
AudioBahn AW1200 Subwoofer
There is nothing more exciting to me than a subwoofer than not only performs, but looks impressive. There are too many ugly subwoofers that are gobbling up the market, when it reality it wouldn't take that much effort to add a few flashes to give those subs an impressive professional touch that would make anyone proud to have them in their vehicle. I spend far too much time and effort developing custom boxes and amp racks to have to throw in a horrible little subwoofer, that products insane bass, but just looks like Earl built it in the back of his trailer. I go for show stopping performance first, and try to match it with incredible aesthetics, and Audiobahn definitely makes that task substantially easier.
When designing custom car audio setups for my friends competition vehicles, I almost always gone with the Audiobahn subs, because they truly are aesthetically pleasing, are fairly low cost, and have excellent performance. The only other subwoofer that I would use in an aesthetic setup would be the Alpine Type X, and I only use those in pure competition setups, where bass is truly needed to blow away the crowd. Besides, who really needs 2500 watts behind them at all times?
Probably the biggest issue with the Audiobahn subs is that they are so heavy, it's important that if you are using fiberglass, that you utilize particle board to secure the subs in place. These subs are no joke and will easily crack fiberglass enclosures if you don't properly support their frame. I have seen it happen far too often. These subwoofers are some of the heaviest on the market and definitely take some effort to get them perfectly in place, so I always recommend working with someone to ensure that they are properly seated or else you'll have distortion without realizing why.
Sound Quality
With how heavy these subwoofers are, I would hope that they have some sort of sound quality and they most definitely do. The Audiobahn is one of the better performing subwoofers on the market. The sound quality is quite clear, with an excellent crispness that is really only surpassed by the Alpine Type-R and the Rockford Fosgate Punch series. If you are looking for pure quality of sound, and price isn't an issue, then I would recommend using those subwoofers, but if you want the look, a lower price, all the while keeping great sound and excellent bass, then the Audiobahns are the way to go. There isn't a better looking speaker setup on the market, and definitely not a speaker setup that can provide the same performance as the Audiobahn while still looking appealing. It's a great all around speaker that you just can't beat.
This is a great low bass handling subwoofer, with virtually no distortion on the lows, however there is a tiny bit on the mids, but those can be countered with a rubber coat on the inside of your box. This comes in a spray can, and easily applied. I would apply several layers and it will gives you just enough to dampen then vibration of any box. This of course is only going to work on particle board boxes, which I would hope you are using as at least a base for a subwoofer this powerful and heavy.
Durability
Well, since this subwoofer is so heavy, I have seen them dropped more than once. It's quite easy to try and install these subwoofers by yourself and manuever them into a perfectly cut hole in an enclosure and just as you think you have it, watch it slide off the back of the vehicle and hit top first on the ground. While the chromoe will generally get scratched up a bit and possibly dented, it doesn't appear to affect the sub itself. These subs are some of the toughest ones on the market. I have seen them abused competition after competition, yet I have never seen one returned. They are built to handle the most hardcore enthusiast just like you would expect to find from Rockford Fosgate. In terms of durability, Audiobahn is right up with Rockford, if only they could resolve some of their distortion issues and lighten their product, they could easily take away a huge chunk of their market share.
Product Details
» 12" subwoofer with two 4-ohm voice coils
» carbon composite cone with foam surround
» heavy-duty cast-aluminum basket
» power range: 50-700 RMS watts (350 watts per voice coil)
» peak power: 1400 watts
» frequency response: 20-500 Hz
» sensitivity: 94.65 dB
» mounting depth: 5-5/8"
» sealed box volume: 0.50-1.50 cu. ft.
» ported box volume: 1.30-3.30 cu. ft.
» Recommended Q-Logic Box Type: 1
» warranty: 1 year
Final Thoughts
The Audiobahn AW1200V is one wicked subwoofer! It has great power, excellent sound clarity, and a crispness that few other companies can match with similar product lines. Just like the rest of their products, this one can handle some incredible power abuse, and still keep pumping out some vehicle romping bass.
Probably my favorite thing about the Audiobahn speakers is that they are not only powerful, with excellent sound clarity, but they also have an incredible look to them, which is totally professional and can add to the overall aesthetics of your vehicle. Far too often I find myself purchasing subwoofers that are less than appealing and then throwing them into a custom enclosure that I spent a few weeks crafting. If you are going to go big on design, you might as well have a subwoofer that can highlight the hard work that you put into your custom setup. The Audiobahn subwoofers will definitely do that with their truly appealing chrome. Plus they'll bump out some competition inspired bass at the same time. It's a win all around for the consumers with this product.
Car Audio/Video Reviews by Richard Ramsey
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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