Little known brand, great subwoofer
Written: Apr 08 '06 (Updated Apr 14 '06)
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Pros: Excellent design/performance for the money
Great sound, good output
Durable and well made
Cons: DVC version would be nice
Terminals could use an update
Some people need their "bling"
The Bottom Line: Great performance from an inexpensive sub most people have never heard of. I definitely recommend them to anyone concerned with performance over looks.
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| adam728's Full Review: Dayton Audio Quatro QT210-4 Car Subwoofer |
I had heard many great things about Dayton's Quatro line of subs, and in the home-audio world they are a very respected name brand for bringing great performance for little money. They don't waste money on flashy logos or huge chrome baskets, they spend it only where it counts, in the design. To people like me that is great, you can get an affordable subwoofer that performs as well as some costing nearly twice as much. To other people they are ugly and far too plain looking.
After much debate I purchased a pair of Dayton Quatro 8's almost 2 years ago. I was driving a regular cab S-10 at and was very limited on space. I had a single JL Audio 8W-O in there at the time. When these subs came I swapped one in to replace the JL. I was surprised that the Dayton (with no break in time) was hitting as hard as the JL and playing low notes with greater authority. This wasn't surprising though, as Dayton has a greater x-max and can move more air. As the sub broke in and the suspension loosened up it could really outperform the JL.
Shortly there after I finished my new ported box for the pair of 8's. Wow, was I surprised. I'm not going to claim they were crazy loud or anything, but they had some nice output for a $100 pair of 8's. Powering them has always been a SoundStream amp putting out 300 rms at 2 ohms. I tried a few different box setups (all custom made) and found that a smaller ported box seemed to work the best. Dayton recommends 0.5 ft^3 for porting, and I'd say that's right on the money. I tried going a little larger and tuned lower to gain a more powerful low end, but all I did was lose some of the punchy bass up top. The smaller box worked great.
Since then the subs have made a home in my Jeep. I ran the pair in a down-firing box with 0.33 ft^3 per sub. Nice, extremely clean, and output did not start to fall off until below 35 hz, which is good for some sealed 8's. After deciding I needed more space in my Jeep I made a custom box in the center console for just one of the subs.
http://www.sounddomain.com/ride/2168056/2
For the money I don't think you'll find an 8 that can outperform this one.
Some pro's
*Shallow mounting depth helps it fit in cramped install areas. It lists as 4", but I have measure mine to be 3-7/8".
*Good linear throw, 9.5mm of x-max might not sound like much in today's world of super subs, but for a cheap 8 it is a lot of displacement. Comparable Rockford and JL 8's only have around 7.5mm of x-max, so they displace nearly 30% less air than the Dayton, limiting their output capability.
*Light weight cone and moving parts. The moving mass on the Dayton is 52.7 grams, with is 5-10 grams less than most comparible 8's. Lighter moving mass means the sub will have quicker response to changes in the music than a heavier cone with the same strength motor.
*And motor strength. This can help determine how well the sub controls itself. A strong motor usually means the sub is capable of clean output even when pushed near it's full potential. Again, the Dayton beats basically any other 8" sub costing less than $100.
*Quality materials - rubber surround, coated cone, vented pole piece, 4 layer voice coil. Mine have lasted 4 years in far less than ideal conditions, and have even been rained on. The coated cone does not absorb any water at all.
Con's
*Spade connectors in a world where everyone seems to have a quick connect of some sort. Spades work fine, but seem cheap. The larger size Quatro's have spring connectors.
*Many people hate the plain black look. I personally love it, especially for the "stealth" install I was going for.
*Only available in a 4 ohm single voice coil. If a DVC version was also offered it would open up a lot more install possibilities.
I did a lot of research on 8" subs and these came away the winner in the amount of performance that can be had for $50 each. There are better subs out there, but you'll pay for it! I recommend these to anyone on a budget looking for some good clean bass.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 49.75
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Epinions.com ID:
adam728
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Location: Tucson, Arizona
Reviews written: 68
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
27 yr old engineer at a fuel system company.
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