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This is an evaluation of the 8″ W20RC38 with the Swallow-BC. What I’m looking at is the quality of the bass. The woofer is crossed over to the Swallow-BC with an electronic crossover set at 200Hz (24dB/oct).
I loaded theW20RC38 into a 24 liters bass reflex tuned to 36 Hz. This is the most compact box I can accept. Anything smaller and the System Q will exceed 0.8. Tuning is with a 2″ PVC tube cut to length of 6.5″. The Swallow-BC sits on top of the W20 box with the front baffle in line with the W20 box. Sound of W20RC38-08 with the Swallow-BC Before I proceed further, bear in mind that this is a budget system. The Silver Flute W20RC38 cannot be compared to say a Seas U22REX which is miles ahead. So, I have to moderate my expectations and accept the quality of a woofer that cost less than 1/3 of the Seas. One of the greatest differences between high end woofers and average types is the cone control. The expensive woofers have an incredibly tight grip. That translates to a realistic attack and decay. When you listen to them, they sound “fast” and articulate. There’s detail in the bass notes. What I call “texture”. All the average woofers do not exhibit such qualities. So how does the Silver Flute fares? For slow music, perfectly fine. I am listening to Diane Schuur now and the bass sounds fine. Bass is a bit bloated but I’ve encountered much worse. Up next is Ben Webster For Lovers. Again, the W20 bass sounds fine. When I switched over to music with faster bass, the W20 short comings is apparent. With Bela Fleck-UFO which is exceptionally demanding on bass, there’s loss in definition. The bass texture has lost it’s clarity. For most users, the W20 may in fact sound impressive. It’s just that I have the Seas U22REX so I know what the bass can sound like with an excellent woofer. I have no issues using the Silver Flute with the Swallow-BC. It’s absurd to use a Seas U22REX with the Swallow-BC because they are totally mismatch in price and quality. An Audax HM130CO is a much better choice to go with the U22REX. I will leave that for another day. I would rate the Silver Flute W20RC38-08 above average (7/10) for a budget system. Before I sign off, this may seem a bit weird. I inserted a 170uF in series with the W20RC38 and the deep bass improved. It not only went deeper but louder as well. Perhaps it has to do with bass alignment. I can’t explain it but it’s something to keep in mind. There’s also another issue I must highlight. The Swallow-BC cannot be played loud. It will distort. When you hear the shrillness, that’s distortion. At the same time, the Silver Flute W20RC38 will lose traction. Bass will sound bloated and the attack and decay will suffer. So, play them at sane levels. |
June 16, 2023Drivers Evaluation, HIFI DRIVERS
