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Now that my hearing is tuned to the Seas U22REX/P, it’s time to move on to my other 8″ woofers. In this exercise, I will be working on a woofer that I purchased recently. I’ve never heard this HiVi C8 before so this is a first. According to HiVi’s datasheet, the C8 looks promising. Qts is 0.36, which is close to my favorite figure. EBP is at 83, indicating a bass reflex loading. With a box of 35 liters tuned for 41Hz, my F3 is at 43Hz. That’s low enough for my needs. System Q is at 0.58, almost critically damped (another favorite). And most important of all, her Mms is only 24.9g. So far, this is the lightest cone of all the 8″ woofers that I tested with the exception of the Seas U22REX/P which measures only 19.8g. With a lighter cone, the C8 bass should sound “fast”. The simulated bass alignment is below.
With a nominal impedance of 8Ω, I decided to retain the 10.0mH iron core inductor for the Low Pass. The C8 should integrate well with the HiVi C3N-III. No Zobel network was used.
This HiVi C8 sounds wonderful straight out of the box. She has the same sonic characteristics as the Seas U22REX. Her bass is tight and “fast”. Not like the Dayton DA215 and the DS215. After 3 days of breaking-in, she retains her sound. I tested her with the same tracks that I used before. In She Works Hard for her Money (Donna Summers), the bass is punchy with no overhang. With Stop, Look and Listen, the texture in the end of the bass notes are clearly audible. Not one mussy mess. Finally, the bass in Woman draws you into the song. Summary This HiVi C8 is truly a surprise. I wasn’t expecting this level of performance. At $85, she cost more than the Dayton DS215-8 but as far as I’m concern, she’s a bargain. She sounds very close to the Seas U22REX which cost more than double. The HiVi C8 is one woofer I strongly recommend. Unless otherwise stated, all measurements were made in Full Space (4pi). Mic at 36 ins, tweeter axis. Impulse Window=5ms. No smoothing applied. |
February 3, 2024HIFI DRIVERS, Projects
