First FiBuy / First Impression

[Zhillsguy 0]

My Background:

Middle aged; love music; not a basshead, Fi or any other brand “fanboy”. Definitely SQ not SPL.

Received my 10” sub on 12/10 ordered on Black Friday. Packaging was great, very simple and effective. Loved the condensed general sub use “advice” on the outside……nothing new here, but the inexperienced should read and heed.

Out of the box: what a nice quality build. Where can you get a sub with a cast frame and of this build quality for this price, USA built? Only here and now. Can’t beat the new sub smell, and I always feel like a kid opening a Christmas present anytime the delivery folks bring me something (and I try to act surprised if the wife is present).

Intended use (please, keep laughter to a minimum): Our Nissan mini-van behind the rear seat, played at very low volume unless wifey is at home.

Equipment:

Head Unit: Kenwood KDC-MP345U

Power: JBL CS300.1, vc’s in parallel (2 ohms), crossed at 85 Hz from head unit.

Box: 0.85 cu. ft. sealed box from Parts Express

I have been running an ED 11Ov.2 D4 in the box for about 6 months and decided to give this sub a try for something different. I am an avid reader of AVS forums (DIY Speakers and Subs) where Fi Audio products have been coming into the forefront lately in home theater applications (more my interest). I figured for this price, what have I got to lose?

Yanked out the ED, and had to enlarge the cutout slightly with a jigsaw for the Fi sub. Up and running in about 30 minutes.

Cranked up and previewed some tracks I already had on a flash drive, to name a few:

Joe Satriani: various, including some of his latest CD. Bass content varies across his recordings. I’m a big Satch fan.

Chickenfoot: various, not really an SQ recording. I’ve always had trouble singling out Michael Anthony’s bass lines but it was easier with this sub than the ED. Sammy is up front as usual.

Tom Petty: Mojo, Wildflowers, Greatest Hits. Mojo is a great SQ recording. Check out the bass on any of the tracks. My favorite is Running Man’s Bible.

Eric Johnson: Ah Via Musicom. Very clean SQ recording (Cliffs of Dover, Trademark, East Wes)

Yes: Close to the Edge. An older recording, not SQ, but I couldn’t resist listening to some of Chris Squire’s exquisite Rickenbacker bass.

Impressions: This sub did not disappoint. Realizing it is not broken in yet, bass was prevalent and clean across all recordings. The ED sub is no slouch, and this Fi sub outperforms it. I can’t say it sounded “cleaner”, but it seemed to envelop the whole vehicle in an unmistakable “in your face” bass field, and it blended well with the stock (ahem) Premium factory speakers. At lower volumes kick drums and bass were very separately discernable; at louder volumes it seemed more effortless and less stressed than the ED, and perhaps a little more efficiency lends itself there. I noticed some new items rattling that didn’t before.

I do not see myself needing anything more for our family vehicle; there is a ton of cabin gain inside a van, and this sub pressurizes it to my needs. I would not recommend this for trunk running by its lonesome, but laws of physics dictate that.

One VERY happy camper here…………now if I can justify getting a couple of the 12”s for a HT sub before they are gone……………but too many subs are still laying around.

Edited December 12, 2010 by Zhillsguy

[Bob345 39]

Pics?

[bimmerboy 3]

great review!

how about some pics?

[NDMstang65 403]

Glad you like them!

Thanks!!

[altoncustomtech 773]

Hey, you're not going to hear any laughter from me on the minivan thing. I'm real glad you're liking the Fi sub, you'll love it even more once it's loosened up some more. Had a friend that works at the local gas station tell me yesterday that when my wife pulled into it the other day some guy kinda freaked out and said "WOW, that's a rockin' soccer mom." In reference to her rattling a few things in the store from her 1998 Chevy Venture minivan. Aside from it's capability to rattle a few things outside of it, it's a very clean sounding vehicle and I agree the cabin gain lends itself nicely to being easily energized. Plus it is kinda fun to be driving through a parking lot with the windows up and watching people looking around for the vehicle responsible but not putting a second thought on the minivan, lol.

[ssh 924]

Hey, you're not going to hear any laughter from me on the minivan thing. I'm real glad you're liking the Fi sub, you'll love it even more once it's loosened up some more. Had a friend that works at the local gas station tell me yesterday that when my wife pulled into it the other day some guy kinda freaked out and said "WOW, that's a rockin' soccer mom." In reference to her rattling a few things in the store from her 1998 Chevy Venture minivan. Aside from it's capability to rattle a few things outside of it, it's a very clean sounding vehicle and I agree the cabin gain lends itself nicely to being easily energized. Plus it is kinda fun to be driving through a parking lot with the windows up and watching people looking around for the vehicle responsible but not putting a second thought on the minivan, lol.

Bassing undercover

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Nice little review.

[BaMF101 3]

Excellent review! Its not how big you go... its how you use it