Fi IB3 subwoofers are waterproof?

[kryptonitewhite 1]

I have had my cut out cones sitting outside since last year, out in the rain snow and sun, and the only thing that has happened to them is the cones on a few have turned white. The paper cones are still solid, foam surrounds are all good, glue holding them turned white but not loose one bit. The coils havent rusted, the coil glue hasnt let loose... they are just the same as when I cut them off other than bleeched. I have been impressed every time I look at them, so the other day I was having fun and displayed them on my porch. It stormed hard last night so I went out into the dumping rain and snapped some pics.

I think drivers have come a long way over the years, as everything else does in life. Years ago foam surrounds were eaten up by the sun's UV rays. Cones were as well, along with moisture. But it seems now they are indestructable with the exception of pure abuse... like 6 times power rating smashing coils.

I'd like to note that every single coil in these snapshots were smashed...not one coil was scortched or burnt. OK, one coil was scortched, but thats because I smashed the coil then tried to see how long it could handle pure sine waves before melting. It never melted and I became worried the amp would fail instead. I have been running these IB3s off 3kW amps for over 2 years and never cooked a coil, the new line has improved thermal cooling with 3 smaller pole vents vs 1 large one, yet the power rating is still 550watts: mechanical power handling in infinite baffle down to 20Hz. But who only goes to 20Hz these days? I do 110dB from 5Hz up

The image of the 8 failed Maelstrom-Xs was inapropriate, so I was asked to change it. I didnt want anyone to think I was being cute or clever by now doing a pic of destroyed IB3s. That is not the case nor was my use of the Maelstroms a sign of disrespect. I found the Maelstrom image a powerful one, very moving. An icon driver, one of the best ever made, one that many of us have stared at and drooled over for years just wishing one day we could have just one...and here were 8 just sitting there. I couldn't help but feel sick every time I looked at it, but I couldnt click away.

So this is a silly thread that can just be removed, but I have it up to simply say I mean no disrespect, and maybe spark some conversation on technology and its advances.

[kryptonitewhite 1]

So here is the business about smashed and cooked coils. I have gotten so much hate over the last 2 years about having to recone IB3s. First off, for the last 5 years I have only blown 7 subs. To the home theater guys that never do, that may be retarded. But to the SPL guys, they do more than that in 1 show. It's all relative. However, for a guy infamousely using IB subs in the "wrong" application off 6 times the rated power, are you guys serious? If a subwoofer is made for an infinite baffle, it is made to handle very little power... its not supposed to be loaded, it moves freely. I cram them in undersized boxes and port them milking them for all they are worth. So if these things were to die, they should die from burnt coils, too much power. I gave them 6 times their rated power yet I never once cooked a coil!

Second, I am a poor boy. White trash. Red neck. I havent had the luxury of lots of money over a long period of time. I havent gotten to purchase subwoofer after subwoofer, amp after amp, try a new box after another box. I sat at the sidelines and drooled. Watched vids and stared at pics, the reason I am a vid and pic whore now. I got lucky, I got a pile of money... not a huge pile BTW... and I got 1 shot to stretch it out and get ONE try at a good home theater and a good daily driver. My home theater is famous. My home theater puts up numbers that others took 10 times or more money to get the same numbers. I had to. No experimenting, no years of adding, tweaking, learning, and upgrading. I had to plan with no experience really...no experience with anything on these levels anyway.

I am going to pick a person that I like as an example. Twistedchild420. This is all respect, all love, for twisted. NO hate. Everyone else likes the guy too. He has had a "J L doubleyou seven for the cost of four hundered and...." most of us loved that vid. The guy has had giant expensive 8s, Digital Designs 12's or 15's, Incriminator Audio DP 21", old school rockfords. RD 18's. DC's? IDK if those were his. 8kW prototype amps no one can get their hands on. SAZ 2kW amps. SAZ-3500D. Stetsom amps. RD.I think he's had many other giant expensive amps. Hes had just as many different enclosures as he has had subs and amps. He has the money to buy new things and try them, try something new. Experiment. I have not.

My subs were $199/ea. I had 4 IB3 18's in my van and 2 IB3 18's in the home theater. $199 plus $18 shipping per sub. Twisted cooked a $900 LMS ULTRA 5400 that was prolly $100 for shipping off a SAZ-2000D. Those amps are what, $900ish? Top of the line. That LMS ULTRA is rated 4000 RMS IIRC. So the guy blew up a $1000 subwoofer with a $900 amp rated for 1/2 the LMS's power? But I have $340 Audiopipe amps doing SIX times the rated power of $199 IB3s, get 148dB at 25Hz.... not many people on the plantet get to hit 148dB at 25Hz, those that do have $1000 subs, $1000 amps, $500 batteries.... and 2-24 of those $1000 subs, 2-12 of those $1000 amps, and 10-20 of those $500 batteries...along with 4-7 alternators. They build to be loud, to compete, not daily drive off a budget.

LMS ULTRA 5400 after being reconed by PSI

Twisted blowing up an RD Heavyweigh designed to take gobbs of power

IDK if this is Twisteds, but here they purposely blow a DC lvl6 thats MADE to take gobbs of power and burp