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[Chad Croker]

I'm a musician and run sound for myself as well as other bands and DJ’s. I mostly work as a single operator so one setup and portability is key. I'm looking to consolidate my Subwoofer arsenal. I have the Yamaha DZR series and really like them they've been the best sounding speakers that I've owned by quite a margin and I have owned most other similarly priced brands.

I currently have
2 x DZR 12
2 x DZR 10
1 x DXS15XLF
1 x QSC KW181
1 x DXS12mkii

I have one Dxs15xlf and I'm thinking of adding another 3 which means I'll have the potential for 2 system or I can have 4 subs together for a bigger rig. I am tossing up between the dxs15xlf and the dxs18xlf. I tried a dxs18xlf out in the shop yesterday and took my dxs15xlf in there to compare and the 18 is so much bigger than the 15 and obviously a bit harder to handle. The 18 definitely sounded like it had more girth but the 15 was still quite impressive considering the size difference. We couldn't really turn them up too much in the shop so I'm not sure if the 15 would run out of steam quicker than the 18.


The other considerations is that I will have to make some alterations to the internal shelving of my work van  to accommodate the 18’s. Nothing to crazy though.

Would I be losing much in the overall low end punch and sound if I went with the 15’s over the 18’s?

Are there any other subs you would recommend?

I'm thinking the 15 is a good option that is not too imposing size-wise and would cover smaller gigs with one but could still scale up for larger gigs.

Thanks in advance

[Rob Stevens]

I run 4 of the DXS15XLF, my reasons were.

Space
I am driving a Mini Van, so if I bring all 4 in there I am maxed out with the 15s, 18s would of meant needing a bigger van.

Weight
I have one gig where there is a steep staircase involved, and carrying 2 15s up an off-pitch flight of stairs is enough of a challenge.

Gig wise I am mostly doing Bars, with call it 4 outdoor events a year, I just did one this weekend for about 200 people,
4 DXS15XLF, with 2 DZR12s and the system covered it very nicely.

I cant compare sound wise with the 18s though as I havent run them.

[MattLeonard]

I am a primarily solo operator,  and have a similar rig (DZR10's, DZR12's, and also 4x db tech ig4t's). I went with DXS15xlf subs - and am very happy with the size/weight/peformance matrix.

It's not fun, but I can lift the DXS15xlf's by myself in/out of a vehicle, or up a few stairs. The 18's are bit more than I want to do solo. I can fit all 4 of my subs in my little Subaru Outback - but couldn't do that with the 18's.

The 18's go a little lower, but I don't think are meaningfully louder.  The 4 DXS15xlf's allow me to do 2 separate rigs, or combine them all for medium-size events, and all 4 coupled together pack a solid punch. When I have larger events where I need to stack  2-per-side of the ig4t's - renting some bigger double-18's (2 per side) is the route. I don't do enough of those size gigs to warrant owning that much sub.

If helpful - I made an old spreadsheet comparing compact (mostly MI-level) subs. I know manufacturer specs can leave some reality to be desired, but it led me to the DXS/DZR range - and I'm happy I went that route.  It could use some updating if anyone wants edit access - let me know. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1chrqNKuQ7LugRQcBsvFVj31FQBPSy8jJ18L4SpvZ6Jg/edit

[Chad Croker]

I run 4 of the DXS15XLF, my reasons were.

Space
I am driving a Mini Van, so if I bring all 4 in there I am maxed out with the 15s, 18s would of meant needing a bigger van.

Weight
I have one gig where there is a steep staircase involved, and carrying 2 15s up an off-pitch flight of stairs is enough of a challenge.

Gig wise I am mostly doing Bars, with call it 4 outdoor events a year, I just did one this weekend for about 200 people,
4 DXS15XLF, with 2 DZR12s and the system covered it very nicely.

I cant compare sound wise with the 18s though as I havent run them.

Thanks for the message. Yeah I am onboard with all of your points. I actually hadn’t thought about the space for 4 subs. I just went and measured my van and 4 x dxs15xlf’s will fit perfectly but there’s actually no way I would get 4 x Dxs18xlf’s in there. I could possibly fit two 18’s but it would require some modification. I also like the idea of having the 4 subs which gives me two smaller systems or one bigger system if I need.

How do you generally set your system up? Do you cluster the subs together in the centre or run them under your top speakers?

[Chad Croker]

I am a primarily solo operator,  and have a similar rig (DZR10's, DZR12's, and also 4x db tech ig4t's). I went with DXS15xlf subs - and am very happy with the size/weight/peformance matrix.

It's not fun, but I can lift the DXS15xlf's by myself in/out of a vehicle, or up a few stairs. The 18's are bit more than I want to do solo. I can fit all 4 of my subs in my little Subaru Outback - but couldn't do that with the 18's.

The 18's go a little lower, but I don't think are meaningfully louder.  The 4 DXS15xlf's allow me to do 2 separate rigs, or combine them all for medium-size events, and all 4 coupled together pack a solid punch. When I have larger events where I need to stack  2-per-side of the ig4t's - renting some bigger double-18's (2 per side) is the route. I don't do enough of those size gigs to warrant owning that much sub.

If helpful - I made an old spreadsheet comparing compact (mostly MI-level) subs. I know manufacturer specs can leave some reality to be desired, but it led me to the DXS/DZR range - and I'm happy I went that route.  It could use some updating if anyone wants edit access - let me know. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1chrqNKuQ7LugRQcBsvFVj31FQBPSy8jJ18L4SpvZ6Jg/edit

Thanks for the info and the spreadsheet that’s a great resource!

Yeah I have found the one dxs15xlf that I have is relatively easy to lug around. It’s still pretty heavy but it’s manageable. Honestly it looks so diminutive next to the dxs18xlf when I put them next to each other in the shop the other day. I went in there with the intention of purchasing the 18 and leaving with it but after I realised it wouldn’t actually fit where I needed it to fit in the van it got me thinking about the 15’s. I’m leaning towards the 15 now I think all things considered.. it’s just a little more manageable and I like the idea of the modularity of having 4 or the same sub.

How do you set up your Yamaha system? Do you centre cluster the subs? And do you use the onboard DSP and crossovers or or run the Subs off an aux?

Oh man those Ig4t’s look like a great speaker I have hear lots of good things about them.. I’d love to try some someday.. hard to find people who have them over here is Australia.

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