Testing subwoofers that I am going to buy

[vwguy3]

I have been interested in buying some subwoofers on CL and they don't have a box. How should I go about testing them? Can I just move the sub up and down and listen for scratching sounds or would it be better to hook it up without it being in a box at all? He said he has an amp with a subwoofer that I can test them with. Will that be enough or do they really need to be in a box?

Thanks
justind

[ttocs]

well its an ok start but an ohm meter would probably tell you more

[vwguy3]

Good idea!!! What would be an acceptable range for a 4 ohm speaker. I know they can vary a little bit.

Thanks
Justind

[oldskoolmseriesfan]

Im no tekie by no means but from what Ive seen and read on the forum it should read anywhere from 3.3 to 3.7 ... Im just trying to recollect from other posts so take it with a grain of salt and lets let the true masters chime in

[Eric D]

You can play the speakers outside of a box with no issue. Play bass heavy music to get them to move about 0.25-0.5in of distance. If no scratching sounds or other odd noises can be heard, they should be good.

At the end of the assembly line almost all subwoofers get this treatment. It is known as "rub and buzz", and is a way for manufacturers to verify a sub was assembled properly.

[vwguy3]

Thanks guys for the info going to see if I can meet up with this guy and buy the subs from him tomorrow.

Thanks
Justind

[ttocs]

I have seen speakers nominal impedance measure from 3.3-4.5 ohms. REally playing something through the speaker is the best way to do it and normally not too hard to rig something to for a short test.