My impressions of the next-gen SI Mag 12

[JimJ 11]

First of all, I'd like to thank Nick Lemons for giving me an opportunity to audition this latest version of the Mag 12"...

Chad Hicks and I auditioned this driver in my '94 E-150, under the exact same test conditions used for other listening sessions we've done. Power was provided by a PG Tantrum T1200.1, set to 800W @ 4 ohms. In use, the woofer needed nowhere near that level of power to reach its full potential, IMO. Enclosure used was 1 cubic foot, sealed. The woofer was lowpassed @ 63Hz, 24dB/oct.

INITIAL THOUGHTS:

The build quality is very good, something that doesn't surprise me given my previous experiences with SI products. The pressed paper cone and poly dustcap construction is simple and unassuming, and the push terminals are easy to use and hold the speaker wire well. One thing that struck me about this new Mag is the mounting depth; at 5 and a half inches deep it opens itself up for some new installation options that might have not been possible with the traditional 12-spoke basket and motor of the previous generation. It seems like it's begging for installation in a shallow spare tire well

WHAT'S TO LIKE:

I used my traditional playlist of tracks to put the woofer through its paces - Eva Cassidy, the Eagles, Dave Matthews, Fleetwood Mac, Chris Izaak, John Williams. In particular, "The Chain" on Fleetwood's Rumours brought a big smile to my face The transient response, the individual attack of the notes, the blending to the front stage...it all was effortless. Same with Eva Cassidy's "Wade in the Water" and "Wayfaring Stranger". Both are tracks that have made some pretty high-profile subwoofers choke in my opinion, but this Mag handled it with aplomb..."Wade in the Water" has some really neat stuff halfway through it with a stand-up bass playing a 7 note walking line while a muted trumpet does its thing...like any good subwoofer, the Mag reproduced what was on the recording without drawing attention to itself. In retrospect I really wish I had some Mingus with me, I bet Mingus Ah Um would be amazing...

It's not scared of the orchestra, either. Kettle drums on Williams' score for "Revenge of the Sith" were extremely accurate and extended very deep. I still prefer the Aura MR12.4 slightly for large orchestral arrangements, but now the price differential isn't even fair to compare the two.

WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE:

The cosmetics of the basket aren't really what I like, 12-spokes look better when inverted IMO, but since it allows the shallower clearance I'd rather have that functionality anyway over looks. That's about all I can find not to like, so that should say something in itself.

OVERALL:

If you're looking for a small, sealed-box woofer and realism is your number-one priority, I don't see how you could leave this driver off your list. Power-wise, it really doesn't need a lot of power to shine - I would say 500-600W is all you need to get it to perform admirably.

Two thumbs way up.

[Chevy350TPI 12]

Great review, Jim. Thanks for taking the time to demo it and give us your thoughts.

Sounds like a promising driver.

[johnecon2001 82]

And no pics?

gay.

[///M5 2,833]

go SI!

[adio 1]

cool. what chad and the ported box review?

[todd.brust 29]

Good review. I really hope to hear that new Mag in the near future. Seeing that I am broke and will be for a while, and no one around here knows anything too much about anything except the mainstream products, I probably have a long wait

[Electrodynamic 2]

Thanks for the review Jim!

PS: No pics ... well, maybe a frontal, but that's it. There are a lot of changes that are happening on the back of the driver, so no pics will be posted until the final proto gets here.

[sundownz 197]

I agree with Jim, it is a very real sounding driver!

[todd.brust 29]

Send me a Mag to review! I'll even pay shipping! And if i like it enough, never send it back

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Your name has to be Jim or Chad to listen to a proto.

[todd.brust 29]

lol it's a shame isn't it

I guess I'll have to wait for someone in the area to get one.

[ford302redneck 15]

I love hearing Jim's thoughts on woofers.

[splblazer98 1]

My review will follow the same format as Jim's for consistency sake.

A big thanks for Nick for allowing a basshead like myself the opportunity to play with a driver so far from my normal exposure to the large SPL drivers that take a ton of power. The mag is certainly a unique driver.

Jim and I auditioned this driver in his '94 E-150, under the exact same test conditions used for other listening sessions we've done. Power was provided by a PG Tantrum T1200.1, set to 800W @ 4 ohms. In use, the woofer needed nowhere near that level of power to reach its full potential, IMO. Enclosure used was 1 cubic foot, sealed. The woofer was lowpassed @ 63Hz, 24dB/oct.

INITIAL THOUGHTS:

When I first recieved this prototype I am used to seeing very "unique" ways of shipping. Items ranging from pool noodles and foam to packing peanuts are common to find. However with this proto the shipping was double boxed and I would guess to be very close to the packaging that will be used for production models. The build quality was excellent and to be honest I was a bit concerned to begin with when I realized how unique this driver would be. I was very surprised to see very clean glue joints and neatly soldered terminals.

WHAT'S TO LIKE:

I won't go into as much detail as Jim did for the sealed review, but honestly this driver was designed to be used in a sealed box and will only be recommend to be used in a sealed box. Ported drastically reduces the power handling due to the soft suspension used. After all this driver was designed to be a low cost, small mounting depth, small box driver. Nick aimed for a 1 cf sealed box for this driver and hit it dead on. I would think a smaller box would do ok and a slightly larger box wouldn't be horrible, but 1cf is where its at. Sealed this driver excelled and took all the amp wanted. I even found a Young Jeezy CD in Jim's cd case to throw at the mag and it sounded good, for the source used. It played as loud as the ported 12" driver Jim daily drives with.

WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE:

Well in case you haven't figured it out from the previous statements in this review, ported is not the enclosure for this driver. Now I know this will concern some of you, but you have to realize the way this driver was designed, you don't need the larger ported box to compensate for lack of output as it has plenty sealed. By using the recommended 1cf sealed box and 600-800 watts of power you will have one of the most impressive sounding subwoofer setups around, and still have respectable output. Now if you are only concerned with loudness this driver obviously isnt for you, but if you are looking for a nice sounding driver, especially if you have limited space, this is the driver for you.

One other issue that I haven't had a chance to discuss with Nick and is a very very minor issue is the terminals. The basket is painted and I suspect that it is insulated so this probably isn't an issue, but I will state it now. The wire going through the terminals, because of the slim basket design, comes close to the basket if your not careful installing it. As I said this is a minor issue and if installed properly you wont have to worry about it, but it may be something to be addressed now that saves a few headaches for installers.

The bottom line:

When I first installed this driver and began listening to it with Jim I was very impressed with it. Something that comes to mind is Jim saying, " I am going to have a hard time recommending Vanadiums when the mag sounds this good, especially at is price point." I believe that sums up my opinion of the mag in one sentence.

Low price, Small box, low power requirements, all with the quality of Si products, I'd say a match made in heaven.

[bose301s 1]

I want a new Mag NOW!!

[adio 1]

so u guys wouldn't even use it in the recommended size ported box? that makes me sad.

Edited March 18, 2008 by adio

[Electrodynamic 2]

The ported box they tested it in was actually smaller than what we were thinking about recommending, which actually allowed the driver better power handling. However, like Chad and Jim stated, the driver is better suited to sealed, which is what the Mag was designed for anyway.

PS: Neither Jim or Chad harrped on it heavily but they did casually mention that the Mag handled every bit of the 800'ish watts they had on tap and was plenty loud enough. When I was testing the Mag in my Civic (1.2 cubes sealed coupled to a SAZ-1000D) it was vibrating/moving my hair...and I have short hair with gel in it.

[Megalomaniac 0]

Nick, do you think it will do well in an IB alignment? i was/am considering doing a pair...

Edited March 18, 2008 by Megalomaniac

[Electrodynamic 2]

Fairly well...but the power handling goes out the window.

[king alpha 0]

How does the output of the new mag in a sealed box compare to a previous mag in a ported 2.0 ft^3 @ 32 Hz with a SAE-1000D?

[JimJ 11]

How does the output of the new mag in a sealed box compare to a previous mag in a ported 2.0 ft^3 @ 32 Hz with a SAE-1000D?

It has enough output - how's that for an answer

I don't have any sensor numbers, don't really care about that, as soon as any woofer gets loud enough to draw attention to itself, it's too loud.

[Electrodynamic 2]

The new Mag sealed will NOT keep up with a previous-gen Mag ported. Ported simply has too much of an advantage. But like Jim said, the new Mag sealed has enough output that's for sure.

[Megalomaniac 0]

Fairly well...but the power handling goes out the window.

yeah thats why i was thinking on a pair to compensate power loss

[splblazer98 1]

so u guys wouldn't even use it in the recommended size ported box? that makes me sad.

It is my impression that the driver will not be recommended to be used in a ported alignment. Besides it was louder, sounded better, and played lower in the sealed box so please tell me why you would use the ported box unless you had like 200 watts on tap?

[HHawk 0]

Well I seriously hope 3 (three) new Mag's can perform similar as 2 (two) RE XXX (Mk I) models.

Cause man I miss my old XXX subwoofers.

Anyways the 3 (three) new Mag's will each get about 800W RMS approx. in a 1.0 cu. ft. sealed box each (or 0.8 cu. ft. per box with polyfill).

And on another side, I am getting all my new equimpent complete, except for the subwoofers. So the wait is killing me.

[adio 1]

so u guys wouldn't even use it in the recommended size ported box? that makes me sad.

It is my impression that the driver will not be recommended to be used in a ported alignment. Besides it was louder, sounded better, and played lower in the sealed box so please tell me why you would use the ported box unless you had like 200 watts on tap?

1.) oh:)

2.) cause

Edited March 21, 2008 by adio