Mach 5 Audio IXL 18" subwoofer.
[IXL-18.2.2]

I had been looking at drivers for a home theatre project for quite a long time and considered many different brands. I was looking for a 15 but decided that the IXL18 was simply too good an offer to pass up. The reviews from the states suggest a strong driver ideal for use in IB, Sealed and Ported applications. I decided that it would be worth trying one to see how it performed.

First impressions for the driver were very good, large magnet structure, large foam roll surround, I was surprised at the quality on offer from a $320 dollar driver. Working in the cinema industry I deal a lot with 18 inch pro-sound drivers costing many times more than the IXL and still can’t help but wonder where all the extra dollars go.

I have used the driver in different applications from the home theatre to the car. Regardless I cannot help but be impressed by how the driver has performed.

In a 100L sealed enclosure with some polyfill the response is incredible linear, I have owned many commercial home theatre subwoofers and none have impressed me like the IXL. Probably the best example to date is the wooshoo finger scene at the end of Kung Fu Panda, there is a large sweep that starts high and drops very low, the IXL was able to reproduce this scene with scary authority. Even when the bass drops below the threshold of my hearing I could still feel the pressure in my largish listening room. Another scene is the depth charges scene in U571, the best way to describe how the IXL performed is that is startled other viewers. You can literally feel the wave from the explosion rushing across the floor. The IXL added what some refer as the missing fundamental to my home theatre. This was in a sealed enclosure too so I cannot imagine what a large low tuned enclosure or multiple IXL’s in an IB would sound. Another surprise was that despite is performance with low frequency material it is still a very musical subwoofer that sounds great on kick drum and double bass. Given that I listen to a lot of music in the home theatre room this was very important. From Jazz to the fast kick drum of metal the IXL performed above my expectations. Some people like to say an 18 cannot produce fast or dynamic bass, do not believe it because it is simply not true. Overall the IXL is the best subwoofer I have build and never ceased to impress me regardless of the material I played through it.

Having experienced this I decided to try the IXL in an automotive application. Granted there are not many 18's in car audio in Australia and even less in Adelaide so I thought it would be an interesting experience. Carrying the sealed box out into the car resulted in serious low end bass in the car. To begin with I tried with the coils in series at 4ohm with only 300watts and the bass was tight and very smooth. I could obtain high levels of output with very little cone movement. Even for those only interested in SQ the IXL sounded great in the car with crazy low end extension.

Next was ported in the car, 160L tunned at 35 Hz, with 1000watts. It has been described by people as "savage" and "Insane", windscreen wipers lift from the windscreen and your vision goes blurry, I have had people in cars next to me at traffic lights put their fingers in their ears. The output capability of this driver for car audio is extreme and un matchable for $320. I decided it would be interested to get the car metered on a TermLab to determine how loud it is and the best score to date is 140.7Db on a measured 700watts in a sedan which is a very respectable score. The driver seems more than capable of taking its rated power. I’m interested to see how high the IXL can score with some more tuning and power.

The IXL has done nothing but impress me with its clarity, low end extension and output capability. I cannot recommend this driver enough. Whether you looking for a home theatre subwoofer or something for a loud car audio system the IXL is amazing value for money. Great driver, great service, great price, in my opinion you cannot go wrong.

Thanks to Mark at Mach5 and Sam at affordable drivers for providing such a great product at such a great price.