Mach 5 Audio MJ-18M 18" subwoofer
[MJ-18M]

The first night I had the IB running I didn't have my SPL meter (a friend had borrowed it) so I guessed at the amp level setting. I played a demo scene from the Incredibles with some explosions etc. The room was pressurized like I had no idea that it could be, and I was genuinely scared! I hadn't felt anything like that, ever, anywhere. IB is definitely a different animal altogether.

Now I have it properly EQed and I have listened to some music and am very impressed. You might laugh, but the music seems to flow through me more than ever; it penetrates my body. Even while listening to older recordings like The Carpenters it feels more real. "Punch" fails to describe it; its more sublime - like feeling the heartbeat of the music. Watching movies I sometimes feel the floor lurch, even when I didn't hear anything! In short, there is a dimension to the experience that was previously missing.

This may all sound like hyperbole, but I upgraded from one 10" in a box to four 18" drivers in an IB. Remember that I can't compare my IB to others, its the first I've ever heard. Still my modest IB has revised my understanding of what a subwoofer can do.

The MJ-18 came along at the right time, it's ridiculously cheap isn't it? I had been considering four 15" drivers for a while. The MJ-18 showed up with less displacement than any other 18" IB driver, but it hangs right in there with the budget 15"ers, and for less. In my case it was just a matter of designing a box to squeeze 18" drivers in between 16"OC roof trusses.

I already had the amp - a Carvin HD-1800. I bought it to try with my mains, with the idea that if it didn't work out in that role, I would use it for an IB. And so I did. I find it very capable for driving the sub. I located it in an adjacent room so the low fan noise is no issue. Its a $300 amp, but whether something cheaper would be as good, I do not know