Which Subwoofer is Right for Me?

TREO Engineering offers several lines of subwoofers for a variety of applications.  Some people like the sound of a single ten inch woofer in a small sealed enclosure, while others are unhappy with anything less than four fifteen inch woofers in a huge ported box.  Consequently, we offer a choice of woofers in sizes from eight to eighteen inches.

TREO Series improved (TSi)

The TREO Series improved (TSi) woofers represent an outstanding value in a woofer.  Whether you are buying your first set of car audio subwoofers or you are a car stereo veteran, TSi subwoofers deliver an excellent combination of sound quality (SQ) and sound pressure level (SPL) in an efficient package.

TSi subwoofers are designed to be used in conjunction with low and medium power amplifiers.  We recommend 50-150 watts for each TSi10.x, or TSi12.x subwoofer.  We recommend 75-250 watts for each TSi15.x subwoofer.  TSi subwoofers are very efficient, so huge power is not necessary to get excellent sound from these drivers.

TS woofers offer excellent sound quality in small to medium sealed, vented, and bandpass enclosures.  In the cases of ported and bandpass enclosures great care must be taken to ensure that the enclosure is tuned properly.  A poorly implemented ported or bandpass enclosure can and will sound peaky and boomy and may be damaging to the speaker.

Street Series (SS)

The TREO Street Series improved (SSi) woofers would be called the ultimate daily driving subwoofer by any other speaker company.  These woofers are recommended for the serious sound quality or bass enthusiast.  These drivers deliver spectacular sound quality and serious SPL over a wide frequency range.  These are not "one note wonders."  While these drivers are usable for SPL competition, the CSX woofers are better suited to dedicated SPL applications.

SSi subwoofers are designed to be used with medium and high powered amplifiers.  We recommend 300-750 watts per SSi10.xx, SSi12.xx, or SSi15.xx.  We recommend 500-1000 watts per SSi18.xx.

SS woofers can be used with great success in a sealed enclosure but will offer dramatically increased output in a ported application.  SSi woofers can also be used with spectacular results in a bandpass enclosure, but it must be properly designed.  We recommend a tuning frequency of 50-55 hertz when designing a fourth-order bandpass enclosure for a Street Series improved woofer.

Street Series Extreme (SSX)

The Street Series Extreme (SSX) woofers are designed for use in extremely high power daily driving applications.  SSX woofers are for the person for whom the Street Series (SS) just isn't enough.  These truly are the most insane street bass woofers ever developed, with state-of-the-art materials and an extreme excursion design offering up to four inches of peak-to-peak travel.  The SSX woofers are designed for the bass enthusiast who must have the absolute best.  While the SSX woofers can be used in an SPL application, SPL competition is not their primary focus.

SSX subwoofers are intended for use with very powerful amplifiers.  We recommend 1000-1800 watts per SSX12.22 and 1000-2400 watts per SSX15.22 or SSX18.22.

We recommend that the SSX drivers be used in medium and large ported enclosures.  While the woofers will work well in a sealed enclosure, a dramatic increase in output can be achieved with a ported enclosure.  Enclosure design is extremely important with ported enclosures to prevent peaky sound or damage to the speaker.

Competition Series Extreme (CSX)

The Competition Series Extreme (CSX) subwoofers are intended for use in high-SPL applications, systems where the loudest bass is not enough.  CSX woofers are the choice of championship-winning SPL competitors around the globe.  The CSX is the top gun for a dedicated SPL in any SPL competition class.  While not intended for daily driving applications, the CSX woofers can be used this way if the system is structured properly.  For SPL applications we recommend a very large enclosure with a very large port tuned to approximately 50 Hertz.  For daily driving applications we recommend a large enclosure with a medium port tuned to 30-35 Hertz.

CSX subwoofers are intended for use with very large amplifiers.  The driver is capable of withstanding tone burst from any commercially available amplifier or amplifiers.  For SPL applications we recommend at least 1000 watts per CSX woofer.  For daily driving applications we suggest 500-1200 watts per CSX subwoofer.

We recommend that CSX drivers be used in medium and large ported enclosures for daily driving applications.  We suggest medium to very large enclosures for CSX woofers in SPL applications.