SPEAKERS AND SUBS
There’s no replacement for displacement — that’s what hot rodders say. It’s also true in car audio: box size = performance. All things equal, a woofer in a larger box will play louder and lower with less power. However, sometimes you don’t have the room for a big box. Placing woofers into a smaller box creates problems. Typically, the results are a lack of low-frequency extension and a boomy sound. Well, the engineers at Memphis Car Audio think they have the solution — the Memphis M1104 is designed to work in small enclosures. How well does it perform? Read on.
First Look
The Memphis M1104 is a single 4-ohm, 10-inch subwoofer. Also available in a dual 4-ohm voice coil version, the M1104 uses a Kevlar-reinforced paper cone connected to the frame via a high-density foam surround. The 2-inch voice coil is constructed with a black aluminum former to maximize thermal heat dissipation. To improve heat dissipation, the M1104 woofer features a vented basket to allow air to be pumped from the voice coil. Speaker connections are made via nicely appointed gold-plated spring terminals. The matte silver finish basket is formed with the Memphis “M” in the framework. Very cool. A rubber magnet boot and the rubber trim ring finish out the cosmetic treatments to the Memphis M1104.
Closer Look
When a woofer breaks, it generally happens because the “soft parts” of the woofer become damaged. This is caused either by damage to the voice coil, surround, cone, or spider. A recent trend in car audio is the ability to replace the soft parts of the woofer from the motor assembly. This is a technology feature borrowed from the Pro Sound industry. Why create this ability? The simple answer is cost — it’s much less expensive and takes less time to fix a broken woofer. The Memphis M1104 has integrated the ability via a bolt-through modular motor, which the call a cartridge. Users simply unbolt the cartridge and replace the damaged parts.
Manuals/Web Support
The supplied owner’s manual for the Memphis M1104 contains the basic specifications of the series of M1 subwoofers. Also contained in the sheet are basic sealed and vented enclosures for all of the M1 woofers. Since there is no instruction on how to calculate the dimensions of the enclosure, it’s strongly recommended that you have the enclosure built by, and the Memphis M1104 woofer installed by, an authorized Memphis Car Audio dealer. (Memphis Car Audio Reports that the warranty is extended when installed by the authorized dealer — an additional year can be added on top of this is the shop is MECP certified).
When I went to the Memphis Car Audio Web site, www.memphiscaraudio.com, the M1104 was featured on the front page. I was quickly able to navigate to the section of the site that contained information on the M1104 where I was able to download the specification page of the owner’s manual. Also available was an enclosure recommendation page for all of the Memphis Car Audio subwoofers. What I did notice is that the recommendations that were available on the Internet differed from the ones that were included with the subwoofer. Since the Internet specs where more recently updated, they are the ones that should be used. (Memphis Car Audio reports that it is aware of and has corrected the mistakes on the specifications sheet supplied with the subwoofer).
Installation
Installation for the Memphis M1104 was straightforward. Installation is typical of any 10-inch woofer into the supplied 0.6 cubic foot enclosure. The enclosure was a wedge-shaped design measuring 14.5 x 16 x 8.5 x 5.25 inches for the height, width, and two depths, respectively. This resulted in a total enclosure volume of 0.6 cubic feet. From an outward appearance, this enclosure looks smaller than the box the woofer was shipped in. The enclosure is so small that the back of the enclosure has part of the material removed to allow the magnet of the M1104 to clear. The overall weight of the enclosure and woofer is a light 28 pounds.
Sound Q & Performance
Given the size of the enclosure, the performance of the Memphis M1104 is impressive. With one watt applied, the M1104 generated a maximum SPL of 97.9 dB at 40 Hz. When the power was increased to its RMS power handling of 300 watts, the output increased to a peak of 120.6 dB at 50 Hz. With maximum recommended power applied, the SPL increased another 1.6 dB for a maximum output of 122.2 dB at 50 Hz. This is not a very significant output gain for doubling of the power input.
In my test vehicle, usable frequency response is from 20 Hz to 80 Hz. More impressive, the M1104 is able to deliver a maximum sound pressure level of 118.4 dB at 30 Hz. For such a small enclosure, that is really impressive. The M1104 woofer was able to mechanically handle all the power that was used in the test.
I have to admit, I was initially skeptical about a woofer in such a small enclosure delivering usable low frequency performance. I was wrong to be skeptical. When used with a set of high-end component speakers, the Memphis M1104 was able to hold its own. Typical of a woofer placed in too small of an enclosure, the M1104 woofer never sounded boomy or peaky. In fact, the only negative I can give the woofer is that more power is required to deliver expected SPL output. This is a small price to pay for a small enclosure.
Summary
The Memphis M1104 is truly an interesting woofer. Given the recommended enclosure size, the woofer performs amazingly well. If you have a situation that requires a subwoofer that will work in a really small space, the Memphis M1104 deserves serious consideration. <<
The Memphis Car Audio m1104 On The Sonoda Scale
Highs: Great small box performance
Weaknesses: OK Efficiency (SPL Output).
Best Use: Great for situations where enclosure room is at a premium.
Performance Value (Out of 5): * * * * *
Performance vs. Weight and size (Out of 5): * * * * *
Power vs. efficiency (Out of 5): * *
Manuals, Online Support (Out of 5): * * *
Memphis M1104 Specs
Price & Contact: $105 (MSRP); www.memphiscaraudio.com
Thiele Small Parameters
Nominal Impedance Znom ohms 4
DC Resistance DCR ohms 2.84
Resonant Frequency Fs Hz 29.11
Mechanical Q Qms 7.47
Electrical Q Qes 0.39
Total Q Qts 0.37
Xmax (linear) in 0.47
Xmax (mechanical) in 0.47
Sensitivity 2.83 volts dB: 89.27
Effective Piston Area Sd m2 0.033
Acoustic Compliance Vas cf 1.10
Acoustic Compliance Vas: liters 31.15
Moving Mass Mms grams 145.00
Suspension Compliance Cms µm/N 201.4
Motor Strength BL TM 13.97
Voice Coil Diameter d in 2.0
Voice Coil Length hvc in 1.3
Voice Coil Layers n 4
Voice Coil Type Single
Continuous Power watts 300
Maximum Power watts 600
Magnet and Voice Coil
Magnet OD in 6.30
Magnet Thickness in 0.98
Magnet Weight oz 66
Weights and Dimensions
Frame OD w/gasket in 10.98
Mounting Hole in 9.44
Mounting Depth in 5.5
Speaker Weight lbs 12.0
Driver Displacement cf 0.095
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