A top-notch subwoofer system requires a careful balancing of the amplifier, driver, and enclosure. If one of the three variables is out of line with the others, you will either be wasting performance potential, or will be putting the amp or driver at risk of being damaged. So, it is important to consider the system as a whole instead of focusing on one particular component in the design.

The driver that I selected is the new Dayton Reference Series 12" High Output Subwoofer, model# RSS315HO-4. This subwoofer features a low-distortion motor system, 4-layer voice coil, has lots of venting, and has a stiff suspension for the best mechanical and thermal power handling. Being the designer of this driver, I know that it is perfect for our desired small enclosure/high-power amplifier combo. While at first glance, this excursion seems somewhat low, in a small enclosure it can still handle around 800 watts of amplifier power before exceeding XMAX.

Seeing as we know that the driver has a high thermal power handling limit, and that mechanically it can handle a significant amount of power, the Dayton HPSA-1000 1000- watt subwoofer amp immediately comes to mind. In addition to the amp's raw power, the parametric EQ will allow us to custom tailor the low-end response; some "bass boost" will be necessary with our small enclosure to achieve the desired low-frequency extension.