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You may have gotten here by clicking on either ACI, Eclipse, or Meniscus. Confused?
An explanation is in order… These are a line of products, originally
developed as Meniscus Audio's "house brand". As such they were sold under the
Eclipse name by both Meniscus and Madisound. Later, kit and system vendor ACI began
using them and also sold them into the DIY market. ACI later developed new models
which were sold exclusively under the ACI name and were considered among the best
available. Fast forward a couple of years and the old alliances begin to ravel.
Madisound develops its own house brands in competition with the Eclipse models
which it still sells. ACI drops out of the DIY market, leaving a demand vacuum for
its subs. Today, Meniscus sells all of the best of all three lines under its own
Meniscus name. The actual OEM (OEM's?) remains unidentified
The Meniscus line of woofers, subwoofers and mid/bass units range from 8"
to 12" (their excellent 6.5" unit was recently discontinued). All Meniscus
units are attractively priced. The "W" series are sold under both the Meniscus and
Eclipse name and feature filled PP cones with generally OK curves and numbers. The
"SW" series are virtually identical to the last of the great ACI designs.
- The Meniscus/Eclipse W1038R 10"
woofer uses a PP cone and rubber surround and features notably good numbers
along with good value. In an appropriate enclosure, it can reach down to
around 30 Hz with a displacement-limited SPL of ~108 dB at F3.
view
- The Meniscus/Eclipse W1238R a/k/a
the ACI AC12E 12" woofer uses a PP
cone and rubber surround and features generally good numbers along with good
value. In an appropriate enclosure, it can reach down below 30 Hz.
Frankly, this design is on its last legs and isn't really recommended for new
designs. However, the number of existing designs using it warrants its
inclusion here.
view
- The Meniscus SW1084 a/k/a
the ACI SV-10 10" woofer uses a
paper cone and rubber surround. Although more expensive than the "W" series,
this driver can stand up to any of the competition for best 10" sub. Most
notably, this driver is the undisputed Xmax champion among 10" subs. The
SV-10 was the last ACI design offered to the DIY community before ACI dropped
out of that market.
view
- The Meniscus SW1284 a/k/a
the ACI SV12 12" woofer uses a
paper cone and rubber surround. Before ACI dropped out of the DIY market,
this driver was on the short list of candidates for best 12" sub. Although
competitors often met or exceeded some specific parameters, few, if any,
achieved the SV12's overall balance. Whatever you might want to use a 12" sub
for - sealed or vented, vertical or horizontal
mounting - the SV12 could be used with excellent results.
Independent testing also showed that it had less distortion and power
compression than almost every other vendor except Lambda.
view
distortion/compression
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