Transport and Product Design graduate, interested in cars mainly, as well as hi-fis and car audio.
...
Transport and Product Design graduate, interested in cars mainly, as well as hi-fis and car audio.
Had seperates stereo for number of years, and installed own sub in car.
I'll only publish facts or clear opinion of own experiences on Ciao.
Member since:28.09.2007
Reviews:1
Members who trust:1
I bought a Fli Active 12 online for about £70 a while ago, and was dissapointed with this sub.
I should point out it is the mark two, ported version, and I think there has since been a more recent version since.
In comparison I also have a very cheap looking 12" sub with a cheap, less powerful amp but much bigger enclosure and this sounds much better than the Fli sub I am sad to say (both louder and deeper). I can only assume this is the enclosure making most of the difference, as the magnet on this other speaker is very small (certainly smaller than the Fli's magnet, which you can see through the reflex port), and it was a domestic 8ohm speaker, not a car one (typically 4ohm).
The Fli sub won't produce very deep bass and will not go loud enough to sound good on the move (at least not in a noisy older car like mine). It also has a nasty habit of distorting very obviously when pushed hard.
On the plus side I do think the styling is great, it is fairly punchy sounding (if a little boomy for my tastes) and of course being active it's relatively easy to set up and install.
Another thing I was unhappy with was the power ratings, as the onboard amp isn't the implied 300 watts RMS, that is simply the amount the drive unit can handle. It is more like 100 watts I think, despite its 'Loaded 200' title. Additionally, the 1000 watt figure is the peak power handling of the drive unit, which is misleading I think.
Having said this, one of the screws on my unit was threaded, which might be leading to excess rattle and loss of efficiency at high volume ? The thought has also crossed my mind that perhaps the amp was damaged (it was a 'Graded' online purchase), and maybe this is why other reviews are so favourable. Another reason is that perhaps smaller cars sound better (mine is a Rover 400 saloon), and also possibly the revised model may sound better...
I hope these views have helped your decisions. On the whole I would give this a miss and get a more expensive subwoofer.
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Welcome to Ciao. A good start but if you feel you would like to add or expand on the details in the review at any time in the future you can do this by pressing the edit link in the centre at the top of your review as you read it. . Fionaxx
bibby29 02.10.2007 19:29
I want one of these in pink. good first review, if you need any advice let me know. clair x
Oct 2nd, 2007
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