Sony Xplod

Sony Did It Again.

With their superior understanding of electronic circuits, implementing innovations upon innovations throughout the better part of the last century, and with pockets as deep as the Marianas Trench, its no surprise that Sony, with the Sony Xplod division, goes to dominate the subwoofer scene, and all other elements of the car audio scene.

Being the world leader in technological engineering, every Sony product is in itself a testament of this. So what would you expect on a Sony Xplod subwoofer? There are tons to be surprised of. You must understand that Sony Xplod has years, decades, and centuries of engineering expertise within their fingertips. For Sony Xplod subwoofers, here are some of the most common technologies you would find.

Cone Science

Sony Xplod uses exclusively polypropylene material, a thermoplastic vinyl polymer that sports superior temperature stability and awesome tensile strength. Though this feature may not be as practical, it is also highly resistant to solvents and may prove to be invaluable to certain conditions, e.g. during overhauls and body repaint. What is practical, instead, is the underlying mechanism of the polypropylene substance, how it works to provide the most rigid body exceptional for cone structure purposes but without the resulting ‘ringing’ typical in metal materials.

One of the best aspects of this Polypropylene, it is inexpensive. It is way beyond cheaper than exotic materials normal on high-end systems, such as Kevlar, yet provides as much robustness. Polypropylene material is one of Sony Xpold’s speaker cone secret: made of polypropylene produces a deep, rich bass, achieving the lowest frequency, while giving similar resiliency, but without the heavy price tag. What’s more, its features high internal loss, malleability, and being an inorganic substance (compared to other popular material like paper) an innate resistance to environmental influences such as moisture, temperature, and UV radiation –even structural fatigue.

The P5 Woofer Cone

Though ergonomic and aesthetic designs do have its remarkable appeal, audio systems eventually are judged by their own merit –that is quality of the sound it produces. Sony Xplod makes sure that aside from those sleek futuristic designs their powered subwoofers have, they are also uniquely designed to produce the best bass sound possible. Every Sony Xplod cone, the P5 Turbo Cone design, features spiraling ribs not only for increased rigidity, but also as a barrier that eliminates standing wave buildup on the cone surface. Even on the lowest bass frequency, owners of the Sony Xplod subwoofers will only get those rich bass. SPL levels are also remarkably improved.

The best feature of all is that every Sony Xplod audio component can be acquired with lesser cash than those top pick and ostentatiously pricey brands. There’s no pretense of “having a more expensive price tag – thus more quality” veneer. With Sony Xplod, you get that Japanese engineering ingenuity but with cheaper price.

Let’s take for instance the Sony Xplod XS-L100P5H, a 10” 4 ohm subwoofer listed only at $59.99. Yet for such price, you get such a strong visual and audio statement in your car. You won’t be ashamed to put it anywhere conspicuous. It has glossy black cone, with silver accents here and there, on an overall futuristic pentagon design. You would be ashamed to house it on a lesser enclosure. Of course, you’d want it to be seen, so that everyone will know where all those massive thumping sound came from. On a 10” subwoofer design, it will surely rock your ride if you want it to. On a smoother cruise, it can also deliver clean and clear bass.

Sony Xplod XS-L100P5H’s 5-side pentagon design is an engineering choice to make the cone much stiffer, thus banishing standing waves. Also, the P5 Turbo Cone design helps this elimination of the standing waves as well by stiffening the cone a bit more. There’s a durable foam cover that allows a bit of those cone excursion. And did I say its all for $59?

For subwoofers, I can hardly recommend any brand names except these cheap Sony Xplod subwoofers.