In the LabT/S parameters for the Pioneer Premier TS-W2000SPL were measured using the LinearX LMS (with the new Windows LMS4 software) analyzer, LEAP 4.0 CAD software, and the LinearX VIBox. Tests included both free-air and test box (delta compliance) impedance sweeps done using the current source (admittance) method. This means the woofer was connected directly to an amplifier (not through a 600-1000-ohm resistor) and the voltage and current measured separately at a nominal 1V level, with the two curves divided to produce an impedance curve. This data was imported into the LEAP software, the curve-fitting parameter calculation routine used to produce the resulting parameters (the computer box simulations are provided in the Data Chart). As a side note, this will be the last review done using LEAP 4.0. Future reviews will use the recently released LEAP 5.0 for Windows. This software is light years ahead of anything previously used to simulate loudspeakers and provides substantially improved accuracy at very high voltage levels. Expect even more accurate information about high SPL performance.
The parameters shown in the Data Chart were used to produce computer simulations of the factory-recommended box volumes, a sealed box (1.5 cu ft) and a vented box (1.75 cu ft) tuned to 43Hz with a 4-in diameter port. Performance in the 1.5-cubic-foot sealed box yielded a low-frequency roll-off of 47.2Hz with a rather low box Qtc of 0.43. While this is very underdamped compared to most woofers I have examined, keep in mind that as soon as the voice coil starts heating up, this "Q" number gets larger are larger. It should translate to very accurate bass that still sounds good at very high volume levels.
Increasing the voltage input of the computer simulation to 53V, increases the excursion to its maximum linear level (about 25.2mm) and results in an undistorted output of an impressive 115.75dB. The vented box simulation had a lower 39.7Hz roll-off and a max linear SPL of 122dB (this SPL number is probably somewhat exaggerated by LEAP 4's inability to accurately simulate very high voltage levels, which as I said will be corrected by using the new LinearX LEAP 5 Windows version in the future). Also, remember that these figures are based on sine wave analysis and the performance with program material will probably be at least 2-3dB greater before noticeable distortion. However, as Pioneer indicates in its TS-W2000 manual, "We want you listening for a lifetime" (hey, deaf people don't buy car subs) and that you need to avoid prolonged exposure to excessive SPL above 100dB, which this woofer is very capable of producing given sufficient amplifier power.
With an MSRP of only $250, my judgment is that this is a lot of woofer for the money, combining excellent build quality and outstanding thermal cooling features. This is a very professionally designed subwoofer and should provide excellent performance, but the bottom line is how it sounds subjectively. So how is it?
Listening I'm on my way to lunch, and I get a phone call from Car Audio and Electronics' Technical Editor, Casey Thorson. He was curious if I would be interested in doing some listening evaluations for the magazine. This is something I've dreamed about, that is, listening to product and getting paid for it, so needless to say I was way stoked. I told him I would be anxiously awaiting the first speaker's arrival. I was pretty excited to do a review of the Pioneer Premier TS-W2000SPL as I had just seen it at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Back at the shop, I cracked open the packaging. Peeling through the protection, I found the warranty card, the specifications sheet, and the mounting hardware that Pioneer sends with the woofer. Included in this is a mounting template, which makes cutting holes less of a guessing game. You're more likely to wind up with the perfect hole in your enclosure, ensuring a good, tight fit.
The one-piece, die-cast aluminum basket has a brawny industrial design, with its huge spokes that hold the top and bottom of the double stacked motor structure together. The engineers at Pioneer also used large silver binding terminals for the speaker cable connection points. This allows for some real heavy-gauge speaker cable to be used, assuring that the big power from that thunderous amp you will be using flows to this sub. On the backside of the cone, just above the speaker connection points, a small piece of foam is adhered to make certain that the tinsel leads do not make a rattling noise on the chance that you are really driving the woofer to its limits-a problem often related to high excursion drivers. I really enjoyed how the mounting gasket wrapped all the way around the basket edge. This thick rubber lines the screws up perfectly to the holes in the basket, folding around the edge and snaking back under, acting as a mounting gasket. At $250, this thing has all the right parts in all the right places-bravo Pioneer!
After giving the TS-W2000SPL a good once over, I dialed Pioneer's tech department to see if it could recommend an enclosure for my specific vehicle. The tech team at Pioneer is obviously very busy so I called a local authorized Pioneer dealer (CarTrends in Tulsa, Okla.) and asked about the type of woofer enclosure it normally builds for this speaker. Turns out it's a vented enclosure of about 1.75 cu ft with a vent that is 4 inches in diameter and 6.5 inches in length. These recommendations were consistent with the volumes that Pioneer prints in the spec sheet for the TS-W2000SPL, so I went with it.