Exodus Audio Sicko-X : Down With the Sickness

Filed under: Home Audio > Subwoofers


- Image: Sicko-X motor rendering

Exodus Audio is quickly becoming a favorite of mine to write about. Honestly, I haven't even covered half of the things they have going on, but you're no doubt familiar with their Shiva-X, Tempest-X, and upcoming Maelstrom-X. Early reception to the Maelstrom-X's preliminary information has been very positive, but has also generated some discussion on a new "top dog" subwoofer; one that could generate more output with less distortion than any other subwoofer out there. And from what has been discussed so far, it seems like Exodus Audio will be going where few (or none) have gone before.

The driver in question is currently being referred to as the Sicko-X, although I hope that name is changeable down the road (Michael Moore might sue). The details as quoted by Kevin Haskins from Exodus Audio are listed below, but I thought I could add my personal thoughts on what is being targeted.

I currently own and use a 15" Audiopulse LMS-Ultra. With 38mm of extremely linear stroke, amazingly low inductance, and huge power handling, it has really changed my outlook on subwoofers in a way that no other product has. But this is nothing compared to what the Sicko-X would be. The current design is targeted at an obscene 55mm of Xmax, with an even more incredible 42mm of BL within 1%. This motor is achieved with a combination of the patented XBL^2 topology and the split coil topology. The result is flat, linear BL and very low distortion. Of course, this matters very little if you don't have the suspension to support that type of throw, which is why the Sicko-X will be using spiders with a diameter of 14", something well beyond what is considered "standard." And better yet, the Sicko-X will be making use of a counter-coil, intended to lower inductance to practically zero, meaning you can play this incredible subwoofer well beyond the typical ~80 Hz low-pass crossover point.

The early production date is targeted as November, 2008 with a price of less than $1000. There's a lot of engineering to be done so I believe it will be a challenge to meet that time line (especially when so much custom tooling has to be done), but I think the end result will be completely mind-blowing. The nearest thing by my recollection is the Adire Audio Parthenon (which coincidentally was designed by Dan Wiggins, now of Acoustic Development International, who also has a hand in on the design of the Sicko-X.)

Here's more info on the Sicko-X, straight from Kevin Haskins of Exodus Audio. If you want to see more of what they have to offer, check out their website.

"Details of Concept:
Box Size: 7-12 ft^3
System Design: Single 18" driver with dual matching 18" Passive Radiators.
Power: Face Audio F1200-TS 4700W of power into the driver
Goal:116dB anechoic from 25Hz up.
Transducer Design:
*5" Voice Coil with split gap, split coil motor design. Power handling out the ying-yang and at least 55mm of X-max. 70mm of X-mech so we have a full 5.5" of mechanical clearance and 4.3" of clean stroke peak-peak.
*Counter Coil to virtually eliminate inductance issues, careful design for symmetric Le curve for the inductance we have. Counter coils won't saturate with power like shorting rings. End result, 5" VC with very little inductance and EXTREMELY linear with power, frequency and stroke. Impedance curve looks like a planar, ruler flat way out beyond what you typically see with a sub.
*Specially tooled 14" spider with some unique mojo to linearize Cms and maintain production tolerances within +/-5%. Designed to fully support full capabilities of the motor.
*Specially tooled Surround with symmetric Cms curve, both inner & outer rolls like a progressive spider fully supporting the full capabilities of the motor.
*T/S Parameters close to our Maelstrom-X. Parameters usable in both PR/sealed systems of large but manageable size.
*Matching Passive Radiators with the same 5.5" of peak-peak throw.
*Projected Price for the driver: $1000 each Projected Price for the Passive Radiators: $250ea (two needed)
*Projected Price for complete projects (driver, PRs, amp & signal processing): $2500
*Projected Availability: November 2008"