Subwoofer upgrade question

I have been using my Audio Source SW-15 subwoofer for over 16 years with little in the way of complaints or problems. The only drawback I had been aware of over the years is with newer soundtracks at theater volumes it has a tendency to bottom out and rattle. I have been able to address this issue by keeping the subwoofer levels lower, but find it inconvenient to continually adjust level trim for nearly every film, game, or piece of music to get the most out of it. I reconfigured my SW-15 last year to a downward firing setup and gained significant increase in discernible bass, allowing level settings to remain where set, but the problem still arises when being pushed at higher volumes, and I've always considered upgrading the 15" driver to a more robust unit, as well as the 250 watt plate amp.

I am a frequent customer of the invaluable site Parts Express, and over the years I have longed to pick up a Titanic III 15" subwoofer to replace my old Audio Source one with. What I'd like to know is if anyone has made the transition to this subwoofer, whether in the form of full kit, or simply replacement of the driver as I am planning, and if so how well do you like this woofer, and how does it compare both with music (is it controlled enough to keep up with fast transitions, mid to low and back) as well as film soundtracks?

I've never used the Titanic.

I have used the RSS265HF-4 10" for my current subwoofer with the 250W plate amp. I also have plans on the drawing board for the 15" driver from the same series. I went with this series because of the claim that the HF stood for High Fidelity. They also make an HO (High Output).

With the help of the SMS-1 I was able to get the 10" ported configuration pretty flat down to 20 Hz. It's also plenty loud.

Thank's EEman! I've had my eye on the HF/HO drivers for some time now and they look to be very good as well, I was just figuring if I'm going to upgrade my woofer, might as well go for the FULL gusto!

Well, what I'd do then is figure out what the cabinet parameters are then go to the online chat with PartsX. They've been very helpful when I've had sub design questions. They'll want to know the cabinet volume and configuration (i.e. ported (what size?), sealed, etc.) and how much power you've got. Then they can match the driver from their selection that best fits your application.

For best subwoofer performance you have to match the driver and the cabinet design. Otherwise you'll end up with an underperforming system.

There's also various free calculators online for sealed and ported subs that I've used in the past and gotten good results.

Note: I spend more money building subs that just buying them but it is a fun hobby and I can control the shape and color of the sub.

I enjoy the challenge of speaker building and design though I honestly don't have nearly enough disposable income available to properly fund such a hobby. I have calculated my current subwoofer cabinet's volume and compared it to the spec's of the Titanic sub in the past, not sure WHERE I put that data now! But I figure by the time I've got enough money for my driver and amp I'll recalculate and then decide which driver best suits my needs. Thanks for refreshing my memory buddy!