Dayton Audio SD215A-88 8" DVC Subwoofer

UPDATE [Nine Year's later 3/2025]:This will probably be my last update but yes, the subwoofer is still working well, and the amplifier is still working fine with it too. I have nothing to add but to say that im completely satisfied with this subwoofer. Although as of this 2025 update it is listed as unavailable. Hopefully its not discontinued, or if it is then i hope its replaced with a similar model that can do 8/8 dual voice coil capability.UPDATE [Four Year's later 7/2020]:Still going strong, still using almost every day, OEM amp doing just fine; nothing has changed!UPDATE [Two Year's later 7/2018]:I have had this Dayton subwoofer installed for nearly two full years, and its been smooth sailing. Very happy with the purchase, as well as its performance. Still sounds as great as the day I installed iy, and the old Mark Levinson amplifier seems to still kick butt when playing at any volume. Keep it low for general background music when going grocery shopping with your mother, or crank it up loud enough you have to almost yell to talk to your buddies riding in the back. It'll do its job aplomb with no sweat. Yes, if you jack up the "Bass" EQ on the stereo too much it will distort by reaching its maximum excursion. Otherwise if you're mildly sane about your listening habits it should be perfectly adequate. Heck the dummy writing this review in his twenties who listens to generic bass-y EDM all the time finds it perfectly suitable. Doesn't even matter if its Buffalo Springfield, Eurythmics, Lil Jon, or Avicii, it will perform as well as the original speaker will. You will not go wrong installing this if your previous subwoofer is acting up in your LS 430.I have attached a rudimentary dBa / Frequency Response graph of the performance of the SD215AA-88 in the LS 430. Take this with a grain of salt since it wasn't using any scientific equipment (Sound Meter, COLEMETER Decibel Meter Digital Noise Meter Tester Range 30-130dB(A) with LCD Display(Batteries included)). But it should give a very rough estimate to its capability.UPDATE [8 months+ later]:It's been almost eight months since i replaced the old subwoofer in my vehicle with this Dayton model. That and i've put about 15,000 miles in my LS 430 (i drive lots). Again, it has been flawless in sound reproduction and more importantly (to me at this point) the stock decade-plus old Mark Levinson amplifier in my vehicle has never cracked under the pressure of me turning it up loudly. And i do listen to my stuff at above average volumes. Seriously, if you have a broken LS 430 subwoofer you could either a- spend about 10 bux to fix it with glue (which honestly will probably go bad again since it's still beating beat down by the sun when you drive) or b- spend the $30 to get this and replace it with one as good as the one that came with the vehicle and not worry about it. Or heaven forbid c- pay the ridiculous prices for a new Mark Levinson subwoofer on eBay.[ORIGINAL REVIEW]:Purchased to replace a blown subwoofer in my vehicles rear deck. I purchased this specifically over the recommended Polk db840DVC because the Dayton had the capability to wire for 16 ohm impedance, of which the OEM was rated for as well. Versus the Polk which could only manage 8 ohms with it's dual 4 ohm coils.For about thirty bucks or so it's so far met and exceeded my expectations. It's not quite as musical as an HSU subwoofer for example and exhibits a one-note-wonder type of sound, but I'm willing to forgive that as it's installed in a less-then-ideal place (under the rear window in a small metal cavity completely undampened) than for what it's originally intended for (a properly made and designed subwoofer enclosure).All in all im satisfied with its performance. It gets QUITE loud even for my tastes, and thankfully the stock amplifier (of over 13 years) seems to be able to power it without breaking much of a sweat. Enough to rattle my center mirror at least.PS: while not a 100% drop in replacement for the LS 430 subwoofer, you can install this without cutting, drilling, or otherwise modifying anything to the car beyond the stock two-piece plastic frame that houses the OEM subwoofer. The difference being that the two plastic frame assemblies that are used to hold the OEM sub is configured differently. I didn't take note of how it was originally oriented, but right now both frames are above the subwoofer opening, pushing down on the Dayton subwoofer frame. This also means that the screw mounts are higher above than original. But they are still long enough to screw down the plastic frame and hold the Dayton sub in place without much issue. No gluing, no cutting or anything (i didnt have any silicone or material to do so, but i might have done so if i did just to be safe). Also basic soldering skills are required to connect fresh new wires to the OEM power connector as well as to wire the sub correctly.

Installed as a replacement sub in my LS430. Works great, no complaints.

This was unable to suitably fit the bracket for the subwoofer in my 2002 ls430. Way past return window. Assuming the 2 door speakers are incorrect that were advised. Not terribly expensive as far as speakers go. Absorbable loss, will make a speaker box and perhaps hook up to our outdoor movie system.

Worked perfect on my LS430 with the ML system, make sure u wire it up correctly for 16 ohm and then mount it directly to the deck with a little padding maybe and some self tapping screws, no need to reuse the casing of the original sub. Works fantastic and is very loud! So worth it

I bought it as a replacement for the factory Mark Levinson subwoofer on my 2005 Lexus LS430. Make sure to wire it in series so it matches the original 16 Ohms. It sounds great and brought life back to the bottom end after the OEM sub fell apart.

I purchased this to go into my 2001 Chevy Suburban SLT that had a stock 8" sub location.Well, it does not fit a 2001 Suburban SLT stock sub location without a handful of mods. Some reviews here stated it does, however, that is not the case but also not the speaker's fault. It takes a custom mount ring and parts of the stock sub to fabricate a mounting system. Have some rope seal available to use between the mounting system parts to stop air leaks and isolate the parts from one another. The stock sub box is too shallow by almost a 1/2" so the magnet hits the back wall, plus it needs 3/4lb of polyfil inside and MLV on the surfaces to stop the ringing. You will also need longer screws since you must space the sub further out. Once I fabricated the baffles and gaskets, plus a mounting ring made from part of the stock sub's basket that I jig sawed apart, it sealed well and there were no air leaks around the mounting points. The fabricated mounting ring basically "sandwiches" the sub and baffles down to the stock sub mounting surface.I wired the dual voice coils for a 4 ohm load so that the sub has up to 75-80 watts of power available from my amp. Crossed about 80hz it is doing a very nice job of adding enough low end to the system and blending well with the 6.5" components in the front doors. The speaker surround does not hit any part of the stock grill while playing hard, nice. Cabin gain picks up the lowest octaves nicely in these big Suburbans. If this had been a drop in replacement it would be perfect. As it is now, it is doing a satisfactory job! Plus I gained back some space since we haul 4-6 people around to weekend long soccer tournaments and games, and I need that back cargo area available.

Used this in a desktop 2.1 setup, build a 1.15 ft^3 box with a 3" precison aeroport tuned to 35Hz and it slams!! I'm powering it with a fosi audio TP-02 amp wired in parallel to 4 ohms i'm blown away with how much bass this little inexpensive 8" sub puts out.

I have built speakers for over 25 years and this sd215 is versatile and capable when up against drivers around this price,and as good as many pre made speaker set woofers found in mid and upper fi main towers,or sub cubes. They work well sealed, or ported. They can work as a woofer in a three way system,or as a dedicated sub. Why not 5 star? Not my issue ,but there are many who might find them not as aggressive as bang and slap bass fans would go for. That said they have good power output and handling but you would want to build a multiple driver set up (2 or three woofers in each box) for a more aggressive output. They have a surprising quality of sound for the price point ,they can work well for refined low end extension, but with proper box size selection ,and planning they are not weak. They are popular for blown speaker replacement, but if you known what your doing they are a good value for building diy speaker sets ,or subs without busting your wallet.