Sandbagger MFW-15 Turbo Kit Review

I will be writing a full review of the Seaton/Sandbagger MFW-15 Turbo upgrade kit as Kevin was kind enough to lend me one of his prototypes while I wait for my new eD subwoofer to come in.

I can tell you that I was absolutely blown away by what I heard at his house...and I'm really looking forward to seeing what it can do once I've spent some time with it. Look for my full review sometime on the weekend.

HAHAHA. You like that eh? I was pleasantly suprised and impressed (initial impressions at least in a smaller room) with the output and slam the turbo kit offered. I still think it's kinda expensive but....it sure does a nice job. The mid bass 60htz slam was unreal. I think honestly SPL wise it was more powerful than Kevin's Seaton Submersive *this was by ear only and not with an SPL meter btw* (although the Submersive went deeper for sure) all things being equal, and I told Kevin this, I'd rather have a turbo'ed MFW or 2 over one Submersive (especially for the money) *Kevin also has a submersive in the same room...so I asked him to do a quick side by side comparison.*

I think if Kevin can get a hold of enough boxes (which I think he has) and mod them and then resell he has a real winner on his hands IF the price is right.

I will say if you have a dead MFW-15 and are looking for a solution then you need look no further. I would be happier if the turbo kit was a little less costly, but....for what you are getting it looks to be a very good value.

I will also confirm something interesting....comparing the Dayton SA1000 amplifier that Kevin has modified into a Seaton Sound amp. It will NOT give out!!! Compare that to the CHT 18.2 that I demo'ed and if you turned the gain up to even 1/3 it would clip, 1/2 and the amp would shut down completely (same results with 2 different amps btw) but with the modded version I actually turned the gain up to 9/10 and NOTHING!!!! yes the amp indicated clipping, but....there was not much audible clipping going on (a little yes) but even more than that the amp would NOT shut down no matter how loud it got.

The MFW-15 Turbo driver is a tank...with UNBELIEVABLE excursion. Seriously, man did that driver have HUGE X-MAX!!!

I'll write more later when I have a chance to really put this modified sub through it's paces...and as always I will write my honest impressions. I actually was expecting to be disappointed (told Kevin that too..he just laughed at me on the phone) but the only thing I was disappointed by was my own doubts without actually hearing the sub. I'll reserve final judgement until after I do my testing...and if Kevin's fix for my MFW-15 amp worked..I'll be doing a direct comparison of the 2...and I'll let you know if it's actually louder than 2 stock MFW-15's.

$750.00 (I think that's what they sell for) is steep, but again, you are getting a monster amp and a monster driver....so although not cheap, it certainly beats throwing out a perfectly good sub box (which is what MOST MFW's are after the amps blow)

If you have an empty or blown MFW-15 (or get one REALLY cheap) this looks to be a very good option. It would be a lot more painful if like me you bought your MFW's for say...$700.00 each (yes I got suckered too) and then had to drop another $750.00 into them to get them working...but at least they would work.

My hope for Kevin's success is that he is able to get a deep enough discount on his amps/drivers/plates that he can reduce the costs and make this a more affordable option for end users. If that happens...look out boys....

dude...i'm not praising the MFW-15 in any way!!! I'm praising the resourcefullness and performance of a smart guy creating a way to make the POS MFW-15's that died working so people are not out all their money.

I have said many times I'm not sure it's worth the money per se (considering it's almost as much as a new working sub) but....if you can't bring yourself to throw away your MFW then it's a viable option.

Kevin and I are friends...and maybe I say things publicly that I shouldn't..but he knows I respect him and takes what I say with a grain of salt.

The capacitor fix is very good (kevin fixed an amp for me tonight actually) and the MFW-15 is a good sub....but I'm suspecting no where near the performance of the turbo after what i've heard. my issue with the price has always been that you could buy a brand new sub for around the same amount....that being said...it is definitely a good viable option for those who don't want to give up or throw away their MFW's.

I'll leave the graphs for Sandbagger to do when he gets back from CES. He has the mic's and other necessary equipment to do it properly...and after all it's his project. I'll simply post my impressions etc in a fair and honest way as I always do..but again, it will me MY impressions...so take them as you will

This is probably in response to my positive feelings on the turbo kit..and the fact that i'm listening to one....

pretty funny actually

and it's because of that reason people would buy a turbo kit over a new sub and scrap the mfw. people love the look and they paid a lot for those subs (me included) and if that's the case...buy a turbo kit for sure

well. i "owned" one up until last friday when I sold it....and I'm waiting for my new one to ship. I have not given the turbo enough listening time YET to make a fair comparison...but thus far if I had to say after listening to it tonight....I'd say.....

The MFW-15 "turbo" is quite a good performer, very good in the mid bass region, definitely much more powerful than a stock mfw with lots of punch...but....the A7S-450 definitely digs deeper, has more impact, and is tighter sounding (due to the sealed design I'm sure) but...this was to be expected.

I'll write a full review when I have time this weekend after torturing the turbo kit...and if I still have it when my new A7S-450 arrives I'll do a direct comparison.

as for a direct mfw stock vs turbo...well, my stock one is pooched at the moment...so that's not gonna happen any time soon.

That I'm not sure of as I've never heard the new HSU

Well...watching some movies with the MFW-15 Turbo kit (prototype) and wow. it sure does pack a lot of power. The amp clips like crazy (gain set to 12 O'clock) but Kevin has told me he's modded it so it will not shut off or audibly clip. I'm still testing....

It's powerful and loud, not as deep as the other subs I've heard, but for movies so far pretty good. I'm still playing with the EQ of the amp.

I was not super impressed with it's performance for music, but....like I said I have to play with the EQ some more. Seemed like the sub really likes 50-60htz but it's almost overkill in music. I had to turn it down quite a bit. I'll report back more later this weekend...but I thought I'd give you a little update.

oh ya, and YES, it is definitely more powerful than 2 stock MFW-15's...of that I'm 100% sure.

What I will say for sure is that THIS is how the MFW-15 SHOULD HAVE BEEN in the first place. Sadly, we all go hosed by "you know who".

If you have an MFW-15 and it's not working, and you just can't bring yourself to throw it out....I think this is a great option (especially if they can do it a little cheaper) to keep your sub alive and working with a LOT more power

I do have to wonder though...if you would get close to or maybe even as good performance with a different heavy duty 15" driver and say an EP2500... It might not be quite as good, but...it would certainly be priced in around $400.00 which might make it more attractive to more people. The amp is a big part of the cost of this kit (retails at $450.00 for standard SA1000) and I know you can get an EP2500 for around $200.00...and hell, even a feedback destroyer pretty cheaply used (60.00). Just another thought on options.

That being said, however, it's a lot of work and a guessing game compared to buying direct from Sanbagger and getting a tested EQ'ed unit that's pretty much plug and play. Just another thought....might be money well spent for the extra cash with less hassle

I will say the more I listen to this sub the more impressed I am.