How are Digital Designs subwoofers built?!

One of the most exciting parts of my trip to DD in Oklahoma was seeing the subwoofer assembly line. Getting to walk around in person completely strengthened my views on the attention to detail and quality of their products. This is one of the few remaining brands that are hand building the most important parts of the subwoofer in the USA. Hopefully this video also shows you the difference between the price of something mass produced and something custom built to your specification.

[@wilsonrawlin8547]

Absolute props to DD building their subs in the USA. I've been in electronics/cable fab for over 30yrs. A top notch fabrication tech is priceless and cannot be replaced by a machine that can do the same quality work. Not financially possible. Just for that alone I will be looking and DD subs for my next build and plan on all my builds.

[@wdbaudio]

Awesome video Sam! I was looking forward to seeing this the moment DD posted about it on Instagram

[@brianrich7828]

Fi and DD are basically Basshead Mecca here in the US for US made subs

[@SoXDYTB]

What is Basshead Mecca?

[@markfrederick5012]

Which brand has cleaner bass? CT Sounds or DD Audio?

[@dewayneabbott6019]

Man it would be sweet to meet you in person to shake your hand for all the help you have given thru all your videos. I live in Oklahoma like 60 miles from DD. Hope you like your visit to Oklahoma.

[@tomkzinti2760]

Nice video, Sam! Great editing and overall composition. It was factual and fairly comprehensive as well. Good on 'ya, mate! Loved seeing this.

[@georgesrisomsak9650]

Cool process and facility. I have a driver coming from there around the end of the month, very exited!

[@kennethporst4359]

Ik I don't any subwoofers yet but DD and sundown for LIFE! have been a BASS head for years now though, Ik the ins and out of a subwoofer and sam you've been teaching me ALOT so THANkS

[@sammajamma1320]

Love DD! I have two 2512s in my trunk right now and tomorrow I got the m2c amp getting installed can’t wait for end result!

[@AdamSNook.]

here to serport you as you said no one was intrested in tnhis video on your live im hooked on all your videos so easy to learn from you

[@mkloudsql3285]

Extremely excited customer is an under statement 😎

[@ls87gbody]

Very cool Sam! Sucks your not traveling anywhere near Fl. Would love to meet you in person. Hope you had a blast man. Safe travels back home my friend.

[@toysareforboys1]

Wow, they play music 24/7 in there eh? Makes it hard to hear your voice over it :(

[@seanwatts392]

Noo. He added the music when he was editing the video! They weren't playing music lol

[@MrShiffles]

add a bandpass filter..it helps ;-)

[@kris-english]

This is a great video my brother, how did I miss it?????? I've been subbed to you for about 10-11 years now. lol.

[@XM913CG]

Wow, you came to my back yard. Ive been to DD several times as well as Kicker. If i would have known i would have treated you out, gave you a demo or something. If you ever come back to the states look me up.

[@alexferguson8893]

Nothing short of incredible!

[@chloe38583]

Nice vid, its easy to google them, but a few choice links in the description sould become a standard. I found out they sell them here in NZ and your video has convinced me of their quality. Ill put them to good use, ty

[@KidCoyle]

Did you get some DD stuff? How is it?

[@sethgt1234]

Hope you are enjoying your visit to the USA!

[@DDClowers]

Awesome video!!!! It was a long time coming but you made it there!!!!

[@951258tike22]

Damn, looks like a chill, fun place to work! dreaming of an all-DD system one day!

[@hermankangoo4744]

Great video bro, now I'm in love with DDs I have a question let's say you do all the settings right and your playing the speaker as it suppose to for some years, does the magnet loses its strength over time ?

[@barevids]

Not really ☺

[@conquerirlemonde8432]

DD’s are great.. can handle under 1 ohms loads and more power generally than their rms.

[@dalethehvacrepairguy4646]

Barevids , love vids. My buddy makes his enclosures one side ported and the other sealed on the same monoblock amp, is this recommended? And what does this do for box rise and the impedance the amp sees?

[@barevids]

do you mean two woofers, both on the same amp, one in a sealed cab one in ported? Or the same single woofer but front fires into ported rear fires into sealed?

[@dalethehvacrepairguy4646]

@@barevids Two of the same speakers, DVC in the same enclosure, one monoblock amp but one side of the enclosure sealed and the other ported..

[@fromsdtoep8511]

Do you have any videos for cutting out areas of burnt circuit board. I believe I've narrowed it down to a short near two Mosfets that keep blowing. Can an amp run missing two Mosfets? Might be a stupid question. I'm new at this but I'm not going to give up...

[@robthegobbler]

I live in Oklahoma! Tulsa area. So wild yo think you’ve been so close to me and I never knew lol.

[@waderyun.war00034]

Hello from Kansas city. Looks like your having a great time

[@ckryegrass11]

Hey im just paid for a set of Red line series 600 10” to go in a ported box under the seat of my 2018 f150 supercrew. I didnt know much about dd audio. The shop sell jl audio as well. They are building the box now. Did i make the right choice with the series 600 10” or should i have went with the 8w7 in a ported underseat box. The guy at the shop pushed the redline due to cost but i was not worried too much about cost. He said the redline 10 would out do the 8w7’s. Any advice would be appreciated. I have not had anything installed yet. Thanks.

[@dtipton35171]

You made a good choice on the subs we sell alot of them they will get down in that box I wouldve went with a fox acoustic box for under the seat they are one of the best when it comes to truck boxes . but I'm sure your shop knows what they are doing . you will be happy with the red line subs . I run the 9500 esp supercharged 12s on a dd m5 and a dd 4.90 on my mids and highs

[@latola7204]

lkjyuiop I have the 9512s with m3 amps they are spl subs i love them besides the blue clipping light on bass knob goin off all the time. But cant hate on the jl w7 to me the jl is more sound quality while the dd is donkey bass just beats

[@jeffg2742]

Do they have a parts catalog?

[@apostolache]

Wonderful experience! Nice job man

[@blakebrockhaus347]

Man, I recently started working at DD. It's so fucking awesome man

[@patrickincharlestonsc4935]

Congratulations bud! Just got in 2 1100 series 12” dual 4s on DM1000A. Can’t find much info on them. What’s your take

[@blakebrockhaus347]

@@patrickincharlestonsc4935 sorry it took a bit to respond. But I put a couple in my car and they absolutely slam. My electrical isn't up there so they're probably only getting like half power. And they're strong enough that my car is kinda falling apart now.

[@patrickincharlestonsc4935]

@@blakebrockhaus347 love it. What’s your box specs/amplifier/power info so I can gauge my setup off yours. What size and impedance you running?

[@blakebrockhaus347]

@@patrickincharlestonsc4935 2 1112s in ~2.75 cubes tuned in the low 30s with a 6 inch aeroport. And I'm running it at 2 ohms final, but again I can't get full power out of the amp until I upgrade my electrical

[@patrickincharlestonsc4935]

@@blakebrockhaus347 Jack S got me hooked up with an Atrend 3.86 tuned to 35 with my two 1112s. Running on stock electrical it’s still pretty strong. 170 amp alternator and stock battery in 2012 Grand Cherokee I bought for my boys first ride.

[@baileybasshead8762]

So is DD ordering the parts from the same supplier/manufacturer that they get their SQ parts from only building the higher end products in house?

[@lukeboroff3358]

What do they call the dustcaps that have like a honey comb design in the composite

[@BrandinDanesi]

Good it came back.

[@mr.amp0076]

The coolest video i have ever seen..... Awesome sam... You made me buy dd products....

[@alphaomega8373]

11:38 that guy lookin like... Yeah i'd do him if he keeps the wig on lol

[@jaredappleseed7037]

Very cool thanks for showing us

[@CL-yp1bs]

Does DD do FEA analysis or Klippel? I am curious as to the engineering behind the different choices? Is there any thought given to distortion for SQ builds or just different options for SPL/ daily banger builds..?

[@barevids]

No, they don't as far as I'm aware. They do real world testing in vehicle for prototypes and use their ears, and take less notice of measurements and even ts parameters.

[@baileybasshead8762]

Yeah I've had quite a bit of SQ would like to try DD

[@henrycaldwell238]

Thank you so much for the video! I am going to watch like 20 times. Then watch again and pretend my speakers are like Frankenstein being brought to life!

[@jeffsylvester7394]

Hi.nice video. How about a video on the process of coil forming and the baking of them coils.Thanks guy

[@hispls]

All the higher end woofers buy coils from Precision Econowind. I don't think anybody does that in-house.

[@franciscoalexisrocha3632]

How do i find the manufacturer sticker on these? I took them out of the box but cant see it

[@Marijn345]

I +100% loved the video. I want to see this for myself (or maybe together with you, if possible).

[@travisgulley2652]

Is the magnetizer high voltage

[@ledmk2]

Very nice video

[@damianalbury9583]

Was that a video effect when he ran the magnetizer or did the magnetizer actually make the camera glitch?

[@midnight-xpress1136]

There is a extremely high joule discharge in a magnetizer, essentially like a minature EMP. You have a big bank of huge caps that you drive the voltage up to where you need it then you discharge it all as what my work called a shot. Then it's magentized. My work had an old 9ne that used a 1 1/4 iron bar and we have these triangle iron blocks to help focus the charge. Then get your North/South poles in the right direction, charge, then bang. A little thunk sound and viola. We use it to magazine our strengthen the magnet core of analog Meter movements. Ours isn't so precise then we put the meter movement in a pulsed demagnatizer, and slowly bring down the magnet field strength. Pretty sure their rig is set up for optimal parameters and they have those magnate zing boxes to optimized for the magnet motor.

[@Skoposane111]

There's a giant spider on your back! hahaha

[@riez0078]

I love dd 😍❤️😍

[@DanielRodriguez-cy6kj]

Zed's foooorrr Daayyss

[@ktraughb]

@barevids you came over here? You still in the states?

[@naeionescu3734]

Awesome! Well done!

[@ze_german2921]

Awesome !!!

[@ze_german2921]

I'm 3rd haha

[@Hertzsogood219]

Great Video!!

[@RandomAudioGuys]

Great video man. Just want to note the redline is built in China. If it requires a repair it's done in house.

[@iam-lagger2115]

I wonder if I can order Z series motors for my 818 18" subs

[@ilovetoyotatrucks]

As a die-hard MASSIVE AUDIO fan - i always looked at sundown, SKAR,incriminator audio, most of these brands as just overmarketed & more often than not -overpriced -but DD IS THE ONLY COMPANY IVE SEEN AS GOOD OF DEAL/ BANG FOR BUCK AND QUALITY BUILT AS MASSIVE IS... ID BUY DD PRODUCTS ANY DAY!

[@brianrich7828]

randall jr Benoit Incriminator is far from as marketed as Sundown (actually great product and Jake is a really killer guy) DD is Amazing. Fi is Amazing. Skar is...well it works lol. JL is market hype so are kicker,Rockford Fosgate,New Pioneer etc. But incriminator? Really man? Lol I hardly see it compared to Skar or Sundown 😆

[@ilovetoyotatrucks]

brian rich that's a nice opinion you have there- its MASSIVE AUDIO ONLY for me RN Your budget is different than mine!

[@brianrich7828]

randall jr Benoit sure only expensive ones positively listed were Sundown and DD however. The rest have subs that are as affordable as Massive. Massive Hippo is 400 dollars before tax. And a Fi Q Neo or blv3 will hit harder for less and be musical. And I’m not partial to any brand. Skar SD and FI both have subs that perform just as good and better than Massive. Competition records and prices prove that. Massive is good. But real world results kind of show what’s better in real world testing.

[@ilovetoyotatrucks]

brian rich $260* hippo xl regular hippos can be had at $200- $220 But they are also made alil higber quality materials and stand the test of time -also recones are readily available & twnd to be cheaper as Well

[@darrylparks6053]

I agree dude. Go to sundowns site and try to buy a (single)15 or 18 team neo sub like 5kRMS!!!!!!!!! Been bout 10months since i checked but it was like 1800.. YA 1800 for 15...... Like 2200 for 18!! No box now wire nothing just ONE sub lmao

[@etriganseven6042]

Where did the Z design come from?

[@lunam7249]

RESONANT ENGINEERING...."RE" + ADIRE - "PARTHENON"

[@timmetjuh070]

Sick video!!!

[@alessandrolagioia8347]

Woooow

[@HowDareYouu]

they do the asembly by hand because the factory is not as big or as modern as other factories like Focal etc

[@juststuff5216]

Car audio isn't Focal's only or main focus

[@lunam7249]

higher quality.....is hand made

[@HowDareYouu]

@@lunam7249 that is not a rule. Hand made means higher tolerances and bigger differences between items. Hand made is good just for arts & crafts or small quantity special editions

[@lunam7249]

@@HowDareYouu well......last time i checked "Digital Designs" has won around 20 world car stereo championships...."focal" has won ZERO (0)....Z.E.R.O.......

[@lunam7249]

@@HowDareYouu WTF???!!! speaking of "arts and crafts" like a seashell necklace?? WTF are you talking about???!! do you even understand what a magnet is??? or how it works?? seriously??... the electron spin and current path??!! stuff like that???!! or why a loudspeaker plays music? or what planet your on?? FYI were on "planet earth"

[@jan3964]

nice video ! Good Job :D

[@cdbennett2332]

I live down the street from there and been in there a few times.

[@nortoncarty3585]

Wow my type of stuff i need a job there

[@jamesmason4361]

I've always wondered how companies manage to rate the power of their woofers, do you have any idea?:)

[@barevids]

It differs greatly with each manufacturer, which is why you can't really compare between brands you just have to try them for yourself or take advice from those who have used them. DD are one of the more conservatively rated brands.

[@fabiuh991]

power is just a thermal rating

[@Chuck_Sanders]

Yeah, you cannot rate a voice coil for power at all. It's a thermal rating only. You just have to use common sense with power to the subwoofer. It will tell you when things start getting a little to much. Glue starts heating up and stinks, which is a quick indication that there is thermal failure in the near future. Many factors come into play with power handling. The thermal rating of the enamel, the type of wire, the former thickness and material, total windings in the magnetic gap, cooling capabilities and so forth.

[@1452-w3b]

So my question is what happens if you overcharge the motors?

[@joshholden8561]

V Bl prolly gets out of spec and sub doesn't behave as the rest. Subs over time lose their magnetism and need recharged u don't see it often cause only speaker builders have a machine like that pros don't work with live neo or ferrite it's a paper weight untill it's saturated that is what it trying to do saturate as much as u can do it 1 to 3 times depending on size

[@robertwoods9600]

Good vid!

[@orangejjay]

Ayyyyyyy some dnb!

[@gonenutz5150]

Love it

[@hiteshdhaigude]

Nice video

[@Tekjive]

Bro I need help finding a specific coil NO on has, anyway you could maybe help me reach out to DD to help attain it lol, ya i know but getting that desperate >.

[@jacobfuller9893]

Cool video =)

[@kevinb2684]

You finally made it to your Holy Land Sam graduation so how mine parts did you buy when you were there????

[@fabiuh991]

anyone noticed the emp? or was that just a vfx

[@baileybasshead8762]

I thought I saw Boone goosens brother working at DD @ 3:10 lol 😆

[@theinfamous4910]

People often wonder why subs can cost a lot. Well here ya go.

[@Skrotoleave]

Wow! Top!

[@Does_it_come_in_black]

DDZ4’s 😍

[@JBlNN]

One of the few brands building in usa other than: fi, sundown, ssa, ascendant audio and like 20 other brands. Dont be a nuthugger please

[@kylejirousek5832]

You are an idiot.... if you believe 20 more companies are building in the USA. Lol.

[@TechnikToni-Overtribe]

Nice Intro Bro

[@xXThePointXx]

You were in my hood!

[@electricaltechnology706]

Nice

[@AWMKWHITE]

Massive spider on his back 🤣😅😅🤣

[@AIexanderHartdegen]

good video..But what a hell.. Why this background music????

[@seancollins9745]

do you know a competent repair center in the USA ?

[@danielmoraes9637]

Its a kid in the chocolate factory

[@the666bud]

What's up having fun in the states sam

[@agentfrijoles6]

home audio system ??

[@thytoin1]

This manufacturer launched its products in Brazil 10 years ago, it had almost all models equivalent to those made in the USA, but of low quality. Magnetic set of a DD15xx, 35xx, 99xx, Z series (neo) were smaller compared to models made in the USA, and I think the not very attractive prices made it not fall in the taste of the lowbass public. Not very attractive prices did not fall in the taste of the most lowbass audience, although it is true that in Brazil the vast majority prefer sound that plays in an open environment, similar to professional sound at musical events.

[@sethgt1234]

Did you get to see your woofers built?

[@barevids]

They were out of 15in esp baskets 😔

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

Pretty cool. I don't see how some of you guys still have eardrums. lol

[@jamesfalvey77]

Still don't know why I should choose dd

[@grandprixgtp2001]

Love the tour, but please please please lose the music. I felt like I had to pull out the clarifier from Miracle Ear to understand what you were saying because of all the background music. I hope you're enjoying the USA!

[@barevids]

What speakers did you listen to the video with? Sounds absolutely fine here, through various devices, headphones, speakers and such.

[@grandprixgtp2001]

@@barevids just my Samsung Galaxy S6, it's just very distracting that's all. I want to hear every word that you say and it's difficult to with the music a little loud.

[@barevids]

The music level is extremely low, I suggest headphones or wait to watch it on the computer with some speakers or something

[@shawnryan4795]

That track is absolutely bonkers and pure fire mate

[@tonydize3944]

And thats why i only have dd on all of my cars

[@Finga_Trappa]

🤪🤯

[@gustasogrande2497]

eso lo hace mos todo facil

[@BH4x0r]

oo blurred stuff, new dd stuff inc?

[@PHUSII]

That looked like JBL boxes to me for some odd reason...

[@BH4x0r]

Janne Kokko ye just noticed after you wrote it, they look like JBL Stage subs, theres a small part where its not blurred out lel

[@gavinmcclure8047]

No its Soundqubed

[@Hernandube985]

Mi sueño

[@Finga_Trappa]

Science🤓😎

[@gustasogrande2497]

DOMINICANA

[@ljrivas91]

Wish I did more research before spending lots of money on old jl 13w7s 😫. Gotta blow these up before wife let's me buy new subs

[@barevids]

Man 13w7s are beautiful subs! They're not the loudest or most powerful, but they're not trying to be. Don't blow them up. Sell em to someone who will appreciate them, and get some DD 9500s!

[@Detox_iB]

Had a brand new 3515 top plate shift because one of those dipshit assemblers forgot to add enough glue, literally 2 little lines of glue about 1 1/2" long. "Attention to detail" lol

[@barevids]

These guys don't assemble the motors. There are zero ferrite/magnet assembly firms left in the US as far as I'm aware for this size of application. No matter how much glue is used, if the impact is sharp enough, it will shift the slugs or top plate. There's no other way to attach these components since ferrite is too brittle to drill and bolt through. You were unfortunate, but I'm sure DD sorted you out properly for the inconvenience.

[@rickygutierrez7085]

I’m in the 405