In smaller environments like that, I usually recommend direct radiators. That position doesn't endear me to other horn enthusiasts but it's what I think. The reason is that direct radiating subs almost always produce truer (flatter) response down to a lower cutoff point than small basshorns do. By "small" basshorn, I mean anything under about 25 cubic feet. That's large, I know, but compared to wavelength, it's acoustically small in terms of mouth area and sometimes in terms of path length too. So it will be peaky and may not hit the low notes.

It's easy to design a direct radiating subwoofer that will be flat to somewhere between 30Hz to 40Hz in a 10ft3 cabinet (or less) but a basshorn of this size will be horribly peaky or won't go deeper than 60Hz or both. So if you're in a place that's smaller than 4000 square feet, I'd suggest a direct radiating subwoofer.

I don't care much for "small" basshorns because of the reasons I said above. At least, not when they're used individually. But one thing makes them make sense, and that's when they are used in groups. That's how you can take advantage of a small basshorn. When an undersized basshorn is used in enough quantity, the system has enough mouth area to have good, flat bass response down to a reasonably low frequency. This allows guy to use a physically small box that's relatively easy to carry and still take advantage of horn loading. That's the only time I think a "small" basshorn (under 25ft3) makes sense.

In my opinion, a small basshorn is worse than a direct radiator if it isn't used in groups. That's the problem I have with them. If you have to pack a sub into 10ft3, my opinion is you lose the option of horn loading. If you can triple or quadruple that space, only then you can begin to even consider using horn loaded subs. If you have 40ft3, you can use a pair of large basshorns or four smaller ones, and you can get acceptable response from them. Better still if you have double or quadruple that amount of space. Basshorns need size. So but if you have a small place to setup in, don't use basshorn subs cause they'll be peaky boom boxes that are easily outperformed by a simpler direct radiating sub setup.

A good modern high-efficiency 18" woofer used in a suitably tuned box as a direct radiator generates about 93dB to 96dB from 30Hz or 40Hz up when used in half-space, depending on the driver. A pair of them as is used in many subwoofers produces 99dB to 102dB or so. Double the number of woofers and you get 6dB each time for the same voltage input across each driver's voice coil. The thermal limit is usually reached above 60Hz or so and is usually about 500 WRMS to 2000 WRMS per driver, depending on the driver. The mechanical limits are usually reached below 60Hz and are almost always reached below 1000 watts, usually less than 500 watts RMS. So what this means is that at the very lowest frequencies, you can't push all the power to the subs without making them distort badly, possibly eventually causing failure. Between this fact and the reality of thermal compression at high power levels, a modern high-efficiency 18" woofer is limited to about 125dB/M at subwoofer frequencies.

A good modern basshorn subwoofer generates from 102dB to 106dB from its cutoff frequency upwards when used in half space. This is already 5dB to 10dB more efficient than the direct radiator, literally ten times more powerful. Add to that the fact that a basshorn is not generally mechanically limited at low frequencies because horn loading reduces cone movement. A basshorn's limit is thermal, which means it can take full power at subwoofer frequencies. This means it is able to generate at least 10dB more at full power, sometimes nearly 20dB more. So at full power, a basshorn subwoofer can deliver 10 to 50 times more power than a direct radiating subwoofer. And since the driver doesn't move as much, distortion produced by a horn at full power is less than a direct radiator at full power.

The 12π basshorn sub has a couple other tricks up its sleeve too, which give it an edge over other basshorns. It uses push-pull drive, which lowers distortion even further than horn loading alone can do. It also uses a patent pending cooling system that increases power handling over 2x. This reduces heat, increases its thermal limit and makes the system more robust.

On the matter of pattern control, even the massive 12π basshorn subwoofer is not large acoustically at 30Hz. A single basshorn of this size does not start to get pattern control until frequency is higher. That's what gives a single horn rising response, it is beginning to become directional at the upper end of its response curve. However, when you add horns, grouping them together, they become directional. A group of four or more is large enough to direct sound forward even at deep subwoofer frequencies. This is a very potent setup, because it is extremely efficient and powerful. Maximum SPL is about 150dB/M for a group of four.

There is one MAJOR manufacturer who rates one of their 2x18" cabinets at 108dB. AND it will do it, BUT ONLY at 1800Hz. Not exactly what I call a bass freq.

Many manufacturers will choose any high output number they can see (with no freq attached) and call that sensitivity, whether or not you would actually be able to use it.

There are NO 2x18" cabinets that can put out 102dB with 1 watt input at 1 M and half space and under say 100Hz, much less under 70Hz.

There is no way it goes as low in freq either as stated-within the parameters listed.