I'm looking for a really strong 12 inch sub for about $200-250. I've got a 12 inch Rocford(cheapo) and a 15 inch Xtant. Both were enclosed in a proper fiber-filled enclosure for the center well in the back and neither offered a really clean punch. Loud yes, Clean and clear - no. I'd really like to hear suggestions as well as any subs you listened to in your comparison. Thanks.

 

Try Aura Sound - new Elan series - they seriously ROCK http://www.aurasound.com/
:yesnod:

 

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/ProductsPage.asp
I have this. 300$ Clear, crisp, tight bass. Won't go really low for rap, etc. Good for pink floyd and rock, techno, industrial and less bassie music.

http://www.soundstream.com/slammin_subs2_exact.html
I had two 10" of these and they cranked. 12' are also good. $225 Need alot of power. Again, not the best for really deep rap bass. Good For rock, medium bass, Rush, Nine Inch nails, etc.

http://www.mmxpress.com/rock_subs.htm
RFR 3112, Lots of noise, good for rap, not good for most other applications. Sloppy bass. $350

http://www.mmxpress.com/Audiobahn/12inch.htm
AWT12 I want one of these. A little pricey but no weaknesses. $699 Needs silly amounts of power, weighs a ton.

http://www.focal.tm.fr/gb.htm
These are good but hard to find. I have the home versions in my home sterio.
Wierd size. Extremely expensive at $1150 and 13", Crazy Europeans.

http://www.mmxpress.com/ads/ads_rs2_subs.htm
Tight clean bass. Not really boomy for rap stuff. Good price. $200 They make the best mids and tweets and good subs but not the best.

http://www.alumapro.com/mainfrst.html
Alumapro Alchemy is supposed to be very good but I have not used them.

http://audiooptions.com/subwoofers.html
JL Audio 12W7. Expensive but looks good on paper. I haven't heard them yet. $750

Hope this gives you some ideas. Check out the ones you are interested in. I love my Boston because it fits my music. Notice you don't see any Pioneer, kicker, xtant, clarion, alpine, eclypse, Cerwin vega, earthquake, Blaupunkt, Mtx, and only one cheesy fosgate.

92TripleBlack
:cheers:


[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 9:36 PM 10/8/2001]

 

Great input TripleBlack. Thats the kind of thing I was looking for.
I was thinking of a JL Audio W3 but there just isn't much around here to audition. Thats the cleanest I've heard so far (for a car) so I'm really relying on your type of input.

 

Listen to things side by side to hear how they sound to you. Try to use the same setup you will have in the car with respect to amp brand and size and cd brand and bring your own CD. This will give you the best test you can have. It will also let you find what is best for your music, ear and equipment. I would go to some good shops, most will carry a few of these and should give you some good input. Tell them ahead of time you are comparing and shopping around and listening to find the best setup you can. Good shops will give you good advise and you should be able to tell the difference very quickly. The JL W3 is ok but its still in that average kinda range and won't compete with most of these speakers.
Good Luck
92TripleBlack :cheers:

 

I'm no expert, but here's my take.... Larger subs give more "booming" bass.
Smaller ones give "tighter" bass..

I didn't need the world to know I had a sound system in my car, and didn't have the need to be vibrated every time a bass note was struck, soooooo.

I went with 2 smaller 8" subs. The sound is loud, never distorted, & gives good tight bottom end. Damn! I think everyone wants that! hahaha

Anyway, my choice was Phoenix Gold's 8" Dual Voice Coil subs.

 

Thanks Indy. That may be the way I end up going. I really want fidelity but with the low end covered to give a good punch. I do like my rock on the loud side but its useless if it isnt clean. What do you all think of 2 - 10's? I'd be really interested in your opinion Tripleblack -

 

A pair of tens is great. Just make sure you have the space to mount them in a proper housing. They take up alot of space, more than a single 12". indypace78 is right about the size issue to an extent. Smaller subs are usually tighter than larger when you compare subs made by the same manufacturer/product line. The larger you get, the louder and deeper you can go. The smaller you go, the tighter and cleaner you get. 15 is usually to big to be tight, 8 is usually to small to be deep. There are exceptions to every rule but this will usually get you buy. 10s and 12s seem to be a good compromise size. If you are willing and have the ability to sacrifice the space, add the additional power and cost of a pair of 10" subs vs. a single 12" it should sound really good. I had a pair of Soundstream Reference 10s in an old car I really loved the sound of until they walked one night. And remember, a good quality 10 properly powered and housed will always outperform a cheap 15.
92TripleBlack :cheers:


[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 8:35 PM 10/9/2001]

 

I wholeheartedly concur. On my setup, the shop said for my expressed concerns, 2 8's would be better suited.

 

I will email you a couple of photos of my set up. JLAudio W3's are good subs for the price. I have two of them in my car. Keep in mind the encloser has a lot to do with the sound also.
:cheers:

 

Nasty you are correct, the enclosure makes a big difference. I would go 8" or 10" and forget about the 12's. put the extra money into a better quality 8 or 10.

Even If your gonna build the enclosure yourself make sure you shop around and ask the sound shops for there opinion on size, shape and placement of enclosure. Around here I've gotten a bunch of ideas for my system just by asking questions and it's all FREE advise.....and that works for me :D


[Modified by MyC-4, 10:46 AM 10/10/2001]


[Modified by MyC-4, 10:47 AM 10/10/2001]

 

i installed JL W3 12 inch and it rocks. Had the shop build a custom f.glass box for the middle space in the C5. Using the JL 250 to push the 12. I had to turn the gains on the amp down it hit so hard. Very happy with the JL product. I did hear that JL is coming out with a new sub that is awesome, i believe called the w7.

 

JL AUDIO 10W3 is mounted in the rear storage compartment in my '98 C5 and it is the cleanest sub for the money. I think I paid around $150 for it and it is hooked up to a Rockford 600A4, bridged two channels and it aound great. Remember to use sound deadning material with the install, creates around 3db improvement. My.02 worth.

 

I have (2) 10W3-D4s in my 85, and I love them. I actually have them mounted using the stock 6x9 chamber for the enclosure, but I had to build out 5-7 3/4" MDF panels to have enough clearance for the magnet (it is rather large). Best of all, I can still take off the top and store it in the back (not like stock though, but it still works). :D
This sub is excellent for any kind of music. My personal favorites are rap and techno (big beat, progressive trance). But I also love to listen to things like Eric Clapton, Staind, and other "real instrument" music. All I have to do is turn down the subwoofer output on my HU one or two notches and it is ready. They are very accurate subs, especially in the small enclosures. They are not quite as "boomy" as I would prefer, but thats ok. I still have all of my rear cargo space. :cheers: