[tsheehan7]

I've been killing myself trying to determine which subwoofer to use to replace my IDQ12v2d2. I lean heavily toward SQ so I'm working with a custom sealed enclosure anywhere between 1-1.5 cubic feet. I keep going between the extremes of expensive subs that leave little room for other improvements or budget subs that leave me room for a processor, sound deadening, etc. I'm running pretty low power here - a Polk Audio PA400.1 which does 300 watts at 2 ohm.

The expensive ones (these make sound deadening and processors less doable):

IDQ12v3d4 - $280
Arc Audio ARC 12d4 - $220
Jl Audio 12w6 (used) - $250
ID12v3d4 - $180
RE SR12 - $190

The cheap ones (i'll probably take the $100-$150 I save and put in some Raamat and Ensolite):

Boston G21244 - $130
Diamond D312D4.2 - $120
MB Quart RWE-304 - $100

Please help me out guys. I'm so tired of researching this stuff and looking for deals. Right now my most likely course of action is the ARC 12d4 with a custom box for $400 total but if I can do better I want to. ANY suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[SQ_Blaze]

I went through the same exact thing recently, looking at all of the same drivers as you and more. You know what I ended up getting (and will be here today)?


This... Stereo Integrity


Reviews... SI Product Reviews - Stereo Integrity Forums


This one seems to be the best bang for the buck, and then some. Seriously consider this one, and read up on the reviews!

 

[tsheehan7]

SQ_Blaze, I ruled that one out because it only comes in dual 2 ohm. I need a dual 4 ohm so I can run the amp at 2 ohm and get the 300 watts out of it. At 4 ohm I'll only get 200 watts, which probably isn't enough for this sub or many others.

 

[ocuriel]

What's wrong with the sub you have now? With that power, I would not change the sub. You already have a winner.

If you really need to change the sub, with that power, Infinity VQ comes to mind.

 

[tsheehan7]

What's wrong with the sub you have now? With that power, I would not change the sub. You already have a winner.

If you really need to change the sub, with that power, Infinity VQ comes to mind.

That sub is dead and gone. I haven't heard much about the Infinity DVQ, but it looks like I might be able to audition one at Best Buy??

 

[Boostedrex]

FWIW, when I was doing my initial Mag v4 testing I ran the sub for a while in a 1.4ft^3 sealed box with 300 watts going to it and the output was surprising. It could easily drown out my 3 way front with that amount of power. I think you would actually be just fine with the Mag running at 4 ohms in your car.

However, with your budget in mind I think you could look elsewhere and also be pleased. What about a Dayton HO? Or a Zuki Audio 12"?

 

[el_chupo_]

Keep your eyes open. About a year ago I bought and sold an Arc Audio ARC 12 for under a hundred bucks.

Deals can be found

 

[tsheehan7]

FWIW, when I was doing my initial Mag v4 testing I ran the sub for a while in a 1.4ft^3 sealed box with 300 watts going to it and the output was surprising. It could easily drown out my 3 way front with that amount of power. I think you would actually be just fine with the Mag running at 4 ohms in your car.

However, with your budget in mind I think you could look elsewhere and also be pleased. What about a Dayton HO? Or a Zuki Audio 12"?

The Dayton HO is a 4 ohm sub too. It would only get 200 watts from my amp.

 

[GlasSman]

That sub is dead and gone. I haven't heard much about the Infinity DVQ, but it looks like I might be able to audition one at Best Buy??

That will tell you zilch on how it will perform in your car.

 

[tsheehan7]

That will tell you zilch on how it will perform in your car.

True, but it's got to be a little better than Dayton, Peerless, Ascendant Audio, Zuki, etc. that aren't sold in stores and can't be heard at all.

 

[sqshoestring]

Before I put my IB subs in I ran a 1.25 box sealed and ported with a bunch of cheaper 12s, plus another 12 in a rec. 1.1cf IIRC. Anyway the infinity 1252 I have IB sounded the best out of all of them in the boxes, but it still sucked. It does show the best bottom in the box and seems to be a pretty low tuned sub for the money (can use a smaller box than others). But for SQ I was not at all impressed, <35Hz was very weak even with some EQ it did not want to put out. Now some don't want 20Hz response like I do, and now have. But I'd say the infinity are pretty good for the price certainly best of the ones I tried. I also ran some other manufactured boxes with dual subs, etc. I just needed a much larger than 1.25 box to tune to what I wanted and that was not going to happen as I need to use the trunk.

Like I've said before model your present sub and see what the prospective new one gives you in comparison. I've had great luck with this, you don't need to know your cabin gain or anything. All you need to do is look at your EQ and if you have +X db at 35Hz, then look for a sub curve that models +X db @35Hz over your current one, or the closer the better. Or you might be able to re-tune your current sub better for your use. My experience shows me that cheap subs tend to need larger boxes, I would verify a model before you believe any manufacturer recommended box sizes. All the cheap subs rec boxes were pure SPL, which I hate if you didn't pick that up.

If you compare to the sub in your car and give/take each frequency as you want, the new sub will be tailored to your use and car be it SQ, SPL, or however you want your bass. If you don't have an EQ you will have to guess I suppose, but even then you can run the tone generator in the software and a tone CD in your car to note what changes you want. Models can be off some but that would get you close. The only pita is inputting the specs for subs that are not in the software.

 

[tsheehan7]

Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[Electrodynamic]

I still third the recommendation of a Mag. The difference between 200 watts and 300 watts is 1.7 dB. That's the kind of difference where you go I think I hear it instead of a noticable volume difference of 3 dB (200 watts vs 400 watts), and lastly noticing a huge difference of being twice as loud which is a 10 dB gain (200 watts vs 2000 watts). The Mag v4 will still shove out a good amount of SPL with 200 watts even though it is rated up to 1000 watts. Power handling is not a power requirement - it is simply a threshold rating for continuous power in a specific enclosure size, nothing more. See, the Mag v4 wasn't/isn't rated like a lot of other car audio companies rate their drivers - a conservative rating of 1000 watts even though they'll handle 1800+ watts.

The Mag v4 fits your criteria perfectly really: It was designed specifically for sealed enclosures in the 1 ft^3 to 1.5 ft^3 range, and it offers you a lot of options when it comes to installation flexibility due to how shallow and light weight the driver is.

If you're leaning heavily towards SQ, the Mag v4 is right up your alley. Have you read any information on the driver or been to the technicial web page of SI's site? If you haven't been there, I highly recommend visiting the site and reading some of the documentation.

 

[tsheehan7]

Am I barking up the wrong tree buying a $250 sub when I don't really have an amp that' worth a darn? Should I be saving the money on the sub and upgrading the amp first so that I can buy the SI Mag's and IDQ's of the world at a later date?

 

[lowxtreme]

FWIW, when I was doing my initial Mag v4 testing I ran the sub for a while in a 1.4ft^3 sealed box with 300 watts going to it and the output was surprising. It could easily drown out my 3 way front with that amount of power. I think you would actually be just fine with the Mag running at 4 ohms in your car.

However, with your budget in mind I think you could look elsewhere and also be pleased. What about a Dayton HO? Or a Zuki Audio 12"?

Does anyone have any info on the zuki 12"?

 

[Electrodynamic]

Am I barking up the wrong tree buying a $250 sub when I don't really have an amp that' worth a darn? Should I be saving the money on the sub and upgrading the amp first so that I can buy the SI Mag's and IDQ's of the world at a later date?

If it were me I would buy the sub first and upgrade the amp later if you want more output. If you did it that way I wouldn't budge unless I was at least doubling the power output. Moar powah doesn't equal more sqzorz.

 

[bassfromspace]

What didn't you like about your initial setup? I don't see many of the subs you suggested giving you notable upgrades over the IDQ.

 

[tsheehan7]

What didn't you like about your initial setup? I don't see many of the subs you suggested giving you notable upgrades over the IDQ.

That's actually a tricky question. I had my IDQ12v2 for about 4 years in another car. I got a new car, put in a new amp (Polk Audio PA400.1) and the sub blew up two weeks later. I wasn't impressed with the output or the clarity for that matter, but I don't want to hold that against the IDQ since it may have been on its last leg from the day I put it in the new car.

So I'm looking to change it up and improve on the IDQ if I can. By improve, I mean either get a sub that performs well for much cheaper (under $150), or get a sub that performs much better for more money (under $300).

 

[bassfromspace]

That's actually a tricky question. I had my IDQ12v2 for about 4 years in another car. I got a new car, put in a new amp (Polk Audio PA400.1) and the sub blew up two weeks later. I wasn't impressed with the output or the clarity for that matter, but I don't want to hold that against the IDQ since it may have been on its last leg from the day I put it in the new car.

So I'm looking to change it up and improve on the IDQ if I can. By improve, I mean either get a sub that performs well for much cheaper (under $150), or get a sub that performs much better for more money (under $300).

A ported box could be the first step to increased imprpovement. They usually require more space, however. As far as 12 are concerned, the Shiva's (or their Dayton counterparts) are formidable subs.