[Whirlygig]

?????


Hey guys. Still trying to decide on a sub. I have heard great things about the XXLS 12's. I have also heard the Avalanche 12's and/or 15's are fantastic.

I am looking for the cleanest, tightest, best sounding sub.

Should I go 10"? 12"? 15"?

1 or 2?

What manufacturer?

Any help would be great. I haven't bought the mono block sub amp yet so I can go 1 or 2 depending what you guys think?

Whirlygig

 

[smee]

well for strict SQ, it would be extreamly hard to beat the car velodyne sub if you can afford it.
Other than hat many good options are
magnum d2
Dub7
Idmax
o.v2
xxx
brahmah

the list goes on but i dont remeber much anymore since i havnt been dealing with subs alot lately. It will really come down to the enclosure to seperate most of them. For best SQ you need the best enclosure which all depends on your car and sub.

 

[aaron]

ones that are put into a well designed enclosure.

 

[Whirlygig]

From what I understand a simple sealed enclosure with the proper size desinged around the specs of the driver is the best for SQ correct?

Whirlygig

 

[cam2Xrunner]

For the most part. There is other variables though.

I'm going with the IDQ15 in a 1.3 cu ft sealed enclosure.

 

[Whirlygig]

What benefit does the 15 have over the 12?

The way I understand it the 15 will move more air and get lower but I also thought the 15 wasn't as tight or detailed as the 12.

Is this correct or am I way off?

I went to the local stereo shop last week. They had a JLW12 running in a ported box, it was just my opinion but I thought it sounded like crap. It just vibrated. Muddy and.....well, just muddy. I have heard other subs that were so much better. I know the ported boxes are usually a little "looser" than sealed but this just sucked!!!!

Whirly

 

[xDeLiRiOuSx]

You might want to also take a look at the review sections of this forums. There's a few subs that were review.

David

 

[Whirlygig]

Thanks xDeLiRiOuSx, I will run through them.

Whirly

 

[smee]

the 12 inchers are more detailed that 15's is a misconception. A well designed quality 15/18 will be just as good as a 12/10 but will move more air and get lower

 

[smee]

ported boxes can sound like ass, they can also sound amazing. It depends on the tuning of the box. and most shops down have any properly built ported boxes designed for SQ. Because most people going into shops want something that sounds like a fart machine but gets loud.

If your a beginner i would stick to sealed for now. But if you interested in learning you can research different designs like T-line, quarter wave boxes, aperiodic, im sure theres lots more people can help you with too.

 

[Whirlygig]

That's good to know.

What about 1 vs. 2?

1 is cleaner right?

I was planning on running a Mcintosh 301. It will run 300 x 1 @ 4 or 600 x 1 @ 2. Is this enough power to run a 15 to it's max? I know the 15's are tougher to push than the 12's.

Whirly

 

[smee]

it greatly depends on the sub. 600 watts is plenty for most subs, especially a dialy driver. it also depends on the enclosure. Different enclosures allow for different handling power.

you should research all those subs i listed, and in the process im sure youll find many more. When you find the ones think you want hit us up again and we can help you decide and help you design and enclosure and everything.

 

[Whirlygig]

Running ribbons up front with W18's in the doors on an active system. Just looking for a really clean sub to fill in the low end and drive the rear. The car is a volvo S70, the sub will be in the trunk. The car has a 2/3 drop out seat. It also has a set of 8" drivers in the rear deck that I will be removing.

If two 10's would be cleaner than a single 12 or 15 I will do that. I still haven't heard about whether a single sub is cleaner than two or not????

I am not looking to have HUGE bass. I do like a strong low end but not overly. I am guessing a single 12 would be enough but I still don't know.

Please help.

Whirly

 

[cam2Xrunner]

I'd go with a single sub. If you were looking to get louder, a second sub will help. But not needed for SQ.

If you want to run 300 watts, check out the Ascendant Audio Atlas.
http://www.ascendantaudio.com/

Atlas 15" - 105 bucks. 12" 100 bucks,

The IDQ15, is nowhere close to that price, but SD has some renewed ones for 150 bux.

If you want to run more like 600 watts You can look into an IDMAX, or a JL 12W6

ALso have you considered taking advantage of those rear 8's and running an IB setup?

 

[FocusInCali]

The Image Dynamics IDQ is a popular SQ sub. I am very happy with mine and it blends well up front. Upright bass is awesome. After dialing in some Jazz, I was curious how it played rap and such. I am amazed at the output of this single 12" in a .9cft sealed box in my wagon. You can feel it in the chest. But most importantly, when the crossovers and level is just right, it blends well up front and the SQ is great.

As far as trunk mount, I'm not sure what the best approach is. There's a lot of good info here though. If I had a trunk, I'd think about a pair of 10s in a sealed box as the rear deck or mounted against it playing into the cabin using the rear glass to direct forward.

 

[aaron]

the jl12w6 V2 is a very good subwoofer- I promise it was the enclosure they were using at that shop- I agree very few shop's ever build there demo enclosures for sq.
What type music do you listen to and at what volume?

 

[Whirlygig]

cam2Xrunner,

Sorry, noobi, what's "IB".

Most of what I have read has suggested to dump rear fill and run only front stage. The subs, of course, are optional as alot of staight SQ guys don't drive subs. I like the low end and want at least a single sub for the rear.

I am not apposed to running some mid-bass drivers in the rear deck. The original ones are crap though and would have to be replaced.

When I bridge from 4 to 2 ohms I double my distortion. On the mac it's a really low .005 @ 4 to .01 @ 2. Will I notice the distortion doubling? If not, I might as well run it at 2 and use the power that's there. Will the higher end drivers like the IDMAX, JL or AVALANCHE be better SQ or just hit harder than the Atlas?

Thanks for the help

Whirly

 

[Whirlygig]

FocusinCali,

The S70 Volvo has the 2/3 drop out rear seat so I can drop the rear seat down and the driver would be firing directly toward me. I can also pull the 8" drivers in the rear deck and have a single 12 firing up through the rear deck.

I have heard great things about the IDQ and it must be a consideration. I was speaking with NPdang and he also suggested the Peerless XXLS.


Aaron,

I listen to the full gamit. Dire Straits, AC/DC, Buffett, Stevie Ray, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Eminem, Audio Slave, etc.

Hey, you still have the ribbons? I either need to purchase the LCY's from NPdang or look at yours.

Whirly

 

[aaron]

IB- infinite Baffle
TL- transmission line- not practicle for car audio, you would be better off with a simple ported enclosure.
I used to sell McIntosh a number of years ago- great amplifiers- very reliable. And no you would not be able to tell the difference in THD at that level.
IMO you wouldnt go wrong with any of the afformentioned subs- JL, ID- Ascendant, TC etc etc they are all very good subwoofers.

 

[aaron]

No, the ribbons have been sold.