rcf22

Hey guys, I'm new to the wonderful world of subwoofers, but want to dive in! I have a number of questions before I make some purchases though:

(1) What would sound "better" (hits harder, deeper, crisp, etc.)? A ported 10" enclosure or sealed 12" enclosure, assuming same quality/power of subwoofer.

I ask this because that's about the biggest size of box I would like to have in my trunk.

(2) I obtained an 800W @ 2ohm (400W @ 4ohm) RMS MA Audio amp. What's the maximum power I would want to try to get out of this?

(3) What are the "best" brands to stick to for a 10" or 12" sub when I'm looking for one to use up the amount of power from #2? Any starting places are welcome.

Tcguy85

ported 10 IMO. a sub in a ported box will give better bottom end extension which is always good.

you could run the amp at 4 or 2 ohm. depends on the sub you choose. most people will say that getting a sub that can be wired to 2 ohms will be louder (because it will get more power) but thats not always the case. sensitivity is important to look at as well.

it's really hard to recommend a specific subwoofer simply because there is sooooo much out there. some good, and some not so good. personally i'd stay away from anything that can be bought at best buy or circuit city.

if you wanna search around online and come up with a few choices and post them i'd be willing to let you know whats good and not so good.

rcf22

Cool, thanks for the tips. I'm sorting through options trying to figure stuff out

rcf22

I don't really have the time or confidence to build my own ported box. Would a generic one be sufficient if I pair it with a sub with approximately the right airspace? I know ported boxes can be picky about specs, and I'm thinking it might be safer to go sealed just because then I have some variance to work with.

I have been thinking 12" sealed. A few popular options I've seen in my price range are the Alpine Type-R, JL 12W3v3, Fosgate Punch P3D412, and the Polk MM1240. Any of these I should steer towards or away from?

Tcguy85

i would say no to a prefab ported. they never end up being the right size and right tuning. if you don't want to build a ported box or have somebody do it for ya then go sealed.

i wouldn't recommend any of those subs personally. they are all subs you can buy at best buy or circuit city and none of them are anything special.

rcf22

Well I'm looking for a single 12" to run around max of 600W RMS for around or less than $150. Recommendations?

Tcguy85

you have 600 watts at what impedance(ohms)?

rcf22

2ohms (800W max actually), or 400W at 4 ohms

Tcguy85

it's tough for $150 bucks. there are a lot of good subs out there but usually they cost a bit more than that.

i'd recommend the same sub i currently use but you said you don't want to go ported. the sub i use is only about $110 shipped but it NEEDS to be used ported. save up a little bit of money and have a box built.

Dandaman3201

ya i have a 12 fi sub but it ran me around 300. It was well worth the money, sounds amazing. Beats out some peoples dual 10s and 12s due to everyone feeding their subs with ____ty amps. I have a us amp and the combo is very good

koolestkutta

I am running two eD 11kv.2s on a kenwood 600w amp.

Setup sounds pretty good. Used polyfill to get that deep sound:

Dandaman3201

^^^my ported box takes up less room then the two of those do and sounds amazing. But that does look nice.

BZinn1

My latest purchase or a set of 3 10" Image DynamicsSubs was a great choice......I am now feeding them 600w@1.33 ohms and am amazed at the sound quality.......got them used from a friend for very cheap and they are great.

Good subs are like Tcguy said not gonna come cheap.......

Do you want sound quality or loud........you can get both,but it takes a lot of money.

600w gets you in the 120+db range in my case at least with a sealed box with no distortion .....which is loud....especially in a car that has been deadened.I would guess it to go louder ina big ported box,but I am going for a sound quality setup.

I am gonna only be using 2 of the IDs and the third is going in my other car.2 will hold around 700w but will distort and clip before using it all .

Look at some of the car audio forums.........I have been reading on them for hours a day for about a month now and have learned so much it is amazing.......good knowledge on them.......there are several out there.....

bman_yellowbox

u get what u pay for with subs. ive had everything from entry level kickers to spl grade jl's. you notice a huge difference in everything. get the best u can afford.

BZinn1

Agreed.........if you start with $150 in the bank and put aside $20 a week for just one month you can get into high power and good sound quality subs......two months and you are into really good subs.


I have been waiting for 3 weeks now for my final box to arrive........backordered........ahhhhhh......but once it does my ID10s are gonna get 300w each at 2ohms.......which is still in the green area that they can hold and should sound great.

the damn boxes cost me 3 times as much as the subs.......LOL