In the local paper there is an ad for the following: Sony XM- 120 watt amp and Tidal Wave 140 watt Crossover LA Sound LCX 2X18 JVC 12 disc changer (2) 10" JL Audio spkrs in a 36" box $1000 new, Asking $300 or best offer ----------------------------------------------------------------- My son is looking for system for a Camaro he's getting Friday for his 16th b-day. He thinks he needs 12"rs Opinions please...

The only advantage a 12 has over a 10 is that it can play a little lower (not very noticeable for the majority of speakers out there, maybe like 3-5 Hz) and will generally have a little more output (again, not very much). I'm running 10's right now but am switching back to 12's with my next setup mainly for aesthetic reasons. It's the same reason why a lot of people slap 18's on their cars. Everyone else is doing it so they have to too. That's probably the mentality of your son.

Nothing in that setup sounds all that amazing but the price is somewhat intriguing. Call and find out what line the JL subs are from. Also find out if you're just getting the JVC change or you're actually getting a headunit in the deal as well.

If you're in a pinch for a cheap system, go for it. It's not the best money can buy by any means but it's not a bad deal for a 16 year old kid.

Other than the subs that stuff is all crap.

Kids all want the biggest, baddest thing out there and they have no budget whatsoever. Unfortunately, 95% of the time, the result is a high quantity of low quality crap. The other 5% are smart enough to invest in a smaller quantity of quality equipment that they can continue to use as they build their system.

There are a lot of threads on here that relate to this theme, and if you do some reading, you'll find some good opinions on how to build a good sounding, modest system that can grow with your budget.

Start with one 10" or 12" sub and a good 4 channel amp. Use 2 channels of that amp for your front speakers, and the other 2 for that one sub. Down the road you can buy a dedicated sub amp, and a second subwoofer, then you'll really have something and you didn't have to go broke to get there. IN the meantime, instead of having 2 junk subs and a junk amp that you'll have to replace when you want to upgrade, you'll have good quality stuff that will sound just as good as the bigger stuff but just won't get quite as loud.

Thanks for the input guys. I hate to waste money on junk. Which is the reason I posted the question.

I left a message for model # info but he has not responded.