Best 12" sub for sound quality with some loudness, opinions welcome

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Mar 15, 2005 | 10:06 PM
  #1  
okay i'm currently in the market for some 12" subs and an amp(s) and was wondering what sub would give me the best sound quality while still managing to be loud without killing the quality. also i need a good amp that would compliment the subs. for the box i plan on getting on of those that fits in the cubby "trunk". thankx for the help guys, your opinions count in my book
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Mar 15, 2005 | 11:06 PM
  #2  
im obviously a big fan of JL Audio. i have two JL audio subs. Id go with a W7

haha, but, if your not wanting to spend over $600 for a single sub. I used to have a a single 12" resen engineering sub. resen or resin or somethin like that. idk how they spell it. Anyhow, its a great sub. It maxed at 3000watts and RMS'd 1200. You definately need a high quality amp to power it though so you wont underpower it and eventually ruin it. Resin engineering is a small company based from california i believe. not very well known to most people but excellent subs. They are a high doller sub. your lookin at around $400 for a single 12" but that thing is an absolute beast if the right box is used. that sub also needs a lot of air space in the box.

For an amp id go with one of these brands:
JL audio (very powerful but expensive)
Hifonics (very powerful as well, i use one but yet kinda expensive as well)
Memphis (good output semi-expensive)
theres a new amp that i just heard today made by a company called Alphasonic. there NEWEST amp has an amazing output, i first listened to it and was kinda shocked by the output it had, but the clarity isnt quite all there.

Okay, im done with my talk for now i do believe.
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Mar 15, 2005 | 11:49 PM
  #3  
I'd say Adire Brahma or RE XXX. :-) Both are designed with the XBL^2 motor structure allowing high excursion while retaining sound quality.

www.adireaudio.com

www.reaudio.com
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Mar 15, 2005 | 11:49 PM
  #4  
thankx ryan, and i was thinking of going with JLs too. but i think those W7s might be just out of my price range, are the 12W6V2s and 12W3V2s good as well. i could swing those more easily. i'm leaning more towards the 12W3V2s cuz of the affordability though. and what would be a good sub brand to compliment my infinity kappa's that i plan on getting?
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Mar 16, 2005 | 12:31 AM
  #5  
those brahma 12MKIIs look tempting too and are about the same price as the 12W6V2. i can't find much info about the resonant engineering prices though, does anyone have a link for me?

edit: i found european dealer and translated the euros to dollars so i think this is what i've come up with


JL - 12W6V2

Adire - 12MKII

RE - SE12V4


anyone have an opinion on which one is better, personal experiences with these are a plus
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Mar 16, 2005 | 01:34 AM
  #6  
the prices for resenant engineering subs are going to be around $400 per sub. if you can afford a high quality amp and are looking for lots of bass purpose, id go with one of those.

i have the jl w3v2's. i love umm. i run a hifonics amp at 1ohm pushing supposedly 1000watts. i dont believe its actually pushing that, but i know its minimum pushing 500watts continuously. my secondary batteries run a continuious 14.2-3 volts dirrectly to my amp. i blew out a 50amp fuse so i know im pushin some power with them. i underunstimated them. ive hit 148db at best with them. i average 144 though with bass control on deck at 0(zero). i mainly use the "pro audio" features on my clarion deck for better output.
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Mar 16, 2005 | 01:37 AM
  #7  
oh and the w6v2 subs are great subs too. personally, if u get a jl audio sub id go wtih a jl audio amp as well. just sounds cleaner and better if u stick with it. if you do go with a w6. your gonna need a really good amp and battery supply to accomidate it.

although i dont really have anything to complain about with my hifonics though so. whatever floats your boat i guess.
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Mar 16, 2005 | 01:52 AM
  #8  
RESONANT ENGINEERING

SX SERIES
Coil Configuration: Dual 2 ohm
10" = $350
12" = $365
15" = $410
18" = $470

TRIPPLE X MODEL
Coil Configuration: Dual 2 ohm (Quad 2 and Dual 1 ohm)
10" = $420
12" = $440
15" = 600
18" = $660

MT SERIES (ABSOLUTE TOP OF THE LINE)
Coil Configuration: (Dual 0.7 or 1.4 ohm) OR (Quad 0.7 or 1.4 ohm)
10" = not available(dont make a 10")
12" = $599
15" = $699
18" = $799


http://www.mdaudio.net
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Mar 16, 2005 | 05:59 PM
  #9  
alpine type-r...but i'm biased.
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Mar 16, 2005 | 06:03 PM
  #10  
double post sorry
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Mar 16, 2005 | 06:03 PM
  #11  
i have 2 12' jl audio w0s and i find there loud enough...i would like dvcs but then you need a big fat amp to power them proper so i never got them...but my subs hit 140 db so im happy...would be nice to get something at 148db tho
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Mar 16, 2005 | 07:32 PM
  #12  
i'll have to wait until i get my regualar speakers before i can make a decision on subs, but right now its pretty much between the 12W6s and the RE 12" subs. how come you don't have any prices for the RE or SE models of resonant engineering's subs? maybe i'll give em a call when i get a change or drop an email, might as well get it straight from the horse's mouth as they say . but thankx again guys, i don't care if your biased or not opinions do count in my book

and i had some people tell me that infinity kappa's aren't what they're cracked up to be, anyone have any personal experience with them?
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Mar 17, 2005 | 01:02 AM
  #13  
someone told me that EarthQuake subs were some of the best in the world... dunno
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Mar 17, 2005 | 12:29 PM
  #14  
Adire Kodas are claimed to deliver sound quality that's nearly identical to the Brahma, but at a lower cost. The sacrifice is output ability, but with 18mm of x-max, the Koda should still get plenty loud. I've got one that I'll post a review on eventually, but right now I've had too much on my plate to get around to building a box.

Anyway... I would also look into the Image Dynamics subs. The ID Max is considered by many to be the best sounding sub out there, and it's also capable of getting pretty loud.

Ascendant Audio is getting a LOT of acclaim for their Atlas series, which use an XBL^2 motor (same as the Brahma & Koda), and it's dirt cheap.

Any sub that uses the TC2 design is going to be a good sub. This includes the Eclipse Titaniums, Stryke Audio subs, the now-defunct Audiomobile, and sometimes TC Sounds (the company that makes all of these subs) sells the TC2 under their own name.
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Mar 17, 2005 | 08:10 PM
  #15  
yes the eclipse titanium subs are a very hard hitting sub. my friend had one 12" (1000watt) and hooked it up to an xtant 1000watt amp and that thing hit hard! he put it in his lil extented cab s-10 and it pounded.
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Mar 17, 2005 | 09:20 PM
  #16  
thankx guys, i'll look into those
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Mar 18, 2005 | 10:43 PM
  #17  
If I had it to do over again (and I'm sure I will a few years down the road), I would probably have gone with the Adire subs - all the models have something worth looking at no matter what your budget.

I wouldn't go with Infinity subs, but I just installed a set of the Kappa 50.5cs in custom kicks and they sound great. I might have gone with something a little better, but for $132 and a full 3 year warranty - I don't think I could have done better.
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Mar 20, 2005 | 03:47 PM
  #18  
Quote:
Originally posted by ryanL04
You definately need a high quality amp to power it though so you wont underpower it and eventually ruin it.
you cant ruin a sub by underpowering it. if you could then the only way a speaker would last is if you were playing it at full volume all of the time....

edit: i'd have to say: stick to name brands tho when it comes to audio gear. spend the money and get quality stuff the first time and you'll be more than happy
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Mar 20, 2005 | 04:33 PM
  #19  
I think he meant, if you have a crapass amp, and you're running it at full gain, and it's causing clipping... then maybe you can hurt the subs...
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Mar 20, 2005 | 07:10 PM
  #20  
well either way, if you get a decent amp and set the gains properly, underpoweriong a sub will not harm it.
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Mar 20, 2005 | 09:28 PM
  #21  
I forget why clipping is bad for a speaker.
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Mar 21, 2005 | 10:32 AM
  #22  
clipping is bad for a speaker because it represents a waveform that a speaker can not reproduce... and it'll cook itself trying.

A clipped waveform looks like a sinewave that's had the peaks cut off. So, instead of a woofer being able to move in and out in a smooth motion (as it does when it follows the sine wave input), it's attempting to move out, then instantly stop moving, hold the offset position, then instantaneously start moving backward, and then do this over and over. It can't do it, and during the "clipped" portion, the woofer is basically dealing with a DC voltage which it isn't designed to do.

While it's true that less power won't kill a sub, distorted power will, and when an amp is clipping, it's distorting badly.
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Mar 21, 2005 | 11:39 AM
  #23  
so it looks like a squarewave

I wonder why headunits don't have clipping protection?
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Mar 21, 2005 | 11:43 AM
  #24  
I love my JL 12W6v2...powered by a JL 500/1 amp
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Mar 21, 2005 | 12:10 PM
  #25  
Quote:
Originally posted by ScrapMaker
so it looks like a squarewave

I wonder why headunits don't have clipping protection?
No, it doesn't look like a square wave, it looks like a sine wave with the tops and bottoms lopped off.

Head units don't have clipping protection because, one, it would cost more, secondly, driving a head unit into clipping will make a distorted, unpleasant sound that will usually be percieved as louder, and thirdly, putting an output limiter on a device that already doesn't make its rated power would bring unwanted attention to their already bogus power claims.
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Mar 21, 2005 | 04:28 PM
  #26  
okay gotcha...
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Mar 21, 2005 | 08:26 PM
  #27  
www.bcae1.com has some great info on just about everything car audio worth spending some time reading
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Mar 21, 2005 | 09:26 PM
  #28  
re..ad..ing?

sorry I don't follow... must be some new sport I haven't heard of.
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Mar 22, 2005 | 03:00 PM
  #29  
lol... i learned alot from this site... and it is a big site... the only reason i read it at first is that i had nuthing better to do but now i go back for all kinds of good info.

infact, you can buy the site on cd and get all kinds of extras like test tones and other "locked" info
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Mar 22, 2005 | 09:28 PM
  #30  
IMO I really like my Infinity Perfect 12.1 dual voice coil 12" sub. Its powered by an Alpine 360 watts RMS adn it THUMPS! nearlly blows my eardrums.



Brett
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Mar 22, 2005 | 10:19 PM
  #31  
i agree, im running an infinity 12.1d powered by a kicker 400w class d though a rf 1.0 farad cap and it pounds louder than most dual sub setups. i like it for the fact that i hav never heard a sub that has such good sound quality..its so tight that i feel like someone punches me in the chest. hands down-infinity perfect.
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Mar 23, 2005 | 09:18 AM
  #32  
yup for the price, I really love Infinity... hell I honestly can't tell the difference between infinity, kicker, diamond, mb quart...
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Mar 24, 2005 | 10:05 AM
  #33  
JL thats all i have to say best i have had next to Digital Designs both of those brands give you the best bang for the buck.
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Mar 24, 2005 | 10:53 AM
  #34  
digital designs gives you the bang for the buck, or JL does?
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Mar 24, 2005 | 01:20 PM
  #35  
Quote:
Originally posted by burn rubba 83
both of those brands give you the best bang for the buck.
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Mar 24, 2005 | 07:12 PM
  #36  
I've never even heard of digital designs... lol
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Mar 24, 2005 | 10:39 PM
  #37  
me neither but if they compare to JL.....
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