Subwoofers, Speakers & Amps

Shintsu wrote:

Those ugly square subs? They're such an unnatural design.

They make the most out of a square box. Those triangle ones are an unnatural design. The square kickers are proven. Don't run away from em

Triangle? Damn, do they have octagon and pentagon subwoofers too? Oh wait, Sony does make a pentagon shaped subwoofer.

Still, I don't buy that crap. Home audio speakers almost never use square designs (never seen one for that matter) and they sound excellent and many of them provide excellent bass - why the hell would I stick something so stupid looking in my car? Really, I mean they have to defend their gimmick or else they wouldn't be doing it. Buying one of those stupid looking square subs limits any sub changing in the future because I have to use another one and I can't use a round sub.

Sorry but I'm not buying those square Kickers. From reading a few of the ads with people selling those subs, they seem to have a special kind of attitude too (No idea why). Kind of like Mustang drivers or something - they think they're all that even though it's just one particular choice of subwoofers as opposed to something else.

I've had 2 12" infinity perfect series subs for about 6 years in a few different enclosures. They are very clean sounding and forgiving in terms of power needs. 18hz response is a neat little bragging point too. They can be had for relatively cheap now im sure.

i remember hearing a story about some guy with 4 15 inch kicker l7s that had like 10000 watts to them........ he was parked outside a grocery store and decided to bump it up......... well pickle jars were bouncing around and falling off shelves on the inside of the store

...not to sound like a broken record but will someone tell me if either setups I posted a few posts ago are any good? They're actually in my price range and look decent.

Shintsu wrote:

...not to sound like a broken record but will someone tell me if either setups I posted a few posts ago are any good? They're actually in my price range and look decent.

buy some center caps instead

You don't see square subs in home audio because space is not such a concern. In a car, real estate is at a premium, so Kicker patented the square design to make 8"s play like 12". No one else can Kicker's patent for a while, but if Kicker were in the home audio game, you'd see square cones dominating just as they are in car audio. The design is so successful already.

What suits your eye as "natural" has nothing to do with what an L7 sounds like, nor any other sub for that matter. Subwoofers are purely pistons that move air. If they can move a lot of air, and do it without flexing, they tend to sound very accurate and get pretty loud. There is no tonality or material characteristic to consider. Subs are just motors that move air. The more powerful the motor, the stiffer the cone, and the more surface area and travel the cone can push, the better the result. Sound quality and output level is a function of this ability.

These low-end subs you are targeting do not have stiff cones, nor the voice coil and suspension systems to move enough air to be loud or accurate. They may move enough air to sound loud, but they do this with massive levels of distortion (well above 10%). Interesting thing is, bass distortion, like tube distortion, doesn't sound that bad, and can even be desirable to most listeners. Point: round cones do not have anything to do with sound quality. Fact: Square cones move more air than round cones because they have more surface area.

MA Audio subs are low-end. Power Acoustik amps are junk. The Kenwood amp is a good piece. I used to have one that sucked lots power but made a decent amount of noise. Most say RF subs are not as good nowadays, but I have no experience with the P3 line. Imo, any company that comes out with a "Fast & Furious" line of audio equipment is pretty lame.

98riviera98 wrote:

Shintsu wrote:

...not to sound like a broken record but will someone tell me if either setups I posted a few posts ago are any good? They're actually in my price range and look decent.

buy some center caps instead

Already did - that sig picture is old. Don't have a newer one!

And now I'm stumped again.

I would look around more. Also try saving a little bit more money. You can find really good deals if you look around.

I have $670 to spend on whatever, but that's it. I'm not blowing all that money on subs...if I can't get a good setup for $350 or less then fuck it I won't buy any subs.

Thats wat I am saying check around more. I got my whole setup for 400. The guy was a lil desperate for money but still. As far as squares go they pound hard. If you are looking for something that beats hard and is cheap find a square sub who cares if it looks dumb. I had 2 blitz audio 10inch squares with like a 600 or 800 watt lanzar amp in a lil bmw 318i and that beat hard really hard for what it was. It would fill your requirement of being able to tell you are bumpin at a stop light. I think I bought the whole setup for 175-200 used.

Well, I check everyday - most of what I see looks like crap or is too much. I did find a guy selling three JL 12w6 V2s for $300 in a box and I was going to get it but the asshole never emailed me back. Typical damned craiglist user...

http://louisville.craigslist.org/pts/860996022.html

This one I do not think would be half bad maybe try to talk the price down and go and try and hear and see it yourself since he cannot figure out what he has.

I showed that one and AA said it looked like Kicker knockoffs and basically to avoid.

This almost seems too cheap...
http://louisville.craigslist.org/ele/869182458.html

If those are the infinity perfects, they are good subs. Too bad you don't know because the seller can't say. Used subs are a risk, especially when you never know how they were treated. People who sell stuff for really cheap, or who can't spell, or properly describe the item - I'd avoid buying from these types.

If you put a sub in the wrong box size, or no box, or you play the wrong music, or use too much power for the box size... the subs are dead and they still look new. They might even play ok at low volumes. you never know. Also, factory power specs are for small, sealed boxes. Lots of people try to use too much power in a vented or large sealed box = bad.

If I were redoing my own sub system, I'd use a single new RE SR10 in a large sealed box with about 250wRMS.

If you gain anything from this, at least you are taking your time and learning about what you are buying.

So I am lookig for a sub for a extended cab pickup. Those re subwoofers what would a good amp be to go with just one.

Link

I am thinking 8s due to their size and ability to fit. Or do you think I would be better off with one 12. I would like a bit of loud bass but with some quality as well. I also am afraid that it will sound bad at high volumes. A friend had a sub inside his suv and it sound distorted when played at high volumes. I do not want this.

Here's a good bass amp, I have one and I love it.

http://www.subthump.com/silverado.htm

I am thinking the 1988-1998 GM Extended Cab Single Downfire may be the box for me. Anyone have a recomendation a good sub and amp combo for a box with that air space. I would kind of like to give JL a try just because I always how good their stuff is.

Anyone need a badass amp?

I have read AA talk about re subs many times. I need a sub that has a 5'' mounting depth for my truck. I have found this re 10 on ebay.

Link

Will this thing be any good? Also what would be a good amp to go with it.

LOOKS LIKE JUNK

What kinda amp? and How much

Ridin-Rivi wrote:

Anyone need a badass amp?

Quote :

Will this thing be any good? Also what would be a good amp to go with it.

This is their bottom end line. Every speaker brand has one. It's not junk, but It's not going to be a great sub if it only costs $50. The RE I was talking about is the SR model, it sells for around $100. Big difference there.

Any class D power amp from a reputable company should work, There are hundreds of possibilities, jut make sure it has enough power to drive your sub(s).

Quote :

I am thinking 8s due to their size and ability to fit. Or do you think I would be better off with one 12. I would like a bit of loud bass but with some quality as well. I also am afraid that it will sound bad at high volumes. A friend had a sub inside his suv and it sound distorted when played at high volumes. I do not want this.

As long as you stay away from $50 subs, and you use the right enclosure, and you give it enough power, it shouldn't sound bad. It also helps to use a crossover to block the high frequencies.

I've witnessed first hand a subwoofer sounding great in one car and not in another. I have a 10" LA sub in a narrow box (built it for my Fiero). The box is just a little smaller than recommended volume, but in my Fiero it sounded great. It had really precise beats, and it was loud (120db). I put the same box in the trunk of the riviera and it doesn't sound bad, but it's very quiet, and to make it as loud as I want it, it causes the sound to get distorted. I'll have to go back to the drawing board and I'll probably buy 2 new subs and ditch the LA, because I'm not a big fan of the company as it is. I'll probably just get a couple MB Quartz subs (not sure just how much I wanna spend yet), because I can get them for about $50 each and I've heard great things about their audio. I'll then make an enclosure for each rear corner of the trunk angled toward the front. Then I'll be using the trunk as an amplifier and I should be able to get a little more volume while keeping the clarity with 2 subs.

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