maddmatt02

if I could get a brand new one for 215 shipped, is there any reason not to? I know of the SAE1200D and AQ1200D's that are 250 shipped. I have had one of these amps about 4 years ago probably, and really liked it, but are the other 2 choices way better? I know Ive heard alot of bad things about their business pracitces in years past, but just try and think of product ability when you make a choice. not going to buy my subs right now, but figured when the NINe.1 is usually way more expensive I figured Id buy it now while I can get that price.

yeah I know, but since I was working on her car, I had her take mine and when it came time to set them, I remembered that my DMM was on my back seat under a magazine, which was with her. its the amp sitting right there, its back to its mounting spot again and in no danger of damaging the sub, and it is actually my cd (Paul Wall - Fast Life), not my favorite song on it, but one of my favorite bass lines on the cd. I wish she was "bumping too", shes the only one bumping right now. only thing i have is an old audiobahn dub10 I got dirt cheap and no amp right now. as I collect my equipment also it will replace hers until im ready to drop it all into my car, then her stuff goes back in. so soon her car should be REAL loud, because im going big this time. as long as I can make a box that fits both of our trunks, because im not building a box for her car that will be useless when I build mine. unless I could possibly get my 40 bucks for materials back by selling the custom box for her car if I did. (I wonder how a BL would do in 1.5 ft^3 at 35 hz....)

built the box yesterday, didnt carpet the sides because I ran out of spray adhesive. I did all the work, played with the gain and xover on the amp for a while listening to a bunch of different music, and I think what happened was a combo of me going slightly deaf, the amp getting hot and starting to lose effieciency, maybe voltage dropping, and the sub not being broken in yet, because I thought it was pretty good but when I put the seat back up it didnt seem loud at all. so I basically went inside a little depressed that it wasnt an improvement over the old setup. met my girl when she got off work (its her car) and I told her that I wasnt satisfied and Id buy her another better sub to replace it. when we get out of the store I have her get in and I start it up nd play it for her anf holy crap, WAY louder than it had been earlier. with the seat down its definately louder than the old setup with the seat down and seat up Id have to say its louder as well but maybe not as much of a gain as with them down. it could have been even louder because I had the gain higher on about 15 songs, but then the next one i tried (paul wall, cant remember the title) it had a note that hits weird and sounded really bad, so I had to lower the gain and LPF a bit (I think its around 60 if the labeling is correct, no LPF on deck because its the factory HU) and every other song suffered from it but I want it to be safe on all songs. the sides are recessed like that so I could tuck the carpet there and cut new squares to put in there and not show any seems, but like I said I ran out of adhesive. one video is of the old setup on the same song as the second video which is of the RE. the RF looks like it moves more, but the RE is louder, could be the box change and the firing direction. but I think its a much better looking sub anyways. I really hate that fake plastic/carbon fiber look and fake crap rivet look of the RF. uploading vids now, ill post em when they are up. dont laugh at the song, I like the way it hits and its the only song i have a vid of both subs playing. oh and the best part the trunk rattles are almost GONE now, but the rear view mirror vibrates/buzzes like crazy and I dont know what to do about that.

oh, I knew the part about it only being 1500 rms, but will it actually do 1500?

I'll take the first one, its got a fan! honestly I dont know what most of that stuffs called. I mean I could pick a resistor, and a disc capacitor out of a lineup, but really have no idea what that stuff is in there and what it does. I had one pushing 2 ported type r's and the moonroof didnt want to stay on the car it seemed. it was a nice amp and I think I remember reading a test of it putting out over 1400 when I bought mine back then. I guess Ill just save the money now and buy the sundown when I have the sub I need it for. I wish I would have known about the sundown or audioque back when I bought the eD, not cuz I didnt like the eD, but I think I spent 325 on it. (the sae wasnt around 5 years ago though, was it? just the saz? was the AQ1200D around back then?) and looking on ebay I found this MB Quart amp http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220429242853&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT is that any good?

RF - RE -

Im guessing jacob is the owner of sundown?

going into a pos 93 accord sedan for now. if I ever sell my camry Ill probably buy something a bit nicer. whatever its final resting place is, will most likely be a hatchback. integra or civic, or a yaris hatch if my car can get in on the cash 4 clunkers deal.

if Im going to spend that much, IF, would the BTL be better than the XCON? I know you said no to it already, but I was watching youtube videos and saw some BL's and some HDC3's, watched quite a few of both, but more of the BL videos had a clip or right by the sub, the one audioque vid that did show it, it sounded like it had a lot of mechanical noise (was MOVING though, so might have been pushing it too far) but the ones that didnt show right next to it were loud and flexed the vehicles a ton and sounded fine, but wasnt right by the sub. was this kids camera just shitty? do they just not sound good when loud and thats why you dont recommend them? Im leaning towards the BL right now, I guess 100 bucks isnt too bad for the BTL, but when im adding it to a 300 dollar sub budget already it starts to sound like alot... also, can I get away with a BTL w/o all the options if Im only giving it around 12-1400 watts (sounds weird to say that... ONLY) is a AQ/SAE 1200D enough power for a BTL or would it be a shame to not give it 2k+ watts?

so out of the mach5, ssa, and Fi, which would do best in the smallest box? or did you mean last 3 as in the SSD/lethal injection/SEX. and Im all for less power with same output, cheaper amp, less electrical problems, and possibly cheaper sub, but probably not. so if I built an optimum box, and had around 750 watts, would the RLP be a good choice or no? and why do you not like RE or AQ, seems many others do ( as well as eD, but ive already counted them out anyways since the Av.2 is 350) I measured again, and I can easily get 4.6 ft^3 before sub/port displavement. I could get more but just have to find out about a port exiting on a sloped front (can you do it?, is the port length calculated to the average? [34" at bottom, 30" at top= 32" pot length?) I could also have alot more height if I slope the top and again just have to find out about ports and I can come out farther but id like some trunk. even with the height I cant go 15 though because I might make it front firing so I can drop whatever in the trunk and only worry about it hitting the box and not the sub. and the height by the pass thru cant take a 15. I read though that the BL takes a box 1.5-2.5, so I dont need to worry about more space anyways. in a 2.0 ft^3 box tuned to 33, what sub would still play the lowest? and sound the best taking in over 1k watts?

ok, Ive decided to go with a single 12, if I get an amp with the 1200+ watts, heres the contenders. going from cheapest to most expensive. I have checked and can get all in a D2 configuration. the asterisk and number is just the way there ranked right now, nut not much real reason, just price, looks, descriptions, and reading some stuff online. Mach5Audio IXL 12.2.2 (like this idea as its only 200) (whats a good box size for this one?) *2 Audioque HDC312 (not sure why but its the one Im going for right now, 250) *1 Fi BL 12 *3 SSA ICON 12 (Fi as well as this are 275) *4 RE SXX12 (300) *5 (just got a low end RE driver for the wifes car, and like to try different brands) I looked at stereo integrity but dont know prices, and only one driver on the page. DC sound labs, again no prices and not sure which one to go with, lvl 4? at least the power handling is right ascendant audio isnt out but I dont know any pricing. I also gave myself a few options in the lower price/power bracket just in case. not sure what amp Id go with, but the subs are the RE SEX12, IA lethal injection 12, and Fi SSD 12, (all 200 or less) I eliminated the 15 because I have the width and depth to get a fair amount of volume but just dont really have the height to get a 15 in there, unless its up-firing which of course costs me a couple inches in height and now I have to have it eat even more of the trunk. also, a few years ago, I had set my mind on trying out a soundsplinter next, and looking at the RLP 12, its just within the price range, looks good, lots of xmax, but wont handle the power of the big amp. when it reaches full excursion on 6-700 watts, will it be comparable to a sub with similar excursion but much more power handling?

I know its not that much money, but are they a much better amp? cleaner? more efficient? more powerful?

I know I wouldnt want everything on the list, but I was just comparing multiple lower end subs vs a single upper end. the fact that Id hate the IDQ's is something I hope Id figure out with research after I decide which route to research. I wish subs prices didnt go up from a few years ago, I got my 12" type r's for 115 shipped new and my audiobahn high excursions for 75 shipped new, and cant find those prices anywhere. because a nine.2X to a pair of ported type R's was damn loud. lots of flexing.

heres the box. and a graph of it in winisd. the "doubled front" is just because I decided to put the sub flush again, and had already done a bunch of math to get it perfect, so I just have a square panel sitting behind the front panel to mount the sub to. thats why it isnt exactly 1.5@35. its gonna save me 1.5" in depth over the box now, not much, but should be just enough to let me get to the spare without removing the box. figured out the old box was 2.45 @ 28 w/ 16.8 in^2 port area.

I got one coming and have a rf 300.1 im going to wire it parallel for a 2 ohm load, so I can have around 300 watts available, but the subs only rated at 175rms, the box is about 2.4 cubes tuned to 28. 20V AC should be about 200 watts, where should I set it at, not sure if RE subs are tough and can handle a little extra or what? Id be open to building a smaller box or similar sized tuned different if it will help in output. Im guessing tuned higher would be louder overall, but in winisd, the 1.5 @ 35Hz box they recommend doesnt look better than the box I built, at least not at anything under 45Hz, of course from there on up the scale it looks like the smaller box has the advantage but I dont really have anything about ~60hz to the sub, so which box route should I go with?

huh, never thought of using the foam before, and they have different varieties that dont expand like crazy like the original stuff does, that could turn out bad if you fill a big area full of the stuff that really expands. actually not sure what it would do to sheet metal but I know it can bow/split window liners if you arent careful. and no I dont frequently listen to the music outside the car, but I dont want to be the one at the light everyones looking at because it sounds like shit on the outside. I hate rattles. the rearview mirror rattles the worst of anything else in the car, I took it down to see if it could be opened up and filled with something to make it much heavier, but it doesnt. and about sealing it off, its a possibility, but the amps location might have to change and the wiring is cut-to-fit right where it is now...

oh, also, the trunk rattles REAL BAD! I have taken care of the license plate, tightened the spoiler, removed the little plastic snap covers over the taillight bulbs. still rattles bad. I can stop it by just pushing in on the rear of the trunk lid. I thought maybe having the trunk close tighter might do it so I laid towels over the weatherstripping and shut the trunk on it and it still did it. I have no idea what it is rattling because every individual peice seems to be bolted tightly together. would firing at the rear seat eliminate those rattles? of course the rear side cupholders will probably vibrate worse than before, but that should be easy.

alright, thanks for the help. last question I got, fire it towards the rear? or toward the seat. Ive always built them rear firing but my friends got a couple 12s in a sealed box firing at the rear seat and its pretty loud and sounds good so I dont see any big downside, but I just dont know whats better. Ive seen plenty of subs firing up in hatches, what about in a sedan? the sub will be right under the rear deck (but Im not cutting the rear deck at all) every search I try on google comes to home audio topics.

alright, cutting off some of one side would be the easiest, but then it would still leave the same amount of space between the box and the rear of the trunk, where if I make it the same width now and make it shallower the leftover space in the trunk would be more usable. I guess I could just pop the front off the box, cut some off the top/bottom and sides and put the front back on, which would lower the internal volume and raisse the tuning a bit. but after I built this box and started reading more, I think I got the port area on the smal side (was trying to get the most internal volume and lower tuning for the low end, which with more port area gave me a really long port). its only about 16 in^2 of port area right now, I started thinking more would be better after reading some more stuff online. lets say I start a new box, and go with RE's recommended 1.5 cubes at 35, how much port area, I know DD's philosophy is 16 in^2 per cube of volume, so would 24 in^2 be good or could I benefit from more? thanks again?

oh, and thats also if I can only find a scrap peice to finish the ports, if I have to buy a new 4x8 sheet then Ill just start over from scratch.

alright, I need to get the figures more precise, but a real quick bit of math and this is about what I think Id need to do the the box I have now. If I were to disassemble it and modify the port, I would be able to get the box down to somewhere between 1.5-1.7 ft^3, and the tuning around 33-35. but is one port better than 2 for any reason? is 35-40 in^2 too much port area(combined) for one 12 in a box this size? also, the red line would be the port length, correct? is it better to have a port without so many bends?

so, I have 3 options I guess. I can run the box I have in her car now, build a smaller box tuned a little higher, or I can open the box thats in the car now(maybe, built with liquid nails construction adhesive) and cut a litte off the inside port wall to raise the tuning freq. but then of course the box volume goes up even more... Im thinking Ill build a new one, what would you say about a 2 ft^3 tuned to about 33? or will an even higher tuned freq. have a significant output advantage while still sounding decent?

alright, but I got it for my girlfriend as part of her birthday present. someone at the shop let her buy a ohm sub for that amp, which isnt as big a deal if it was a bigger amp. but I havent told her, I planned on going out in the middle of the night and put it in the box without her knowing so that she just wonders why its louder on her way to work the next day. Ill just wait until the day after I get it and take her car "to the store" but really just go down the road and drop it in so I can listen to it first and make sure nothings out of the ordinary.

alright, my girlfriends car has a rf 300.1 to a rf punch P2 12. single 4 ohm(not sure why the place let her buy that combo, 150Wx1@4ohm) I bought a new sub for her birthday, just a resonant engineering REX 12 dual 4. nothing special but it will be getting twice the power at least. it is a ~2.5 ft^3 ported box tuned to 28 I think it was, that I built for her a while back, and I still need to carpet it. RE I havent told her that I got the sub for her, and dont want to tell her. I planned on in the middle of the night going out and pulling the box, carpeting it, and dropping in the RE. obviously I wont be able to bump the system in the middle of the night. I want her to turn it on on her way to work and just wonder why its louder(box is in trunk, she wont see it) right now I have the bass boost on the deck at just +1, bass boost on the amp I dont even think I have up, and if I do, no more than 1/8-1/4 of its knob movement. I cant remember at all where I set the low pass at, and there is no SSF. I have the gain set lower than it could be, it sounds clean on everything right now, most stuff was clean with it higher but some songs just sounded wrong so I turned it back down a bit. so after all that my question is will it be safe to leave all the settings and put the RE in and not have a chance of it blowing the new sub?

well, someone asked if it was 265 shipped, and then you posted saying .............plus their 40 dollar shipping and no its not with shipping................ so you pretty much said it wasnt 265 shipped, which is why they didnt think any money would be saved.