AQ HDC3 Copper 12" subwoofer

[shizzzon 461]

I have ran Audioque for quite a few years before they went overseas but that doesn't mean that things started to fail either...

The HDC3 line is stated to be more efficient than the USA version, the HD3 line. I never did a comparison so i don't know the difference.

However, this is what i do know about the HDC3 line because I also used to run 2 of the Copper Coil 12s.

Audioque subs, in general, are HEAVILY underrated just like many other speakers on the market. It all depends on how you set your gains and monitor your equipment.

My impressions on the HDC3 sub-

It doesn't take a lot of power to get the sub to produce a decent sound. At only 500w available, this sub still sounds fantastic. Well rounded response is expected.

Unlike other subwoofers, due to the long excursion capabilities of the speaker, it is recommended to tune higher than other speakers.

Why? because it's going to be hard to get a flat response from this speaker by tuning very low because if you attempt to, your mid 40hz+ range is going to roll off quite fast.

Tuning to 38hz is the well rounded suggested frequency to get both your favorite low end with that chest pounding, hard to breathe, 40-50hz range.

Anything tuned below 35hz is highly expected to not have a great effect in the mid 40hz range and higher.

The HDC3 line is quite heavy for a 1000wrms rated speaker too. The 12, weighing in at 48.5lbs is definitely a monster! Most other subs in it's thermal rating category weigh approximately 15lbs lighter.

the HDC3 line also has a GREAT cooling system! When I owned my pair of 12s, after several months of owning them, i took them to several non-sanctioned competitions and purposely put them through severe abuse and during my own testing as well.

I ran them with an AQ2200d per subwoofer(2200w to each subwoofer). In one of my abusive tests, i set the gain control on both amps to full clipped signal and played a competition testing track that consisted of tones from 65 - 32hz that lasted for just over 3min straight! By the time the track was over... the entire car smelt like a house burned down! It was crazy aweful... BUT... subs that can take that kind of heat abuse for that long with double the power is just amazing.

Here is a list of power recommendations used for the HDC3 line-

~1200w or less usually will keep the sub within it's xmax rating and will allow this sub to still sound great. Once you leave the linear excursion capabilties, the sounds changes drastically and sounds clipped. People must also note that when the sub breaks into the Xmech area that the pressure levels exhibited will be pretty high and most users aiming for such pressure levels do not care about how it sounds because the way how our ears perceive sound, depending on the pressure level, may appear to sound distorted when it's too hard to tell in actuality.

~1201-2,400w of power can be used on music with light to moderate clipping levels. At this power level, one isn't really concerned about how good of sound the sub can put out and is primarily looking to see how much power the sub can handle and this is it. If you run more power, you need to upgrade to the Aluminum coils which can take up to 4kw but that's not going to be in this review.

For burps... It's hard to rate a sub for burps due to many variables but it has been known that the original HD3 line could handle 6kw with ease so the HDC3 Copper line should also be able to as well.

When playing these subs on daily, as long as the gains are set right and are not purposely trying to kill it, lol, the subs will always stay cool which amazes me with how much power they can handle.

When using these for burps, they STILL stay cool even when clipped! I have only been able to heat the subs up when bassracing for over 60seconds straight using an AQ2200d per sub.

Box requirements for HDC3s are little bigger than some companies but do not let that discourage you from choosing them for slightly smaller enclosures.

The 12s are suggested to be in 2.5cuft NET but that's not the only box they can work in. The box ratings AQ recommends is for the largest optimal box with decent power on hand.

They suggest the following-

10" - 1.5cubes

12" - 2.5cubes

15" - 4.5cubes

18" - 6.0cubes

Now, you can do the following-

10" - 1.0cubes

12" - 1.9cubes

15" - 3.5cubes

18" - 5.0cubes

For the price to performance you get, it's just straight amazing at how loud these get yet how great they can sound with less power. These subs were never intended to be for audiophiles looking for that perfect sound. These subs were made just like the rest of their equipment is built for the crazy or just loud daily driver looking to pound the hell out of their car with massive bass.

AQ offers recones and will either ship you the recone or will do it for you. They can also rebuild your subs to any other marketed size they have to offer. They have great customer service as well.

Their subs also use direct connect speaker runs using 8awg wire so no speaker terminals! Some other companies have started doing this not too long ago. The purpose is lower resistance(no terminal) so possibly higher numbers in the lanes.

AQ subs are also known for having high inductance too. You may have heard of some people talk about this. This means that the sub wil typically exhibit high impedance rise.

High impedance rise is actually good rather than bad from my point of view.

This means that it can create massive pressure levels and draw less power out of your electrical system at the same time. The other positive side is you can use this to your advantage and run amps far lower than their rated stable load to even get more power shot through these subwoofers. I would never recommend doing that for daily though.

Overall, if you are looking for a subwoofer or subwoofers for ground pounding bass for your music, these are the subs! If you are looking for that perfect front stage\mids and bass to all fall in together... there are, of course, plenty of other options out there to choose from as the HDC3 line is not the intended use for such goal. Also, if you plan on competing and have the weight capacity for a large amount of cone area, these subs will not kill your bank account but will kill the meter with proper box designs.

[kjones 2]

That was an amazing in depth review.

you just broke it down very very well, great review.

[Kanaworm$ 292]

Nice review!

[BanginGMC 23]

Great explaination bud

[Duran 387]

I still have NO desire to buy one

Although if I was given one I'd love to test your power ratings.