Which Fi driver to choose....

[Duran 387]

crutchfield reps can be idiots. one thing that can hurt the sub is if you turn the gain on the amp all the way up and you already have a 4v pre-out from the headunit

That is also not true in every case.

[OuTLaWeD 110]

crutchfield reps can be idiots. one thing that can hurt the sub is if you turn the gain on the amp all the way up and you already have a 4v pre-out from the headunit

That is also not true in every case.

its still a square wave. teach a noob the correct way instead of maybe having him throw twice or 3 times the powa on a sub and not know what he is doing. a good start would be that since you have a 4v pre-out from the headunit don't turn the gain up any more than 1/4 of the way up. set the headunit properly to achieve the best output.

[OuTLaWeD 110]

also a properly designed and built enclosure can make a huge difference in output. we can help you in that area also.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

a good start would be that since you have a 4v pre-out from the headunit don't turn the gain up any more than 1/4 of the way up

What? Does a 1/4 of the way up on his amp match 4v?

[Duran 387]

crutchfield reps can be idiots. one thing that can hurt the sub is if you turn the gain on the amp all the way up and you already have a 4v pre-out from the headunit

That is also not true in every case.

its still a square wave. teach a noob the correct way instead of maybe having him throw twice or 3 times the powa on a sub and not know what he is doing. a good start would be that since you have a 4v pre-out from the headunit don't turn the gain up any more than 1/4 of the way up. set the headunit properly to achieve the best output.

Square waves don't damage anything if input power is still below what the driver can thermal handle.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Nick Morgan drunk and angry > Crutchfield Rep's.

[Crich03 2]

I vote for the BL also it's an awesome woofer, and is very loud off of 1000 watts

[altoncustomtech 773]

Okay so am I risking overdrawing my amplifier then by attempting to power a sub rated at twice what the amp is intended to produce? I know i will hit trouble if i max the gain or the volume knob, but what about at even 50% volume on the HU?

If anyone's wondering I have my amplifier gain set @ 2.5 volts (HU puts out 4 volts, but I rarely turn volume past 70%) and a 45 HZ bass boost at 10 db. Subsonic filter at 30HZ.

No, the sub draws nothing from the amp. Speakers are dumb, they do only what you tell them to do. Your amp and whichever sub you choose will be just fine. You're WAY over thinking this. There is no such thing as under powering a speaker, end of story. Having less than rated power on a given driver does not affect the sound of that driver one bit. If the bass sounds distorted or muddy then there's something wrong with the enclosure it's in or the source material and how it's being processed before it hits the amp in almost all cases. The enclosure decides HOW it's going to sound, the amp simply provides the power to drive it. As long as the driver being used does not have an impedance below what the amp is rated to handle the amp will not be stressed no matter how much more or less power it is rated than the driver, period.

All you need to do is pick whichever sub suits your budget the best, make sure the enclosure is well built with plenty of bracing and the correct internal volume and tuning and you'll be just fine.

[NDMstang65 403]

Nick Morgan drunk and angry > Crutchfield Rep's.

[slim2fattycake 85]

crutchfield reps can be idiots. one thing that can hurt the sub is if you turn the gain on the amp all the way up and you already have a 4v pre-out from the headunit

Okay so am I risking overdrawing my amplifier then by attempting to power a sub rated at twice what the amp is intended to produce? I know i will hit trouble if i max the gain or the volume knob, but what about at even 50% volume on the HU?

If anyone's wondering I have my amplifier gain set @ 2.5 volts (HU puts out 4 volts, but I rarely turn volume past 70%) and a 45 HZ bass boost at 10 db. Subsonic filter at 30HZ.

turn off your bass boost.

[Shogen 325]

I say get the BL and call it a day.

[trod2902 26]

i say go with the driver with more motor force and xmax, BTL

Although i love my BL

[dulas 0]

My amp has a dial-in digital gain setting as opposed to a rotary dial, so the selctions are a bit limited. The lowest gain setting is 8.0 volts, then the next highest choice is 4.0 volts (had my gain here to match HU preouts, and the output was really low) then the next is 2.5 volts ( this is where i leave my gain set, seems adequate) then 1.5 volts, 1 volt, and a few even higher settings that i wouldnt dare venture into because thats just way too high.

im guessing that if i were the type of guy that maxs out the HU volume, a 4v settin would be fine, but on my HU, volume goes up to 35, and i have rarely, if ever, hit 24 or 25.

Am i correct in thinking that 4 volts is the preout output voltage at full volume?

[bakedboy08@yahoo.com 6]

doesnt matter what voltag it is as long as the volts on the amp match the headunits voltage.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

Use this to Set gain

If it doesn't already state in that thread, stay away from bass boost.

[dulas 0]

Use this to Set gain

If it doesn't already state in that thread, stay away from bass boost.

Did a bit of digging....heres what i have come up with as pretty much my top options:

If i wanted a 1250 watt RMS sub to "best" match my amp and maximize that subs potential, i could choose:

15" SSA ICON- $294

15" Ascendant Audio Havoc- $389

If i wanted to push it a little and get a 1500 watt RMS sub, then I could choose from:

15" Fi BL -$304

15" Sundown audio Z series- $440

15" Incriminator Audio Death Penalty- $478

If i really, really wanted to push it, at 1750 watts RMS, I could get:

15" SSA XCON- $389

*None of these prices include shipping, or additional build-on options.

That being said, there are some subs here that are significantly less money than others in the same wattage category. Mind you, im going to have to get a box built regardless of which 15" i choose (ive been quoted $200 several times for a high-quality custom built enclosure). I dont want to overspend here, and like I said, I will have about $600 max to work with. Having some left over for other things would be a definite plus.

Leaning more towards output, instead of SQ, yet without the sub being a 1 note fart-machine, I really really like the XCON, i just dont like the price, as that would max me out. The ICON and the BL seem logical if i want to be able to bank some leftover money, but then I worry i may be selling myself short.

Sorry if im being redundant here guys. I just want to make sure every option is explored before I commit. This will more than likely be the sub i use for several years to come, so i want it to be right.

Opinions?

Edited January 31, 2012 by dulas

[Ohjay 116]

I think you would be very happy with any of the drivers you listed. I would save for the Xcon personally but if you want to keep a bit of cash in your pocket, the Icon or BL would be my choice.

[SubSam 21]

Does anybody look at Q alignment anymore? Personally I think the only reason to buy a woofer outside your price/power range is if you plan to upgrade your amp at any point. As for a daily driving driver that loves the power range you offer, go for a Q or SSD, as the frequency response is more favorable in these woofers, which will result in a higher output over a larger range of frequencies. The BtL (which I love) is built to handle higher power, it won't sound bad underpowered by any means, but it wouldn't be my first choice if I was you. Between the SSD and the Q, I would vote for the Q simply for its lower Vas (stiffer cone) which allows for a marginally smaller enclosure, while being really easy to tune in a ported enclosure. Obviously some of these woofers in the higher power range have higher motor force and better potential for output, but can't make up for the difference compared to a Q in the power range youre discussing. Q15s are still my favorite woofer ever, even though I have two BtL 12s at the moment. I run BtLs simply so i can throw 3.5k at each if them all day. My Q took 1500 daily for a year, now my buddy has it on the same amp (saz-1500, good recommendation whomever that was), and hasn't had any issues in another year and a half.

As for SSA, you can't really go wrong here either. For the rated power, I think a Zcon is about the best woofer you can buy. Never ran them myself so i can't compare their relative sturdiness againt a BtL but if you ask Tuffguy40 about his four 18s I'm sure he will tell you they are champions, literally and figuratively.

I guess I'm biased to the Q but i think you will be happy no matter which Fi model gets picked out of the hat.

::braces for rebuttal::

[SubSam 21]

Oh and how could I forget? SMD DD-1 FTMFWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN. O-scopes are way overrated.

I feel like a total tool posting a meade link up but i swear by this device. If your amps are rated at 1% THD or less, this is the best way to get the most from your amplifier while straining your electrical support the least.

[Duran 387]

[Shogen 325]

I thought ears were just as good or even better than dd1???

[dulas 0]

I thought ears were just as good or even better than dd1???

Thanks for everything guys.

I'm leaning very heavily towards the BL at this point. I think it is a perfect balance of output vs. budget...know what I mean? It will save me a few dollars to hit up a concert or two this summer

So, given the fact that i am not giving this sub its rated rms anyways, should I even consider adding on any build options? Or would that just be throwing money out the window at this point?

[altoncustomtech 773]

I think that would depend completely upon whether or not you plan on upgrading your amp in the future or not. You may not be stuffing power down it's throat now, but if you ever plan to then it wouldn't hurt. If you're sure you'll never be upgrading your amp while you own the sub then don't worry about it.

[dulas 0]

I think that would depend completely upon whether or not you plan on upgrading your amp in the future or not. You may not be stuffing power down it's throat now, but if you ever plan to then it wouldn't hurt. If you're sure you'll never be upgrading your amp while you own the sub then don't worry about it.

So if i were to add an option what would be the smartest choice? Cooling?

[SubSam 21]

I think that would depend completely upon whether or not you plan on upgrading your amp in the future or not. You may not be stuffing power down it's throat now, but if you ever plan to then it wouldn't hurt. If you're sure you'll never be upgrading your amp while you own the sub then don't worry about it.

So if i were to add an option what would be the smartest choice? Cooling?

Even the most efficient speakers are only about 1% efficient so definitely shoot for the best cooling possible. Fi/AA are known for having the best cooling