I need some input

[rustydawwg 7]

Hi everyone, I've been doing some shopping lately looking for a new sub and wanted to get some advice. Heres a few things specifically I'm kinda basing my next purchase upon.

1. Budget- $450 (approx)

2. single subwoofer setup only

3. minimum 1500w RMS

4. Best SQ possible at the same time id love something that can hit pretty damn hard (140 decibels if possible)

5. Very durable!! I've already blown 2 soundsplinter rlp-18s i need something that can take some serious abuse. ( something that actually can withstand in hot weather)

I will be using a a jl 1000/1v2 to power the sub ( Nak cd400 headunit).

So far I've been browsing TC sounds Axis series, Ascendant audio mayhem series, or sound solution XCon series. I've been offered to purchase a jl 13w7 with ground shaker box for $350 but Im not sure if its going to give me the the lows that my 18 produced. Im open to all subwoofer and enclosure suggestions and my max allowable dimensions are 30" wide, 15" tall, and 20" deep.(facing trunk).

I want to hear everyones thoughts, am i crazy trying to achieve 140 decibles? Is a 13w7 a perfect match as most people pledge? Other companies out there to consider? please, if you have any experiences post the specs of the vehicle as well so I have an idea.

[cloud77 28]

Fi Q, SSA ICON, or XCON.

 

Thumbs down to TC sounds.

[EPerez 236]

Right away the Xcon comes to mind for what you want. My Zcon sounds amazing and the Xcon is suppose to be even better.

 

You won't have to worry about blowing anything if you have the gain set right and the box design is good.

 

What size sub are you looking at? You can only get a 12" with those dimensions and that's with okay port area. Also the lows will be more determined with the box rather the sub.

Edited May 14, 2013 by Bassink

[crackinhedz 51]

Yeah the Xcon fits all your requirements.

[rustydawwg 7]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Now that i have done more measuring i've decided to go with a 12" in a optimal sized ported box, it sounds like everyone so far has very great things to say about SSA, only one review brought up an issue with "bottoming out", which im guessing might be a enclosure issue? I typically love listening to music with copious amounts of <20hz bass rhythmns so I want something that will really push lows but at the same time deliver clean crisp hits when I want to listen to house.

@Bassink- What size box are you running and whats it tuned to? Do you have LP filter on to cut frequencies below a certain point? I'd love to run a 12 if i could ( i took those dimensions from the 18 that barely squeezes in) And have you had the chance to measure decible output? Nice fusion btw, my friend leases a sport also, the voice command feature the use is awesome! and you gotta love the changing interior mood lights they come with haha.

[EPerez 236]

For my first box my 12 was in 2.7 cube box tuned to 32 with around 35 in2 of port area. Now I'm building (as I type lol) a box that's 3.4 cubes tuned to 31.5hz with 68in2 of port area.

The first box could hit around 27 hz decently.

If you want to hit those lows I would just recommend tuning really low like 24 hz or so. Just make you set the ssf right. Like a few hz below is usually the easiest.

Fuck finding out decibels out haha I know it's loud when people can't breathe. That's what I like, not numbers

Thanks I love this fusion! I actually have different led lights in it that are under the dash and under seats. I want the 13 it looks so sickkk!!

[Shogen 325]

If you really want to go that low and loud ... dual 12's would work well sealed... but I know you said single sub...

 

I think tuning to 30hz would be low enough to reach your goal and bigger port usually narrows your bandwidth if I've read correctly.. so going smaller on port might help you get to that lower frequency.

[grayta 23]

I would totally go for the Xcon.  Those subs are built for the loooooowwws.  Let us know which sub you pick!

[swift 501]

I would go for a single 15. That would help achieve the lows you want. A 12 hits the same lows but more cone area will do it louder. I love a 30hz tuning, seems to give a flat response if the correct port area and design is done.

A lot of subs will achieve your goal. SSA is a great choice

[///M5 2,833]

rustydawwg, on 13 May 2013 - 20:25, said:

2. single subwoofer setup only

4. Best SQ possible at the same time id love something that can hit pretty damn hard (140 decibels if possible)

5. Very durable!! I've already blown 2 soundsplinter rlp-18s i need something that can take some serious abuse. ( something that actually can withstand in hot weather)

You are destined to fail. If you blow RLp18's then everything else isn't going to fare well either. Add to that you obviously don't give a shit about SQ. Single is a problem too.

[rustydawwg 7]

I've tried the dual 12 setup with a custom box ( 600w type r), Yeah it was "loud" possibly even louder than a single 18. But, if this makes sense, the soundsplinter was felt more than heard ( more cone area) the roof of my car never flexed up and down with 12s. I feel like the 12s were messier due to the fact theres a solid barrier between me and my trunk, so I figured a sealed 18 would give me the tight response and lows I desired ( it did) but zero trunk space and the box bricked my car down more than I originally figured. Im leaning between SSA Xcon series 12 ported, or 15 sealed. I just recieved my tax return so I'll be making a decision most likely by tonight.

[EPerez 236]

The Xcon is suppose to be great in a sealed box.

[rustydawwg 7]

rustydawwg, on 13 May 2013 - 20:25, said:

2. single subwoofer setup only

4. Best SQ possible at the same time id love something that can hit pretty damn hard (140 decibels if possible)

5. Very durable!! I've already blown 2 soundsplinter rlp-18s i need something that can take some serious abuse. ( something that actually can withstand in hot weather)

You are destined to fail. If you blow RLp18's then everything else isn't going to fare well either. Add to that you obviously don't give a shit about SQ. Single is a problem too.

Aren't we all doomed? I knew I was after I bought my first set of subs 6 years ago ( 2 elemental designs 6.5 inch in a ported box) the still play lovely too, thanks to that clip overload led! I would'nt go as far as to say I don't care for SQ, There's definitely cheaper alternatives, I couldve had 2 hifonics brutus amps for the price of my JL and ran a couple audiobahn 1000w 12s and called it a day for SPL. In fact I don't even like most amps rated at 1%THD. My crown 2500w amplifier at home is just under .03% and it absolutely amazing how much more I can pull out of a sub with clean regulated power.

[rustydawwg 7]

OK! I just placed an order for SSA XCON 15. I'm ready to see what this beast is about!

[Trent Hari 1]

I also have a JL Audio amp , and I am also having trouble with blowing sub-woofers that should not blow on my amp. ( I blew a Alpine type R and i have a SA-12 that im needing to baby along) Maybe you should look in the JL audio forums and see if JL amps have a bad reputation for being hard on sub-woofers that are not made by JL. ( I wouldn't be surprised) .

 

You probably should check for amplifier clipping also.

Congratulations on the Xcon by the way

[Tirefryr 1,742]

I also have a JL Audio amp , and I am also having trouble with blowing sub-woofers that should not blow on my amp. ( I blew a Alpine type R and i have a SA-12 that im needing to baby along) Maybe you should look in the JL audio forums and see if JL amps have a bad reputation for being hard on sub-woofers that are not made by JL. ( I wouldn't be surprised) .

 

You probably should check for amplifier clipping also.

Congratulations on the Xcon by the way

You are blowing drivers because you don't know what you're doing.  It's not the amplifier's fault, and the comment on JL amps blowing non-JL subs has got to be one of the most assinine things I've ever read.  I am hoping this is sarcasm on your part.

[EPerez 236]

People need to learn that it's not the amp blowing the subs, it's the user. You set the gain and other settings wrong making it hard on the sub eventually leading to a fucked up sub. Learn to set things or have someone set them who knows what their doing.

[mlcantin 32]

This is all just advice. Do whatever the fuck you wanna do!

[handman84 60]

I had a problem blowing subs too, and I shouldn't have because I matched them to the rms output of my amp...then I see people who know their shit running subs off of amps rated twice the rms power of their subs for years without incident! Sigh, that is when I knew it must be me and not my equipment, a tough pill to swallow. I had two main problems:

 

1) I was expecting way too much from my setup. Meaning I had a 10" sub in a prefab box to save trunk space and I thought it should shake my rear view mirror off of my windshield...now I am not saying you are as ignorant as me, I only bring my problem up because it led to the real reason my shit kept failing...

 

2) I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO SET THINGS UP PROPERLY! My goals were also not clearly defined, I had no idea what I wanted.  I thought bass was bass, you hook it up, it shakes your brain. So when I wasn't getting what I wanted I boosted the gains, then turned down the gains and turned up the bass boost, then turned up the gains again, then messed with the eq, and like magic I had the sound I was looking for followed shortly after by the smell of a burnt sub coming from my trunk. Then back to square one.

 

I still have no idea what I am doing and not quite getting the output from my xcon I would like but I know it's me not the equipment. So I error on the side of caution with my settings until I get things figured out and I suggest you do the same with your xcon, it is a phenomenal driver. 

 

Or do whatever the fuck you want just post pics of the install

[Trent Hari 1]

I had a problem blowing subs too, and I shouldn't have because I matched them to the rms output of my amp...then I see people who know their shit running subs off of amps rated twice the rms power of their subs for years without incident! Sigh, that is when I knew it must be me and not my equipment, a tough pill to swallow. I had two main problems:

1) I was expecting way too much from my setup. Meaning I had a 10" sub in a prefab box to save trunk space and I thought it should shake my rear view mirror off of my windshield...now I am not saying you are as ignorant as me, I only bring my problem up because it led to the real reason my shit kept failing...

2) I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO SET THINGS UP PROPERLY! My goals were also not clearly defined, I had no idea what I wanted. I thought bass was bass, you hook it up, it shakes your brain. So when I wasn't getting what I wanted I boosted the gains, then turned down the gains and turned up the bass boost, then turned up the gains again, then messed with the eq, and like magic I had the sound I was looking for followed shortly after by the smell of a burnt sub coming from my trunk. Then back to square one.

I still have no idea what I am doing and not quite getting the output from my xcon I would like but I know it's me not the equipment. So I error on the side of caution with my settings until I get things figured out and I suggest you do the same with your xcon, it is a phenomenal driver.

Or do whatever the fuck you want just post pics of the install

 LOL on the last sentence.

 The most difficult part of this whole deal is knowing what questions to ask, and how to ask them , to get a helpful response.

Maybe what us Newbies should ask is "What would you do with my current setup to create the most output without changing amplifiers?"

In the meantime, I guess ill start a gallery of subs i have blown on my profile 

Edited May 18, 2013 by Trent Hari

[cloud77 28]

An Fi Q 15" was one of the best sounding subs I've ever heard out of a sealed box and it gets rowdy as well.   Don't rule this out.  The sub I had was a pre '09 motor as well with a 1000 rms rating running off a  Mmats d300hc.  Superb sound, never hot.  Its in my girls car now and she loves it.  I'm sure the newer motors sound sexier, and they are a good sub for the price, American made, exc

[handman84 60]

I know believe me. I have started a few threads and been frustrated as hell feeling like I was getting no useful info. Then I realized that all of the info I was being given was geared toward getting me to think and spend time listening to figure out what I was missing or wanting, and really listen to how adjustments affect sound (quality, output etc.)

 

Everything you do has a huge effect on output from the way your box is facing to something as simple as rolling down your windows. It just takes time to figure out your car, your equipment, and your install. 

[Trent Hari 1]

handman84, on 18 May 2013 - 08:40, said:

I know believe me. I have started a few threads and been frustrated as hell feeling like I was getting no useful info. Then I realized that all of the info I was being given was geared toward getting me to think and spend time listening to figure out what I was missing or wanting, and really listen to how adjustments affect sound (quality, output etc.)

Everything you do has a huge effect on output from the way your box is facing to something as simple as rolling down your windows. It just takes time to figure out your car, your equipment, and your install.

Yeah but it sucks when i spell my whole setup out,with pics, and they can't even tell me the color of the sky lol.

Just to be Philosophical -

Maybe we don't know what we want , because we don't know what we can get with what we have. Or

Maybe we don't know what were missing, because we have never heard a properly tuned SQ setup.

.

.

.

My brain just melted from all the meaning that was in those two sentences. ;P

Random thought - I only have a single 12 and it can actually affect my breathing, How do you people get such loud setups and not go deaf? I really don't know how Steve Meade can hear anything anymore. I thought anything over 160 dbs causes instant deafness.

Anyway.. back to the topic of the OP's SPL setup.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Trent Hari

[///M5 2,833]

I know believe me. I have started a few threads and been frustrated as hell feeling like I was getting no useful info. Then I realized that all of the info I was being given was geared toward getting me to think and spend time listening to figure out what I was missing or wanting, and really listen to how adjustments affect sound (quality, output etc.)

 

Everything you do has a huge effect on output from the way your box is facing to something as simple as rolling down your windows. It just takes time to figure out your car, your equipment, and your install. 

Yeah but it sucks when i spell my whole setup out,with pics, and they can't even tell me the color of the sky lol. 

Just to be Philosophical  -

Maybe we don't know what we want , because we don't know what we can get with what we have. Or 

Maybe we don't know what were missing, because we have never heard a properly tuned SQ setup. 

.

.

.

My brain just melted from all the meaning that was in those two sentences. ;P 

But why improve something that sounds perfect?

 

You are being difficult because you think there is one solitary answer to any question.  This is FAR from the truth.  The trick is to use detail to describe the question to narrow down the answer.  If you never narrow it down the answer you could get won't apply to you making it useless & a waste of money.

[Trent Hari 1]

 

I know believe me. I have started a few threads and been frustrated as hell feeling like I was getting no useful info. Then I realized that all of the info I was being given was geared toward getting me to think and spend time listening to figure out what I was missing or wanting, and really listen to how adjustments affect sound (quality, output etc.)

 

Everything you do has a huge effect on output from the way your box is facing to something as simple as rolling down your windows. It just takes time to figure out your car, your equipment, and your install. 

Yeah but it sucks when i spell my whole setup out,with pics, and they can't even tell me the color of the sky lol. 

Just to be Philosophical  -

Maybe we don't know what we want , because we don't know what we can get with what we have. Or 

Maybe we don't know what were missing, because we have never heard a properly tuned SQ setup. 

.

.

.

My brain just melted from all the meaning that was in those two sentences. ;P 

But why improve something that sounds perfect?

 

You are being difficult because you think there is one solitary answer to any question.  This is FAR from the truth.  The trick is to use detail to describe the question to narrow down the answer.  If you never narrow it down the answer you could get won't apply to you making it useless & a waste of money.

Well i finally found out why i was not satisfied with my sound quality. The decks HPF was set to 100 hz but the subwoofer crossover was at 80 hz , but the speaker amp was set at 75 hz hpf. I did not know what i was missing, until i heard it sound correct. I couldn't even describe why i was not satisfied, I just knew something wasn't there that should have been. That was a kinda impossible situation for me and you i know. But on the plus side, i'm all good now

 

We seem to have trouble communicating ///M5

I notice that member ///M5 uses the word 'YOU" alot. anyone who has gone through  a psychology class can tell you that 'YOU" statements put the person being talked to in a defensive position, and they are less likely to see your point of view. "I" statements usually come across as more diplomatic and streamline communication. Heres a link to describe what i am talking about. http://www.humanpotentialcenter.org/Articles/IStatements.html