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I really wish I could hear this build.  Sweet amp, sweet sub, sealed. :)

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So I loaded this in my wagon this weekend. I have it hooked up to an old school US Amps 200 while I wait for the Kicker ZR600 to get recapped. The enclosure is 1.1 ft^3 sealed. HOLY CRAP...The ICON shook the bolts off my wagon! I have all kinds of new things rattling that I need to fix now. Even with the triple front baffle, double rear baffle, and internal bracing it vibrates all over the place. I'm going to have to bolt it to the car. I can't wait for it to break in. I've already got plans to build a ported enclosure to see the difference in output. This is an awesome sub! 

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:-)

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Well, almost 4 years later and I'm finally going to build the ported box for the ICON! I'm using the pre-designed enclosure plans from the SSA site (2.5ft^3 @ 30 Hz) and am waiting for the MDF to be delivered. It's going to be in the same vehicle (JDM 2000 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon Twin Turbo, stock alternator (100A), Bosch Hightec Premium AGM batt, big 3 (1/0), Alpine CDA-9887, and Kicker Impulse i525 coaxials).

My question is: my current amp is a MMATS HiFi 4250 and it doesn't have a SSF. The ICON will be wired to 4 ohms and will see ~800W. I've read numerous threads and articles on SSFs and there hasn't been a definitive "yes" or "no" if it's needed or not. Some say for smaller subs (8") it is and others say for lower tuned enclosures (20-30Hz) it's not. Will powering the ICON (rated for 950W RMS), tuned at 30Hz, without a SSF be an issue with the given power? I listen to all genres of music but mainly old school rap, dubstep, and rock.

My other option would be to power it with my SSA IC150.4 on Ch3/4 bridged (~550W @4 ohms) since that has a SSF. Previously, I had that amp powering it in the 1.1ft^3 sealed box but didn't sound like it was giving it enough power. Will ~550W be enough power in a ported enclosure?

I appreciate all the assistance. Thanks!

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Your headunit has a HPF that is variable from 20-200 hz, however you will have to swap the output to the front or rear pre amp ouputs on the HU. 

https://imgur.com/0EKbDr6

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If you dont like that idea than consider swapping amps and using the other. 550 vs 800 watts is about 1.5dB. I dont think you would hear a difference. typically you set the hpf about 1/2 octave below the port tuning. So 15/2 = 8, HPF around 22hz. 

here is the HU manual. screen shot is from page 15

http://vault.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/OM_CDA-9887.PDF

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Thanks Lithium for the advice. I thought about swapping the outputs and using the HPF from the HU and the LPF on the amp but then I wouldn't be using the sub output. Would it really matter if I didn't connect the sub to the sub output and just connected it to the rear? Right now I have it connected to the sub output with my amp's gain set (with 40 Hz  0 dB test tone) with the sub level at +15 (0 ~ +15, pg 13). If I connected it to the rear outputs, I wouldn't be able to increase /decrease the sub level if it was too loud or not loud enough. I guess I could use the fader to try and control it. I still have some time before the MDF gets here (takes about 2 weeks). If the difference in power between the 2 amps is going to be negligible, I might just swap amps (probably the easiest fix). The temps are freezing and I hate working on the car in the cold weather without a garage.

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I think the best option is running the MMATs on the rear channels of the HU. Set fade to 0  and volume a couple clicks below max before setting gain. That way you can increase subwoofer level by fading rear, and increase the system output lost to fading rear by increase system volume. 

The other alternative is adding a remote gain to the amp. 

This is the one I use because my DSP is in the rear and running 30 ft of RCA back to front to back for a passive knob added noise. 

https://www.jlaudio.com/products/cl-rlc-car-audio-system-expansion-98117

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A long time ago, there were no subsonic filters.  We punished woofers way back without them and they weren't built as stout as they are now.  Use your ears and you'll be fine.

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