Now this sounds stupid as fuck because if you read it wrong it'll sound like a useless thing to ask, but hopefully you'll know what I mean.

It seems to me that larger woofers, or well, more cone area makes the bass sound rougher around the edges at high volume. Not like clipping, but not a pure smooth note like at lower volumes. It goes away a little with the door open so I can only assume it's the pressurizations effect? I like it but I don't know what to call it. I only notice it with lots of cone and sealed up, and mostly in SUV's. Not really a question but just curious if it's 10 years of shit speakers or i'm right. I think I'm right, my friend has BTL's and those aren't shit

Oh dammit stupid mobile app I forgot to check what forum I was posting in this isn't a build >.<

It probably has more to do with changes in your hearing at high SPL or more rattles and resonances in the vehicle.

I bet it is even simpler.  It's all been in the box/install.  None of the conclusions you've drawn in the topic are correct.  The biggest factor in choosing a driver size is the enclosure space and design you need/would like to use.  Obviously budget and such are important, but first and always first is the space it will be going into and how best to deal with it.  You'd be shocked how a perfect enclosure and a shitty driver can outperform a great driver in a shitty enclosure.  And yes, this is regardless of the diameter of the driver.

IMO, it's all in your mind.  As has been mentioned, you're not comparing apples to apples.  If you went into this blind, I'm sure it would be a different outcome.

indeed... the mind and myths tend to mess with peoples heads with results......

 

 for years  people claim that 15s get way lower then 12s and 18s are the lowest and 8s and 10s are useless........... when i hear people spew this shit at shows to others as if its fact i start cussing and  then i start talking alot....

 

a reason i have always wanted to do with full on big build with 8s but  i have my reasons for not doing to .. and  the sound has nothing to do with it

Without going into details of why, I'll explain why there are truths in both.  It takes a certain amount of moving mass weight to get a low.  Look and compare any speakers specs from any big brand on the market.  There cheaper speakers will not play as low as their higher end drivers.  This is due to the weight of the moving mass.  Other factors dictate this however those factors are dictated by the moving mass which is directly related to frequency response.  For example you can take a JL W1 12 and add mass to the cone and it will have the ability to play lower.  This however creates bad side effects due to the motor not being to accurately control this extra mass.  Which leads to why some larger drivers may sound sloppier. 

 

Most all smaller companies in the same series will use the same size motor a 10 as they do for a 15 or 18.  Just like a heavier vehicle needs more horsepower to compensate compared to a lighter vehicle a sub is the same weight.  A 15 inch sub will have a heavier mass than a 10 due to the extra material making the cone and the air load that it is pushing against.  To fully control this extra mass the 15 will need a stronger motor than the 10.  This will vary depending on the expected reponse of the subs but for the car audio application with the typical 32 hertz tuning this is true.  This is the reason why a JL W7 13 motor is bigger than a JL W7 8.  

 

To combat this I design my motors to handle the weight of an 18 or the largest cone I plan on using.  I then add mass to the smaller drivers to compensate for the extra motor force to weight ratio.  The more than needed motor force will lower total Q and can give an funky response and give a high gain in response at resonant frequency.  This can be observed in larger motored spl type drivers.

I just want to say, quentin, I love reading your posts. Always well thought out/presented with tecnical data/testing to back up your point.

Without going into details of why, I'll explain why there are truths in both.  It takes a certain amount of moving mass weight to get a low.  Look and compare any speakers specs from any big brand on the market.  There cheaper speakers will not play as low as their higher end drivers.  This is due to the weight of the moving mass.  Other factors dictate this however those factors are dictated by the moving mass which is directly related to frequency response.  For example you can take a JL W1 12 and add mass to the cone and it will have the ability to play lower.  This however creates bad side effects due to the motor not being to accurately control this extra mass.  Which leads to why some larger drivers may sound sloppier. 

 

Most all smaller companies in the same series will use the same size motor a 10 as they do for a 15 or 18.  Just like a heavier vehicle needs more horsepower to compensate compared to a lighter vehicle a sub is the same weight.  A 15 inch sub will have a heavier mass than a 10 due to the extra material making the cone and the air load that it is pushing against.  To fully control this extra mass the 15 will need a stronger motor than the 10.  This will vary depending on the expected reponse of the subs but for the car audio application with the typical 32 hertz tuning this is true.  This is the reason why a JL W7 13 motor is bigger than a JL W7 8.  

 

To combat this I design my motors to handle the weight of an 18 or the largest cone I plan on using.  I then add mass to the smaller drivers to compensate for the extra motor force to weight ratio.  The more than needed motor force will lower total Q and can give an funky response and give a high gain in response at resonant frequency.  This can be observed in larger motored spl type drivers.

the more i read your posts the more i want to get a pair of those 15" ethos..