Hi, I'm looking into getting some more bass for my 03 tl-s. I just need help on some recommendations. Please help! I don't know what all this DB and WATT and OHM stuff means. Tried doing some research but just got really confused. I know that Kickers are popular, Pioneers, JL's, Infinity's, etc. So, if you guys could help me by just suggesting some specific subs, that would help me greatly! Thanks in advance

 

Budget?
Goal?

 

learn your basics, www.bcae1.com teaches in a way most find useful.

Also keep in mind the enclosure and the install matters more than the brand.


Then answer eggy's q and we'll try to help

 

Best bang for your buck would be buying 12" Pioneer Champion Series subs. Im running 4 in my CLS.

 

Lol. How much did you pay for each of those? I bet I could get louder and sound better with half the subs and less money invested.

 

$40 bucks each sub at a friends shop in Fremont Ca. Im not saying they're crazy loud or anything like that but Champion series subs wont disappoint you.

But hey if you got the money go for a jl 13w7 and a jl 1000/1 .

 

Those pioneers are slept on.

 

I love Digital Designs Audio, handmade woofers =D

 

I am trying to find some reviews about these but I am not getting much info anywhere.

 

The 13w7 is not worth the money if you buy it brand new.... No way in hell I'm paying 500+ for a sub only.. Plus the cost of a box to be built? Hell to the NO! I'd rather much get a used 12W6 or12" ID MAX in a sealed box and call it a day

 

1. they would disappoint me, and 2. W7 and 1000/1 are extremely expensive. I could build a decently large complete system that would sound just as good and get louder for the cost of those 2 items.

This.

Heard my fair share of 9500's, not a big fan of the sound.

They are highly regarded in the competition lanes. Very loud woofers. Not my personal favorite (I haven't heard a setup where I really enjoyed the sound of them) but they are extremely loud. Rather expensive too...

Boxes are cheap, especially if you know someone who has a bit of woodworking skills. $50-60 (for a birch box) is a very small price to pay when you're spending a couple hundred on woofers alone.

 

i thought he was asking for input not criticism on other's input lol

 

FYI when it comes to most brands, you won't hear too much about them on the net. Where you will "hear" them is in the judging lanes.

And that's where the quality brands hang out. In the winner circle. Not in the high-profit, "sell-it-cuz-it-sounds-good-on-the-board" stuff in the basic shops.

Too be true, I can make almost any brand work. Pioneer Champion, DD, JL, ID, etc. Or some of my favorites, Zuki, Soundstream, PPI, Acoustic Elegance, Audible Physics, Fi Audio, Scanspeak, etc.

In the end its all about the install, the build, that matters. QFT.

 

i have a single alpine type r and that is good enough for me

 

Are you looking for loud (SPL) or a sub that sounds good and can blend with your music (SQ)?

Loud...I would recommend Alpine Type Rs or the new Solobarics

SQ...I recommend Image Dynamics IDQs or Soundstream Exacts (old school round Solobarics were also great SQ subs)

A mix of both....JL W6v2s or an IDMAX

 

The perfect subwoofer for me was the Image Dynamics 12" IDMAX. It blended with my music well and got loud when I wanted to. I did not have to tune it much.

I am currently running an Elemental Design e15k in a ported box tuned to 33-34hz. I had to turn the gains down a bit and tune it but now it sounds good. My e15k sounds as good as a 12" sub (but goes as deep as a 15 incher)

 

i didn't know 12's sounded better than 15's

 

A car sub tuned to 33-34 hz... man you are missing the boat on this one. Try tuning to 26-28hz and see how good it sounds compared w/ the ID.

 

OP dead?

 

I know a little about tuning and SQ


I actually design boxes, but went overboard with this one.







This enclosure was an experiment. The port tubes are perfect for the box (no port noise) but I miscalculated a bit and went over my desired tuning (was aiming for 29-30hz)


I also have an 12" enclosure (for RE SE sub) tuned to 27-28 hz.

 

The IDMAX12 cannot compare with my 15" sub, there is no way that could happen. The 15 incher will get louder but it will not be able to reproduce bass as clean and accurate as the ID.

Maybe an old school 15W6 in a sealed encloure...maybe

 

12s usually have tighter more accurate bass...blends better with music

15s commonly lack the "tight" bass and one must tune quite a bit to have it blend with music. 15" subs usually overpower the front stage with deep bass.

This is what I think anyway, I may be wrong.

 

Biggest myth in car audio

Sub size does not determine frequency response.

 

So you believe that a same style 10", 12" and 15" sub will sound alike?

(not talking about SPL)



BTW...I feel like a similar style 15" subwoofer can reach lower frequencies better than a 12" sub

 

In the right enclosure? yes.

 

straight out of the retail box a 12" will sound different than a 15" sub

it takes the right enclosure and fine tuning to get them reach certain frequencies (ex: properly built vented enclosure)

It is possible to have a ported 12" sub reach similar frequencies as a sealed 15".....or a 12" sub in a very large sealed enclosure vs. a 15" sub in a very small sealed enclosure.

Like you said it does depends on the enclosure.

 

Put them both in the right enclosure, they'll sound the same. The bigger sub would just be able to hit the lows more effortlessly and be a touch louder. As far as bigger subs being "slow"...it's pure bs.

 

I agree


My problem with my 15" sub was that it did not blend well with my front stage. I had to adjust the gains and mess with the EQ a bit to get it to sound right. I will be building a new enclosure soon.

Some people who are new to car audio do not understand that it is mostly an install that will make speakers sound great. They do not go according to their manufacturer's specifications probably because they do not know how to build or do not want to spend the money.

Out the box (as I said above) the 12s will sound different from 15s. It just takes some work

 

go with hifonics for budget i have 2 in a custom enclosure with a 500wrms amp it sounds great

 

A 15 will sound different than a 12, it has different specs. As for your 15 not working correctly when you first installed it, welcome to car audio. What works on paper rarely works in the car... You have to tune everything to the car, whether it's SPL or SQ. That's just the way it is.

2nd, manufacturers post specs to keep from having to issue refunds. If you follow their specs, you'll never get the best possible results. As I said above, you have to change things to the car and the install itself. And just because something works in 1 car, it won't work in the same model exact same trim and everything.

 

I have a Single ""JL 12W6v2"" with a 400RMS Alpine amp, Is just Incredible how much it rapes my Older Pioneer Championship 12" in the Same Box running the same RMS. The Quality isnt the Forte on the Pioneer Heck not even the SPL its a day and night comparison.

"JL Audio" Quality FTMFW
"JL Audio" OverPriced FTMFL

Lucky me It was a Present lol.

 

one has to take account cabin gain and a vehicle's design as well, but when dealing with subwoofers an individual can build an enclosure according to most manufacturer's parameters/specs

I have had pretty good results with the winISD program

 

Again, computer programs don't tell you what will happen in a car. You will still have to tweak things once it's in the vehicle. Software can get you so far, but it will never get you optimal results on its own...

Perfect example in the SPL game, an Acoustical engineer modeled up every possible enclosure design and had some software optimize the enclosure for a given car, including cabin gain and all that good stuff, and the design it came back with was a horn. When the guys built the horn that the software called out, it was down 3db vs their standard ported box. 3db is huge in a Street class car that is at the very top of the game (that car went on to win North American Street A championship in 2010). So yes, software is a place to start, but it will not get you all the way.

 

You'll just have to go on your own. everyone have a lot of different opinions. this is all about personal opinions, imo.

 

So you just want a little more bass? I wouldn't do much beyond a single 10 or 12. I wouldn't go much bigger in size because our cars have plenty of gain in lower frequencies. A 15 will sound low, boomy, and won't blend well with your mids and highs. Unless you only listen to rap...then I guess get whatever's loud!

I wouldn't be surprised if once you add a sub, you want to go a step beyond and upgrade for clarity. First thing I would do is get rid of the Bose head unit. The EQ that is tucked in the dash above the radio distorts the highs pretty bad, which is mostly noticeable once you switch speakers/add amps.

Want to get the most bass from whatever sub setup you go with? Take out your factory sub.

 

I have two kicker cvr15 in my 96tl...i only payed $300 for both

 

Goddamnit! Quit people...quit spreading disinformation. A 15" sub will NOT, repeat NOT automatically sound low, boomy, etc.

If you don't know shit about audio, why are you posting.

That's not just to you, Nickalex23, it is to the posters who throw out an opinion like stated fact.

Read Dan Wiggins' excellent white paper on woofer speed vs. inductance, and you will have more truthful answers than all the combined assumptions in this forum.

 

Lots of people think because they can hook up a stereo, they know car audio.

 

OK well you should do sum more research,,,,,,, butttt ........i have 2 lanzar
max pro p15d thats 15" 2 Hifonics Brutus 2000watt mono amp..2..500f capacitor...custom box sealed....and it only cost 250-350$...........i shake the ground lolzz .... lanzar is a great sub i highly recommended it there cost effective and hit like crazy

 

Never ever,......and I mean ever speak again.