what are your top 3 choices for subwoofers?

 

Image Dynamics
Jl Audio
Eclipse

 

JL Audio
AudioBahn
Solo Baric

 

mtx
orian
jl

 

not sure about the last one but with the first two...

 

Adire Audio
Resonant Engineering
Image Dynamics

 

That depends on what we're going for here, SQ or SPL or both?

 

Resonant Engineering XXX
Adire Brahma
SI Magnum

and if money wasn't an option

JL W7 ofcourse.

 

JL W7's
Rockford Fosgate T2's
Kicker L7's (maybe)

These are the only speakrs I would touch!

 

Agreed, can make a big difference.

I go for SQ or SQL and:

Diamond TDX
Image IDmax
JL W7

 

is phoenix gold a good brand?

 

Hell Yeah! PG is good...Phoenix Gold has been at it for a while now.

Remember the Frankinstein amp? My older friends would have these huge amps that rocked!

 

I can't believe nobody agrees with me on Eclipse.

Have any of you ever heard an Eclipse Titanium?

 

Yeah Eclipse Ti are very good subs, Very loud. They may make it to my top 10 list but they are not touching my top 3

 

im a newb to this so

sq is most likely sound quality, which im lookin for but what is SPL

im also lookin for a lot of bass, but sounds nice and clean

 

OK, just so you know, there are MANY subs out there that will sound fine. It's more about the box. It's rare to find a name brand woofer that sucks - occasional, but rare.

JL made its name, not through being the best out there (they were good, but not the best) but by having more application support for installers than its competition did - even Rockford, who had been the best at app support up until JL came along.

 

Phoenix Gold used to be very impressive. They almost went broke a couple of years ago and since then they only make lower-end offshore stuff. Don't mistake their stuff today for the serious gear of the 80's and 90's.

"Have I ever heard of Eclipse"?. Sheesh. There are more good woofers out there than you can shake a stick at, and an installer that knows his stuff can make almost ANY of them pound.

 

whats the best jl sub out there?

 

W7, extremely overpriced IMO.

 

what do you mean by overpriced?

 

Means it costs too much (schools today, I tell ya).

If by your original question I should wonder abou the three subs I would consider running in my own system, I would say, eD, digital Designs, and Adire. I've never run eD or Adire, they get very good reviews, and I'm very curious about them. Digital also gets good reviews.

 

12 inch mtx 9500 compares to a w7 and mtx compares to a rockford punch amps and mtx pulls ahead look at the stats
plus its cheaper then a w7 you pay for jl in the name.

http://mtxaudio.com/caraudio/headtohead/index.cfm

plus chek this video out on how fast the kick L7'S blow, and JL w7 with max out watts and mtx 9500 keeps pumping away.

http://mtxaudio.com/smoked/index.cfm

 

elduderino looks like you know what your talkin about, what subs should i go with if money wasnt a factor?

 

I agree with you, the Eclipse Titanium is definately one of the best SQ subs out there, because it can produce the largest frequency response with the lowest distortion. Adire, DDaudio, RE audio are all great for SPL but do not come close to the SQ of Eclipse.

 

my vote goes to Eclipse. mainly for the fact i happen to know the maker of eclipse, he happens to be the very same that was building mine. he also made the subs for Ed untill Ed and him parted ways.
its unfortunate because the man behind thease designs IMO is a subwoofer GOD! he has patents on his designs that nobody has and wished they did

2nd place goes to JL for me except the W7 IMO i never liked the W7 just like everything else JL touches people think its great because of their past. the W7 has many shortcommings. unfortunatly most of its shortfalls come from some of the patented design features of that sub. designs that i am happy they got a patent for but honestly anyone with any sence wouldnt care about.
as for their W6 and W3 subs, thoes would get my vote for 2nd place. they are not the best out there but for the money its hard to find a better bang for the buck.

3rd place goes to MTX mainly the 8500 and 9500 subs. i only put them behind JL for the simple fact i have not personally used them. but based on specs and design alone i would be willing to try a pair to see how well they work in my designs.
also at CES i saw a setup that was pretty damn impressive to say the least..

as for Audiobahn, how the hell do you compare an audiobahn sub with anything else? plain crap if you ask me. Audiobahn is a prime example of car audio rice all show and no go. they are priced lower than similar looking subs but proformers they are not.

as for adire they make great HT and home audio subs, car's is a different story at least if your talking sound quality. if you want SPL it may be a good sub for that purpose. like street effects said, whats the application?

 

im looking for SQ

 

My Infinity Perfects have been very reliable & good sounding subs. I only have a ~125w rms Class D amp on a 10" Perfect in my Mustang and it pounds pretty decently.

I have 2 10" Perfects that I need to install in my CL-S, anything more than 2 12's IMO is just stupid. Altho I wouldnt turn down a 13W7 if it was given to me.

 

image dynamics

DIGITAL DESIGNS
^^^^^^^^^^^
DAMN they are LOUDDD heard one 10 in an SL55 SHIT WAS LIKE two 15"s

JL W7

MTX 9500 Thunder

 

Not true at all, An Adire Brahma or an RE XXX are SQL subwoofers. They will get louder then the Eclipse and sound better doing so.

 

Also Treo, DD, and Dynaudio. All those subs make JL sound like poop and cost a fortune.

 

I will state as Eld did already.. It's not really about the sub so much as the BOX itself. If you have a great box any sub will work fine. If you underpower a sub it will sound like crap.

Get the sub that you can afford and the amp to match and a REALLY good box and you wont be dissappointed.

Personally I like it LOUD, but not insane and I like SQ so I went with DLS. I love all their stuff, but most people have never heard of them cause they are primarily overseas, (where they have won every award under the sun), including best speaker like 5 years running.

If I were to go with a US brand I would say JL makes a good sub, because their box specs are right on the money. Port it and man it's VERY loud.

Ryan

 

The Top 3 brands

JL Audio
RE Audio
Alpine

 

its more the box than the sub.
DD design subs are best suited to a large ported box with a lot of port area.
SQ subs they are not by any stretch of the imagination
they make great 1 note wonder subs and therefore are used a lot in SPL comps. if you want a system to play 1 note really loud thoes are a good choice.

 

Yes DD has trouble producing lower frequencies. Hence one note wonder. They are most commonly used in SPL setups. But if you want a sub that takes a beating, and you want something that makes old people implode their pants at gas stations, they would be a good choice. It would be nice if i had a free car, with a DD9515 and that new DD amp that does 4200w rms....breath taking!

 

websites for these subs??

 

not too hard to find dynaudio.com : )

I think it's treoonline.com

and I think it's ddesignaudio.com

I am a DLS and a Dynaudio dealer, btw. Nice to see another DLS lover.

 

Alpine execs can't even imagine an alternate reality where this statement was true.

I respect JL Audio in many ways, not least of all not succumbing to "bimbo marketing" and selling their product in other ways, but their popularity is really based on being a competent woofer that they help you use properly, not because they make "magic".

Guys, the dynamic cone driver was patented in like the 30's... there isn't anything groundbreaking out there about them, usually.

 

i wish there were places in my area where i could here all these brands

 

Eld,

I didn't know you were a DLS dealer.. I have a very good guy here with prices, but the install is OK. Had a couple minor issues.. but he is the only guy here on the west coast of Florida that deals with DLS.

I used to live up in NJ and a guy there SWARES by them.. Bill from Sounds Impossible in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. I heard them and was like WOOOHHHHOOOO I WANT I WANT. Focal makes a REALLY good pair of speakers, DLS is right there for like half the price.. And I love the fact that they play really loud. OO did I mention Crystal Clear.

What other brands are you authorized to sell Eld? Just curious.. what types of AMPs do you like most. I prefer Zapco, just can't afford them so I went with DLS, which I hear makes a pretty good amp, but not as high quality as their speakers and subs.

Ryan

BTW where are you located? Do you have any pics of any installs ?

 

Eld,

I was going to PM you but figured I would ask here real quick. I am thinking of getting a new Lotus Elise.. kinda small for the audio system.. and what it comes with is plain A$$ .. I was wondering if you though I could do something along the lines of the Dyn 3 way 360 series. I know you are a dealer I have NEVER seen or heard them before and was wondering is the 7 or 8" woofer a real woofer. Think it is comparable to a 8" sub or should I go with a 2 way and then a sub. I figured if I got the 3 way I could save on getting the sub and just use the component set.

What is the rough cost of these things. Like I said.. no clue never heard or seen em anywhere..


Thanks

Ryan