tycr

After digging a little deeper, the Infinity Kappa Perfect 12.1d subwoofer has come to my attention. Based on my desire for sound clarity and fidelity, I believe these may be a better alternative to the MTXs. Any comments on this?

elduderino

Here are the specs and recommended boxes:

http://manuals.harman.com/INF/CAR/Bo...re%20Sheet.pdf

This is a perfect example of sensitivity spec lies. This is a 12" woofer with a resonant frequency of 23 Hz. It has a very heavy cone and a stiff suspension (look at the Vas, the amount of air that is as compliant as the suspension). THis is a speaker that is stiff and heavy - which equals hard to push around - and yet they assign it an efficiency/sensitivity of 96dB 1W/1M????

That rant aside, it seems like a good speaker. BTW, cast baskets are really not required in most car audio systems as long as you cut the woofer hole straight and round. Usually they look nice but are a waste of weight and shipping costs (= money). I am sure you could get as good for less than MSRP of this speaker, from various sources.

Someone saw these on sale recently with a bad magnet sticker (B stock???). Do a search.

musicbox

Have you thought about JL Audio?

tuan209

it may or may not be accurate, but the xmax on the woofer isnt any good. It has only an xmax of 14mm, so it doesnt move much air hence the high DB ratings. My 10incher has an xmax of 18mm.

get one of these http://www.soundsplinter.com/rlp_pre...subwoofer.html

24mm of xmax. it is a beast!

tycr

I have thought about the JL Audio as well. The problem is, there are so many out there and I have no idea what I am doing (I can only go by the reviews and help that I have on this board, which I appreciate!)

For the 12" sub, which would you recommend from the JL audio series? Have you personally tested the Infinity 12.1 with any of the JL's?

I think that in any event, I will probably purchase the MTX Audio Thunder 801D mono amp. This should definitely power the 12" subs that I'm looking at, and if need be, I'd always be able to add another down the road!

elduderino

http://www.jlaudio.com/subwoofers/12w6v2.html

Keep in mind that when you rely on someone else's advice, you are doomed to make the same mistakes they make. Take in advice, but you may want to consider learning what the speaker specs actually mean, so you can make an informed decision on your own recognizance - you certainly seem more than capable.

For instance, we are talking about woofer selection WITHOUT specifying enclosure size... when enclosure size should driver woofer selection. Figure out your box size and that will tell you what you CAN buy...

tycr

El,

Thanks again for your help (and so quickly!). Based on my desire for fidelity, it appears that the sealed box would be the best bet. I would prefer a speaker that is not going to destroy my trunk, and it seems that both the Infinity 12.1s and the JL 12w6v2 subs would fall in this category. It also appears that the JL sub is substantially more expensive than the Infinity. Is there that much of a different in actual use with the JL over the Infinity?

Have you had any experience with the MTX amps, specifically the 801D?

Thanks, and good night - time for bed here on the east coast.

Steve

musicbox

ok, back up a second, how many 12s do you want? one or two or three?

What kind of music do you listen to and what type of bass are you expecting?

Do you realize with 2 12s you're talking about letting your neighbors know you're coming a few minutes before you get home?

I personally have not had any experience with Infinity subs(car)...home, yes...

I have had a ton experience with JL and would find it hard to believe that Infinity can match JLs performance. As you said, they're more expensive, you get what you pay for.
The w0 series is cheaper and good speakers, too.

Also, I don't usually recommend 12s to people, I tend to recommend 8s or 10s, I stick to 8s myself...8s are very accurate and play a wide variety of music well..

tycr

My goal is to have a decent amount of bass with high fidelity (i.e. I wouldn't need two 12" :-). I've just come across the Boston Acoustics LF12.5 (a 12" sub), and it looks like this might be perfect for me. I am going to check it out today on my way to work. It appears that many have been extremely happy with the quality of this sub, and it is optimized in a small sealed box (i.e. won't kill my trunk!)

As mentioned, I will be checking this out today. THose who have installed this have recommended to stick closely to the BA specs of a 1.0CF box with polyfill. I will most likely have the store set this up for me. How much should I expect to pay for this (I'm not talking fiberglass or anything here). Will one of the premanufactured Q-Logic etc boxes be satisfactory?

Finally, do you think that the MTX Thunder 801D amp will be a good choice to power the amp?

Thanks for the assistance!

Steve

musicbox

Recommended Amplifier Power
50-1200 watts

50-1200?!?! That's just weird, to me anyway, someone correct me if that sounds "normal"...
$300 msrp?!?! I'd have to hear one....Anyone heard this sub? I'm curious..

elduderino

The last Q-logic box I used, with a JL 10W0, had slightly too big a hole. Was a pain getting it screwed in, and I wouldn't be surprised if it leaks around the edges...

If I were going to use a prebuilt I would buy some fiberglas resin, get some sand and sawdust, mix it up, and coat the insides of the box, especially the joints. Make it stiffer and heavier (more inert), and change the internal reflective modes. Small boxes are already pretty stiff, though.

Find a store that sells the woofer and see if you can hear it in a car. I used to be an Infinity dealer years ago, and I remember their woofers as sounding good, needing lotsa power, not being tolerant of out-of-spec boxes, and not especially high in SPL output. That was some time ago.

edited to add: Oh, and the MTX amp is probably Ok... I tend to avoid MTX 'cause I think the owner's an ass. I prefer fully regulated (JL? Older Xtant?), but it's more money. Other amps I tend to like in the MTX price range are Kicker and Directed Audio/Viper.

iNteGraz92

lol, who cares about the owner if the products are good. it's not like all owners of big companies are really nice and cool people.

joerockt

Hey El, its amazing how much better the seal is when the rubber ring is put on

I just put in on last week, and I bought a grill for it as well.

elduderino

Sweet! I'm sure that first woofer would have sounded bad anyway... ; )

Just got my MB Q by-nines... tomorrow is big install day!

tycr

<<Oh, and the MTX amp is probably Ok... I tend to avoid MTX 'cause I think the owner's an ass. I prefer fully regulated (JL? Older Xtant?), but it's more money. Other amps I tend to like in the MTX price range are Kicker and Directed Audio/Viper.>>

Thanks for all your help in setting this up! I believe that I have finally found my installer, and am waiting on the MB Quart speakers to arrive (bought them on ebay...so crossing my fingers...) My final question is - for the amps, it appears that I can probably do better than the MTXs. Am looking at either the JL Audio 300/4 or the Boston GT-40 to power the MB Quarts, and either the JL Audio 500/1 or the Boston Acoustics GT-22 to power the subwoofer (which is going to be the Boston Acoustics LF 12.5 in a 1.0 cu.ft. sealed box). On either of the amps, the cost is fairly similar, so that is not a factor.

Recommendations, please! BTW, Congrats on the install & marriage, El! :-)

Steve

elduderino

No experience with the Bostn amps... let me now how if goes if that's what you choose. I certainly want them to be good...

slo007

I have a very clean sounding cool sub setup. See sig for specs. I highly recommend the JL W3v2!

accsuperstar

hey slo,

any pictures of where you mounted your amp?

CCColtsicehockey

I have a JLw6v2 powered by a JL 500/1 amp and it sounds amazing I have not had any time to install dyna mat but my trunk rattles so much and the bass is so tight in my sealed box

slo007

Yes!

slo007

I have also not installed any sound proofing; but I don't need any either. My sub is really loud, getting a bridged 150 watts from the 4-channel amp, yet there are zero rattles in my trunk -- even outside.

The front components would probably benefit, however. They have intermittent rattles, depending on the song and volume.

joerockt

Yea, do the fronts when you get a chance. Makes a big difference. Specifically, this stuff: Sound Proof

elduderino helped me with the install and put this stuff on the front doors.