2 10's or 1 12

Hey folks, First post here. Love the forum. Anyways, I have a GMC Canyon, regular cab. Very limited space. I was wanting to build a box to house either two 10" Memphis SC series "Shallow" mount or one 12". My amp will be a US Amps AX 5600G. My question is, which will sound better? Two 10's or one 12? I want good bass, I know it's not gonna pound. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you, -josh

In trucks, especially under truck seats i prefer the sound of 10s. they seem to sound lower, louder and cleaner.

I've always had two 12's. My last vehicle, a 2008 Scion xB, there were limitless possibilities for mounting goodies. I was just a little weary on how two 10's would sound/hit. Unfortunately, I cannot mount the subs under the seats, they will be mounted behind the seats, against the back of the cab. I was leaning towards two 10's for the simple fact that I can present the amp with a 1 ohm load. Anyone have any feedback on the Memphis SC Class subs? Am I making a good choice? I am not making an all out competition SPL vehicle, just for my personal listening enjoyment. Many thanks, -josh

Never been a fan of... well, pretty much ANY "shallow" woofer. There are too many rocking modes (causing nasty distortions) that just can't be addressed or removed due to simple geometry, and the shallower the woofer, the worse these distortions get. If you can get a standard 12" woofer in the same location, I'd seriously recommend that route. Two 10's will give you a TINY bit more surface area, but never enough to make a noticeable difference in a daily driver. If you are seriously competing, two 10's MIGHT give you a small fraction of a dB toward the finish line, but you've effectively mentioned that you are not interested in competing, knowing that your peak SPL will be limited. You will also never notice the output difference between a 1 ohm load and a 2 ohm load. Guaranteed.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Believe me friend, I would do almost anything to get one of my 12" Rockford P3's in that baby. I just can't lose that much travel in the seats. I am over six feet tall, most of my friends are as well. These are things I have to keep in mind with this build (unfortunately). I have spent the last week mocking up box configurations out of cardboard and masking tape, I keep coming back to these Memphis subs. I looked as RE Audio shallows, as well as a JL Audio TW5 (I belive it is. The Memphis subs only require .3 cubic feet, allowing me to make a four inch deep box. I would not lose any travel in the seats. -josh

I agree with hamphist about the shallows. Shallow subs are not the best way to go unless you absolutely have too. If you can get a normal driver in thats the way to go. I know im partial to 10s in installs like these. They seem to preform better IMO(usually a more optimal enclosure because its usually compared to 2 12s). Of course this comes down to available airspace. 1 12 if in an optimal enclosure will be better than 2 10s in an enclosure that is too small. Both in quality and output, however if you can get 2 10 in an optimal enclosure you will see a gain in output and quality should remain about the same. Another thing to consider is most 10s will give you a bit shallower mounting depth then its equivalent 12". There for easier to get a normal sub to be able to mount either under a rear seat or behind a bench seat.