advise on subs and box

I have an older pioneer amp that runs 400 wats RMS bridged at 4 ohms. I have been running a JBL 12" base tube but I have the urge to move to something a little different. The base tube is oversized, takes up trunk space and is hard to mount. PLus it is like 7 years old so it has seen better days looks wise. I have been out of the stereo game for some time and dont relly know what is good anymore. What I want, I listen to rap, rock, metal, so I was thinking of a Ported box. I want a speaker that will sound good but not drain my wallet. I am not shooting for mind bogeling base here I just need something that sounds good for my drive to work. one single 12 at 400 WRMS seems to have done me good in the past. So what 12" sub is best buy for a ported or a bandpass box?

I say go with something you can purchase locally - Polk, Pioneer (newer stuff), Kenwood, JL Audio - these are all affordable and should be locally available which is important just in case you need waranty service. Your amp should be fine with any of these. Expect to pay about $150.00 to $200.00 for a custom, ported, box. You can always buy a prefab but be careful - some of those a tuned generically (sounds like a hollow drum). My 2 cents. Mike 2000 F150 Supercab Lariat, Alpine CDA-9831, Polk MMC570 in Doors, One Polk MM2104 Sub, One Polk Carbon C400.4 Amp.

John 3:16

I wouldn't recommend bandpass off the shelf. They are usually poorly made and marketed to people that JUST want LOUD. I often hear them called "one note wonders." Rap, rock, and metal seem like a good fit for ported. The next thing you need to do is decide how large you want the box...? This will have a HUGE impact on which subwoofer you end up getting. Also, a dollar figure would help. :-) As long as you mention JBL. I think their recent subs are nice values for the money. They have a bunch at http://www.cardomain.com/ New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

I'm currently trying to figure how to make a sub box as well. I have a 10" Rockford Fosgate sub and want a ported box. I will be using a sony 150 watt amp for the sub. The dimensions that the manual suggest for ported is 15x13x13.5" with port dimensions 3x13.25" The width of the port tube seems, well, big. In using the port length calculator on this site, the length is under 10". When I use a smaller port, say 2" the distance becomes much shorter. I am assuming the proper frequency at 36Hz. What port dimensions can I best optimize the sound? Woohoo! First post!

kyandalf,     Your best bet will be to build the box to the specs they have listed. Manufacturers use precise box design programs that give the optimum output possible. If you want to vary the specs any, I would suggest calling the manufacturer (RF in your case) and ask them about your application. For example, if you want a ported box, but the max airspace you can use it smaller than what they have listed, they can recommend another port size for the air space you have.