subwoofer recomendations

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troyt.

Member - Posts: 4

Joined: May 24, 2007

Location: United States

Posted: June 07, 2007 at 12:03 AM / IP Logged

Hey,

I am starting to build a new system for a 1999 ext cab ranger. I want a sub that is really loud, clear and tight. I have heard that Eclipse is the way to go, but i know there are other good subs out there like JL and i want to consider everything. If anyone knows of any good subs i would greatly appreciate any informaion, like i said i am open to anything

Thank you in advance for any help

zhalverson

Copper - Posts: 180

Joined: January 21, 2005

Location: United States

Posted: June 07, 2007 at 1:23 AM / IP Logged

Does price make a difference?

drvnbysound

Silver - Posts: 289

Joined: May 06, 2002

Location: United States

Posted: June 07, 2007 at 1:51 AM / IP Logged

I like the question, "Are there any other good subs out there like JL?"

Heh, I know many on this forum will agree that while JL makes nice speakers, it seems that newbies seem to somehow use them as a benchmark and that they may believe there may not being anything else as good or better. Honestly, and excellent job JL has done with marketing, because it sells their subs.

Do some research, read a bunch of reviews, and I sure you will find many subs that are comparable and some that are better. Don't go out and buy JL subs because your buddy has some and they are loud.. you know you want something better than what he has :-)

To give insight to your question though, what exactly are you planning to do in your truck? Are you trying to find smaller sized subs such as something with a shallow mounting depth to keep the box to a minimal size, or are you willing to give up a bunch of space to go with larger subs? Give some details, on what you are working towards, and Im sure you can get a bunch of suggestions.

austincustoms

Copper - Posts: 232

Joined: November 15, 2005

Location: United States

Posted: June 07, 2007 at 11:57 AM / IP Logged

Go to your local audio shop, and not a big box one, like best buy or something like that. Tell them what you're looking for, what your space limitations are, what music you listen to, and every last detail you can. They will discuss your options and help you find the best subs for your application. While sound boards give a decent demonstration of how something will sound, ask if they have any similar vehicles with different systems that you can listen to. Usually they will have a few customer cars waiting to be picked up that they would be happy to let you listen to. like drvnbysound said, don't fall back on JL just because of their name. For the most part, they make good equipment, but it never hurts to look around and find the best equipment for your application.

sqsq

Copper - Posts: 51

Joined: May 15, 2007

Location: United States

Posted: June 07, 2007 at 2:54 PM / IP Logged

JL subs are really good--maybe overhyped, but really good nonetheless--as is eclipse. I would also look into TC Sounds--they make fantastic more-than-reasonably-priced subs. Also, if you've got the room, you may want to consider a downward firing enclosure. Haveing a big sub immediately behind you is going to greatly decrease the percieved clarity/tightness of the bass; from my experience, having the sub fire downwards in these sorts of environments helps a lot.

dwarren

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Posted: June 07, 2007 at 3:22 PM / IP Logged

I'd check out the Arc woofers, the Arc series in particular and a not so well known brand called Hertz (part of the elettromedia corp that deals with Audison). The Arc's work well in small sealed enclosures which is a bonus, and they are quite musical with plenty of output.

Steven Kephart

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Posted: June 07, 2007 at 9:20 PM / IP Logged

drvnbysound wrote:

I like the question, "Are there any other good subs out there like JL?"

Can you guys name an SQL sub that is better than the W7? JL has gotten their reputation because they do make awesome subs. The W7 is hugely expensive, and you can get close to it's performance at a much lower price. But I don't know of any sub that can beat it. If you really looked at how well it is engineered you would understand why.

JL designed the W7 with the intent not to compromise anywhere on it's design no matter what the cost. As an example of this, almost every other subwoofer on the market uses the same motor throughout all the sizes of the line. This greatly lessens the cost as there are fewer parts to tool up and stock. However it means that there has to be compromises made in the design to balance the performance characteristics all the way through the line. On the W7 they use different motors on all 4 sizes, optimizing the design for each size. This greatly increased the cost since they custom tooled everything in that subwoofer (IIRC they paid about $300k per size speaker basket just to tool it up).

I'm not saying that everyone needs to go out and get a W7, just like not everyone needs to go and get a McLaren. All I'm saying is not to downplay what it is, and that is one of the best designed subwoofers ever made for it's purposes.

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drvnbysound

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Joined: May 06, 2002

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Posted: June 08, 2007 at 9:44 AM / IP Logged

He never stated that he was looking for a W7, so I was not speaking of specifically about the W7, or any of their woofers in particular. As stated in my other post, I know they make nice speakers. But if you were to pick 100 random guys off the street, and have them listen to subs that were hidden for them to not be able to see the woofers, how many of that 100 could actually pick a JL woofer for SQ over other reputable brands? Most listeners don't have ears that are trained well enough to a difference as far as SQ goes (tonal balance, clarity, sound reproduction, etc.)

Also.. by the statement that HE "will find many subs that are comparable and some that are better"... that was improperly worded by me, my bad. What I was meaning was that he could find speakers that were better for him - overall ... sound quality, output, and price.

rudydapimp

Copper - Posts: 390

Joined: February 27, 2006

Location: United States

Posted: June 08, 2007 at 11:45 AM / IP Logged

I would put tc sounds equipment up against a w7 any day.

rumtech

Member - Posts: 16

Joined: March 08, 2006

Posted: June 08, 2007 at 11:52 AM / IP Logged

How about the Alpine Type X

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