Which size subwoofer?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=13327
Printed Date: July 20, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Topic: Which size subwoofer?
Posted By: sssssss27
Subject: Which size subwoofer?
Date Posted: May 08, 2003 at 7:09 PM
I'm currently in the process of researching the prices for how much it would cost to buy my friend a system. I was going to install it for her but was curious as to what would be the best size subwoofer to get. She wants to keep it as cheap as possible and low watts but still sound good. I've been leaning towards the JL Audio W0s because they are cheap, have low wattage, and JL Audio is a brand that I trust. She listens to hard rock and not rap so I was curious as to which subwoofer size you guys recommend. Thanks for any help.
Replies:
Posted By: Tcole
Date Posted: May 08, 2003 at 7:29 PM
My opinion is, 12s are the magic number.
You get the best of both worlds, they can be hard hitting and get real low.
Posted By: tdsteele
Date Posted: May 08, 2003 at 7:50 PM
Agree on the 12's as they can do whatever you want them to. On a personal note, I listen to mainly rock/metal and my last system consisted of 2 JL W0 12's driven with 85 watts going to each and they hit really good. But, on my new system i went with 10's instead( not JL's) just to get a tighter response out of them and better mid-bass out of them. Plus the 10's i got hit just as low as the W0's did so i didnt lose anything that way. Either way it will sound good. Now i've always used ported enclosures as well, makes the bass drums really kick.
Posted By: Tcole
Date Posted: May 08, 2003 at 8:02 PM
Yeah I agree with using a ported box since you were saying you wont be using much power.
Posted By: Big Purds
Date Posted: May 09, 2003 at 12:51 AM
either 10s or 12s would be good if it is setup well...
what kind of money is she wanting to spend on this venture?
Posted By: speedwayaudio1
Date Posted: May 09, 2003 at 3:49 AM
the jl's are a good choice. the jl plant is not far from me they make a good woofer even the wo is good even if it's entry level. i would go with 10's if shes a rocker. 12's will be fine as well.
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Big Dave
Posted By: sssssss27
Date Posted: May 10, 2003 at 10:29 PM
She is willing to spend around $200 dollars. I am going to build the box myself and install it all, need the experience. I will probably use the 10's since you all seem to recommend either both or just the 10s. I will probably go with a ported enclosure like someone recommended. Also, any decently priced amps that you recommend for this setup. Thanks for all the advice so far.
Posted By: speedwayaudio1
Date Posted: May 11, 2003 at 2:19 PM
there is a port size calculator on this site make sure you follow the jl box size and port size for you to get the most from the tens. How much power are you going to play them with?
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Big Dave
Posted By: sssssss27
Date Posted: May 11, 2003 at 3:21 PM
Thinking about a 500 or 600 watt amp. Any specific amp though that you guys recommend? I downloaded the spec sheet for the subs so I have been looking at that. Thanks for all the great help you guys have given me.
Posted By: cavyman
Date Posted: May 12, 2003 at 11:34 PM
I have a pair of 12" JL audio w0's and I drove them with an older profile california 2100 amp. This amp cost me about $150 at the time. It was bridged and ran the speaker wires in parallel. I think it gave it about 90 watts or so and they hit really well. I also drove a bigger car at the time and I could feel the thump in my back. Low cost and low power, how can you go wrong.
Posted By: sssssss27
Date Posted: May 14, 2003 at 8:00 PM
I would really like to try and get these W0s but I think the cost is going to end up being too much. Does anybody know some good alternatives? I need to try and keep it low wattage because it will be hooked into the stock electrical system and will need to be good at reproducing hard rock. Also, how many watts do you think is the most you can run on a stock electrical system? I want to try and stay under $200. If need be I'll build the box myself and the stuff doesn't have to be brand new but at least sound close to it.Thanks for all the great help.
Posted By: 2001rolla
Date Posted: May 16, 2003 at 2:16 PM
Why are you wiring it to the stock electrical wiring? Run seperate power and ground wires in the size required by the amps manufacturer. If you try to wire an amp running two subs to the wire harness for the car, you are gonna run into trouble later down the road if not right away. I have one amp in my car running my entire system. I ran an 8 guage power with inline fuse and 8 guage ground and the amp thanks me for it with good clean sound at high volumes. Run seperate power with inline fuse and ground and you won't be sorry you did. As for subs... I'm an Alpine Fan so will automatically suggest the Alpine SWR-1041D Type R subs just cuz they rock and can be found for as low as 200 for a pair of tens if you know where to look. Other good subs for the price are Kicker Comp VR's, JL W0's and the Infinity Kappa subs. Subs to stay away from (Experienced first hand)... Kenwood, Sony and Pioneer... I've also been told that Visonik and polk subs are not all that great either... But my money will always go to Alpine...
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