Printer Friendly Forum Posts - MTX Thunder 9500

This sure to start a debate, it always does. I can already tell you that you are gonna get two responses in general. Either people are gonna say the 9500 rocks or they are gonna tell you go with the W7. Stephen is one person who I have talked with at length over this. He has a lot of good solid facts as to why to buy the W7 from JL, but I threw out all the facts and numbers when I auditioned them side by side. I will buy a 9500 anyday of the week before I will touch a W7. They are nice but I think the MTX is just an overall better sub. I personally liked the way it sounded compared to the JL and it wasnt even a close competion when it came to volume. The 9500 smoked the W7. As I said, this is gonna start a damn war, it always does but thats part of the fun of this forum.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

personally, having heard a JL 12w7 in one of those JL custom w7 boxes, and having had the privilage to hear the MTX9500 in a standard box I would have to agree with Raven. I know the JL is a better sub on paper like he said, but sometimes paper just doesn't cut it. I hear the w7 at a competition I went to about 2 months ago, it was loud but not really tight bass, clean, but not the kind of bass I like. I heard my first 9500 about 2 weeks ago when I went to a local install shop and was fortunate enough to arrive at the same time as a guy who had one did. He let me listen to it and I'd have to say, it was unbelievable. I'm running 2 RFP3110, the competition RF HX2 series off dual 1500 watt HiFonics amps, and this sub hit tighter, and more clearly, and much much more tightly (which is to be expected since my subs are pure SPL subs) than my subs. Needless to say since then I've been wondering why I paid so much for this stuff to be outdone by a single sub. Anyway, the JL worshippers will be along soon to discredit my ears, but man, the W7 has some serious competition with the 9500 series. Peace...

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"Shiny chrome when used in conjunction with bikini models is particularly effective in inducing brain deficit disorder"

02 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Monster System on its way.

mtx 9500 thunder is nasty.... BUT keep inmind .. mtx STRONGLY suggests to build a ported/vented box for it.... it just hits harder and sounds better....and they are some monsters....i put 2 in a s - 10 and finally realized that you actually can go to big for a vehicle....cracked a rear window.....no lie...1501D's are suggested to run them...plenty of power and awesome performance....i strongly suggest

What is your intended application? My comments in the past weren't about recomending the W7 over the 9500, but were to refute some of the poor marketing ploys MTX used against the W7. The 9500 may be the perfect sub for you. In my opionion it is a little over priced, and you can get similar if not better performance for less. So I recomend that you go out and listen to several drivers in it's price range (including it) and choosing the one you like best.

Ravendarat, I do want to apologize again for me getting so passionate in our last discussion. My distaste wasn't directed at you, but at MTX's unethical marketing practices. Their targeted attacks to downplay a great sub to make theirs look better, and with the use of misinformation and half truths really infuriated me. I'm more of a believer in that if you have a good product, let it sell itself. Don't tear others down to make yours look good.

xtreamcc, I'm thinking that you may have heard the W7 in a bad install. You said it was at a compeition, so maybe it was tuned for SPL and that is why it didn't sound good. The reason why I assume this is because you are the first person I have ever heard say the W7 didn't have tight bass. There are a number of things that could have caused this perception within that install that have nothing to do with the driver.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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Steven Kephart, You asked me what my intended use was well i guess i dont really know to be honest with you i have hear the W7 and it sounded great but that matter of the fact is that i can get a new Thunder 9500 for like half the price cause i have a friend that works at a audio place. I guess i wouldnt mind getting a W7 but like i said i can get a 9500 for less that a W7 thats the main reason I am leaning towards the MTX sub. As far as my intentions go i have had some big bass subs in the past L7's and there were nice but i am getting away from the huge spl numbers and am going for a little better sounding stuff rather than all the bass. And from what i have heard the 9500 has got great bass and sounds well too. Ive also heard from other forums and people in general that say that the 9500 and the W7 are actually quite abit alike in quite a few ways so then it goes back to how much i can get the sub for see what i'm saying

I think the only way the W7 and 9500 are alike is that they both have the ability to move very far past their Xmax. This helps in SPL installs, but not for SQ. But the W7 has a much more linear motor, which means it produces less distortion at any output level. I would put the W7 as more of an SQ sub, while the 9500 seems to be designed more for SPL.

If you can get the 9500 for half price, then it will definitely be a great choice. Basically, if you want the ultimate SQ, then there are better choices out there IMO. But if you want decent SQ with lots of output, then the 9500 would work great.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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I never once thought you were aiming any coments at me to offend me. I understand your frustration and I agree that even though I am a huge MTX suporter, the way they marketed the sub wasnt the best choice. I also wont agree that the W7 sounds better because personally, I think the MTX sounds better but thats an opinion only, but it is quite evident from my own tests the the 9500 is definatly a better built sub for SPL purposes. I would also be interested in what you think is a better sub for the money, lets say for spl purposes, and lets exclude the Adire Audio line, just for the sake of this argument because you can tell me all about adire you want, and I do believe your specs, but without having access to the stuff and never actually hearing one I cant really compare it.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

That shouldn't be a problem. Although we have one guy with great success in the SPL arena using our subs, they really aren't designed specifically for SPL. Our drivers are designed for SQ first.

[QUOTE] but it is quite evident from my own tests the the 9500 is definatly a better built sub for SPL purposes. [/QUOTE]

I think you are right. But at the same time, I think the W7 is better built for SQ purposes (which it was designed for).

[QUOTE] I would also be interested in what you think is a better sub for the money, lets say for spl purposes, [/QUOTE]

Well that depends on what level you are talking about. For the expert classes, it wouldn't be a good choice. This is because it is undermotored for it, has too low of an Fs, isn't very efficient, and doesn't look like it would work well in a ported enclosure (no matter what they claim). So in that case, there are many better choices like DD subs.

But if you are talking for the street class, then it would work great. This is for people who want to be loud, but listen to music between competitions. Although some of the parameters are a little off even for that IMO.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

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Ya, thats why I askd your opinion, I wasnt trying to imply that it was the ultimate SPL sub, I just wanted to know what you thought was better thats all. Generally I ask someone that question and they say "My buddy has "insert product here" and it sounds so loud, it has to be better" when I ask you those types of questions you actually have reasons to back it up which is why I asked

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

you know what Im gonna say already, just wait for the 30th.... you'll understand, finally power and SQ come together and a completely overpriced sub will rule the market.

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What Are you talking about?

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

Alpine Type-X, hard to find info on....... very nice.

Bass alert — Alpine's Type-X subwoofers bring the ultimate combination of power and performance to your sound system. Engineered with high output in mind, Alpine's top-of-the-line subs handle a mind-blowing 3,000 watts of peak power, while still reproducing the tight, low frequency detail that means great bass.

The SWX-1242D 12" subwoofer provides full bass by squeezing every last millimeter of excursion from the carbon fiber/aluminum honeycomb cone, thanks to its high-roll Santoprene rubber surround. Read more

Key Features:

carbon fiber/aluminum honeycomb cone
high-roll Santoprene rubber surround
cast aluminum frame
dual 4-ohm voice coils
frequency response 23-200 Hz
power range 500-1,000 watts RMS (500 watts per coil)
peak power handling 3,000 watts
sensitivity 83 dB
top-mount depth 8-11/16"
sealed box volume: 0.65-1.25 cubic feet
ported box volume: 1.0-2.0 cubic feet
Recommended Q-Logic Box Type: 1, 2, 3
warranty: 1 year

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Oh, your just talking about that. Ill put money on the fact that that sub is way more hype than preformance. It will be a good woofer im sure but I will bet that the W7 sounds better and the 9500 is louder, even though alpines goal with this driver was to put both of those to shame. I am actually going to go to anther shop in town when they get those in to see them test it, they sell JL and MTX as well as Alpine so when I see the test I'll post results on here.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

i am taking the fact that they have postponed the relese a couple times as a good thing. Youprobably know i already have a full custom fiberglass trunk waiting for one of these. Everytime they postpone it, it is gonna be cooler.....grin. I hope they are concrete on the 30th...... they're like Bell Sympatico, makin promises then bailing at the lastminute. This sub is designed as an SQ sub, but i have a strange feeling with the xmax of 19.1, they will be hella loud too. cant wait

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I am sure it will be a fine driver, I just havent ever put alot of faith in Alpine products in general and still havent heard a speaker from them I like. I think their video stuff is awsome, the amps seem fairly solid although I think I could do with out the digital controls, and most people know how I feel about their head units.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

even if they aren't, nothing else will suit the entire Alpine system in this car like a Type-X, it's a single 12" system(SQ) so i think it doesn't really matter howloud it is, supposed to lower distortion at higher volumes like the W7.

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the digital amps are kinda handy, i can adjust gains from the headunit, nomore getting finger prints on the trunk setup. Ive had eclipses and naks and the usual highend decks, but i can truthfully say that I love this deck, its a 9831, fancy colors, time correction via on-line, amp control and reporting, No eclipse has ever done that well for me. I guess i'm kinda biased cause my store deals with Alpine alot. I install v12's all day and have had a great success rate.

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Obviously if you have the corosponding decks than the digital amps are handy since they comunicate with each other but I have installed a couple and it seems like everytime I just cant quite get the amp set the way I want because the settings I want seem to fall inbetween the paremeters on the amp, and thats damn frustrating. Same with the new Kicker amps. I still like the anolog dials, I would prefer to keep the display for voltage and temp and then have anolog control over everything else

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

ya, i must say that it is better for tuning to use a manual gain. With this setup, i can set it up and saveit on a CD-R, then if the battery is discaonnected, i justpop in my setup disc and it automatically programs my custom timecorrection, EQ, crossovers, and gains. That made it worth it to me. I have entered the new Digital car audio realm.

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