Subs...
 

Alright, just got the 02 4Runner and am about to redo the sound system. as far as subs go... i was either gonna go 2 12" Kicker Solobaric L7 or 1 15" Solobaric L7. i've never owned a 15" so im not sure how they sound in comparison, and ive only had subs in a 2dr car with a sealed off separate trunk, not an SUV, so if anyone has any input on this let me know. I want alot of bass, not like shatter windows bass but i want people to hear me coming down the road.

also, if i do go 2 12" i noticed some people positioning the subs in the sides directly facing each other. i've heard countless times from other people on the previous board i was on say that is a bad idea, somethin about it works against itself and you lose some of the bass... also any input on this would be awesome.

Ryan

Generally... the bigger the sub is, the deeper the bass will be. In comparison, two 12" subs will be louder than one 15" but not as low.

What also makes a big difference is the type of enclosures you use; sealed, ported, or bandpass. Sealed will make your bass more accurate. Ported will help make your bass louder and deeper. However bandpass boxes cause the BOOM that your probably looking for.

It all comes down to how you want your stereo to sound.

pointed up toward roof our outwards with one facing each side would produce the most spl if you get the correct resonance of the vehicle, this causes the speakers to also move the roof or sides of vehicle/windows slightly adding to the 'loudness.' pointed to the rear also works well but can rattle the rear hatch and license plate.

One 12 with 300 rms in a custom bandpass produces great frequency response for me, while still being loud and having the potential to 'make people hear me' I have found it much more enjoyable than my days of competing with two 15s and 2400wrms.

Just to share my experiences....
I started with an 8" old round kicker solobaric in a small sealed box with about 300w and it was not enough. I moved to an adire brahma 10" with 1200w in a small sealed enclosure and I have all of the bass I could ever need. I sort of regret not getting a 12" but I am happy. Depending on how much bass you want 1 or 2 quality 12" woofers with adequate power should be more than enough. I find I get the best sound/respone with the sub facing the rear pushed up against the baxk seat.
Don't forget to deaden.

What kind of music do you listen too? With my rock/punk and a few groovy beats, i would never go any bigger than 10" in a sealed box. The bass is loud, and tight. The bass drum actually sounds like a drum. The druming in Megadeth is possibly the coolest sound ever.

Truth be told, I had 2 15" Kicker XPLs in the back of my '94 Runner. They were massive and heavy. I listened to lots of punk then and some rock, which all sounded really good and tight. I personally wouldn't do it again. My advice to you... listen to Greg and go for some quality 10's.

I have 2 10" Subs Powered by a JL Amp in my truck!! Wouldn't go any bigger if you listen to Rock!! 10's are quick and Tight Sounding...

I personally don't like ported boxes at all. Sometimes you can actually hear the airflow of the port, and they sometimes tend to not produce the correct sounds. sealed boxes put out very tight bass. Especially when it comes to drums.

I've got a JL 10" sub in a pro wedge box, and am currently upgrading the stereo to include a brand new jl audio amp, and some nice new jl audio speakers for the doors.

Crack both of the windows, and I can set off some car alarms.

I love JL

alright, 4 votes for 10 inches of awsome.

go with a single 12". a KILLER 12" can make your system rock... a killer 12" paired up with a kick ass amp will just be... perfection...

I listen to alot of everything but mostly rap/rock. so i wouldnt go smaller than a 12". i'd love to get a set of adire brahmas or tumults but its so hard to find then unless you buy them straight from factory and thats $$$$$. thats why i want to go with kicker. i had 2 12" Audiobahn 1206T's in my old car(2000 cougar) with only 400w RMS to each. and it was def. loud, but just didnt have the sound i was looking for. also, im thinkin of goin with the 2 12"s. what would eb the best way to aim them? i know someone said back or into the sides but i want to build a box that keeps the subs out of the way, also has a few storage drawers, and doesnt block the back seats so that i can fold them down and still have a large space to slide long stuff in. if anyone understnds what im trying to say here (i'm lost myself...) please chime in. i've seen a couple good ideas for boxes but it has both subs aiming right at each other... is this ok?

sure its still ok.... search recent threads, someone here had a REALLY cool setup he mad with side parts for subs and such with a drawer/compartment underneath, looked real good, but dont remember anything more about how to find it again

This is done all the time and sounds great. When you set it up, make sure one of the subs is reverse polarity, then the 2 woofers will work together and produce sweet sound, instead of fight each other.

Whatever you do make sure the enclosure is designed and built correctly.

in my very first car i owned when i was 17 (1987 ford tempo) I had a system that was worth about the same value as the car!! ( $1500 ) anyways, i had 2 12" Kicker XPL's in a Bandpass Box in my truck. I would never think of going more than this, until i bought a brand new Ford Explorer. I put the exact same system in the back and it did not sound anywhere near the same!! The enclosed trunk of my Tempo made a world of difference! I could still be heard coming ....but no where like before.
I guess really it will comes down to what kinda music u listen to. boxes make a difference too, not just the sub, and the amp, and or what size of each.
if u like the deep thump of rap then go with a bandpass, if its rock then maybe a sealed enclosure. but by no means would i go with more than 2 twelves in either!!
two tens are awesome if you match them with a good amp. If u like it a little deeper bass then go with two 12" s , they will be more than enough!!
as far as the sub goes.... Kicker's are always one of my first choice, but a good JL Audio is never a bad thing! I love a good JL!!
Dont ask me about an amp cause i dont know! Maybe a Phoenix Gold? I hear they are great.

There are so many aspects to sounds. Changing from a 2dr civic to a 3rd gen 4runner i noticed a big difference in sound quality. In the 4runner the little differences are noticed. It just bothers me when I don't have the right sound combination. I tried playing around with gains eqs etc. but it isn't as good at the quality of a good sub. If you listen to "rap/rock" 2 10's, 1 12, is good. I don't suggest 1 15 as much because it takes up too much space when you can get equal or better quality and loudness from the others. I'd suggest 2 10's even though you don't want to go smaller than 1 12". Image Dynamics produce the cleanest pounding 10s. I've heard of 1 10" IDMAX hitting 148 db. But the key to the sub(s) is having the right box.

your ported box wasn't built correctly.

1 JL W3v2 with a crossfire VR402. about to install it, do u think it will be not enough, or too much, or just right? the sub is set to run at 2 ohms and i know the amp can hadle that. any help would be apreciated...they deleted my previous thread about this subject...so its being posted here.

here are the specs:
(1) JL 12" W3v2 300w RMS
(1) Crossfire VR402 400w Peak 2-channel amp (I am going to bridge it) at 4 ohms it runs each channel at 100w RMS but i dont know the 2 ohm rating and i espically dont know the 2 ohm rating when it is bridged.

So are my 15s should I set them up to that end.

Size of the sub doesnt mean jack. Look to the inductance of the coil, mms, cms, fs, and vas to tell you what sub would more suited to reproducing a kickdrum well.

There is 1 18 you can get your hands on that I GARUNTEE you will be TIGHTER than any set of 10s....and go deeper. ;)

But before anything else, the BOX dictates what you here. :)

x 10000000000!!!!!!

With the right box, I got a set of 8s on 600 watts rms to go DEEPER than several different installs using a pair of 15s, AND my 8s were louder too! They'd do a legal 140 on the new termlab sensor on the dash as well!