Two 12" Alpine Type-R or One 15' Mmats Dreadnaut

[Mills561]

Which is better? I bought a new pair of the Type-Rs, then I came across a deal that I could trade them for a used 15" Dreadnaut already in a box thats supposedly built to specs. If I keep the Type Rs they will most likely be put in a prefab box.

It will be going in an 02' Chevy Trailblazer. Which setup will not only sound better, but look cleaner? I think the Mmats woofer will probably sound better, but the two 12s will probably look cleaner. I need some opinions from people who know what they are talking about, so I came here. Thanks for any responses.

The amp is a Hifonics thats 1100 watts rms @ 2 ohms
And I'm undecided about the headunit but it's going to be a double din in dash DVD.
Also, I'm putting in another battery, probably a yellowtop.

[Bumpin' Goalie]

Any chance you could hear the Dread before the trade? That's let you know for sure

Also, are they the new edition Type-R's or just BNIB?

[Mills561]

Yes, I'll be able to hear it before hand.

These are the type Rs I bought...
2 Alpine SWR-1242D Type-R 12" 3000 Watts Car Subwoofer - eBay (item 130379218055 end time Apr-29-10 13:19:01 PDT)

[Bumpin' Goalie]

I don't have any problems with the R's as a budget woofer, and they can get loud. Their aesthetics seem of import to you, so if in a proper enclosure getting decent power, you should be happy.

However, may as well listen to the Dread anyway just to see if you fall in love with it. IMHO enclosure is the main contributor to appearance (and sound).

[Mills561]

I've found a enclosure on ebay that is built to specs for the type Rs for $140. How important is to have a box built to specs rather than a prefab? I can buy a box online for like ~$80 cheaper... or I could have someone build a box for like $30-40. If I were to go ahead and get the type r box, thats adding another $140 to the budget... at this point is it worth to just trade for the dreadnaut?

[BNolan12]

i have two type r 12's and i used to have them in a prefab box and they were just OK but then a friend of mine built me a box to specs tuned to 35hz and if you get the box for the specs you won't be dissappointed, well atleast im not they hit tight clean bass and the get loud!

[Bumpin' Goalie]

Box is more important than subs. So building to specs and to obtain your goals puts prefabs in the dust.

[QuikSilverRS91]

What do you mean by sound better? What type of music do you listen to?
If you're into any form of rock, blues, jazz, classical, etc., I would completely advise against the 15". If you're more into rap and hip hop, you could find yourself a little happier with the 15". Wattage wise, it seems like you'd be good with either setup.

If you're concerned with SPL, I'm pretty sure there's dozens of people on here willing to attest to the ability of the Type-Rs.

I guess it just comes down to your listening preferences. What are they?

[Bumpin' Goalie]

What do you mean by sound better? What type of music do you listen to?
If you're into any form of rock, blues, jazz, classical, etc., I would completely advise against the 15". If you're more into rap and hip hop, you could find yourself a little happier with the 15". Wattage wise, it seems like you'd be good with either setup.

If you're concerned with SPL, I'm pretty sure there's dozens of people on here willing to attest to the ability of the Type-Rs.

I guess it just comes down to your listening preferences. What are they?

Surface area isn't a major determinant for frequency response

[vingasoline]

I have owned both the R's and dread. I also have an 05 trailblazer.. The R's really aren't that great in the TB, and that's in a built to spec box.. They were really lacking in output. The Dread is a SQ woofer, and it's loud as hell.. I found the best setup was sub up port back. Thought my back windows were gonna pop out.. So the best way to go is with the dread, it sounds better and is louder.

[Mills561]

What kind of setup did you have in the Trailblazer? Got any pics?

[vingasoline]

What kind of setup did you have in the Trailblazer? Got any pics?

I had many sub boxes/subs in the TB. I am always unsatisfied with all of them.. So far I have had

2 alpine R12's
2 alpine x12's (I prefer the R's)
1 dread 15
2 Juggernaut 12's
1 juggernaut 15
at the moment, 1 RE Audio XXX15

All the subs were run off a soundstream tarantula Limited 2000wrms amplifier
The type X comes in last for me, followed by the type R's, but may be replaced by the ReXXX.- Whoever thought 20-40hz was good for musical bass reproduction in a vehicle was an idiot

The Re plays the lowest, and the 15 Juggernaut is definately the loudest, followed by the 12" juggs. The dread played everthing I threw at it, almost sounded like it was in a sealed box.

DD will be next for me.

No pictures at the moment, my hard drive stopped working, and I lost them all, on a disk somewhere. but when I get some time, i'll take some of the current set up.

My Tb is the extended model, so if you have the regular one, the R's might sound better. Everybody says it's the box that matters, personally I think the amount of airspace in your cabin is the limiting factor.. I seen a guy hit 160+ db in a cavalier with a single jugg 15 in a box built to spec. I have the same sub, box built to spec, and more power, im not even close.