Alpine subs

[jharijan 10+ year member]

what do you guys think about alpine subs? more specifically type r subs because i've been looking at two 12's but have heard that they are better for sound quality than overall bass. subsequently i have heard the exact opposite about kicker subs. the only subs i have had are mtx and they were nice but i don't have anything to compare them with. what do you guys think about all three of these sub brands?

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[modskwod 10+ year member]

Type R's aren't really known for their sound quality, but they will get loud and smash the lows in the correctly tuned box. Best bang for the buck sub EVER imho.

You are completely correct about kicker, no SQ, all out SPL. Unfortunately, they aren't the best at that either. In my opinion, kicker is only good for their lower end stuff, CVR's and the like. If you want a lower price that still kicks ass, CVR's are the way to go.

Never had any experience wit MTX, so couldn't tell you much.

Just my $0.02 tho, some may disagree.

 

[99grandprixGT 5,000+ posts]

i would say they know to get loud. i had a pair off a hifonics 2008d and they got loud, they did not really sound that bad to me at least, but thats my opinion.but i got them to get loud not SQ

 

[cotjones 10+ year member]

what do you guys think about alpine subs? more specifically type r subs because i've been looking at two 12's but have heard that they are better for sound quality than overall bass. subsequently i have heard the exact opposite about kicker subs. the only subs i have had are mtx and they were nice but i don't have anything to compare them with. what do you guys think about all three of these sub brands?

Type-R's are somewhat versatile because they can give decent SQ in a low power well built application. But can hammer the earth in an spl appication while sounding like a wet fart.

Kicker is ok, but dramatically over-rated and over-hyped in my opinion it has a certain bling factor. But i believe kicker is going the same direction as MTX.

MTX is a company which had great products back in the day, but has succumb to greed and profit-oriented design marketed to the un-knowledgeable crowd (as in an ad campaign claiming that an mtx sub having a larger X-max than a W7 meant it was better quality) Ultimately resulting in a very mediocre product which 12 year old kids at home watching "pimp my ride" get a boner off of.

Even that 22" jackhammer is about the most useless piece of **** you can put in your car. but hey if they can get 8000$ for a sub that puts out less than some 15's at 1/10th the cost, why wouldn't they?

 

[SavageBlackout 10+ year member]

Type R's aren't really known for their sound quality, but they will get loud and smash the lows in the correctly tuned box. Best bang for the buck sub EVER imho.
You are completely correct about kicker, no SQ, all out SPL. Unfortunately, they aren't the best at that either. In my opinion, kicker is only good for their lower end stuff, CVR's and the like. If you want a lower price that still kicks ass, CVR's are the way to go.

Never had any experience wit MTX, so couldn't tell you much.

Just my $0.02 tho, some may disagree.

no. kicker makes solid products either way

 

[alvitae 10+ year member]

My first subs ever were Alpines, Type E's. Maybe I just remember them how I want but I think they sounded good and hit real hard for what they were.

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

remember kids, 90% of performance is based on INSTALL!!!

with that said, Alpine type-r's have been a forum boner for a long time because of their SPL ability. yet they can sound good as well. They can also sound pour and not have alot of output (noticed this from some HS kid I sold an amp to). So make sure the install is good first.

 

[jharijan 10+ year member]

which of these two mtx would be better for my an mtx amp rated at 600 rms?

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products/subwoofers/TR55_sub.cfm

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products/subwoofers/JH55-Subwoofers.cfm

and also just to throw it out there what about either of these subs from jl?

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=25

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=16

 

[cotjones 10+ year member]

which of these two mtx would be better for my an mtx amp rated at 600 rms?http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products/subwoofers/TR55_sub.cfm

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products/subwoofers/JH55-Subwoofers.cfm

and also just to throw it out there what about either of these subs from jl?

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=25

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=16

JH55, and W1's

 

[jharijan 10+ year member]

I know jl makes good quality products but I've never really been able to hear them first hand, do the w1's hold their own with the little more powerful jh55? I've never really heard jl's first hand, even though these particular speakers are a little less powerful then the jackhammers should they hit close to as hard because they are a better brand?

 

[MBrock4u 10+ year member]

Ahh yes, good old type R, I liked my type R. Great bang for the buck. I though it had decent sound quality. Hard to go wrong with buying one.

 

[jharijan 10+ year member]

so is it fair to say that when you buy jl you are paying alot for the name? and how does the 12W3v3 compare to the type r's?

 

[cotjones 10+ year member]

so is it fair to say that when you buy jl you are paying alot for the name? and how does the 12W3v3 compare to the type r's?

Sure its fair to say.

you are also paying for the fact the JL is manufactured in the US.

You are also paying for the fact that that JL is an extremely stable company and won't fold up 6 months after you buy an amp and rain leaks in your car and burns your amp.

You are also paying for a product that is top of the line.

There are many brands which will give you one of these perks but few that give you all of them. That's Why JL is so expensive.

The w3v3s are great i'd actually compare them to the old w6's. strong output and decent quality response. I'd get W3's over type-R's any day budget was not a factor. Then again i'm not an SPL junkie. with a type-r boner

 

[jharijan 10+ year member]

so the alpines bass alot harder than the jls I take it from your post?

 

[nineball 10+ year member]

i have an old pair of 10w0-8 subs that have been with me for about 8-10 years and they still sound great. i have had them ported and sealed and was very happy with both results. they never needed more than 200 each and currently only get 100.

my last setup was a pair of type-r 10s getting 600 each sealed. i know, they want to be ported, but it was only a temporary thing and i got a decent prefab for $11 on close out at cc. i was very happy with what they could perform and only wish i had taken the time to port them before they were sold. i think i ran them for about 35 days.

i now have a 12" type-x tuned to 35 getting about 1200 and love it. i am very pleased with the performance and no adjustments needed between different types of music. it sounds just as good with some jazz as it does with jay-z.

bottom line, any reputable company can produce quality equipment that can perform. as stated, the biggest factor that can help or hurt you is the install. pick a quality product and go for it. it won't be the last time you buy new/more equipment...