Been out a long time, how does the new compare to the old?

[rockunlimited2 10+ year member]

I have been out of the game for 15 years, I am adding a little better sound to my expedition and there are no longer any audio shops in the area to listen to a speaker. I have to order online based on a guess at the sound. How would a new sub like a JBL GTO 8 sound compared to an old school RF punch ? Those were the sub back in the day (Pre Orion, Volcano, and Cerwin Vega stroker). I have a stock Ford audiophile 8" sub in the factory .5 enclosure that I will replace, but I would like to keep the enclosure and hide it behind the stock body trim. I will add an amp (200 RMS) so what would be a good sub for all types of music (From 80's Hair bands to Mid 90's rap)? I was thinking the JBL GTO 8. Price is good and I have read good things. I am guessing a current mid-level sub would crush the stuff from 15 years ago. At one point in 1996 I had a 12" round kicker solobaric sub in my camero and I thought it ponded (250 RMS from kicker mono amp). Open to ideas.

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

The trend with subwoofers has moved to TINY boxes on huge power(relative to what you used to run in the 90s). You know what it's like since you had an early Solobaric, but now try 0.5 cubic feet for a 12" sub with an RMS power rating of 600W. That isn't terribly common, but there are countless subs that want 1 cubic foot or less for a sealed enclosure.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I was checking out the American Bass 8in subs last night on e-bay, and they look pretty good for $75 shipped?I am thinking about getting a pair just to see how they sound! I am still running old school amps, on newer speakers/common these days.Quality seems to lack here and there, yet, just as back in the late 80s/early 90s , just have to check the specs out/rms ratings/db level/htz, and today, the computer is an asset to do so, that we didnt have back then

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Wow, someone else who remembers/knows Volcano.

Like others have said, the major shift in subwoofers in the past 15 years has been to lower efficiency, smaller enclosure designs. There are also some nice new motor topologies out there.

 

[kramer_212 10+ year member]

What about a sundown audio sa-8 think that enclosed will work( if you want to add a little more power) other wise the gto series are nice