BTL vs. Type X

[Synyster97XLT 10+ year member]

After I did the math and decided on an Alpine Type X system, I think it might be more cost efficient to go with a Fi Audio product considering that 1 18" BTL is 2000w RMS and the 12" Type Xs are only 1000w RMS each. I have heard that more cone area makes all the difference, but if an 18" BTL pushes twice as much power, would it really be much of a difference?

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[Enellz 10+ year member]

2 12's are more cone area than one 18

 

[Xprime4 10+ year member]

2 12's are more cone area than one 18

false, but two 12s are louder most of the time.

 

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

What kind of amp are you going to be using?

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

To OP, you need to figure out what you actually want out of your subs. The type X's and Type R's that you were debating between are very different subs. The BTL is alot more like a type R than an X. Also subs dont' push power. Subs take power and use it to move their pistons to create sound. RMS is nothign more than the thermal handling of the voice coil over long periods of time. For a daily driving setup its not the first figure I'd look at when picking a sub to play music well. I'd look at box size requirements, xmax and then powerhandling. Looking at all three give you a better idea of how much power you'll need to extract maximum performance out of your gear.

For daily driving I'd rather run a fi q than a BTL.

 

[bhsdriller 10+ year member]

two totally different subs

 

[tejcurrent 10+ year member]

Effective area of a 12: 480cm^2

Effective area of an 18: 1210cm^2

Having used both subs I'd get the BTL without a question, unless you are looking for a sealed sq setup, or space is an issue.

 

[twistedchild420 5,000+ posts]

To OP, you need to figure out what you actually want out of your subs. The type X's and Type R's that you were debating between are very different subs. The BTL is alot more like a type R than an X. Also subs dont' push power. Subs take power and use it to move their pistons to create sound. RMS is nothign more than the thermal handling of the voice coil over long periods of time. For a daily driving setup its not the first figure I'd look at when picking a sub to play music well. I'd look at box size requirements, xmax and then powerhandling. Looking at all three give you a better idea of how much power you'll need to extract maximum performance out of your gear.
For daily driving I'd rather run a fi q than a BTL.

Fukking informative answer,thank you for that...i learned something as well!

 

[pawn man 10+ year member]

2 12's are more cone area than one 18[/QUOTi think this is wrong. app area of 12" = 103sq in. app area of 18"=240 sq in.(that is assuming that 11.5" of cone area in 12" and 17.5 in of cone area in 18")

 

[Synyster97XLT 10+ year member]

Thanks T3mpest. I just want a sub or two that can flex my vehicle all of the time. I want it to be a daily driver. And how do the factors like Xmax and others play into a daily driving setup? I love all of youralls answers and I'm learning at an alarming rate. I just wish there was a car audio shop near me.

EDIT: Xmax is the only thing that I don't know about. Required box size won't hold me back at all because I drive a SUV with quite a large rear compartment.

 

[WheresTheButta 10+ year member]

alright it's not exactly pi R^2 for the cone of a subwoofer, because that's the formula for a circle. a cone is not a circle, by definition.

For all intents and purposes though, the effective piston area of an 18" woofer is substantially larger than two 12" woofers. The power handling of an 18" and a 12" subwoofer of the same make/model will be similar, but the 18" will theoretically have 3db or more greater output.

The reason two 12" subwoofers of the same make/model is usually louder is because people are running double the power on nearly the same cone size. Every time you double the power, you theoretically gain 3db.

If you run the two 12" subs with the same power as a single 18" sub, the 18" sub should be louder given optimal conditions for both.

 

[WheresTheButta 10+ year member]

Thanks T3mpest. I just want a sub or two that can flex my vehicle all of the time. I want it to be a daily driver. And how do the factors like Xmax and others play into a daily driving setup? I love all of youralls answers and I'm learning at an alarming rate. I just wish there was a car audio shop near me.
EDIT: Xmax is the only thing that I don't know about. Required box size won't hold me back at all because I drive a SUV with quite a large rear compartment.

xmax is how far the cone travels. That's all it means.

It's relevant, because the cone traveling further in and out moves more air. Moving more air = more deebeez

 

[statonburrell 10+ year member]

2 12's are more cone area than one 18

no, 2 12s= 226 in^2

1 18= 254.34 in^2

 

[Synyster97XLT 10+ year member]

See, that's what I was thinking. I kept hearing people troll over cone area, but I thought that the 18 could be louder do to it handling the same as two of them. And optimal conditions will be met for whatever setup I choose. I don't play around when it comes to that stuff.

 

[Synyster97XLT 10+ year member]

So Xmax is excursion? Isn't excursion how much it moves? Because I really want me some movement.