fast, punchy AND low? 18's?

[creyc 10+ year member]

Im finally ready to build my own system, after doing countless installs in all my friends cars! I'm a bit of an audioholic, so my own setup will probably be a little over the top, going from past experiences and hobbies. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

That said, I'm looking to build a full system into a toyota tacoma crew cab truck. Things important to me are effortlessly reproducing fast punchy and very low bass. I do not mind going large, 18" if necessary in order to get the sound. Pure SPL doesn't matter, but reproducing the front row in a rock concert should give you the idea of the levels I'm looking for. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Are very large speakers the easiest way to go about achieving this? Obviously I'll need to determine (based on driver size) whether I can do ported or sealed, I have my likes and dislikes about both. Right now I'm just interested in the subwoofer side of things. I'll get to powering it later, that should be easier for me. What driver and or size would you recommend for my application?

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[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

Explain budget, enclosure size constraints, and competition goals (if any)

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

personally I think the best way to achieve punchy bass is not purely about the sub, but the box it is in. Correct me if I'm wrong (people), but I believe with whatever sub you pick, be sure to put it in the smallest recommended sealed box to achieve the punchy bass. My example would be my 15" RE HC. Ported that thing got loud and low, but when I put it in a smaller sealed box, it was very punchy and accurate (which I hated)

 

[creyc 10+ year member]

Of course the enclosure is important, but that is completely driven by the particular sub and its T/S properties. I am willing to build the required box for whatever sub I end up with, within reason. It's a daily driver and I have no intentions of competitions. Headroom is a must.

As far as budget, lets say a fairly flexible $500 for the driver.

 

[innsanes 10+ year member]

sealed 18" rl-p

 

[dadydolas 10+ year member]

two fi q 12's or ssd 10's in a well built sealed box is a good option

 

[creyc 10+ year member]

That RL-P sub looks pretty cool, is it known for being particularly accurate or having good SQ?

I can easily do a 5sqft + box...

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

donpisto has an Rl-p 18" for sale at a good price. local to you also. He's in the Arcadia area.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

'Punchy' bass is midbass, not subbass. To answer the original question: run dedicated midbass drivers. *shrug*