Fi or AQ

[Steelemayne 10+ year member]

I am going to purchase 2 AQ2200D amps but i cant decide on whether i should purchase 2 Fi BL 18's or 2 AQ HDC3 18's. In your opinion which of these would get louder and sound better?

Click to read more...

 

[jaredspl 10+ year member]

probably the hdc3's

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

id take the bl's

i was thinking of doing the exact same setup (only with 15's) in the future. i used to run the 18's but i didnt have much room in my explorer sport so i sold them.

my buddy has 2 18" bl's off a mcd2500 and they get nice and loud for sure. definitely can take more power though.

 

[jaredspl 10+ year member]

they are both great subs but I guess I would go with whatever ones would be cheaper.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

they are both great subs but I guess I would go with whatever ones would be cheaper.

the plus side with the bl's over my hdc i had before i sold it....none of that god awful noise

 

[jaredspl 10+ year member]

the plus side with the bl's over my hdc i had before i sold it....none of that god awful noise

yup that noise you mentioned would actually make me choose the BL's now that you say something about it.

 

[Andrew12 10+ year member]

With the 2 2200's, why not the btl's instead of the bl's?

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

With the 2 2200's, why not the btl's instead of the bl's?

because the bl's need that power to really get moving, in both mine and a buddies expeirence.

according to scott at fi, the bl has an even stiffer suspension than the btl.

 

[Andrew12 10+ year member]

because the bl's need that power to really get moving, in both mine and a buddies expeirence.
according to scott at fi, the bl has an even stiffer suspension than the btl.

Alright, I wasn't aware of that. Right now I'm in a similar situation, only with a kx2500 and I can't decide on the 2 18" BL's or the 2 18" BTL's when i grab me a second amp... Of course 4 12" HDC3's are in the mix too.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

Alright, I wasn't aware of that. Right now I'm in a similar situation, only with a kx2500 and I can't decide on the 2 18" BL's or the 2 18" BTL's when i grab me a second amp... Of course 4 12" HDC3's are in the mix too.

i had the same exact setup (kx2500.1 on 2 18" bl's).

had some issues with amp going into protect so i never had a chance to hear them all out 100% full tilt, but when a friend bought the same subs and a memphis mcd2500.1 i got more of an idea.

like i said, they get loud, but they do seem like they can handle more power. i think around the 3.5kw range is about right for 2 of them. but shit, if you have the money to pick up higher powered amps and just keep nice headroom why not.

 

[Andrew12 10+ year member]

i had the same exact setup (kx2500.1 on 2 18" bl's).
had some issues with amp going into protect so i never had a chance to hear them all out 100% full tilt, but when a friend bought the same subs and a memphis mcd2500.1 i got more of an idea.

like i said, they get loud, but they do seem like they can handle more power. i think around the 3.5kw range is about right for 2 of them. but shit, if you have the money to pick up higher powered amps and just keep nice headroom why not.

So you preferred the bl's to the btl? I've been meaning to pm you about this for over a week or so but I figured hey, people can read through this since it's being published publicly and someone might be able to make a decision who's in a similar situation if we discuss it through a thread.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

eh, depends on what i want.

do i want to run a loud single sub? 1 18" btl off 3kw.

do i want 2 15's to split the power so that i dont have to send 3kw to a single sub? 2 15" bl's off 3.5kw

the btl sounds nice, the bl's sound nice, and the aq, when you cant hear that noise, sounds nice too. sometimes i feel like i like the btl over all of them, then other times, the aq, etc etc.

 

[Andrew12 10+ year member]

eh, depends on what i want.
do i want to run a loud single sub? 1 18" btl off 3kw.

do i want 2 15's to split the power so that i dont have to send 3kw to a single sub? 2 15" bl's off 3.5kw

the btl sounds nice, the bl's sound nice, and the aq, when you cant hear that noise, sounds nice too. sometimes i feel like i like the btl over all of them, then other times, the aq, etc etc.

Haha, I hear you man. I just can not make up my mind on which to run. My mind changes every day.

AQ's = More budget friendly, but will they play clean/low enough for my application

BTL's = Low end monsters, whom I've heard, but not very easy on the wallet

BL's = Easier on the wallet, but will they get loud enough for my application

It never ends //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

Haha, I hear you man. I just can not make up my mind on which to run. My mind changes every day.
AQ's = More budget friendly, but will they play clean/low enough for my application

will play clean, and assuming you tune low they will play low. i dont really give a shit what anyone says about tuning to 40hz, at least not for my application. works for some, didnt work for my vehicle (explorer)

BTL's = Low end monsters, whom I've heard, but not very easy on the wallet

low end is right, definitely not easy on the wallet though. the plus part about it: its natural tendancy to play super low, and lots of motor strength (the new one available may first will have a larger gap and still be more powerful than the spl version of the old btl) allows you to use smaller boxes and tune higher to add a little peak up top. at least for me, since mine lacked upper end response in 4.5 cubes @ 33hz. i think 3.8 cubes at 35hz or so should add a little to it while not sacrificing too much down low

BL's = Easier on the wallet, but will they get loud enough for my application

with the right power, i think they will do just fine. i will say this though, in 6 cubes, the 18's dont get very low. i think they need a much bigger box. however the Iron Law, says they might just need more power for low freq extension...

It never ends //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

------------------

 

[Andrew12 10+ year member]

^^^^

Haha, thanks man. I'll be keeping my eye on the new batch of BTL's and start saving... I may build the box for the BTL 18"s and run the BL's in it until I can get up the cash for the BTL's.

I'll probably change my mind by tomorrow though lol