it might not be the subs neither, it could be your amp, your enclosure. Also your settins on your h/u deck crossovers? Theres alot of things. I remember a kid I know bought a amp that was a thump 1000x1 at 1ohm I belive and was tring to push his jl subs. Well he couldnt turn the amp up much at all because the subs wouldnt get loud but they would just start distorting, is that your problem.