JL 10w3v2 vs Alpine Type-R SWR-T10 Slim for SQ in S2000 footwell?

[phunky.buddha 10+ year member]

So I've been putting off installing a sub in my S2000 for quite a few years now. I have a set of JL VR components that I got a great deal on loaded into the doors with some matting, powered by a JL e2150 70x2 amp. They get plenty loud, and play clearly at 100+ with the top down. That's my basic requirement for a stereo system- has to play clean enough and loud enough to drown out everything driving open air at ridiculous speeds with no distortion.

I travel a lot in the S, so I don't want to lose any trunk space for the sub, and those of you that have installed subs into convertibles know how much it ***** having a sub firing into the top storage area. I don't want to do that. The location I'm looking at is in the passenger footwell.

These are my options that I need all of your opinions on:

A. Drop $500 on a new pre-built enclosure that's loaded with one of the new Alpine Type-R slim 10" woofers and fits into the passenger footwell with no hassle and sell my existing 10w3v2 ($100-150 maybe if I'm lucky?) to recover some of my cost. I think the pre-built enclosure is close to the ideal size for the Type-R, but the builder never answered questions about how large the box was. I'm guessing about 0.4 cubic feet.

Links to this setup:

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=722854

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=841858

B. Spend about $100 building a fiberglass enclosure into the footwell that would require cutting some sheet metal to make a recess for the 10w3's magnet to drop into the frame behind the footwell. I'd expand the box forward as far as I needed to get the .65 cubic feet that JL wants the sub to have.

Link to someone who did this: Subwoofer

Other forum members have fit the 10w3v2 into the footwell using this method.

Questions:

1. Is the Type-R slim a better SQ sub than the 10w3? I don't have an amp for either one yet, but I expect to push either woofer with 500-600w of power from a class D amp. Both setups will be in a sealed box per manufacturer specs for volume.

2. If the R is a more accurate sub than the JL, is it worth $300-400 more to get it?

3. Any other opinions?

I'm not a stranger to fabrication... I cut up cars and do crazy things all the time- so my only real deciding factors here are cost and SQ.

Lemme know what you think. Thanks!

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[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

.4 is way to small for the 10w3 bro, I have my 10w3v2 in .65 under my back seat of a F150 downfiring. Gets nice and loud, lows are decent but could be better.

 

[phunky.buddha 10+ year member]

Ok... I guess I need to clarify. I would be building the box for the JL at the recommended .65 cubic feet. This is what I wrote:

I'd expand the box forward as far as I needed to get the .65 cubic feet that JL wants the sub to have.

That's why I'd have to cut into the frame to gain some volume without losing too much foot space. The pre-fab box from the guy on the forum is about .42 cubes- that's what Alpine lists as the "ideal" box size.

 

[phunky.buddha 10+ year member]

Alrighty, this is what I get after playing around in WinISD:

Just based on response curves, it looks like I should keep the JL, especially considering how much the Alpine slim 12 would cost me... even though I could technically fit it into the same space.

But still- how do the Type-R slims sound? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[Cruzer 10+ year member]

jl 10w3v2 .65 300 watts

type r slim 10 .35 600 watts

less then 1db difference from 30hz-100hz

didnt see what amp your using, so if u dont send at least 500 to the type r, it will be a bit behind the jl. 400 watts to the type r and its a db quieter(if thats audible i dont know)

which will sound better? not sure, i know the type r has a flat bl curve for lower distortion, but i would say the jl has the same. i say it more depends on do u want to spend the cash on the alpine type r, or do u mind doing the custom work?

si bm mk is designed for .5 cubic foot, 450 watts, its a little over 1 db louder than both the jl and type r, but u would have to find used, or wait for the new version

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

I have a pair of 10w3v2s and I was NEVER impressed with them sealed with .7 cubic feet per sub. I tried them in my old 97 Civic and in my 2006 Mustang and found them to be underwhelming. Sadly, sealed they were more of a midbass driver than a subwoofer.

Granted, they performed much better in 3.5 cubic feet net tuned to 32 Hz, but took up too much trunk space.

Lastly, I believe that extra 2 decibels of modeled peak around 70 hertz is going to work against you in a S2000.

 

[phunky.buddha 10+ year member]

Why so you say that about the 70Hz peak? I guess that would be only if I ran the Type-R 12", which I probably won't.

3.5 cubic feet would be waaaaaay too big for an S2k!