JL W1's, w3's, Ported? Sealed? help me out please!!!

[hyn0tizedminds]

Alright so I've been researching this stuff for a while now, I know the basics of matching amps and subs and rms ratings, impedance, frequency, all that stuff.

I'm just curious as to what your guys opinions are on the stuff I'm considering buying.

I listen to pretty much all rap, and I want to be able to bump and be heard from far away and all that good stuff... I'm having some trouble deciding between a sealed enclosure and a ported one...I know sealed enclosures are more accurate, crisp, and clean, while ported enclosures give you boomier and louder bass.

I've been looking at JL subs for a while now, but I was told that most of their stuff is overpriced, and I could get some cheaper stuff such as fosgate p3's, kickers, etc. and compete with the JL products.

Here's what I'm thinking about right now.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=510&i=136S213R12&tp=112

with

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136G1700/JL-Audio-G-Series-G1700.html?tp=115

and then a 1 or 2 faraud capacitor..

I'm wondering if I'm gunna be satisfied with these subs/amp combo and the sealed box of the JL's....if I should get an amp with a higher rms rating to insure the sub is performing up to full potential....should I just buck up and go for the w3 12's or 13.5's...???

I'm swamped in questions. I'm dropping a decent amount of money on all of this stuff, which is why I wanna be satisfied with it all. I'm gunna have a job this upcoming summer and I already have about 1500 in the bank that I can spend freely....

Help me out....comments...advice...opinions.....

It's all appreciated

By the way, I'm probably going to be driving a jeep grand cherokee...so a decent sized suv. Just thought I'd throw that out there in case you guys were wondering what all of this stuff is going to be going into.

Thanks alot.

edit--- I don't want to have to upgrade anymore after this...I'm upgrading from a 10" p1 fosgate and a matching alpine amp.

Click to read more...

 

[hyn0tizedminds]

anyone???

 

[aaronmj 10+ year member]

get ported!!!! i'm the same as u when it comes to wanting to be heard. anytime i have had a sealed box. i had to keep screwing the sub in tighter and tighter to get the bass i wanted. i have a ported and i would never want anything besides ported. ported gives the bass u want!! i honestly think it sounds better!! go with ported!!

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Ported

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Different stuff. Seems to me that output is one of your primary goals. Since that's the case, JL isn't the way to go. JL stuff just isn't going to get all that loud. They sound a lot better than many other brands but lack in output potential and people tend to blow them trying to get more than they're capable of providing from them.

Something like a pair of Type R Alpines in a ported box with a decent amp on them will totally destroy those JLs in output. It will also cost less. I'm building a SQ oriented system, but it will still have the potential to utterly kill those JLs in output and my subs cost me more than $150 less than what you're talking about spending. Even a single good 12 in a ported box will be louder for less.

Look at different brands and look somewhere other than Crutchfield.

 

[FurbiesAndBeans 10+ year member]

Can't believe someone hasn't said this, but ditch the cap.

 

[Alpine50 10+ year member]

Go for your 12w3-3-4's,wire them to 2 ohms.Make sure that you find the correct amount of cubic feet for your subs.I have owned a pair of both W1's and W3-3-4's.I had a pair of 10w1's,wired to 2 ohms with a VENTED box with a JL 250/1 to this day this little 250/1 with W1's ,in a vented box puts a lot of larger systems to shame.The car a 1985 2 door Toyota Tercel.The smallest of Alpines 4-channel amps runs rear 6x9'snew 'S' comps and 4" 'S' co/ax in the kick panels with a Alpine 9883 deck.The rule is that a vented enclosure will add 3 db to the Equation.That Tercel is loud as a MF........EASILY louder than cars with double the power,12" subs---plan your instal on paper ,remember,fastbacks and SUV's,sound the loudest,you need extra power with an convertable[all your sound goes away to the sun and stars] with the top down.It's all in the install!!!!!!!!!!Good Luck,Alpine50..................

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Alpine50 - you need to actually hear a well set up system before going and making statements like you have. Honestly, the JLs are pretty decent if you only have a small amount of power but you give up a lot of fidelity by putting them in a ported box and they still aren't that loud. If getting loud is the goal, JL isn't the means to that end. Plain and simple.

At the price point you're looking at, with output as the goal, JL is exactly the wrong way to go. If a ported box is in the plan, JL is not the way to go. If OK output with a small amount of power and very accurate output all from a sealed box is what you're looking at, then JL is where I'd look.

 

[hyn0tizedminds]

I'm not looking to break my windows...I just want a lot of bass that would impress whoever's in my car and a clear-sounding system.

I want to be able to out-bump my friend's fosgate p3's.

I can't imagine...that even in a sealed box the JL's wouldn't be very loud...

Plus, from what I've researched and read, everyone who buys jl is satisfied.

what about these.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=510&i=136S312R12&tp=112

or

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=510&i=136S212R33&tp=112

btw, I'd rather just buy an already enclosed system, for ease of installation...etc.

 

[manbeer 10+ year member]

Ikesound is currently having a sale on RE SR10 D2's. I called them an hour ago and they had 6 left @ 69 bucks/each. Hell of a deal! Match it up with one of the refurb rockford T3002's on ebay right now for 120 shipped. That will give each sub ~400watts briged @ 2ohms, and after all is said and done you spent what a pair of w3's would cost on subs AND an amp, and it will beat the JL setup in just about every way IMO. plus the subs work well in limited airspace applications, not sure if that is a concern for you but i know it is for some

...my .02

 

[hyn0tizedminds]

What are some good and reliable places to buy car audio equipment....

as you all know the stores are overpriced and whatnot but I don't want to have to worry about ordering from a sketchy place online.

 

[SSS 18734 5,000+ posts]

What are some good and reliable places to buy car audio equipment....
as you all know the stores are overpriced and whatnot but I don't want to have to worry about ordering from a sketchy place online.

ebay

soundsolutionsaudio.com

craigslist

directly from some manufacturers

on the forums (just be careful)

someone mentioned ikesound, I remember them being pretty cheap.

Like helotaxi said, JL Audio likely isn't going to give you what you're looking for. Keep in mind that you're not going to be able to break windows with any of the systems that we recommend for you.

Take a look at Audioque subs. They're cheap SPL-oriented drivers that are built really well.

http://www.audioque.com

You should also check out Alpine Type R's and Pioneer's 3004SPL.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Mach 5 audio IXL 10.2.2 or 12.2.2. Inexpensive subs made to sound good and have the capacity to get pretty loud. The 12s are less than $200 each. I have a pair of 10s. A pair only needs a 1kw or so (I'll be running less than that actually) and the W1 and W3 series won't touch either with the possible exception of the 13W3 which cost more than a pair of the IXL 10. They also want a tiny box (just big enough to enclose the driver sealed and only slightly bigger ported).

The lower end JLs do not sound good when pushed hard. Sound quite bad actually. Sound great at lower volumes. If you on't plan on pushing them at all you'd probably be quite happy, but it sounds like that's not you plan so I just can't recommend them. I've used them in the past (I actually have an example that is still in nearly perfect condition despite being older than a lot of people on this forum) and been quite satisfied, but I don't like it loud much at all and listen mostly to rock.

If you really want JLs, go ahead and get them. I'm just trying to keep you from spending a lot of money and them not living up to your expectations.

 

[hyn0tizedminds]

alright so basically **** the jl's...doesn't really sound like what I'm looking for.

edit---what about these?

I just came across these type R's and I'm thinking about getting two of them and putting them in a vented box. Everyone's recommending them...so they must be pretty good.

Suggestions? Comments?

My sub choices change every week and its really pissing me off...I want to have a solid setup that I can just order when the time comes.

and Why did someone else say ditch the capacitor?