You guys are full of it. I run a 13w6 ported and it's SQ is amazing and this sub is loud enough off only 250 watts. You're comparing subs that are like 15"-21" to the 12w7??? Of course they will be louder! It's greater displacement. Compare them to 2 12w7's and I think it's a better comparison. Fact, JL makes great SQ subs. Fact, the w7's are loud as heck and sound amazing doing it. We JL people are not all about cheap bass that just gets loud, we actually have discerning tastes and enjoy some good SQ without blowing our ears out. Who's going to listen to something louder than a 12w7 in a daily driver anyway? Enjoy your hearing loss. I'll take a high quality SQ sub that I can listen to on a daily basis before a freakin 18" sub that takes up all my trunk space and causes hearing loss. I have great sounding bass with plenty of loudness, plus I can still use my trunk and all off 250 watts. I'm in socal; I don't care if someone pulls up with a louder system. I'm more concerned with how it sounds on the inside of the car. And the guy who said JL belongs in the same category as explode, BS. You don't know what you're talking about. Peace