Here's the breakdown of my plans:
First, I'm getting a HU and good front stage. For the HU, I'm looking at the 680MP and 780MP, mainly the price difference in the two. I'm trying to keep it under $500, so with the 680MP, I'd be able to get better 6.5"s and a better amp, whereas I'd have almost $100 less if I go with the 780MP.
And then I'll port my 2 8"s and keep that sub stage for a little bit. However, if I decide to go with 2 Assassin 12"s, I could easily sell my 2 8"s for $130 with the boxes locally, and then just spend the $50 on the Assassin 12"s and build a custom ported box for them right away keeping the same amp.
If I go for higher level subs, then I'll have to just keep my ported 8"s for a bit and save up some more cash (I might actually keep them until graduation, because I'll get probably $2K for that //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif).
I'm not looking for anything earshatteringly loud, but I do want something that get's loud when I need it and still sounds good. How much louder are the Arsenals than the Assassins (with appropriate amp upgrade, of course)?