Recommendations on a single 12?

[garretttt4 10+ year member]

im here

This. Have him build you a custom sub. I will eventually...

 

[Turch]

I was like you when I first got into car audio. I said nah I don't need that nah I'm going sealed. About 10 seconds after hooking up my system I looked at my buddy and said I have to go louder.

Thats the thing 2 of my friends have systems and one of them is 2 10s sealed on 150w and the other is 2 12s sealed on 150w.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Thats the thing 2 of my friends have systems and one of them is 2 10s sealed on 150w and the other is 2 12s sealed on 150w.

honestly if you heard a proper ported box, it'll sound good with any genre, if its not in your budget then sure go with the sealed but i'm telling you, its day and night difference when it comes to bass output.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

why not ported? out of the ones you listed, only the Gcon might sound okay in a sealed box, but the rest will feel like waste d potential... they love ported. If space is an issue, try DC level 2, level 3 subs they dont need to be in big enclosures.[/quote so you think DC subs work better in small ported boxes? why is that?

well not small, just smaller than the rest, i've heard some single 12" level 3 setups sound decent and loud in only 1.7 cubic feet.

 

[basswiigee]

I am looking at getting one 12" that will get loud with good sound quality in a sealed box on 500-750 watts. So far I have looked into the SSA Gcon, SSA Icon, SA-12, and the Obsidian 12.

jl audio 12 or 13 w7

 

[bbeljefe]

The Sundown will do well in a sealed box and, a small one at that. The others might as well but I've not looked at them so I can't say for sure.

But to help you in your search I'll give you a piece of information that will allow you to do your due diligence with some level of confidence. There is a parameter called Efficiency Bandwidth Product (EBP) that will give you an idea of what kind of box a sub will work in.

To get this number, since manufacturers aren't usually forthcoming with it... you divide the driver's Fs (or Fo) by its Qes. For the Sundown, the EBP is 58.12.

Here's how to use that number...

1-50 sub is best suited for sealed or 4th order bandpass enclosures

51-100 sub is suited for either sealed or ported enclosures of any alignment

100+ sub is best suited for ported or 6th, 8th order enclosures

Personally, I have found that drivers above 70 do not perform well at all in sealed boxes and those that are at or near (50-55) do not perform well in ported boxes.

Of course, there are exceptions and this is only a rule of thumb but it is a useful tool to help you cull drivers from a long list.

All that aside, you have about 2.3 cubic feet to work with and ported boxes sound much better than sealed if they are constructed properly. You mentioned not having the tools to build a ported box but, if you have the tools and the skills to build a sealed box, then you can build a ported box also. Slot ports work well and you don't need any more specialized a tool to cut a slot port than you do to cut any other square panel. Even if you don't have a router to round off the ends of a port, you will still see a benefit from a ported box over a sealed.

And no... ported boxes are good for any kind of music, if they are built to fit the driver that's in them. My personal taste in music is hard rock/metal and I haven't had a sealed box in my own vehicle since 1986.

Lastly, the SA series from Sundown has a low compliance, meaning they have a stiff suspension. What this means in the box world is that those drivers will still play tight, fast bass notes in ported boxes because they do not need the acoustical suspension of a sealed box to keep them in check.

 

[naughtyca 10+ year member]

I experimented on sealed enclosure and i can tell a big difference on the sound. my wife's car has a sealed box since she does not listen too much to bass. if you get even a single 12 on ported yours will be a lot louder than those 2 friends of yours that has sealed and they might change their box too lol

 

[ds0110 10+ year member]

Soundsplinter RL-P - legandary sql sub designed for small sealed. Hard to find.

Incriminator Audio Flatlyne - I just put one in my silverado 1.16 sealed subthump on ~800watts/4ohms and its enough. Pure sq though. Wont overpower mids/highs but shakes the truck when I need it to. Someone people like that others dont. Expensive.

ID Q - Lots of people switch from JL to this. Nice sq. Itll work sealed.

Ascendant Audio Avalanche - Great SQ, lots of output. Hard to find.

Dayton HO - Very popular sq sub that performs well sealed.

RE Audio Old XXX - If you have the space/electrical/money this will do great sealed.

If youre in a hurry to get something, the Flatlyne, IDQ, and Dayton HO are all readily available. If you dont mind hunting for a deal and want something off the beaten path, the others are well worth it.

 

[macsdad 10+ year member]

The dimensions you stated would accommodate a dc lvl 4 in ported. My dims are quite close to those you stated, everything I play sounds good on it, from r and b to some hiphop and the occasional rock.

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

SSD12 - Fi Car Audio Store

get a fi ssd built fo realed with high qts option

or splaudio make you a custom

or

PWE 352 MB Quart 15" 1600W 2 Ohm DVC Subwoofer Speaker Made by Rockford Fosgate 780687314231 | eBay

only works sealed and only need 1.5 cube

 

[Turch]

I am going to go sealed for now and if it is still not loud enough i will go ported. So far I am looking at the Gcon 12, SA 12, and DC LVL 3 12.

 

---------- Post added at 09:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 PM ----------

 

The dimensions you stated would accommodate a dc lvl 4 in ported. My dims are quite close to those you stated, everything I play sounds good on it, from r and b to some hiphop and the occasional rock.

How many watts are you running?

 

[Turch]

I have decided to go sealed and then if I dont have the output I want I will go ported. So far I am looking into the SSA Gcon 12, SA 12, and DC LVL 3 12

 

[Dtrom 10+ year member]

I have decided to go sealed and then if I dont have the output I want I will go ported. So far I am looking into the SSA Gcon 12, SA 12, and DC LVL 3 12

Lvl 3's are great subs so are the SA's. Haven't heard gcon in person but I'm sure it gets down.

 

[macsdad 10+ year member]

I am going to go sealed for now and if it is still not loud enough i will go ported. So far I am looking at the Gcon 12, SA 12, and DC LVL 3 12. 

---------- Post added at 09:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 PM ----------

 

m

How many watts are you running?

I have it on a saz1500v3 at 1ohm.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

MSW | Car Audio Stereo, Car Subwoofers, Car Amplifiers and Speakers makes great prefab ported enclosures alot better than most