The System
The Car: 1997 Ford Taurus Sedan
Electrical: Stock
Head Unit: Kenwood KDC-MP5032
Front Stage: Crystal Mobile Sound SSCS 6
Rear Fill: N/A
Component Amplifier: Rockford Fosgate 600.4 (bridged, putting out aprox 200rms x 2 @ 4ohms)
Subwoofer: (1) 12" Soundsplinter RL-P D4 vs. (1) 12" Stereo Integrity BM
Subwoofer Amp: Phoenix Gold Xenon 600.1 (RL-P got 800rms / BM got 700rms)
Enclosure: 2cubes @ 30hz, MDF, Square Port, Facing Rear
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Disclaimer:
I don't claim to have the most experienced ear when it comes to these things but car audio is a hobby of mine. I'm basing the comparison soley on opinion.
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The Story:
Loved my RL-P for the last year or so, but when the changing business sale occured at Audiojunkies I grabbed a BM to see how I liked it. I was originally planning on 2 BMs but car trouble prevented me from going that route.
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First Impressions: Out of the box
- The RL-P is a A LOT beefer than the BM, and probably around 15lbs heavier
- Build quality of both are great, RL-P seemed a bit more solid, but that could just be in my head.
- RL-P's cone is a lot lighter and seems a lot more fragile.
- RL-P in my opinion is more appealing
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Testing SQ:
I listen to mostly Rock (almost all styles), some Underground Hip-Hop and Drum N Bass, so I used a few songs in these genres to make my comparison. I used a few CDs I already had in my car for the comparison, but not in this order.
Click song to download
AFI - Prelude 12/21
I always loved this song on the RL-P, but I didn't really notice much of a difference with the BM. Both subs shined, and complimented my front stage very well. I RL-P however seemed to play just a tab bit deeper than the BM did.
Alkaline Trio - Standard Break
I always felt that the RL-P was a little bit weak when playing this song. The drums seemed unrefined, but the way the BM handled them was excellent. The drums seemed much sharper and shorter. It gave me a light feeling in my chest. Something the RL-P wasnt able to do.
Aphrodite - BooYaa(Remix)
This track has a very complex bassline. You'll have to listen to it, i cant describe it. The RL-P handled it pretty well, a little bit sloppy, but acceptable. However, the BM blew it out of the water. It played the baseline flawlessly. Very neat and precsise. Notes were shorter than the RL-P's and a lot more constant.
Aphrodite - Deep in the Jungle
This track bassline is absolutely nasty. The RL-P just couldnt keep up. My old Dub3 was humiliated trying to conquer it. I was VERY impressed by how the BM played it. Didn't phase it a bit. Before I heard it on the BM I thought it was just a sloppy bassline. I was Very Impressed.
Atmosphere - Smart Went Crazy
This song has an awesome bassline. Very Low. Again both subs played the bassline well, and again the only real difference I notice was that the RL-P seemed slightly deeper.
Rise Against - Anywhere But Here
The double bass in this song is killer and the RL-P always had a hard time keeping up. I would always seem sluggish and inconsistant. Undefined. I was really looking for to seeing how the BM handled it. I wasn't let down. The BM was MUCH more precise. Kept up with every beat. I was very pleased.
Sage Francis - Bridle
The BM played the Drum beat a lot more pronounced than the RL-P did. With the RL-P I almost didnt notice the sharp beat because it would blend in with the bass around it. Not the case with the BM. VERY distinct, and a very noticable difference.
Staind - Outside
Difference wasnt as noticable between the subs with this song, but again the BM was slightly more pronounced and distinct. bass felt and sounded slightly tighter.
Pretty much the same as Outside, but the RL-P seemed to play the bass guitar a little better than the BM, but wasnt a very noticable difference.
*update*
Taking Back Sunday - Make****sure
The rumble in the chorus of this song is very weak on the BM compared to the RL-P, a little bit of a disappointment.
*/update*
Three Six Mafia - Late Nite Tip
Everyone knows how brutal this song is. I preferred the way the RL-P played it. The bassline was more fluid with the RL-P, where the BM seemed a little bit mechanical to me. It seemed to sweep better with the RL-P. I did however think that the BM played it more precisely, though it wasnt as pleasing to the ear.
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Output:
Little bit tricky to pick a winner here. Switching to the BM I really didnt miss any of the RL-P's output. They are very comparable. They had a different type of output though. The RL-P was louder in the low notes and the BM loves the higher notes, though I felt that the BM lacked less in the low then the RL-P lacked in the high.
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Conclusion:
Both subs are awesome. I'd be happy with either one, but after the comparison I'm keeping the BM. What I think it comes down to is the BM is more inline with the music that I listen to. If I were into rap and R&B I might take a closer look at the RL-P because it sounds a little deeper and has a bit of a stronger grasp on the lows. You can't go wrong with either one though.
Hope this helped some people, but remember its all opinion so your best bet would be to listen to both and come to the conclusion on your own.
