simple setup

[ni9thwonder 10+ year member]

i have an alpine m450 amp (400 x 1 @ 2ohms) and am interested in sql. ive had an L5 ported with 600 watts--that was a little too low for me; and also a jl 10w1 in the jl sealed enclosure with 250 watts--it did the job until it got stolen.

so now im in the market for a new sub and the local store said they'll give me a "hookup" price of $299 for a 12w3v3 in the JL sealed enclosure. i demo'd it in my car (prelude) and pretty much fell in love. is this a good deal? he also quoted me $299 for the 10w3v3 in the JL ported enclosure, and $249 for the sealed 12w1v2.

i only want to build my own box if its really gonna save me a lot...in which case i'd probably just order the 12w3v3 online. also, has anyone ever tried a 12w3v3 in a 12w7 H.O. box? theres an empty one being sold by me and im pretty sure i could get it for less than $75. thanks for any suggestions

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[dumpin907 10+ year member]

my suggestion, buy a JL w6 12" woofer off ebay for like 300 or w/e they sell them for, spend 25$-35$ on a sheet of MDF wood, 4$ on some wood glue, 2$ on some screws, get a free online box design tuned to your preference, 33hz or so, and build your own box. it will sound WAYYYY better then the prefab box the shop wants to sell you. go to reaudio.com and click on 'box designer link' and design your own box and it will give you a cut sheet to make your cuts

 

[dumpin907 10+ year member]

the w6 is rated for 400-450 watts rms but i donno what the ohm load on their w6 is so your amp my not be capable of putting out 400 watts at the subs ohm load so you might need a new amp but i donno

 

[ni9thwonder 10+ year member]

ya im pretty much gonna stick it out with the amp cus i got it from a buddy for cheap, but i know its 400 x 1 at 2 ohms, and im pretty sure thats overrated/14 volt. i guess building this box wouldn't take too much out of me after all

 

[dumpin907 10+ year member]

hey check this out, http://cgi.ebay.com/JL-AUDIO-12W6v2-12-W6-VERSION-2-SUBWOOFER-NEW-1500W-07_W0QQitemZ190238674987QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190238674987&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

its like 279.00 and its a dual 4 ohm woofer so you can wire it at 2 ohms. which means you can push your amp to its fullest potential. (if its not over rated) but 400 watts rms to this sub would be about perfect. ported box tuned to 33hz would sound nice. do whatever you want im just sayin

 

[ni9thwonder 10+ year member]

ya that thing sure looks beastly. i dunno if im prepared to dish out an extra 100+ for that as opposed to the w3v3 though. keep some suggestions comin folks, i appreciate it

 

[dumpin907 10+ year member]

it will be worth it in the long run...your eventually going to want to be louder and your gonna say shet i should have listened to dumpin907...

 

[Serpent710 10+ year member]

go with the w6 if you are looking at JL only

 

[ni9thwonder 10+ year member]

im mainly focusing on JL just because ive heard them the most. im open to better, especially more feesible options while keeping in mind my 400 watt setup and somewhat limited budget. as long as its a 12, under $250 or so, and doesnt take up too much space (this will be going in a prelude trunk) then i could use all the help i can get

 

[ni9thwonder 10+ year member]

edit

 

[ni9thwonder 10+ year member]

OK,I didn't want to make a new thread so heres an update. im deciding between a JL 12w3v3, and two others which i recently found on craigslist...a 12" infinity kappa with decently-constructed looking box (about $100), or an Eclipse 88120 w/ no box (about $110ish). keep in mind i have the alpine m450 (400 watts). please help me decide, thanks! i also may be able to get my hands on a used 12w6v2 ($150).

 

[skateboardkid 10+ year member]

How about mach 5 MAW12" is $96 and 350 RMS SQ oriented sub with plenty of linear throw. Dual 4 so you can get 2 ohms out of it.

Or spend the money on the JL and build your own box?

Maybe see if you can demo the infinity and see how you like it first? Might be a real good alternative as well.

 

[ni9thwonder 10+ year member]

how would the mach 5 match up with the 12w3v3 assuming i built my own sealed box to specs for each? tryin out that infinity would prob be a good idea