Subwoofer advice, Upgrade sub or box

[SkizzDawg]

Hello all, new to the forum but not car audio. I have been out of the "game" (not been following all the latest companies and trends) for a good 12 or so years.
I think the problem all started a Couple months back when I upgraded my wife's car system, added a Kenwood touch screen HU with all the fun modern touches along with new door speakers.
Well the audio upgrade bug bit me. I got the urge and had to update my head unit but also needed to keep the price down, and man it was slim pickings with this "shortage" going on.
I ended up replacing my old Pioneer DEH-P800PRS with a Kenwood DMX 706s. After changed out HU's I felt like my sub a JL12W3v2 powered by a JL XD600 was also in need of something, a new box, a different amp or replace all together? Soo down the rabbit hole I went. Sub has been in the same off the shelf Sealed pre fab box since i bought it. i always felt the box was on the smaller size and after finding myself in said rabbit hole, it is on the smaller size. SInce i already had a sealed box I picked up a ported enclosure made to "JL specs" (1.75 cf) and tuned at 30. Some songs it really shines but in general It hits ok but it doesn't "pound" like i feel it should and lacks the punch it had. Now i am wondering if i should have gone with a sealed box to spec, if i should get a 12W6 or another brand 12" all together or should i have left my system alone and lived with the old tech HU?
My musical tastes are all over the place. Rock, Rap, Hip Hop, Pop, Country, Electronic.
My Car is an 06 Subaru Sti (sedan) rear seats do not fold down and there is no ski pass through like some Subaru's have (x-brace would have blocked it anyways)
HU is Kenwood DMX 706s, Alpine SPX-17 PRO 6.5's in all 4 doors powered by a JL HD 600/4.
to power my sub i have a JL XD 600 or a down4sound JP8 to choose from. I have tried both amps with the current sub/ported enclosure and yeah, i feel like its lacking something.

So back to my question at hand, what would you all recommend? (enclosure size wise, the size of my current ported box is as large as i would like to go and if possible, smaller)
A proper sealed enclosure for my current JL 12W3v2?
Swap the w3 for a w6 (freaking expensive as hell. really worth it?)
A different sub that would work in the ported enclosure i have (save me some coin, that be nice)?
A diff sub/box combo all together?
*Edit. moment of clarity/Update*
Could it be the head unit swap (probably)? I didn't even think of this before and writing out this post got me thinking and the light bulbs started brightening up. Old head unit has a 16 band eq with these 4 frequencies on the "low end" 20—31.5—50—80 vs the kenwood's 13 band eq that only offers 62.5 with the next frequency being 100. (one thing to note that the kenwood does. I can turn on a four-step Bass Boost (Off/1/2/3) to enhance the lower frequencies. When "Bass DC Extension is turned on, frequencies lower than 62.5 Hz are set to the same gain level as 62.5 Hz is set to).


Thanks for your thoughts all.

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[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Any ported box is better than any sealed box, in my opinion. You have to prioritize between output, space, and cost.

 

[SkizzDawg]

Any ported box is better than any sealed box, in my opinion. You have to prioritize between output, space, and cost.

Thank you for replying.
Strangely enough, i feel like the current sub sounded better before (in the small sealed box) it just didn't hit the low notes as well. To small of an enclosure? Would the correct size sealed have provided better low end?

i would like to use one of the amps i currently have and stay with a single sub.
The size of the current enclosure is larger than what a W6 in ported calls for.
I am betting there are other subs that require the same or less and sound good and hit hard.

 

[Marve_Lous]

Years ago I built the JL spec’d box for my w3 and it was amazing! I loved that sub! Where’d you get your box from? And if you upgrade to a w6 just check out eBay, OfferUp, and Facebook Marketplace… there’s always someone trying to sell theirs and you can find them in great condition for half the price of retail.

 

[SkizzDawg]

I dont have the Time and more so the tools to build my own, i wish i did.
The box is from LAB.

• JL Audio® designed W3 v3 12-inch vented woofer enclosure
• Built using JL Audio®'s recommended ported box design for a single 12" JL Audio® W3v3 sub (12W3v3-2 / 12W3v3-4)
• 1.75 cu. ft. tuned @ 30Hz
• Constructed of 0.75" CNC-cut high-grade MDF
• High-grade dark gray automotive carpet
• Standard speaker terminal
• Made in California, U.S.A.
• Enclosure volume: 1.75 ft^3 (net internal)
• Peak tuning frequency (Fb): 30Hz
• F3: 36Hz
• Sub cutout diameter: 11.0625" (11-1/16")
• Dimensions: 29"W x 14"H x 12.625"D

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Some songs it really shines but in general It hits ok but it doesn't "pound" like i feel it should and lacks the punch it had.

This is all very relative. I'd say out of a sedan/trunk you're really going to need to brute force things to get a lot of bass up to the listening position. I've got a single 12" on 400W or thereabouts sub channel off a small 5 channel amp in my Corolla and I'd say it "keeps up" is about it. If you feel you're missing pure output you'd want more power and a more robust woofer to handle that power. The good news is that assuming that box is built soundly and those specs you shared are legit it should allow quite a few options of different things you could buy to throw in there to audition (if you bought a bigger amp).

If it's a matter of bandwidth, I don't think Kenwood/Pioneer/Alpine/Sony tier head units are going to not give you a good flat output and if you're not spending up into a source unit with the higher end pre-amp features in it (30 band EQ and time alignment) you may have a hard time using whatever primitive built in EQ you get to balance out things.

I will say that before you start throwing money at new equipment you ought to try to mix up the position and aiming of the box you have now. Aim it forward, back, up, to the side, try different distances from the sides, front and back, etc. With trunks in particular aiming and position of the box in the trunk can make a dramatic difference in output and frequency response. This way you can at least rule out a simple fix but also get a good idea of what orientation and position works best in that vehicle so that you can better plan any future upgrades.

In general though the only complaints anyone ever has about the JL lineup is the MSRP but they do employ a couple few hundred Americans and manufacture most of their stuff domestic and generally have a high quality good sounding product. You have plenty of options if you want to start shopping around but I think throwing different subs at that without doubling power isn't going to give you any significant gains, and I feel that once you step up to 1000-1200W range you'd be best suited with W7 if you're really loyal to JL. They can be had for 300-350 range if you can find a well cared for used one and IMO they're a good option in that price range.

 

[SkizzDawg]

Thanks for the feedback hispls.
The Pioneer HU that i had in the car, was one of those good head units. came with a mic to set things. it has a whole lot of adjustability and features. it was also damn expensive. I didn't find any Multi media head units that offered similar level of features to my previous pioneer head unit and i really wanted the double din touch screen setup and not another single din.

I have tried rotating the box, facing up, facing towards cab and facing rear. facing rear seemed to be the better of the 3.

i am happy to report that after turning on a feature (sets the lower frequencies to what 62.5 is set to) i thought it was more like a "loudness" setting (then i read the owners manual, yea who would have thought you would learn something from reading the manual, go figure. LOL).
the bass sounds better for the couple of songs i was able to listen to on the way in to work.
I will have to try the rotating the box again now that i have turned this feature on.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I didn't find any Multi media head units that offered similar level of features to my previous pioneer head unit

AFAIK there is no multimedia unit that packs big processing power like the higher end music-only units. If you're used to a copper chasis type head unit you're not finding anything of that level with a multimedia screen on it for sure.

If your problem is just lack of EQ to dial in the response of the woofer there may be some reasonably priced options that you can put inline between your source unit and your amp. There was some buzz a while back about an inexpensive Dayton branded DSP that seemed really affordable, and of course you have the standard lineup from the usual players (Audison, JBL, JL, AudioControl. etc.)

 

[SkizzDawg]

AFAIK there is no multimedia unit that packs big processing power like the higher end music-only units. If you're used to a copper chasis type head unit you're not finding anything of that level with a multimedia screen on it for sure.

If your problem is just lack of EQ to dial in the response of the woofer there may be some reasonably priced options that you can put inline between your source unit and your amp. There was some buzz a while back about an inexpensive Dayton branded DSP that seemed really affordable, and of course you have the standard lineup from the usual players (Audison, JBL, JL, AudioControl. etc.)

Previous was that beautiful (sadly hidden) Copper chassis HU.
I am looking at a Audio Control 608, though i am not sure if i really need to go that route.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Previous was that beautiful (sadly hidden) Copper chassis HU.
I am looking at a Audio Control 608, though i am not sure if i really need to go that route.

Ha. I didn't even recognize the model number but I had the feeling you were in copper chassis territory.

I'm definitely not up to speed on outboard processing options these days and haven't used an Audiocontrol product in ages (though they always used to be really nice). JBL still makes the MS-8 and if I were in the market I'd start looking there just because I've had really good results with Harmon International products.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Thank you for replying.
Strangely enough, i feel like the current sub sounded better before (in the small sealed box) it just didn't hit the low notes as well. To small of an enclosure? Would the correct size sealed have provided better low end?

i would like to use one of the amps i currently have and stay with a single sub.
The size of the current enclosure is larger than what a W6 in ported calls for.
I am betting there are other subs that require the same or less and sound good and hit hard.

Why don't you try a different brand of sub? I know someone who switched from a JL12w6 in JL's pre-made ported enclosure to an Sa-12 Classic and liked the Sa-12 better. I see JL's as "soft" subs. There's woofers that aren't as expensive that are louder and still sound pretty good in an enclosure designed specifically for how you listen to music and your vehicle environment. You may need to choose a setup based around the type of music you listen to, with a sub and a box.

Generic ported boxes are just that. They're a generic airspace; port area, tuning, and sub/port layout based off either what the sub likes or what the manufacturer just chooses for whatever reason. Custom is everything designed specifically around your ears. You can really change what a sub does with changing the box.

 

[805myth1]

My two cents, if you liked how the original JL combo sounded before the head unit swap and the new head unit doesn’t have the lower frequencies like before. I would try to add a bass restoration unit like the Audio Control Ecpicenter, to clean up the low frequencies.

 

[KicktheSDbasshead]

AFAIK there is no multimedia unit that packs big processing power like the higher end music-only units. If you're used to a copper chasis type head unit you're not finding anything of that level with a multimedia screen on it for sure.

If your problem is just lack of EQ to dial in the response of the woofer there may be some reasonably priced options that you can put inline between your source unit and your amp. There was some buzz a while back about an inexpensive Dayton branded DSP that seemed really affordable, and of course you have the standard lineup from the usual players (Audison, JBL, JL, AudioControl. etc.)

Please don't forget helix or audiocontrol dsps they work well.