sundown sa-12 opinions

[Steveopevo 10+ year member]

I used to have an alpine type r and although I liked the low frequency output I didn't like the sluggish and rigid/mechanical sound. Also it wasn't as tonally accurate as I like. I don't expect too much accuracy but significantly more than the type R.

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[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I used to have an alpine type r and although I liked the low frequency output I didn't like the sluggish and rigid/mechanical sound. Also it wasn't as tonally accurate as I like. I don't expect too much accuracy but significantly more than the type R.

what enclosure did you have it in?

 

[Steveopevo 10+ year member]

what enclosure did you have it in?

1.0 sealed

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

1.0 sealed

you'll have better luck in a ported enclosure, a properly designed one, not a store bought one. I had the newest gen 1000rms type R 12 before, it sounds a lot better when ported. You'll also want to give it the whole 1000 rms. If your underpowering it with, it'll sound sluggish for sure.

What amp are you running and what car is this setup in? is the subwoofer facing to the back of the trunk around 6 inches away from it?

 

[Steveopevo 10+ year member]

you'll have better luck in a ported enclosure, a properly designed one, not a store bought one. I had the newest gen 1000rms type R 12 before, it sounds a lot better when ported. You'll also want to give it the whole 1000 rms. If your underpowering it with, it'll sound sluggish for sure.
What amp are you running and what car is this setup in? is the subwoofer facing to the back of the trunk around 6 inches away from it?

Won't a type r in a ported enclosure have even more difficulty keeping up with double bass? Good for hip hop though

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Won't a type r in a ported enclosure have even more difficulty keeping up with double bass? Good for hip hop though

Not if it's designed right.

 

[bumpasauras 10+ year member]

I have always liked the sa. For the money it's pretty hard to beat, I ran my 2 sa15"s off several different amps but anything in the 800-1000 rms range really gets them moving. Compared to the type r I would give the sa the nod

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Not if it's designed right.

Correct. Ported enclosures are not just super boomy. There are basically infinite ways to design a box; meaning that you can make it sound several different ways. A proper ported enclosure vs. sealed will be much louder. Keep in mind most enclosure theories you hear are meant for home audio, not car audio. Different rules apply.

 

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And the SA is a great woofer.

 

[Steveopevo 10+ year member]

Correct. Ported enclosures are not just super boomy. There are basically infinite ways to design a box; meaning that you can make it sound several different ways. A proper ported enclosure vs. sealed will be much louder. Keep in mind most enclosure theories you hear are meant for home audio, not car audio. Different rules apply. 

---------- Post added at 05:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:21 PM ----------

 

 

 

And the SA is a great woofer.

My type r seemed sluggish with aggressive music. Are you saying it would do better in a properly tuned ported enclosure

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

My type r seemed sluggish with aggressive music. Are you saying it would do better in a properly tuned ported enclosure

Not necessarily in this case. The Type R isn't really known to be an accurate woofer overall.

 

[fly_marlin]

Also, if you're concerned with the bass falling behind, consider something that can control time alignment. Delaying your whole front stage blends the subs wonderfully into the front. I just did it and didn't realize how far behind the bass was until someone with a good ear pointed it out. It works. This is not to underestimate a tight sounding, good driver.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

a good sounding woofer would be image dynamics IDQ or IDMAX, or alpine type X. Seriously though, I have a set of woofers, sounded okay in a sealed box. I designed a ported box for them tuned a bit higher with plenty of port area. It keeps up with double bass on Metal waaaaay better then the sealed box ever could dream of. Its a lot louder and punchier too.

keep in mind OP if your giving the sub less then 2/3 its rms, it will be sluggish. Not enough power to control the excursion.

 

[Radiospank 10+ year member]

I didn't know type r was a sluggish woofer, hmmm I always wanted to try one.

 

[NightScreams 10+ year member]

Never was a fan of ported listening to things like Death metal. I tried 32,36 and 40hz tunings of larger sizes and even tried inserted blocks of wood to shrink volume down and still never quite sounded right. Sealed isn't as loud but at least it's simple and small. That's why I went with a 3rd woofer to make it a little louder.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Never was a fan of ported listening to things like Death metal. I tried 32,36 and 40hz tunings of larger sizes and even tried inserted blocks of wood to shrink volume down and still never quite sounded right. Sealed isn't as loud but at least it's simple and small. That's why I went with a 3rd woofer to make it a little louder.

you need a head unit with time correction. Make sure you have good amount of cross sectional area for the port It raises the F3 of the box and makes it a lot punchier, Keep the enclosure size on the recommended to larger side for efficiency and throw a lot of power to the sub and it'll be slamming while keeping up with everything.

When you make the box smaller without feeding it more power, your losing some output efficiency.