Total newb needs advice - thanks in advance

[blazian87 10+ year member]

[quote name='a/v HD fan']Thanks. Last question (for now anyway): good custom sub box builder?

Appreciate your time, thanks.[/QUOTE]

Well depends on how much you willing to pay. Since you're on the east coast, find someone near there. @Boomsday has great prices. I know @Che&\#1071;RyMan does crazy custom work for a good price as well. Cherryman Custom built sub boxes Jackson TN.

 

[a/v HD fan]

[quote name='blazian87']Well depends on how much you willing to pay. Since you're on the east coast, find someone near there. @Boomsday has great prices. I know @Che&\#1071;RyMan does crazy custom work for a good price as well. Cherryman Custom built sub boxes Jackson TN.[/QUOTE]
Bumping my own thread with a "what would you do?" scenario.

To cover everything, two approaches:

Sonic Electronix bundle of NVX VCW122 and Brutus 1200.1
for $290 shipped. Bbox E12SV looks almost perfect specs wise and can be had from Amazon for a paltry $35 shipped. NVX OFC 4 gauge amp kit for $60 shipped. Audiocontrol Lc2i for $75 shipped. Posi Tap kit for 10 bucks. Best Buy install of $120 gets to $590 (maybe $600) out the door, everything all-in.

 

[a/v HD fan]

OR:

C2 Audio Team 1k and Threatcon 1800.1 for $420 shipped. Rockville RBS12 for $85. Everything else the same, so OTD of approximately $780ish.

 

[a/v HD fan]

In C2 option, I would run the load at 2 ohms for about 900 watts.

So, which would you do? And why? Again, this is supplement a pretty decent (but not great) factory Bose stereo.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

In C2 option, I would run the load at 2 ohms for about 900 watts.
So, which would you do? And why? Again, this is supplement a pretty decent (but not great) factory Bose stereo.

If it were me, I would not trust best buy for any install. Do you know any other shops around your area? I would definitely get the Audiocontrol LC2i in your situation. NVX 4 ga OFC kit can work. You can also look into KnuKonceptz OFC wires as they are known to be oversized and about the same price. I would not buy either of the boxes that you mentioned. The Bbox E12SV is a bit too small for most 12" subs and it doesn't look like it'll hold up well as many of the comments say that it fell apart on them. Rockville RBS12 is a better quality box but it is tuned a bit high for spl purposes. A custom box is always the best choice. It may cost a bit more but is totally worth it. Rather than buying a good sub and stick it in a prefab, you will always be better off building the box around the sub; not the other way around. I'm getting kinda confused on whether you're looking for more spl or sq. You said originally that you're looking for a smallish enclosure and that you want to be able to play all genres. The Dayton HO can do very well with a broad range of music and can be used in a small ported box. It's also not very expensive and doesn't require that much power. 900@2ohms would be more than enough for this sub. Any of the subs you listed above are fine choices though, but I still think you need to consider a custom ported enclosure either way. Otherwise just go sealed and call it a day.

 

[a/v HD fan]

I met one (very good, reputable) shop, described what I wanted to do, and he said JL 600w amp, JL prefab enclosure, and I should expect to pay somewhere around $1500ish.

I understand the E12SV isn't big enough for most 12's, but it does appear to be almost perfect for the NVX VCW122. So that's why I suggested it. The RBS12 is almost perfect for the C2 T1k.

Ideally I would like to get the absolute best bang for my buck with somewhere around $6-700 as a ceiling for all expenses.

I am not sold on Best Buy but not many places want to install stuff you bought elsewhere, and Best Buy seems to be one noteworthy exception to that.

I want good sound quality first and foremost, within my budget. Should I just go sealed instead? Scosche appears to make a well-liked 12 sealed box. I understand that custom box is much better but I am not sure I want to chew up that much of my budget on box and then have a super low end sub and amp as a result. Not sure if I'm making any sense to you guys, but it seems to make sense to me.

 

[a/v HD fan]

Belva 1SV12B instead for NVX's box? Read the Bbox reviews and one said the volume is gross and the tuning is much higher than advertised.

EDIT: I have also seen MSW prefab boxes that appear to be very nice but they're in the $120-130 range and I don't know if my budget can support that much for the box. I am already getting "the look" from the missus when describing this as a $600 project. Want good sound but I also like sleeping in my bed. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[a/v HD fan]

This was another option I am considering:

JL Audio Bass Package 500 Watt Dual 12"*| Creative Car Audio

Install would be $100 so right at $600 all in...

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

I met one (very good, reputable) shop, described what I wanted to do, and he said JL 600w amp, JL prefab enclosure, and I should expect to pay somewhere around $1500ish.
I understand the E12SV isn't big enough for most 12's, but it does appear to be almost perfect for the NVX VCW122. So that's why I suggested it. The RBS12 is almost perfect for the C2 T1k.

Ideally I would like to get the absolute best bang for my buck with somewhere around $6-700 as a ceiling for all expenses.

I am not sold on Best Buy but not many places want to install stuff you bought elsewhere, and Best Buy seems to be one noteworthy exception to that.

I want good sound quality first and foremost, within my budget. Should I just go sealed instead? Scosche appears to make a well-liked 12 sealed box. I understand that custom box is much better but I am not sure I want to chew up that much of my budget on box and then have a super low end sub and amp as a result. Not sure if I'm making any sense to you guys, but it seems to make sense to me.

Almost every prefab ported box will be tuned pretty high because otherwise they would have to make the overall box bigger. The ultimate goal for prefabs is to make as many sales as possible so more people are willing to buy it if it's a smaller package. The problem with prefabs is you can't expect one box to sound good for every application. Some people are happy with it, but it can still sound better with a custom enclosure. I would only go prefab if it's sealed but there's a chance you might not be happy with the output and response. Even though the NVX sub recommended specs say 1.25 cu ported, that's not necessarily gonna be for everyone. It's a compromise, not optimal. Yes, the RBS12 is practically perfect size for the C2 T1k but I feel it might be tuned too high for your needs. If you want sound quality first, then that's not the way to go. If you are looking for loud SPL bass, then by all means.

It's true, many shops don't wanna install stuff that you bought elsewhere but they are gonna rip you off with their products. How much did the shop charge you just for installation if you bring your own stuff? Don't get that JL package. Such a ripoff. I understand you're on a budget but you can do better for the money. I'm not trying to tell you how to spend your money but I think you need to do a little more research about how enclosures affect the overall response.

BTW, none of the subs mentioned in this thread are "super low end" by any means.. A cheap sub in an optimal custom box will outperform an expensive sub in a crappy box just to put things in perspective.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Belva 1SV12B instead for NVX's box? Read the Bbox reviews and one said the volume is gross and the tuning is much higher than advertised.
EDIT: I have also seen MSW prefab boxes that appear to be very nice but they're in the $120-130 range and I don't know if my budget can support that much for the box. I am already getting "the look" from the missus when describing this as a $600 project. Want good sound but I also like sleeping in my bed. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Spend less on woofers and more on the box. If you have 400 dollar woofers in a 80 dollar ebay/amazon box, they will sound like a 50 dollar woofer basically poop. If you have a 99 dollar sub in a custom box, they will sound like a 400 dollar woofer. Simple, the enclosure is EVERYTHING, all the boxes you've listed are GARBAGE aside from the msw enlcosures. Boomsday can build you one and shipped for dirt cheap for around 100.

Go with a single sundown E series in a proper box, they will sure as hell surprise you.

IF you really do not give a SH*T about the box then buy two c2 threatcon 2s in a sealed box with the threatcon amp, they will hit hard and sound very nice, trust me, been runing C2 audios and experimenting for awhile. The threatcon 1k will need a real box or else it'll sound like garbage no ebay or amazon BullSh*t tolerated with that sub.

Yes c2 threatcon 2s will take all of that power that amp can provide, you'll need the big 3 upgrade and possibly a stronger battery, but before you make those upgrades, you can still run everything, just take care and set the gains on the safe side. You can control how much power the amp outputs via gain control.

 

[a/v HD fan]

Spend less on woofers and more on the box. If you have 400 dollar woofers in a 80 dollar ebay/amazon box, they will sound like a 50 dollar woofer basically poop. If you have a 99 dollar sub in a custom box, they will sound like a 400 dollar woofer. Simple, the enclosure is EVERYTHING, all the boxes you've listed are GARBAGE aside from the msw enlcosures. Boomsday can build you one and shipped for dirt cheap for around 100. Go with a single sundown E series in a proper box, they will sure as hell surprise you.

IF you really do not give a SH*T about the box then buy two c2 threatcon 2s in a sealed box with the threatcon amp, they will hit hard and sound very nice, trust me, been runing C2 audios and experimenting for awhile. The threatcon 1k will need a real box or else it'll sound like garbage no ebay or amazon BullSh*t tolerated with that sub.

Yes c2 threatcon 2s will take all of that power that amp can provide, you'll need the big 3 upgrade and possibly a stronger battery, but before you make those upgrades, you can still run everything, just take care and set the gains on the safe side. You can control how much power the amp outputs via gain control.

Thanks I really appreciate all the advice, guys.

So maybe NVX VCW122 and Brutus 1200.1 combo ($290)

Optimized custom Boomsday box ($100)

Audio control LC2i ($75)

NVX or Knu OFC 4 gauge kit ($60)

$525 for everything other than install, and maybe I can work some kind of deal there... IDK.

That sounds like a better approach?

Thanks again I am really learning a lot and appreciate all the help.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Stick to 1000 efficent rms unless you have $500 set aside for a bigger alternator just in case. Or you could back the power down also till voltage stabilizes.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Looks decent

 

[a/v HD fan]

Looks decent

Would dual 8 ' s be better? Sealed or ported/t-line?

What do you guys think about Massive Audio SUMMO or HIPPO?

 

[kero48]

I have a friend who has two 8" sundown sa-8's in a ported box and it sounds amazing. Plenty of punch and depth.

My infinity basslink (12" sub with passive radiator at 200rms) took a crap on me and am working on a setup that would have one 8" sundown sa-8 in a slotted enclosure. Excited to get it done and see what this little beast can do.