Upgrade advice

[TheHen]

Hey all,

I was thinking of getting a second SA-12 someday when I'm not so broke but I was also considering trying out a different brand or size sub to gain better sound quality/play low notes clearer without sacrificing too much SPL. I've seen soundqubed HD315 recommended as well as Fi and DD audio but those were mostly from older posts so I'm not sure if those are all still good options. Just for reference I have a 2 door 2012 honda accord with my SA-12 (classic SA rated for 750 a rms) being fed 800 W.

So i guess my question is what other sub woofers are comparable to the SA-12 with better sound quality and ideally just as loud (am willing to sacrifice a bit of loudness for quality)? Would it be better to just get an SA 15 or other 15 inch woofer or get a different brand 12 inch that is definitely better sq wise and compensate for the loss in spl by adding a second one?

Thanks for any advice yall! Also would rather not spend more than $300 for a new sub.

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[Clifff150 10+ year member]

SSA Gcon or Icon. If you go Icon I’d for sure upgrade amps. What amp are you running?

 

[TheHen]

SSA Gcon or Icon. If you go Icon I’d for sure upgrade amps. What amp are you running?

Thanks for the input gonna check them out right now. I have a skar 2000.1 I've been hesitant to run anything over 800 rms since all my electrical equipment is stock and I get headlight/ interior light dimming.

 

[Clifff150 10+ year member]

SSA subs have great SQ but get down. Can’t recommend them enough. Make sure to put them in a proper box.

Have you done the big 3? Do you have an AGM battery under the hood?

 

[TheHen]

Was hoping to get the big 3 done this weekend. I dont think so I havent changed the battery so I'm guessing it's not. What are the benefits of an AGM battery? (Sorry new fairly new to car audio)

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

SA are really good for a 750W sub. Unless you aim to throw a lot more power at something I don't think you'd gain a lot by just throwing another sub in there.

Let's talk about your box. Pics of the box as it sits in the vehicle?

 

[TheHen]

SA are really good for a 750W sub. Unless you aim to throw a lot more power at something I don't think you'd gain a lot by just throwing another sub in there.

Let's talk about your box. Pics of the box as it sits in the vehicle?

So I made my own box from this design (tuned to 35 hz) "" and it wasn't perfect but it got loud enough it just didnt hit the lows like I hoped for on some songs. Now I got a pre fab box from my local sundown dealer tuned to 32 hz and the lows do hit a bit better but it's not as loud.

 

[Clifff150 10+ year member]

When you say lows, what lows are you talking about? I’d sell that prefab and use your old box.

 

[Clifff150 10+ year member]

Was hoping to get the big 3 done this weekend. I dont think so I havent changed the battery so I'm guessing it's not. What are the benefits of an AGM battery? (Sorry new fairly new to car audio)

Definitely do the Big 3 and upgrade your battery and that should fix your dimming. You aren’t running a whole lot of power so I think you’re good.

What is an AGM battery? | Greenlight by Interstate Batteries

Lots of new cars sport AGM batteries. But what are they? Here’s the big deal.

www.interstatebatteries.com

 

[TheHen]

When you say lows, what lows are you talking about? I’d sell that prefab and use your old box.

Like some songs with a low note or frequency I guess weren't so loud or as clear as they were when the same song was played through other subs I heard (one of those was an audio pipe 15 inch and the other was a jl 12 inch). I understand jl is more sq oriented but they're pretty expensive. I havent heard much about audiopipe enough to try one out myself

 

[TheHen]

Like some songs with a low note or frequency I guess weren't so loud or as clear as they were when the same song was played through other subs I heard (one of those was an audio pipe 15 inch and the other was a jl 12 inch). I understand jl is more sq oriented but they're pretty expensive. I havent heard much about audiopipe enough to try one out myself

Not a high end jl btw maybe a w0v3

 

[TheHen]

Definitely do the Big 3 and upgrade your battery and that should fix your dimming. You aren’t running a whole lot of power so I think you’re good.

What is an AGM battery? | Greenlight by Interstate Batteries

Lots of new cars sport AGM batteries. But what are they? Here’s the big deal.

www.interstatebatteries.com

Thank you!

 

[Clifff150 10+ year member]

I call it audiopoop. Your sundown shitz on the JL and Audiopipe all day. Low frequencies aren’t loud so I’m thinking their boxes were probably tuned in the 40s and you’re thinking that’s low bass.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Like some songs with a low note or frequency I guess weren't so loud or as clear as they were when the same song was played through other subs I heard (one of those was an audio pipe 15 inch and the other was a jl 12 inch). I understand jl is more sq oriented but they're pretty expensive. I havent heard much about audiopipe enough to try one out myself

Most songs dont reach low so here's an actual test for you to see how low your sub actually goes. Most normal music doesnt hit anything below 35hz often. Some rap and trap music may go down to low 30s but thats pretty much the cutoff. This rebass is below that


More than likely all the boxes you tried are tuned too high and way too small for any real deep bass results.

 

[mastershake575]

I agree heavily with the GCON or ICON over the Sundown SA. More tighter and accurate response and will offer more output in the upper portion of the bass