Upgrade needed from Alpine S. got 500 RMS

[AL210]

I'm looking to upgrade from my Alpine SWS-10D2. I have a good 500 RMS from my Rockford P500-2 to use.

The Alpine don't sound too bad but is not very efficient.

Any suggestions for this power in a sealed box. Looking for good sound quality and efficiency.

$150-$200 budget.

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[Side Show 10+ year member]

why are you upgrading? more bass? deeper bass? blown sub ect.... what do you want to get out of this sub that the type s couldn't do

 

[Dtrom 10+ year member]

Ssa dcon //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[AL210]

why are you upgrading? more bass? deeper bass? blown sub ect.... what do you want to get out of this sub that the type s couldn't do

Two things.

1. I thought that it would have more bass with this amp. For 500 RMS (which is probably underrated) I thought I wouldn't have to turn it up as much to get a lot of sound.

2. The sound quality seems like it could be more accurate/clean. This is why I went with a sealed box. Mostly want SQ.

So Im figuring that maybe this sub is not quite giving me the performance I expected since its really entry level.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

It is difficult to get a lot of output from a sealed box. I would suggest buying a very beefy sub and trying, even though it'll be under powered. I'm not sure what to suggest for that budget, but there is likely a used sub for that price.

You can gain output while maintaining sound quality going ported, if you're willing to give it a shot.

 

[dirt101 10+ year member]

Put the alpine in custom ported box first

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

You have a really good sub for the price. It's a fairly high excursion design, which helps to get more output without running a lot of power. I can relate to you on the sound quality, because you can get a very different type of bass by changing subs. A lower distortion sub may be what you need to get the bass sounding more accurate. However, you might actually think it sounds quieter if your bass has less distortion.

 

[bbeljefe]

How big is the box it's in now?

That woofer has an EBP of 67 so it should either be in a medium sized sealed box or, a ported box. Preferably the latter.

Sealed boxes can provide cleaner bass but only when they're matched with the driver. Too small a sealed box for a woofer that likes space will decrease output and too large a sealed box for a woofer that likes small spaces will make it sound muddy.

 

[ace_800 5,000+ posts]

It's over you budget, but if you can sell the S's I have 2 X's for sale.

 

[AL210]

How big is the box it's in now?
That woofer has an EBP of 67 so it should either be in a medium sized sealed box or, a ported box. Preferably the latter.

Sealed boxes can provide cleaner bass but only when they're matched with the driver. Too small a sealed box for a woofer that likes space will decrease output and too large a sealed box for a woofer that likes small spaces will make it sound muddy.

My box is the angled type with 0.75 cubic ft. Is this good or bad and who do you recommend for a custom ported box?

A lot of people seem to like the Sundown SA. I found one for $149 free shipping.

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

does it have a terminal connection on the side of the box? (try take that out and wire the sub straight to the amp and run the wires through the opening from the terminal connection) it'll get louder, but could still sound better with a custom sub box made

 

[BrownVanMan 10+ year member]

me elemental designs 10 did AMAZING in both spl levels and SQ in a sealed box. however its dual 4

 

[bbeljefe]

My box is the angled type with 0.75 cubic ft. Is this good or bad and who do you recommend for a custom ported box?
A lot of people seem to like the Sundown SA. I found one for $149 free shipping.

Alpine says .5-.85 cf per driver so that should be enough space for it. However, it would do better in a ported enclosure. And yes, I would recommend the SA line (I just ordered a 15 today) but before doing that, I would put the Alpine in a ported enclosure. I promise you it will sound much, much better in a vented cabinet that's made for it.

 

[zako 10+ year member]

Most 10 inch subwoofers don't have great sensitivity in a sealed box. Moreover, the subwoofers that do have better sensitivity other things being equal, have other tradeoffs, such as significantly reduced power handling. For example, you can try the Dayton Reference HF 10 inch 4ohm (SVC) subwoofer. It has better sensitivity than most 10 inch subs, but has only 12mm of xmax excursion and will run out of it with just 300watts of power or so.

If you want to get louder, then maybe its time to go with a bigger subwoofer or play with a ported box or run more power.

 

[AL210]

I will try the ported box first and see what that does. Thanks everyone.