Upgrading from an 8 inch to a 10 inch with same amp wattage.. What do you guys think?

[Camer138 10+ year member]

I probably should have posted this before I placed the order.. but I was getting impatient..

First of all I drive a Toyota Matrix, your standard sized hatchback 5dr car.

I currently have a JBL GTO1004 amp bridged for 300w powering my GTO804 sub(200rms). The sound quality is great but it is not nearly as loud as I'd like.. when I turn it up to the volume I would prefer there is a loud "CLACK" sound when the bass/bass drum hits.. it's probably distortion, so I avoid pushing it that loud, even though I want to.

So I figured for more oomph I should probably get a 10" sub. I went with the GTO1014(same series as current sub, 350rms).. it's currently on order and is not too late to cancel. I am wondering if you guys think this will make much of a difference? I am basically looking to get that extra bit of volume that I wish I could get with my 8", however there are two things that are worrying me. I will be driving the sub with the same amount of wattage, and the 10" has an 88db sensitivity rating where as my 8" has a 91db sensitivity rating. What are your guys' thoughts? will it really be able to get any louder?

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[subie_rex927]

sealed or ported?

 

[Camer138 10+ year member]

sealed

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

You should be using a ported box with that little power and your desire for more output. If you don't want to build a box you can get one from Crutchfield that may very closely match JBL's specs. I did that to test a GTO1214 and it was very impressive off 400W RMS.

If you don't want to give up space for a ported box then you need to put more power on a sub with more cone area. You may likely be disappointed by only going up to a 10" from the 8".

 

[bbeljefe]

All other things being equal, the ten will be a little louder and won't reach mech max like the 8 does. And sensitivity measurements for subs are inconsequential. The box is the most important thing with respect to efficiency.

And as for your selection of subs, those are very solid little subs. It amazes me that they're not more common than they are, because I've abused a number of them and they hold up well.

 

[Camer138 10+ year member]

Thanks for the input guys. I just got back from my car, did some tweaking after reading some articles online. Things can get a quite a bit louder now without the clacking. I had the gain a bit too high. But I think the 10 will still do me good for reaching those lower notes that the 804 cant quite reach.. and if it can get louder then all the better.

If my gain is at half for my 8 inch, how much higher do you guys think would be a good starting point for the 10"?

 

[Beatin' 10+ year member]

simply going from 8 to 10 is going to do nothing.

You know I see this all the time. Dude says "i want some bass", then goes out to buy a single 10 sealed with a matching 300wrms amp, thinking he can bang trunk like the ground pounders out there. Next time you see him, he's disappointed with lack of SPL.

Get another 8 inch and put both of them in a big ported or 4th order box and get a more powerful amp.

 

[jrdnhsnbrg 10+ year member]

Thanks for the input guys. I just got back from my car, did some tweaking after reading some articles online. Things can get a quite a bit louder now without the clacking. I had the gain a bit too high. But I think the 10 will still do me good for reaching those lower notes that the 804 cant quite reach.. and if it can get louder then all the better.
If my gain is at half for my 8 inch, how much higher do you guys think would be a good starting point for the 10"?

None. Turn it all the way down and start from scratch amp-tuning-wise.

 

[Camer138 10+ year member]

@beatin. I'm not looking to compete with the ground pounders. Just looking to fill those lower notes out a bit better and add a slight bit of volume. I listen to metal, and lots and lots of radiohead.. among other bands in a similar genre as radiohead. Not looking to **** off the neighbourhood here, but rather just get the bass level up without distorting, and ported is not an option for me. I need my cargo space, hence the matrix.

 

[bbeljefe]

If my gain is at half for my 8 inch, how much higher do you guys think would be a good starting point for the 10"?

It doesn't matter what size or how many subs you have connected to the amp. The gain is there to match the preamp voltage to the input of the amplifier. It should be set with a scope or DD-1 or, at the very least, with a DMM. And then, it should not be changed.

 

[Camer138 10+ year member]

Just wanted to update. I got my Gto1014, the sub made a HUGE difference compared to the GTO804, and the 1014 hasn't even been broken in yet. The notes seem to reach both higher and lower. The higher bass notes on the 804 were too low in volume to hear and I was missing out on way too many low frequencies. Also, it seems impossible to push this sub too hard for the volume I like. Couldn't be happier with my purchase!

 

[garychoffmann 10+ year member]

Good that you got the results you wanted. Did you use a different box or just cut your hole bigger?

 

[Camer138 10+ year member]

Different box. Still went sealed and the exact cubic feet recommended by jbl though, as my previous box was