Upgrading to 15s, need recommendations

[brafferty]

thanks for the replies! i decided i wanna try soundqubed, still debating between the 15s or the 18 though, closer to the 18, someone sell me on this haha, the way i see it, even if i upgrade the amp later down the road, the 15s and the 18 will be able to handle whatever i send at it, i feel like itll also come down to how i use these with the box design, would i still want to stick with the subs up port back? Im also thinking tuning to 32 hz just so i can say its different than 33 haha... also you mentioned about the 4 inch voicde coil, but i also see that in the 15s as well

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

thanks for the replies! i decided i wanna try soundqubed, still debating between the 15s or the 18 though, closer to the 18, someone sell me on this haha, the way i see it, even if i upgrade the amp later down the road, the 15s and the 18 will be able to handle whatever i send at it, i feel like itll also come down to how i use these with the box design, would i still want to stick with the subs up port back? Im also thinking tuning to 32 hz just so i can say its different than 33 haha... also you mentioned about the 4 inch voicde coil, but i also see that in the 15s as well

Thing with 15s is, you'll definitely need to get a high output alternator 300 amp+ along with a big giant battery bank and those hdc4 15s like 8 to 9 cubic feet of net airspace total buuuuut they are beefy subs, you'll need a f*ckton of bracing. Plus with two, if you want them at their fullest potential, you can throw a 7-8k (wired to 1 ohm before rise (inb4 Hispls gives me ****) amp on them if you want to completely max them out. Thing is idk if you have enough space to hold the batteries because the box will completely eat up your room.

Single 18 will be cheaper overall and still get ridiculously loud, box specs call for 6.5 cubic feet tuned to 33-38hz (you dont need lower tbh its proven that you'll just lose out on output for these particular subs) . You'll have space for batteries etc.. you can run a 3.5k korean amp at .5 ohms with plenty of battery power.

If you are just deciding on 1 15 vs 1 18.... No contest, go with the 18.

Is there something in the back of your mind telling you that 18s dont have good sound quality or some sh*t like that?

 

[Jakerrr 10+ year member]

1 18 will be so much better than 1 15. Bigger is better with subs man. Lots of smaller ones are good because they require proportionally low box volume per unit cone area but for the best cost effectiveness and imo the best sound, one big sub is the way to go. 2 subs are great and all but when you use the money you would've spent on a 2nd sub and put it towards a top of the line woofer, you'll be much happier

 

[brafferty]

Thing with 15s is, you'll definitely need to get a high output alternator 300 amp+ along with a big giant battery bank and those hdc4 15s like 8 to 9 cubic feet of net airspace total buuuuut they are beefy subs, you'll need a f*ckton of bracing. Plus with two, if you want them at their fullest potential, you can throw a 7-8k (wired to 1 ohm before rise (inb4 Hispls gives me ****) amp on them if you want to completely max them out. Thing is idk if you have enough space to hold the batteries because the box will completely eat up your room.
Single 18 will be cheaper overall and still get ridiculously loud, box specs call for 6.5 cubic feet tuned to 33-38hz (you dont need lower tbh its proven that you'll just lose out on output for these particular subs) . You'll have space for batteries etc.. you can run a 3.5k korean amp at .5 ohms with plenty of battery power.

If you are just deciding on 1 15 vs 1 18.... No contest, go with the 18.

Is there something in the back of your mind telling you that 18s dont have good sound quality or some sh*t like that?

no not that, i just like how 2 subs look but ive never even seen anything bigger than a 12 in real life, and i dont plan on ever pushing that 7-8k that guy above was saying, but you never know i guess..... i have a 180 amp HO alt and a yellowtop battery and dont feel like killing my electrical haha...... its starting to look like the 1 18 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[brafferty]

ok, so this new kid rolls into town today, and is like "im new here wanna see my system" and i was prepared for the worst.... this kid has 4 p3 15s.... and 8 speakers with supertweeters... i have new competition, should i try to do 2 15s to beat him? hes using a hifonics brutus 2600, and i figure if i did do say 2 18s, my electrical wouldnt do well and id like to keep it as is (yellowtop Bat with a DC 180HO Alt with big 3 done). IM really looking at the soundqubed HDC4s in both models but i have no idea what to do

 

[Jakerrr 10+ year member]

no not that, i just like how 2 subs look but ive never even seen anything bigger than a 12 in real life, and i dont plan on ever pushing that 7-8k that guy above was saying, but you never know i guess..... i have a 180 amp HO alt and a yellowtop battery and dont feel like killing my electrical haha...... its starting to look like the 1 18 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Single SoQu 18" hdc4 tuned to 33-34 hertz is what you should get man if you want the best for your money and you want to buy new. CSCStang will help you out with this, but in a hatchback/wagon, I believe both sub and port up is optimal. Possibly better sound with port back, but I'm no expert. Both back is optimal for trunks because it tends to mitigate cancellation but you'll often see the best way to go with big sub(s) in trunks is sub UP port back simply because there may not be enough room/height for the sub to face backward.

On the other hand, if low cost isn't that much of a priority, there's a lot you can do. My apologies if you already specified a budget, but it seemed like you were considering 2 15" hdc4's. That would be a good option if you can fit it. Also, from the way you were insisting on tuning lower than recommended, it seems like low frequency reproduction is a priority for you. If you are mainly just trying to put together a daily ground pounder that can kill the lows down to 25-29 hz with authority, I would just go ahead and buy something on the subwoofer classifieds here and wait until something comes along that's known for getting down and nasty lol. Namely, a sundown nsv4 18. I'm partial to sundown for the wrong reasons though, most of the very loud systems in my town run sundown and I haven't heard much else. But I have to say, 2 nsv4 15's sounded like pure ***. Whatever you do, I would implore you to consider getting a much more powerful amp soon, maybe used. If you upgrade to 5000w somewhere down the line after you've been beatin on your beast new subs with that 1500w amp for a while, I guarantee it'll sound **** near twice as loud.

 

[Jakerrr 10+ year member]

ok, so this new kid rolls into town today, and is like "im new here wanna see my system" and i was prepared for the worst.... this kid has 4 p3 15s.... and 8 speakers with supertweeters... i have new competition, should i try to do 2 15s to beat him? hes using a hifonics brutus 2600, and i figure if i did do say 2 18s, my electrical wouldnt do well and id like to keep it as is (yellowtop Bat with a DC 180HO Alt with big 3 done). IM really looking at the soundqubed HDC4s in both models but i have no idea what to do

2 18s if not given enough space won't really be any louder than some smaller subs with the proper amount of space. If you want to surely get louder than that guy you'll need to use as much cone area as possible (lots of small subs if you don't have a ton of space) and you should get a more powerful amp and 2nd battery. Unless you wanna spend a lot more money than you were planning on, I'd forget about being the loudest system in your town lol. Just get what's satisfying to you and maybe work on some SQ stuff like imaging, etc.

---Sundown, while much better value than kicker, alpine, jl, etc, is somewhat pricey compared to SoundQubed etc, but their longevity is like nothing I've ever seen. I've been beatin on my SA-15 since 2010 and it's still going strong. With a kicker zx1000.1, which isn't exactly the cleanest source of power.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

ok, so this new kid rolls into town today, and is like "im new here wanna see my system" and i was prepared for the worst.... this kid has 4 p3 15s.... and 8 speakers with supertweeters... i have new competition, should i try to do 2 15s to beat him? hes using a hifonics brutus 2600, and i figure if i did do say 2 18s, my electrical wouldnt do well and id like to keep it as is (yellowtop Bat with a DC 180HO Alt with big 3 done). IM really looking at the soundqubed HDC4s in both models but i have no idea what to do

HA! lmfaooo love when this sh*t happens rofl. Your high output alt should handle up to a 4k amp if you have a decent battery bank. I'd look into doing a wall lol.

Otherwise, I'd go with a tantric SHD 24 on a 5k. You'll smash that dude. However box design is extremely important

 

[brafferty]

2 18s if not given enough space won't really be any louder than some smaller subs with the proper amount of space. If you want to surely get louder than that guy you'll need to use as much cone area as possible (lots of small subs if you don't have a ton of space) and you should get a more powerful amp and 2nd battery. Unless you wanna spend a lot more money than you were planning on, I'd forget about being the loudest system in your town lol. Just get what's satisfying to you and maybe work on some SQ stuff like imaging, etc.

This is true, and i plan on getting a 3k amp after i "break" whatever new subs i get in with my current one.Price isnt much of an issue for now cause im lucky enough to still live with parents, so it gives me time to save, as for tuning to the 32 HZ, i only wanted that cause my last box was at 33 and i figure, why not. My music is pretty much 80%dubstep, 10 percent rap such as immortal technique and lupe fiasco, and 8 percent metal, and 2 % reggea.... thats why stang last box he built told me to go 33 just because of my difference in genres, im not exactly looking to be the loudest in all honesty, im just like "who the hell is this kid"

 

[brafferty]

HA! lmfaooo love when this sh*t happens rofl. Your high output alt should handle up to a 4k amp if you have a decent battery bank. I'd look into doing a wall lol.
Otherwise, I'd go with a tantric SHD 24 on a 5k. You'll smash that dude. However box design is extremely important

This might be a stupid question, but how would i wall my wagon?? i thought walls were for truck designs

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

This is true, and i plan on getting a 3k amp after i "break" whatever new subs i get in with my current one.Price isnt much of an issue for now cause im lucky enough to still live with parents, so it gives me time to save, as for tuning to the 32 HZ, i only wanted that cause my last box was at 33 and i figure, why not. My music is pretty much 80%dubstep, 10 percent rap such as immortal technique and lupe fiasco, and 8 percent metal, and 2 % reggea.... thats why stang last box he built told me to go 33 just because of my difference in genres, im not exactly looking to be the loudest in all honesty, im just like "who the hell is this kid"

Tuned to 35hz to 37hz then. Lower the tuning, the deeper the bass will hit. Your music genre requires higher tuning, dubstep doesnt drop low. You need a good peak around 35hz to 50hz for dubstep. Most of anything under 35hz is rarely seen in strength in dubstep music. I'd still say the HDC4 18 on a 4k korean board amp in an enclosure done right should get louder than his 4 p3 15s in a hifonics amp. Plenty of people hitting 150db+ with one hdc 4 18 on a 3.5k amp.

This might be a stupid question, but how would i wall my wagon?? i thought walls were for truck designs

You can wall any vehicle, just need a competent builder.

 

[brafferty]

Tuned to 35hz to 37hz then. Lower the tuning, the deeper the bass will hit. Your music genre requires higher tuning, dubstep doesnt drop low. You need a good peak around 35hz to 50hz for dubstep. Most of anything under 35hz is rarely seen in strength in dubstep music. I'd still say the HDC4 18 on a 4k korean board amp in an enclosure done right should get louder than his 4 p3 15s in a hifonics amp. Plenty of people hitting 150db+ with one hdc 4 18 on a 3.5k amp.I built a box that was tuned to 35 and wasnt happy with the Lows, thats why i had stang build me one to 33

You can wall any vehicle, just need a competent builder.

SO youre saying i should wall 2 15s?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif me and my dad build houses, im sure we could tackle a wall, and you say a 4k amp but i can honestly say that going to a 3k seems scary for me, just cause i know this jbl isnt ever at 2000 and it was loud

 

[Jakerrr 10+ year member]

Tuned to 35hz to 37hz then. Lower the tuning, the deeper the bass will hit. Your music genre requires higher tuning, dubstep doesnt drop low. You need a good peak around 35hz to 50hz for dubstep. Most of anything under 35hz is rarely seen in strength in dubstep music. I'd still say the HDC4 18 on a 4k korean board amp in an enclosure done right should get louder than his 4 p3 15s in a hifonics amp. Plenty of people hitting 150db+ with one hdc 4 18 on a 3.5k amp.


You can wall any vehicle, just need a competent builder.

I don't think he's willing to go through the trouble of a wall. He already has a wagon anyway it'll get plenty loud. Hdc4 18 with a 4k amp tuned to 35hz would be perfect for him given his listening habits and electrical.

Definitely don't need to go any lower than 34hz tuning based on that profile. I wouldn't go too much above 35 though bc it might start to sound a bit peaky. Make sure to remind/insist on your box builder putting a vertical dowel in the box. And obviously double 3/4" thick, on top but preferably all around.

 

[brafferty]

I don't think he's willing to go through the trouble of a wall. He already has a wagon anyway it'll get plenty loud. Hdc4 18 with a 4k amp tuned to 35hz would be perfect for him given his listening habits and electrical.
Definitely don't need to go any lower than 34hz tuning based on that profile. I wouldn't go too much above 35 though bc it might start to sound a bit peaky. Make sure to remind/insist on your box builder putting a vertical dowel in the box. And obviously double 3/4" thick, on top but preferably all around.

**** are walls truely that hard? i guess if i did get that 18, i could push maybe 3.5k cause itd give me a much better budget, god **** you guys hahahah! every post persuades me otherwise, i love it but hate it

 

[Jakerrr 10+ year member]

SO youre saying i should wall 2 15s?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif me and my dad build houses, im sure we could tackle a wall, and you say a 4k amp but i can honestly say that going to a 3k seems scary for me, just cause i know this jbl isnt ever at 2000 and it was loud

Doubling power doesn't give anywhere near double loudness/spl. In a perfect world doubling power gives ~3.16 (sq rt of 10) db (about 40 percent more sound pressure and less than 40 percent louder to the ear). So to get 6.32db (2x spl, less than 2x louder to the ear) you'll need 4x the power. But that's in a perfect world, you'll gain a lot less than that in real life. Your sub(s) will be more efficient than your type r's though so you might actually get twice as loud by running 6000 watts. Your electrical won't support that but 3-5kw will def be a bare minimum 50 percent louder