W3 or W6 for my 2012 Audi S5?

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

Yupp, the w6s sound like your best bet here. Forget the capacitor though. You wont need it. Also look into the Morel Ultimo and Hertz Mille. Id go with the 12w6 though...just me..never had a bad JL sub.

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

also, the w3 may be entry level but they sound darn good for what they are. But in that price range, the Dayton HO stomps all over it.

 

[perfecxionX 10+ year member]

Thanks for your input. I just read my original post and I apologize for the poor wording.
The S5 has 8 internal speakers. They sound pretty **** good for stock speakers. They highs and mids are excellent. I don't see the need to upgrade them. I did however ask the folks at custom sounds about upgrading the whole system but I was told it would be a tricky process because instead of the traditional 4 speakers I had 8. That in itself would require 2 amps. Also they would need to replace the HU, something that I did not want. I like the Audi stock setup.

So the only work that will be performed is in the trunk. After they listened to my car's system they suggested I go with 2 10W3s with a 500/1v2 amp and a capacitor. That sounded very entry level to me and I think the sales person misunderstood what I meant by quality over volume. Sure I want the best quality audio but I also want to have the luxury of cranking it up for some punchy songs. I especially like the rumbling sound in my music. From what I was told, RMS is responsible for that. After talking to a few people I was told that the W3s would not give me what I want.

So now I am at a cross road. The W6 or W3? Money is not an issue here. I just don't want to get anything completely unnecessary. It is very frustrating because I am unable to sample the subs anywhere. So I can just go from your recommendations.

Ultimately, output is about one thing: moving air. The more diaphragm area you have and the more excursion you have the more air you will move and the more output you will get. For this reason, all else being equal, a pair of 10w3s should have more output than 1 12w6.

You have not mentioned enclosures at all and this is probably the most important variable in predicting performance. 2 10w3 will require an enclosure almost twice the size of 1 12w6 so if you dont want to give up alot of trunk space the single w6 will be a better option. If trunk space isnt an issue, id do the the 2 10w3 ported. You could consider getting a single 10w6 and if more ouput is desired you could just buy a second later. Dont get a capacitor. They are an ineffective fix, and a car like yours should have no electrical problem supporting a 1000/1. If money really isnt an issue, id get a 13w7.

As a last note, I would warn you against thinking that just because the w3 is an entry level driver that there will be a major audible difference in "quality" compared with the w6. Price tag is not a determinant of quality. Human hearing is incredibly incapable of detecting distortion in the sub frequency range (20-40hz especially), so if your concern is "quality" what you need to worry about between the w3 and w6 is producing a flat frequency response across the sub's bandwidth. Your prime tool is accomplishing this is enclosure design

 

[asb36]

Ultimately, output is about one thing: moving air. The more diaphragm area you have and the more excursion you have the more air you will move and the more output you will get. For this reason, all else being equal, a pair of 10w3s should have more output than 1 12w6.
You have not mentioned enclosures at all and this is probably the most important variable in predicting performance. 2 10w3 will require an enclosure almost twice the size of 1 12w6 so if you dont want to give up alot of trunk space the single w6 will be a better option. If trunk space isnt an issue, id do the the 2 10w3 ported. You could consider getting a single 10w6 and if more ouput is desired you could just buy a second later. Dont get a capacitor. They are an ineffective fix, and a car like yours should have no electrical problem supporting a 1000/1. If money really isnt an issue, id get a 13w7.

As a last note, I would warn you against thinking that just because the w3 is an entry level driver that there will be a major audible difference in "quality" compared with the w6. Price tag is not a determinant of quality. Human hearing is incredibly incapable of detecting distortion in the sub frequency range (20-40hz especially), so if your concern is "quality" what you need to worry about between the w3 and w6 is producing a flat frequency response across the sub's bandwidth. Your prime tool is accomplishing this is enclosure design

My trunk is pretty deep. So there is plenty of space and I don't mind sacrificing 1/2 or 2/3 of it. The enclosure will be custom built by Custom Sounds to match and blend in with the trunk. According to them it should look good and resemble a stock setup - the way I want it. These guys should know what they're doing. I have seen them put systems together that cost up to $30K. I honestly don't know id they will use a existing box and modify it or they will create a complete custom box. I'll be sure to ask.

If my power is capable of providing enough power, would they even need to use a capacitor? I think once they tare my car apart and find out what they're dealing with they may completely eliminate the capacitor.

 

[perfecxionX 10+ year member]

Their job is to move products and if that means occasionally selling people things that they really dont need then most shops will certainly do it. Just seach capacitor on these boards and youll find unanimous agreement that theyre near useless. I have an 07 accord v6 and it supports over 2kw of power with no problems, so its likely that your audi can do half that with ease.

If theyre building you a custom enclosure just make sure its a bass reflex (ported) enclosure because that will give you the sound you seem to be looking for.

Example of bass reflex vs sealed (note the lower f3 point and increased output in the lowest regions):

 

[asb36]

I went with two 10W3s. Hooked up to a 500/1. Ported box. Looks good. Sounds great.

There is one thing that still puzzles me. The 12W3s have the same wattage and RMS. What would the difference be between 12W3s and 10W3s? I assume since you have more surface area you move more air and therefor get more of a rumble effect because it hits the lower notes better. Am I right?

 

[kramer_212 10+ year member]

jl audio uses different motors on each size unlike other brands, the 12 can handle more power than the 10.