What's the difference?

[Sailor Dog 10+ year member]

Hi all. Lately, I've seen alot of threads, and posts on those threads, about different brands, and somebody who wants to go to the bigger (mainstream) companies (ie. Rockford, Kicker, Alpine) and everybody mentions how people should go with smaller companies, like SKAR or Sundown (I'm using those 2 examples because they're brands I've been looking into..)..I'm just wondering, what would be the difference of say, a Sundown 15" sub vs an Alpine 15" sub in the same box? What's that huge factor that makes everybody say that these smaller companies are better than mainstream products?

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[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

for one the smaller companies make recone kits for they're subs,te mainstream companies do not for most.better customer service too

 

[Full Tilt 10+ year member]

for one the smaller companies make recone kits for they're subs,te mainstream companies do not for most.better customer service too

I think he means performance-wise..I kinda agree with him, everybody says not to go mainstream because smaller companies (Sundown, for example) is apparently so much better.

 

[MisterDeadeye 10+ year member]

It's because they are better. Most of the mainstream crap is just crap.

 

[murph 10+ year member]

There is a lot of competition in the smaller companies market so they end up putting higher quality parts into the subs and investing more money into each then say kicker or alpine. Customer service is also top notch for most of the smaller companies and you can even ask the owners questions on this very forums.

 

[Sailor Dog 10+ year member]

It's because they are better. Most of the mainstream crap is just crap.

But what makes the smaller company subwoofers better?

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

because they spend more money on development of they'er components rather than a ton of cash on advertising to get people to buy their inferior junk.dont get me wrong some of the mainstream equipment is ok and some even good.but again the customer service does out weight the quality

 

[murph 10+ year member]

mainstream means your paying for advertising and less quality for the most part

 

[MisterDeadeye 10+ year member]

But what makes the smaller company subwoofers better?

I really don't understand how you are confused. I'm talking about the subwoofers themselves. The. Subwoofers. Are. Better.

Better as in better quality, better performance, better price.

Regardless of what you think, most of the people here don't have anything particularly against mainstream brands. They just don't get sucked in by advertising like the majority of people.

 

[NutHugger 10+ year member]

Watch them beat around the bush... lol it's because they don't know why. They just regurgitate the same info back and forth and they don't know why. They pick a brand and squeeze it's nuts. That's mainly what this site is. There are a few knowledgeable members and they get fewer all the time. The rest are noobs that think they know but don't have a clue as can be seen here from the nothing answers given here.

(since this is the tech section I have to give an answer or face a ban from the oppressive mods here)

The answer is: Smaller brands don't spend as much on marketing. They let their competitors do the marketing for them. They use strong motors. Big box brands are known for using tiny motors and putting big boots over them so you can't tell how tiny they really are. Smaller brands use higher quality soft parts. Better coils, cones, glue, and spiders. With car audio equipment, gains are not seen in a linear fashion. They are logarithmic. So, to people who aren't particularly knowledgeable the products seem to perform similarly, when in fact they are worlds apart.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

They will get louder, sound better, take more power for longer, they have options(coils, dust caps, leads), customer service. You get a better product for your money. Example also, you buy a 10 cause thats all you can fit, you change cars and can fit a 15. You simply send the sub back and it comes back a 15. They use the same motor assembly for all the subs in that line. And for the most part they as US built. Quality control is tight. Every mainstream brand has something good, but for what you pay for it cause of a name is stupid.

 

[Bass911 10+ year member]

Everyone is telling the truth. The Type R and SA are completely different. They have a different bass sound if you know what I mean. You will never be able to get hardcore Sundown bass from a Type R, and you can't make the SA sound like the Alpine. If you've ever sat in a car with Ssa, Fi, DC, IA, AQ, and Sundown, the Type R wouldn't even be an option. Type R is not a bad sub and will always sell because it is cheaper. You could save over $100 on 2 Type R vs 2 Sundowns, but are you really saving because you're going to upgrade in the future?

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

mainstream means your paying for advertising and less quality for the most part

They will get louder, sound better, take more power for longer, they have options(coils, dust caps, leads), customer service. You get a better product for your money. Example also, you buy a 10 cause thats all you can fit, you change cars and can fit a 15. You simply send the sub back and it comes back a 15. They use the same motor assembly for all the subs in that line. And for the most part they as US built. Quality control is tight. Every mainstream brand has something good, but for what you pay for it cause of a name is stupid.

^those, to an extent atleast.

Part of it is nuthuggery on the internet from people who probably have no experience with either product they are comparing, but since they're online, something like Sundown is the obvious answer. There are still some "mainstream" companies that make nice products and aren't as expensive as some people make them out to be. Neither do they sound as bad as some people act like they do. For example, all you'll hear online is that the L7s sound like *insert supposedly funny comparison to something bad*, when, actually, just like any other sub, when you implement it correctly can sound good and have even been used in SQ winning cars. CVRs are pretty decent at $75 a pop, JL w6s always have been and still are forces to be reckoned with in the SQ world, Alpine Type R's can keep up with SA-12s in the right install.....but none of that is considered because its mainstream.

I definitely respect the underground companies though. I loved my Sundown products and the Customer Service I've gotten with Sundown and DC were top notch. The guys are always very helpful even if the right choice isn't necessarily their product. You get more options in reconing the subs. All of that, in itself, is enough to make some people more drawn to underground companies and you can't blame them for that at all.

The whole arrogant attitude of "my equipment isn't mainstream, so I'm better than you" gets old, though, and, in reality, different products will fit different applications and consumers whether they be made by mainstream or underground companies IMO.

 

[dragnix 5,000+ posts]

if it makes the boom, why you care?

 

[murph 10+ year member]

it's all in the box