Which sub for tight bass, pref. ~$100?

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

Mmkay so my friend wants to add a sub to his setup and has asked me for suggestions. He listens to mostly rock and demands extremely tight, clean bass, but not tons of it. He also does not want to lose much trunk space, as we have to move to different cities every 3 months. We are all college students so money is a big issue here; my first thought was an SA-8, as woofercooker was selling them for 85+shipping and I read that, sealed, they like a 0.2-0.3 cu. foot box. However, price is increasing for cooker and I'm wondering if this is the best option for both price and sound.

He's planning on spending somewhere between 100-150 for an amp and hopefully around 100 for a sub - used is alright as long as it's legit. Vehicle is a 2007 Honda Accord. Do you guys think a single 8" is too little in the trunk; two 8s or one 10 would be better? Like I said he does not want to knock down houses. I just figured the SA-8 would be decently tight and well-priced. For the amp I've just been watching the classifieds; the sub not so sure on. What would you guys recommend?

Thanks a lot //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

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[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

dcon 10" ?

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

Is that an SQ sub? 300 W RMS is very reasonable...

 

[Cruzer 10+ year member]

dcon 12 is only $125, so a good price for a 12. though its not a top sq sub, its ok.

i would go with a dayton sub for sq. dayton HF 10 in a 1 cubic foot sealed box is nice. dayton ho 10 and ssa dcon 10 winisd says .321 and .324 cubic foot sealed will sound good. wont play 30hz too loud, but will play the lower frequencies and sound good

fwiw dayton hf 10 sealed 1 cube 350 watts, plays a little louder than dcon 10 sealed 1 cube box 350 watts and is proven to have lower distortion

u looking to stay smaller than 1 cube?

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

Ideally yes, less than a cube would be good. so:

SSA dcon 10" = 0.324

Dayton HO 10" = 0.321

Dayton HF 10" = 1.0

eh? the small boxes sound tempting.

 

[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

I will second the Dayton HF 10.

 

[Cruzer 10+ year member]

just remember, smaller box means less low end. so your 30hz might not be very loud. SSA recommends at least .75 for the dcon 10

personally i would do at least .5 there is a 3 db difference(which is audible) @30hz when u go from .3 to .5 with the dayton hf 10

if u jump to .75 its only a 1db difference, so not really worth going bigger at that point. need 1 cube to get another 3db over the .5 cubic foot box.

though ive heard if u use a small box, like .3, with cabin gain, it will sound as close to flat as possible with no eq work. flat response is ideal

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

Mmkay. what is the difference between the Ho and HF? They seem to be around the same price...

 

[Cruzer 10+ year member]

the HF is designed for sealed boxes. if u use the same box size, say .5, in order for the HF to be equally as loud, u need to give it, its full rms power (600 watts) vs the HF using just 350. that will help on buying the amp. even if u dont use the full 350/600, regardless the HO will always need more power than the HF to be as loud sealed.

the HO is designed for small ported boxes. which you could look into if u like. the dayton HO 10 can be used in .6 cubic foot tuned to 32hz. it will still be smaller than 1 cubic foot after the port displacement, and it will be loud. with the same 350 watts u would gain a ton of output at 30hz 5-6db louder

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

Mmkay thanks. Just looking for tightness and simplicity of box construction so was thinking sealed. We don't have much time or tools here so building a sealed box or buying one is most feasible.

Unless you think there's a ported box he could buy that would sound as tight, it sounds like the HO in a sealed box with a bigger-ish amp would be a good solution.

 

[Cruzer 10+ year member]

i wouldnt buy a ported box unless it was from someone on here that built it

just make sure u weight ur options, the ho 10 will need 600 watt amp, which will cost more, but allow room for if he changes his mind or whatever he has a nice amount of power on tap

vs the HF needing just 350 or 400, might save a little if he is on a budget

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

I'm just a little worried putting the HF in something it's not designed for...

I guess I'll talk to him and see if he prefers the extra box space or extra power. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

infinity IMO on that budget.

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

Which one? the Kappa? what does it have over the Dayton?

 

[dragonrage 10+ year member]

Dayton, easily. Stop mentioning Dcon. Dayton has significantly lower distortion.