Which would have better sound quality ?

[qguy]

12 inch JBL GT5 or a Sundown e8

I already have the JBL GT5 installed and plan on replacing it with the Sundown E8 as the JBL was too big. I found a way to position the JBL it to get more trunk space so changing it to the 8 inch sundown is only feasible if it would sound better. I do not need louder, but looking for better quality bass.....

So would the e8 sound better than the JBL GT5 ?

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[knighty]

I think the enclosure will have a lot to do with it

 

[qguy]

given both have proper enclosures and amplification which would provide better SQ ?

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I'm a big fan of JBL products, and I have not yet found a good reason to recommend Sundown subwoofers. That's my bias but the best way to know which will give better sound quality, which is going to come down to your preference, is to try both subwoofers in your vehicle.

I modeled the Sundown E8 v5 dual 2 ohm subwoofer and a JBL GT5-12 in WinISD Pro.

The yellow curve is for a JBL GT5-12 in a 1 cu ft sealed enclosure on 300W. The white curve is for a Sundown E8 v5 in a 0.5 cu ft ported enclosure tuned to 32 Hz on 300W. In my opinion there is no scenario in which I would choose the E8 v5 if you also have space for a 1 cubic foot enclosure for a 12" subwoofer. That is even with the understanding that WinISD Pro does not take into account the acoustics of your vehicle. The Technical Data sheet included with the JBL subwoofer shows In-Car predicted response, and it shows a very agreeable response curve for both fun strong bass as well as good sound quality.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

where the port is firing and the sub location is important too. If you found a way to reposition it at the expense of proper loading, you will lose SQ.