Car audio question: two 10" subs or one 12" sub?

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huey1124

Golden Member
Sep 19, 2000
1,068
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Hi,

I haven't bought a car stereo or speakers for a long time, and I don't know anything about car audio anymore. I've been spending quite a bit of money upgrading stereo system in my SUV (replacing everything), and I have a question about subs. Between having to go with two 10" subs in an enclosed box, or one 12" sub in an enclosed box, will it make much difference in sound quality? To be specific, I am choosing between two 10" Kenwood subs (KFC-W2505), or one 12" Pioneer sub (TS-WX121). I don't need anything that will set off car alarms or anything like that. All I want is a decent, balanced system with plenty of bass. I already bought a 680 watt amp (2-channel), but if I went with one 12", then this amp is bridgeable. Also, will I need a crossover? Thanks in advance.

 
A

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
Hmm. What SUV do you have?
I like my bass strong but tight so I have 1 8" aluminum woofer in my pickup.
I used to have a GMC Jimmy and had 2x 12" Cerwin-Vega subs in an enclosure in the back. That was L-O-U-D.

If you want large, thumping bass to rattle your brains, get the 12". If you just want tighter bass and lots of it get the 2x 10".
 
H

huey1124

Golden Member
Sep 19, 2000
1,068
1
0
Originally posted by: amnesiac
Hmm. What SUV do you have?
I like my bass strong but tight so I have 1 8" aluminum woofer in my pickup.
I used to have a GMC Jimmy and had 2x 12" Cerwin-Vega subs in an enclosure in the back. That was L-O-U-D.

If you want large, thumping bass to rattle your brains, get the 12". If you just want tighter bass and lots of it get the 2x 10".
Click to expand...

I have an Isuzu Rodeo. So are you saying one 12" will be louder than two 10" subs? What about distortion? The 12" sub I linked says 100w RMS and 400w peak. How loud is 100w (at RMS)?
 
G

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
What matters is the surface area of the driver times the displacement.
That figure is called the x-mas.
So find the x-mas of the drivers and do the math.
 
rudeguy

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
depends on your amp and what you want as far as bass...if you just want loud floppy bass...then go with a 12 in a bandpass box...if you want good tight bass...get the tens...also your amp will be putting out more power assuming you bridged it....meaning that if you hook up 1 twelve running at 4 ohms you amp will be putting out about 80 watts...bridge it and it will go up to 160
 
H

huey1124

Golden Member
Sep 19, 2000
1,068
1
0

Thanks for the replies.

Based on the 2 different models I linked, which setup should I go with? Obviously the 12" Pioneer in enclosure will be a lot cheaper, but I do not want to sacrifice quality either. Or will there be not much difference at all between the 2 setups? Maybe two 12" Pioneers instead?

 
ElFenix

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,389
8,547
126
Originally posted by: huey1124
Originally posted by: amnesiac
Hmm. What SUV do you have?
I like my bass strong but tight so I have 1 8" aluminum woofer in my pickup.
I used to have a GMC Jimmy and had 2x 12" Cerwin-Vega subs in an enclosure in the back. That was L-O-U-D.

If you want large, thumping bass to rattle your brains, get the 12". If you just want tighter bass and lots of it get the 2x 10".
Click to expand...

I have an Isuzu Rodeo. So are you saying one 12" will be louder than two 10" subs? What about distortion? The 12" sub I linked says 100w RMS and 400w peak. How loud is 100w (at RMS)?
Click to expand...

you can't tell how loud a speaker will be just from the wattage the amp is putting out.
 
G

GT578

Senior member
Feb 7, 2000
721
0
0
First of all DO NOT GET A BANDPASS box. Second, don't get those kenwoods.....I have not heard one good thing about them. The pioneers are nice for the price. What kind of amp do you have?? Remember that 2 10" will be louder due to surface area of the cones....but 1 good 12" in a proper enclosure will hit lower and be more than enough.
 
C

chiwawa626

Lifer
Aug 15, 2000
12,013
0
0
2 10's have more surface area then 1 12 inch sub. I suggest getting kappa perfects, from my experiance they are a great combo of SPL and SQ.
 
edro

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Yeah, definately get a sealed box. Bandpass = teh suk. I have 2x 12" Rockford XLC subs (not DVC) and I love the sound. I have a Honda Civic though, and after 5 years, I want my trunk back :D I am seriously thinking about getting one good 12" sub and bridging my amp into just that.

I have heard ~50 systems, and I like 12" subs best. 10"s are just too high and punchy. I like 12"s because they get a lot lower, and can keep it there.

If you ask around, I think you will find that 12"s are the most widely liked.

Go for a 12" Alpine Type R @ ~$120 online. My friend had one, and I loved it.
 
H

huey1124

Golden Member
Sep 19, 2000
1,068
1
0
Originally posted by: edro13
Yeah, definately get a sealed box. Bandpass = teh suk. I have 2x 12" Rockford XLC subs (not DVC) and I love the sound. I have a Honda Civic though, and after 5 years, I want my trunk back :D I am seriously thinking about getting one good 12" sub and bridging my amp into just that.

I have heard ~50 systems, and I like 12" subs best. 10"s are just too high and punchy. I like 12"s because they get a lot lower, and can keep it there.

If you ask around, I think you will find that 12"s are the most widely liked.

Go for a 12" Alpine Type R @ ~$120 online. My friend had one, and I loved it.
Click to expand...

What about ported box? The Pioneer 12" sub comes in a ported enclosure already, and since the manufacturer made the setup, I'm assuming this is much more superior than getting prefab boxes. So.... two Pioneer 12"s then?


 
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bleeb

Lifer
Feb 3, 2000
10,868
0
0
I'd say get the smallest sub, because those boxes take up too much damn space. My brother has a Pioneer, i dont' knwo the model but it has that copper center.... anyways, its a 10" and takes up a tiny box, but it still puts out plenty o bass...
 
A

Ameesh

Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
23,686
1
0
Originally posted by: huey1124
Originally posted by: amnesiac
Hmm. What SUV do you have?
I like my bass strong but tight so I have 1 8" aluminum woofer in my pickup.
I used to have a GMC Jimmy and had 2x 12" Cerwin-Vega subs in an enclosure in the back. That was L-O-U-D.

If you want large, thumping bass to rattle your brains, get the 12". If you just want tighter bass and lots of it get the 2x 10".
Click to expand...

I have an Isuzu Rodeo. So are you saying one 12" will be louder than two 10" subs? What about distortion? The 12" sub I linked says 100w RMS and 400w peak. How loud is 100w (at RMS)?
Click to expand...

100W RMS is damn loud.
 
J

jurzdevil

Golden Member
Feb 3, 2002
1,258
0
0
2 jl audio 12w0's and a rockford fosgate 200.2 amp.

hits the tight bass and the rumble bass perfectly in my car
 
G

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
In case you missed what is important, I will repost it.

Originally posted by: glen
What matters is the surface area of the driver times the displacement.
That figure is called the x-mas.
So find the x-mas of the drivers and do the math.
Click to expand...


 
edro

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
Originally posted by: jurzdevil
2 jl audio 12w0's and a rockford fosgate 200.2 amp.

hits the tight bass and the rumble bass perfectly in my car
Click to expand...

That's a good setup. Rockford amps rock. I also have the 200.2.
 
H

huey1124

Golden Member
Sep 19, 2000
1,068
1
0
Originally posted by: glen
In case you missed what is important, I will repost it.

Originally posted by: glen
What matters is the surface area of the driver times the displacement.
That figure is called the x-mas.
So find the x-mas of the drivers and do the math.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Actually, I did get your point. But your post doesn't answer my question, which is sound quality (comparison between the 2 setups). Also, manufacturer specified (and made) ported box, which the Pioneer comes in, should be more superior in sound quality than any two 10" in a prefab box, no?

 
G

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
All things being equal, the "swept air" is what matters.
By "swept air" I mean the surface area times the displacement.
ALL other variables are insignificant.

the great myth in car audio is that you have to have a box

Look, a driver makes 2 waves the exact same frequency 180 degrees out of phase with each other so you have to stop one of them or they will cancell each other out, known as distructive interferance.

In most cars, but not hatchbacks or SUVs, the best box is your trunk.
Larger is always better with subs for sound quality, especially as you approach an infinate baffle.
An IB is infinate size, or technically 10 times vas, but even 4 will do.

In an SUV you need a box to cancle the back wave of the driver.

Figure out what sort of size box you can deal with and base the drivers on that.
 
B

brxndxn

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2001
8,475
0
76
In my Tbird, I had two 12" 500W Pioneer subs in a sealed box. It was great. The bass got VERY VERY low and it is a sound I have not heard since. I played mostly rock music.. and the bass drum really sounded like a bass drum.

Now, I have one 1000W 10" speaker in a sealed box in my Camaro. It is just about as loud as the two Pioneer subs were.. but the LOW bass is gone. I definitely agree with the '10" are too high and punchy opinion."
 
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sohcrates

Diamond Member
Sep 19, 2000
7,949
0
0
say, i have an off topic question.

i currently have one JL audi 15w0 in my trunk, powered by a 250 watt xtant amplifier

the box basically *is* my trunk, and i'm looking to sell it and downgrade, but keep the amp cause i like the amp

what size could i go down to before i started to notice it sux?" like, think i could live with a single 10? i'm used to the 15 bump.....
 
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