Car Sub: One 10" or One 12"...

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PCMarine

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2002
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I'm in the process of shopping for a cost effective sub solution to go in the trunk of my car. Sounddomain is running a special on Blaupunkt 10" and 12" subs with amp. The bridgeable Blaupunkt amp is rated at 250watts peak, 150 RMS (PCA250), and is packaged with both the 10" and 12".

I listen to mostly rock music and some techno. If I have friends in the car we occassionally like to play some hip hop... and desperately need to bass ;)

The price difference (including cost of larger box) is like $40-50 between the ten and twelve... So which is better?
 
J

jtusa

Diamond Member
Aug 28, 2004
4,188
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I had a 12", truck got broken into and it was stolen and I replaced it with a 10". I miss the 12", it hit a little bit harder. I had 250RMS and close to 400 peak though so I'm not sure how much of a difference you'll notice with 150 and 250. I have very basic knowledge of car audio stuff though...
 
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PCMarine

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2002
3,277
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Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Even a crap 12" won't really "hit" with 250/150. Just go for the 10"
Click to expand...

Thanks. And just out of curiousity, how "hard" would a 10" hit with only 150 RMS?
 
V

Viperoni

Lifer
Jan 4, 2000
11,084
1
71
Without a doubt go for the 12".
Not only will it naturally go a bit deeper than the 10", but it'll probably be a bit more efficient as well.

All of this nonsense about "not being able to hit without enough power" is just that.... nonsense.
 
R

RagingBITCH

Lifer
Sep 27, 2003
17,618
2
76
Originally posted by: Viperoni
Without a doubt go for the 12".
Not only will it naturally go a bit deeper than the 10", but it'll probably be a bit more efficient as well.

All of this nonsense about "not being able to hit without enough power" is just that.... nonsense.
Click to expand...

So you would rather "underpower" a sub than power a sub closer to the recommended specs? (I know you know your car audio, I'm just asking) Ex., if this was a 800w peak, 450w rms 12" sub vs a 400w peak, 250w rms 10" sub, you'd always take the 12?
 
V

Viperoni

Lifer
Jan 4, 2000
11,084
1
71
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Viperoni
Without a doubt go for the 12".
Not only will it naturally go a bit deeper than the 10", but it'll probably be a bit more efficient as well.

All of this nonsense about "not being able to hit without enough power" is just that.... nonsense.
Click to expand...

So you would rather "underpower" a sub than power a sub closer to the recommended specs? (I know you know your car audio, I'm just asking) Ex., if this was a 800w peak, 450w rms 12" sub vs a 400w peak, 250w rms 10" sub, you'd always take the 12?
Click to expand...

Is it wrong to buy a lower model version of a 3400lb car with a 180hp engine as opposed to a higher model of the same car with a 240hp engine?

Note also that the power handling spec is exactly what it says: power handling. It's a limit. Unlike a speed limit, you can go safely give it less power without worrying.

"Underpowering" really is a misnomer. Really, the only time you have to worry about "less" power blowing a sub is under a special set of circumstances (clipping).... where you try to get more SPL and end up clipping your amp. The key part is "try to get more SPL".
By logic, you wouldn't run into that problem as much with a larger sub since it's more efficient.
 
P

PCMarine

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2002
3,277
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0
Originally posted by: sillymofo
Depends on what you're putting this into, a good 10 vs a bad 12? Or a mediocre 10 or 12?
Click to expand...

Both subs are the same Make (Blaupunkt) and model... just a different size and the 12" has slightly higher power handling.
 
L

laurenlex

Platinum Member
Feb 26, 2004
2,370
1
0
A 12 inch sub, if created the same, will produce lower hitting sounds than a 10 inch, because of surface area. piXradius squared. The extra 2 inches of diamater will make much more surface area, resulting in a lower, deeper sound, provided all variables are the same.

I'm no car audio buff, but lots of other things come into play. Box volume. Sound dampening. Real amp wattage vs. fake wattage (antec vs. powmax). Wiring. Ect...

Give up the hip hop and get a 12 inch, acoustic suspension, 500 quality watt, tight sounding sub with MB quart speakers, a bag of doobage, and invite me for a test drive.
 
V

Viperoni

Lifer
Jan 4, 2000
11,084
1
71
Originally posted by: laurenlex
A 12 inch sub, if created the same, will produce lower hitting sounds than a 10 inch, because of surface area. piXradius squared. The extra 2 inches of diamater will make much more surface area, resulting in a lower, deeper sound, provided all variables are the same.

I'm no car audio buff, but lots of other things come into play. Box volume. Sound dampening. Real amp wattage vs. fake wattage (antec vs. powmax). Wiring. Ect...

Give up the hip hop and get a 12 inch, acoustic suspension, 500 quality watt, tight sounding sub with MB quart speakers, a bag of doobage, and invite me for a test drive.
Click to expand...

At least you got the bolded part right.

A larger subwoofer doesn't have deeper frequency response simply because it has more surface area. Otherwise everybody would be running PA drivers in their cars. But (almost) nobody does. A larger cone simply implies that more air can be swept with a given amount of excursion compared to a smaller cone.
It's beacuse of the fact that the cone is a bit heavier and a few other factors that larger subs generally produce deeper bass response.

Stay away from the doobage.
 
B

b0mbrman

Lifer
Jun 1, 2001
29,470
1
81
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Viperoni
Without a doubt go for the 12".
Not only will it naturally go a bit deeper than the 10", but it'll probably be a bit more efficient as well.

All of this nonsense about "not being able to hit without enough power" is just that.... nonsense.
Click to expand...

So you would rather "underpower" a sub than power a sub closer to the recommended specs? (I know you know your car audio, I'm just asking) Ex., if this was a 800w peak, 450w rms 12" sub vs a 400w peak, 250w rms 10" sub, you'd always take the 12?
Click to expand...
Peak =! recommended
 
V

Viperoni

Lifer
Jan 4, 2000
11,084
1
71
Originally posted by: PCMarine
Originally posted by: Viperoni
If this is the sub:
http://www.cardomain.com/item/BLATSW1200

Then you really don't have to worry about "underpowering" it at all.
Click to expand...

I just essentially what I was asking was whether the 12" is worth the extra $40-50 over the 10" if both subs will be recieving the same power.
Click to expand...

My opinion is to get the larger sub.
Do you have the exact model number handy?
 
R

RbSX

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2002
8,351
1
76
Originally posted by: PCMarine
I'm in the process of shopping for a cost effective sub solution to go in the trunk of my car. Sounddomain is running a special on Blaupunkt 10" and 12" subs with amp. The bridgeable Blaupunkt amp is rated at 250watts peak, 150 RMS (PCA250), and is packaged with both the 10" and 12".

I listen to mostly rock music and some techno. If I have friends in the car we occassionally like to play some hip hop... and desperately need to bass ;)

The price difference (including cost of larger box) is like $40-50 between the ten and twelve... So which is better?
Click to expand...

It's not just a matter of size. What vehicle are you driving? Do you want tight bass, or loose boomy bass? Is size of the box an issue? Is the box going to be ported?
 
A

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
The two most important factors are Enclosure size and type. Everything else is "moo"(t).
A 10in in a properly sized bass reflex cabinet will be as or more effecient as a 12 in an improperly sized acoustic suspension(sealed) box. Acoustic Suspension boxes tend to need more power </tim allen> than Bass reflex boxes to deliver the same SPL at a given frequency range.
You haven't mentioned which cabinet you intend to use (or I missed it).
 
V

Viperoni

Lifer
Jan 4, 2000
11,084
1
71
Originally posted by: RyanSengara
Originally posted by: PCMarine
I'm in the process of shopping for a cost effective sub solution to go in the trunk of my car. Sounddomain is running a special on Blaupunkt 10" and 12" subs with amp. The bridgeable Blaupunkt amp is rated at 250watts peak, 150 RMS (PCA250), and is packaged with both the 10" and 12".

I listen to mostly rock music and some techno. If I have friends in the car we occassionally like to play some hip hop... and desperately need to bass ;)

The price difference (including cost of larger box) is like $40-50 between the ten and twelve... So which is better?
Click to expand...

It's not just a matter of size. What vehicle are you driving? Do you want tight bass, or loose boomy bass? Is size of the box an issue? Is the box going to be ported?
Click to expand...

I swear to fvcking god one day I'll jump off a cliff.
This thread is worse than Best Buy salespeople recommending 5500le's to kids wanting to play D3 @ 1600x1200 @ 32bit.
 
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