I can haz bass?

[silversleeper]

Can someone put together a good sub/amp combo for my new Luke-built boom box? I'm probably looking for a good wattage match-up. Maybe in the 250-500 watt range?

Help?

[silversleeper]

Mebbe I'll hit up a good car audio forum. :(

[Mless5]

New or used?
Boxes are build after drivers, maybe it is worth a shot asking Luke what was the box designed around as far as subwoofer goes?

[silversleeper]

New or used?
Boxes are build after drivers, maybe it is worth a shot asking Luke what was the box designed around as far as subwoofer goes?

New... fresh amp and a fresh sub.

I shot him a PM and am awaiting a response now. He gave me a very general idea some time ago, but I need more specifics. I'm too indecisive for that.

[silversleeper]

So, just in case anyone was interested, I went ahead and placed an order on my system.

I ended up going with an IDQ12 v.3 D4 paired with an Alpine MRP-M500 amp. I think it should go well together, the box included. I can't wait to get everything together and installed. I don't believe I have seen anyone with installed pics just yet of their Luke boxes, but I promise you I'll get mine up as soon as possible.

[Mless5]

Man, you WILL NOT be disappointed!!!

[cmflossin]

curious... what other subs were you looking at? i am in the same boat. i have the box, now i just need the sub to fill it. the specs for the type r sound perfect but luke says they don't sound so hot in his box. so that left me high & dry. should i just pay up for a FI Q or something along those lines? i need a sub that can take a good bit of power...

[Mless5]

^ Keep in mind you don't need as much power for ported box application compared to sealed. Don't chase power handling.

[silversleeper]

curious... what other subs were you looking at? i am in the same boat. i have the box, now i just need the sub to fill it. the specs for the type r sound perfect but luke says they don't sound so hot in his box. so that left me high & dry. should i just pay up for a FI Q or something along those lines? i need a sub that can take a good bit of power...

I dunno what it is about the Type R subs by Alpine, but they seem to come off as "ricer" subs. More experienced audiophiles don't have much good to say about them. But "good" bass is different from person to person.

I was looking at a few subs, but still a very limited selection. I wanted something in the 300-500 watt RMS range. Here are a few of my choices:

ImageDynamics IDQ12v3
JL Audio 12w3v3
Boston Acoustics G5

I really didn't know what to look for with the other models, but I did check out the spec sheets for the ImageDynamics and the JL and they both seemed to suit the box rather well. I still haven't verified the sub depth of the IDQ against the box, but I think it'll fit just fine.

^ Keep in mind you don't need as much power for ported box application compared to sealed. Don't chase power handling.

I'm with Mless... I have never been a big power freak, contrary to what all my friends would say, I was always more concerned about the "pairing" of the sub and amp.

Finding an amp and sub that match well wattage-wise I think is key. I could be wrong though, my knowledge in this field is limited.

[cmflossin]

who knows. maybe i'll give the type r a try after all. for <$140, its worth a shot. of course the IDQ for $150 is pretty good too. its not that i want a sub that handles a lot of power. but i already have an amp. and its been running my old 15" solo-baric. so i've already got 950+ watts i'll be using. i want something that will stand up the power for a while. things have changed so much since i last gave a crap about car audio. back then kicker and rf were king of affordable subs. now there are subs i've never heard of that are supposed to be the top notch. FI, Ascendent, AE, DD, etc... i don't know anything about these brands or the products.

[silversleeper]

things have changed so much since i last gave a crap about car audio. back then kicker and rf were king of affordable subs. now there are subs i've never heard of that are supposed to be the top notch. FI, Ascendent, AE, DD, etc... i don't know anything about these brands or the products.

I know EXACTLY how you feel... I'm in the same fuckin boat, holding the paddle actually.

So, what kinda amp you have?

[cmflossin]

yeah. i've been trying to surf caraudio.com forums for ideas, but you know... opinions are like assholes. everybody has one. each person has their preference. i'm running a RF amp. its about 5 or 6 years old but i only ran it for maybe a year or two. its either a 800a2 or 800.2, something like that. birth certificate said 962w rms x 1 @ 4ohm.

[lylefk]

I've currently an installer in a shop that carries JL and used to manage one that carried Image Dynamics and JL. The IDQ is more SQ oriented, versus the JL W3 that is more SPL oriented...both are good at what they are designed to do.

Flossin with that kind of power and one sub, I'd take a hard look at the W6 if it's in your price range...

[cmflossin]

i'll take a look. you would recommend that over some of the new lesser known stuff? the FI Q, AA Havoc, DD, Audioque HDC3, AE, etc... does the w6 come in dual 2 ohm configuration?

[Mless5]

I just don't see what the problem is with power? If you have too much power for the sub, either keep the gain down if you don't need it to play super loud or if you are pushing its limits of existing sub - get another one and run a pair. Gain is not a volume knob, it is a good thing to keep the gain down; less of a chance to send clipped signal to your sub and your amplifier runs cooler. Remember, 3db gain requires twice the power.