neo_styles

I've allways been very cautious on how I treat my subs, the only subs I have abused are those ment for it. I've had a lot of different setups and have never blown, broken or burnt a single one. I allways do take my subs near their limits so that I know up to what point they can handle the power. After being away from the hobbie for a couple of years I expected to find simple minded comments here but most of it has been people trying to prove their superior knowledge and disprove mine. And an attitude like that is why you got the answers you did in the first place.

The new MAX, much like the new IDQ that's in the works, are new designs. Eric did not release rights to produce a new line, so they're doing their best to improve on the previous design's flaws (such as miniscule tolerance between the coil and the magnet that led to notorious shifted pole and rub problems). Be on the lookout for a shallow IDQ soon as well as that's what their current designer has been talking about working on. OP, based on the subs you're looking at, I feel you have a lot more research to be done. I see mainstream brand, mainstream brand, DD (still a mainstream brand IMO), and Sundown (which is also becoming a mainstream brand). You may think this is insignificant, but examining the big picture, that means that their production line has to ramp up to meet demand. Expect quality control to go along with it (as evidenced by stocks of X subs arriving to the US with unglued surrounds). Look to see what's really out there and I think you'll understand why we here at SSA have a slightly bitter taste in our mouth for when people address Sundown as being the superior choice when put against other competitors that we happen to use.

To elaborate, no amp is "underrated." They're rated for very specific parameters. A better question would be what amps are capable of putting out clean, undistorted power over their rated parameters.

So its SSA or nothing? OP if those are you two choices go with the X-10". Not that it's SSA or nothing, but I wouldn't recommend either of those subwoofers when you have a similarly-priced option that will perform better on the power he has to give over a broader range of music.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend either, but then again, this is a SSA forum. 1K for a single 10" GCON or ICON would probably suit you better. Spec-wise the ICON and X aren't that far off from each other.

Thanks for the replies, gents. Gives me good fuel and makes me want this ICON even sooner. Starting to reach the limits of what my DC Level 2 is capable of, anyway.

Stiffening Capacitor = Line Filtering. If you're getting line noise from your power wire, it can end up being what fixes the problem, but it is by no means anything more than a bandaid for not having enough power. Second battery? Has possibly the same result. Upgrading the alternator and performing the Big 3 tend to produce bigger gains.

Amen, brutha. Which is why I'm glad Sean convinced me to finally take the plunge.

Lol well I'm sorry if I jumped the gun, Mark. I asked Aaron to do one for MAF and this was just an extension of it for my own sake.

Name me one manufacture that does not import a single piece of material for their speaker line.Fi,ssa,aa are about the closest they come, as they machine their own parts. Please don't take the defensive, I'm just clarifying. I agree with you about 90 percent, but that domestic machining that SSA performs is a major plus towards the Made in USA stamp and I think it gets overlooked.

Not really. My PHDs play down to 50Hz with authority. It's install-dependent. Before you go and upgrade the drivers themselves, focus on install techniques. Are all the air gaps in the door sealed up? Have you applied a ring of CCF (sponge rubber works fine and can be found at THD) to mate the front of the driver to the door card? These two steps alone will dramatically improve your sub-100Hz performance out of the front stage.

I wouldn't consider Sundown US-made. US-assembled, yes, but the parts are made overseas as well. Agree with all your other choices, though.

No offense, but does anybody actually pay attention to that? Seems like it would only be necessary to have your opinion validated in which case a quote discussing said validation would be more than enough. I agree with Sencheezy that it ends up causing more drama than it's worth.

I think you guys assume ultracaps function in the same manner as a traditional AGM or lead-acid battery. They don't. You're talking about an extremely low ESR with ultracaps that batteries can't come close to. This translates directly to a MUCH faster charge/discharge state. Second, traditional batteries must be charged to rest at a particular voltage and, due to basic chemistry, will constantly be in a push-pull relationship with either its charging or discharging state (affectionately known as "battery memory" and especially prominent in AGMs). Ultracaps assume equilibrium with whatever source they're connected to within a matter of MILLISECONDS. This is why they're inherently dangerous in a CA environment since it might as well be a damn requirement to introduce a slow charging circuit to account for this. If you didn't you run the risk of either blowing your ultracaps on the spot or vaporizing whatever link you use to establish the connection. On a somewhat humorous side note, this is exactly why our electricians are required to insulate any tool longer than 6 inches when going into our battery wells (giant AGM bank). If those two ends bridged a battery connection, they would vaporize instantly and make a nice BANG. Now I'd like to address some information I found above (answered in red): Now I'll reitorate. One of my car audio mentors has been running a single bank of 6 ultracaps as a secondary battery in his Accord for the better part of six months now with ZERO issues. Taylor from Team Tantric has observed a significantly smaller voltage drop when driving high-power amplifiers are 0.5 and 0.25 ohms on reactive loads during his clamp tests. More information on both cases are located in my linked thread. Again...**DISCLAIMER**...do not rush out and buy a bank of six ultracaps and go willy nilly into your car and either replace your starter or add a bank in the back just so you can stay within USACI rules. Doing an upgrade like this requires a good deal of research to ensure you're continuously operating a system like this within safe tolerances. Capacitor failure can be as simple as a popped top and electrolyte everywhere to a more...explosive reaction. Caveat emptor on this one. Definitely not for everybody.

15", that is

IIRC, the IDQ does well on 1.5cu sealed each. That's at least what ID recommends for them. PM me if you want me to give him your contact info. He lives in FL

Great track, even without the Eptic remix. I'm assuming you're referring to 800 for each sub, correct? All of your mentioned choices would be solid, but don't forget there's a 15" Dayton HO as well. I'd also give a nod to some 15" Image Dynamics IDQ as I have a buddy who's been trying to unload a pair of V1 15s for about a month now. Great shape, just no bites.

how much would 6 of these cost in comparison to just adding a the single battery that they "act like"? I've seen around the network of $400 for a bank of 6. Add in the extra cost for resistors and a maxi fuse. If you look through the thread I linked, keep_hope_alive is running once successfully in his Altima as a trunk-mounted second "battery." Got off the phone with him about an hour ago and he still has no reported issues.

Not sure I'd go that far. Really, all they need is a circuit that allows them to be slowly charged and then a means to disconnect them when the battery is removed/car turned off.

I was just wondering about their use in car stereo systems so you wouldn't have to use as big of a battery bank in the rear. We actually discussed this at length on Mobile Audio a while back. Here's the link if you feel like reading a TON about it. The video I mentioned is contained in the thread as well: http://mobileaudioforum.com/forum/showthread.php?2170-Capacitors-are-cool&highlight=ultracaps

For a burp machine, I have seen a couple vehicles use it quite well. The thing about ultracaps is they're very finicky and need to be set up properly or things can get disastrous quick. That's a lot of stored potential to have blow up in your face...literally. The SAFE way to use a bank of ultracaps would ideally be when paired with a charge/discharge circuit that would allow them to be able to ramp up to voltage with enough delay to avoid catastrophic failure. It's possible to use them as a starter replacement, but if this is not a daily driver, they slowly discharge over time and could be rendered useless over as little as a week's time. I know there's a YT video out there of someone testing a bank of ultracaps as a starter replacement and was successful, but without that circuit in place, I wouldn't trust them.

For my build, all the amps will be in the trunk, so It really doesn't matter how bright the LEDs are. I realize it could be an issue for some, cause sometimes even the LED on my bass knob gets annoying at night. To me though seeing the internals is a big plus on the amp, not many companies do that. Even with the smoked cover, the internals are visible in daylight. Steve has moved away from clear covers, though, so I'm not sure how easy it will be to find one. Knew someone a couple weeks ago trying to find a new cover for his Levi I and Steve had nothing available for him.

Awesome! Kinda like Homer Simpson?lol j/k Scarily similar, believe it or not. I think Matt Groenig knew a few too many Navy Nukes...

I love Vitaly. Does some great pranks. This one was just PERFECT for today.

It's because you're not this guy: