Which subs

[graydodge14 0]

I have a nice box in my 2004 dodge ram 1500 from bassforms. I have a sundown saz-2500 and need some subs to run. After i figure out what subs to run in the back i will be building a console bo and running 2 more. So should i go with:

2 sundown sa-12

2 dc level 3

2 fi ssd

2 ssa icons

They will both be 12's and the box is approximately 1.78 cu ft so any suggestions?

[Ohjay 116]

What are your goals for this system? What kind of music do you listen to? What's the budget? Have you performed/plan to perform any electrical upgrades? Is this a single/extended/crew cab truck? Is that 1.78 cubic feet per sub or for both? Is it a ported enclosure? Will your console enclosure be sealed or ported? We need alot more information to be able to help you.

[graydodge14 0]

I listen to mainly rap, rock and a little country. My electrical upgrades will be a s70 amp h/o from dc, a xs d3100 for the main and maybe another one in the back if i need it plus the big 3 . The truck is a crew cab and the box is sealed, my console when i get it done will also be sealed as i dont think mixing sealed and ported would be a good idea. The 1.76 is for both subs but i have really thought about covering one said and just running one sub in the 1.76 for optimal space.

[cruzer23 1]

seems 1.76 is too big for a single 12 sealed, too small for two 12s sealed. at least for those u mentioned.

FI Q says .8 sealed, so two of them would be below the 1.76, or 1.78 u have

tho there isnt much difference between .8 and 1 cubic foot, maybe someone can tell u if it will be a big difference or not, or if the subs suggested for 1 cube would not sound optimal in the smaller box.

[graydodge14 0]

yeah well i had to kicker cvr in the same box before and they sounded fine and they recommended a whole lot of space for the sealed applictaions. Maybe if i ran two they wouldnt have all the space they need but i have the box filled with polyfill so maybe they will be ok?

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

I am biased.

[cruzer23 1]

yeah well i had to kicker cvr in the same box before and they sounded fine and they recommended a whole lot of space for the sealed applictaions. Maybe if i ran two they wouldnt have all the space they need but i have the box filled with polyfill so maybe they will be ok?

with a smaller box, ur low end will suffer. if thats ok for you, then go for it.

[Deto1992 5]

Personally, I would get the Icons. Not that the other drivers havent, but the Icons have proven to be an outstanding driver time and time again. People will vouch for both output and sound quality with the Icons. As long as they are not out of your budget, I cant see why you would get any other driver unless you just preferred a different brand.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Deto1992

[graydodge14 0]

Yeah ive been looking real closely at the icons, any idea when they will be back up for sale? Also if i lose my low end with a smaller box do you think the console box with 2 more icons it would gain it back with the proper space?

[Deto1992 5]

Yeah ive been looking real closely at the icons, any idea when they will be back up for sale? Also if i lose my low end with a smaller box do you think the console box with 2 more icons it would gain it back with the proper space?

In all honesty, your better off saving your money and building one proper ported enclosure, whether it be your console idea or just a regular box. Two Icon 12s, in the right enclosure, will fill your cab up with bass like you would not believe. Unless you are looking for ear drum shattering bass and considering comps, I wouldnt spend the money on four Icons. Additionally, I do not know the status of the Icons at the moment sorry.

[graydodge14 0]

Yeah im just having a hard time with boxes, as i cant lose my back seat because i have to use it and i dont want to be putting in and pulling out a box whenever i need the back seat. But ya im still debating i think ill go with the 2 under the seat and see what i think and go from there but for now im thinking icons unless someone else has any ideas.

[swift 501]

Why not do 10's sealed in 1.5 cubes. Then end up with 4 10's after the console addition. I have always preferred my sealed setups on the larger side to help low end output. Just because u have 1.76 doesn't mean u have to use it all.

[graydodge14 0]

Well i have the box already and ive had it for about 2 years and its for 2 12's so i cant really change that, thats why i was wondering if i closed up one said and used the whole 1.76 for one sub if that would be better, but then i think i have to much space.

[ibanender 2]

I have a nice box in my 2004 dodge ram 1500 from bassforms. I have a sundown saz-2500 and need some subs to run. After i figure out what subs to run in the back i will be building a console bo and running 2 more. So should i go with:

2 sundown sa-12

2 dc level 3

2 fi ssd

2 ssa icons

They will both be 12's and the box is approximately 1.78 cu ft so any suggestions?

No matter how you cut it, running that amp @ 1 ohm is too much for all of those subs.

[graydodge14 0]

Even turning the gain down? But i plan on running all 4 off that amp mabybe but well see. Even the icons which are rated at 1000 watts a piece? Surely they could handle 1260 a piece as long as im not clipping assuming im only running the 2 for now

[Deto1992 5]

Even turning the gain down? But i plan on running all 4 off that amp mabybe but well see. Even the icons which are rated at 1000 watts a piece? Surely they could handle 1260 a piece as long as im not clipping assuming im only running the 2 for now

In all honesty, you could run a single 500w rms driver with a 2500 watt amp as long as you have your gains set properly and you dont abuse the volume. I dont understand why someone would think that you could not run 2 Icons on 2500watts? Sounds completely plausible to me.

[ssh 924]

I did some testing with mine, had two saz1500ds on a pair of icons w/aluminum coils, didn't have any issues.

[graydodge14 0]

Yeah i wasnt thinking their would be any problem as long as im not clipping them. But last question do you think it would hurt the subs more to run 2 of the icons in a smaller enclosure than recommnded, or run one icon in an enclosure that is to big than recommended??

Other then that i think im set on the icons as they can handle more power so i think they are gonna be best bet.

[Deto1992 5]

Yeah i wasnt thinking their would be any problem as long as im not clipping them. But last question do you think it would hurt the subs more to run 2 of the icons in a smaller enclosure than recommnded, or run one icon in an enclosure that is to big than recommended??

Other then that i think im set on the icons as they can handle more power so i think they are gonna be best bet.

Is building a new enclosure out of the question?Its not difficult and you could really benefit from a nice new box.

[ssh 924]

Yeah i wasnt thinking their would be any problem as long as im not clipping them. But last question do you think it would hurt the subs more to run 2 of the icons in a smaller enclosure than recommnded, or run one icon in an enclosure that is to big than recommended??

Other then that i think im set on the icons as they can handle more power so i think they are gonna be best bet.

Having a single(or even multiple for that matter) drivers in a larger then recommended will decrease power handling but increase efficiency.

I had 2 12" icons in a 3.5cube box (smaller then recommended) and they sounded fine, although I'm sure if the box was a cube or so bigger that it would have been a little louder.

[hondakilla98 29]

So I know your wanting to use the box you have. But if it's not optimal, why put over $1000 worth of nice equipment into a cheap compromised box? You could build a different box? Maybe 4 sa8's ported under the back seat. Like steve mead's silverado build. Or a pair of 10's in an optimal sealed box and then two more in the console. Or maybe 3-sa8's under the seat and three in the console? And if they are still selling them. The reconed sa8 seconds were $85 each plus shipping. So all 6 of them would be about the same price as a pair of icons. Which aren't even out yet.

[ibanender 2]

Even turning the gain down? But i plan on running all 4 off that amp mabybe but well see. Even the icons which are rated at 1000 watts a piece? Surely they could handle 1260 a piece as long as im not clipping assuming im only running the 2 for now

Based on the original post, I thought you were running 2 subs only, because why would you run 2 subs different from the other 2..... 4 subs you'd be fine.

[graydodge14 0]

Well the box is from bassforms and i bought it before i knew anything about building boxes so it would be kinda a 600 dollar waste down the drain (yes i paid 600 dollars for it, i know stupid right? But the good thing is its not a prefab its all completely fiberglassed so its not a normal cheap box with air leaks everywhere.

And as far as building a box in the back the way the dodges are i dont see fitting anything more than 2 subs under the seats because right in the middle is a huge hump so the subs would have to go on either side of that hump which only leaves enough room for about two, and like i said earlier i cant build a box that takes up my whole back seat. Thats where the idea of the console box came into play, i still have my whole back seat and only lose my middle seat but gain space for two more subs. So i was thinking maybe by doing that i would gain back the low end from the subs while still being loud.

The reasoning for 4 subs is simply because yes ive had loud systems in my truck before but theres only so much you can get out of 2 subs under a seat. So this time around i dont want to just have bass that people think is loud. I want bass that even the car audio world such as this forum can respect because im tired of having just decent bass. And i know its not all about bass but ill be running a nice front stage also so im not gonna just be straight spl.

[hondakilla98 29]

Are 4 sealed subs in a non optimal box(2 of them anyway) going to be that much louder than two ported ones? And your trying to gain low end, by running more subs? Do you have the ability to eq the subs to do that? Otherwise your also increasing all the bass. Not just the low end.

So if your set on using the box. Could you adapt it to take 2-10" subs instead of 12's? Your box volume sealed would work great for alot of 10's. And if it's a little big, you can put something in the box to drop volume. Then build an equally sized box for two more tens. And have 4 sealed 10's in optimal boxes. Giving you good output and great sound with good low end.

Edited February 20, 2011 by hondakilla98

[ibanender 2]

So i was thinking maybe by doing that i would gain back the low end from the subs while still being loud.

The reasoning for 4 subs is simply because yes ive had loud systems in my truck before but theres only so much you can get out of 2 subs under a seat. So this time around i dont want to just have bass that people think is loud. I want bass that even the car audio world such as this forum can respect because im tired of having just decent bass. And i know its not all about bass but ill be running a nice front stage also so im not gonna just be straight spl.

What's your idea of "low end" you're missing? Like, are there certain tracks that lack? A known frequency range? I think what you're after is gonna require taking up more space.

Are 4 sealed subs in a non optimal box(2 of them anyway) going to be that much louder than two ported ones? And your trying to gain low end, by running more subs? Do you have the ability to eq the subs to do that? Otherwise your also increasing all the bass. Not just the low end.

An EQ isn't the answer to gain frequency bandwidth. Generally speaking, if you gotta add/cut more than 3 dB, you have an overall problem that should be addressed with the installation or equipment.