advice on new subs

[anonymous48420 0]

ok so basically ive been spoiled over the years and had good speakers but i also had a much larger budget to work with earlier in life. i.e. ia death penalty 2nd gen re audio xxx ascendent audio assassins stuff of that nature.

well i bought back my old assassins some time back because i loved their sound but they were about 12 years old and finally had enough and the surround fatigued. i already had a nice birch box made and well i couldnt just toss it and i bought some skar audio vvx-3 to fill the holes. well u cant put skars in a box for better speakers and still be in love so im getting rid of them and getting better speakers. dont get me wrong they get loud and pretty low for my expectations but those 8's in a 3 cube box tuned to 25 hz just dont appeal to my ear. they flex ole betsy like its nobodys business and everyone that gets in has a huge grin on their face but the authority and richness just isnt there for me im an sq guy and love loooow bass.

while i owned my death penalty i always had my eye on the audioque hdc3 due to it being a little louder than the incriminator but slightly less accurate. well the hdc3 18 is currently in my price range but id like to know from experience if there are better options for the money. if i could find an 18" old or new xxx for the right price or a 21" death penalty id jump on it but i havent seen any for sale used in a long time. im also contemplating a soundsplinter rls 15 but the price is a little steep still for me seeing as how id need 2 and the box requirements are ungodly. 7+ cubes apiece. id most likely get another 18 later on if i go with the soundqubed due to the price alone and the fact that id love that type of authority.

the vehicle the install will be in is a first gen s10 blazer aka betsy. rear seat must stay because my dogs spoiled and shes too large to argue with over no car rides. i have a high output alt installed the ad244 145 amp version. can put out over 200 amps cold and over 100 hot at idle and betsy only needs 40-50 to run. rear battery is a 5000 amp high discharge agm battery that weighs about 90 lbs and the front battery is a 1000 amp optima yellow i got for 50 bux.

amp is an audiopipe 1800watt rms that has been rock solid for me for years and i wouldnt mind getting another if need be. the whole hatch area is up for grabs for a box and i plan on tuning at about 25 hz as ive grown to love. i always catch flack for my tuning frequency but everyone that hears an install tuned to that afterwards is blown away. a 25 hz box acts like a sealed enclosure and generally has a very flat curve through the frequency range along with super deep lows and a slight peak in output in that range.

my budget is slightly limited right now to the fact that im sticking a fresh rebuild 350 in her because the motor thats in it now is tired 300,000 miles and the fuel injector that my motor has is about 600 bux to replace and its also going out and i can buy the small block with 0 miles for 600 bux but since im trading my 8's and the box for 300 off ill only be spending 300 on the motor. im going to need odds and ends to get it wedged in there and also buy a wiring harness and efi fuel injector to run a cheaper factory fuel injection system that was available for my blazer instead of the expensive one. the first week or 2 i wont care about having subs cause ill be listening to my exhaust but after that wears off i have to have a system or ill go crazy.

im also in the process of getting my scooter back up and running and switched to liquid cooling because 70 mph on a 2 stroke that spins 12,000 rpms gets too hot to cool in the florida heat with air cooling. too many projects at once but having reliable and fun transportation is important in life and so is having a good system.

[anonymous48420 0]

well i ended up ordering it and built a box over the weekend for it. approx 6.1-6.2 cubes after displacement and tuned to 26.8-27 hz. it has 83.25 sq in of port area thought it seems small to me especially for a deep cone 18 but its quite responsive so far on low power for break in. 

i was quite let down at first when it seemed to only be terrifying on the highs but its quickly softening up and starting to have more output on the lows so im sure after a week when i turn the amp up some it will be way too much. even in its current state its just too much for daily driving im actually glad to have it turned down to properly break it in. i have it in a sub up port back configuration and its trying to shred my tailgate but the glass is holding up for now. you could stick a finger in the glass and pull it back out if you were fast enough. i may do another box in the future if this one is tuned too high to me with sub up and port up though i feel output would be better due to not losing it on destructive waves from the hatch rattling. its about the same sound as someone hitting the tailgate with a sledgehammer like it owed them money thats over the sound of the bass i might add. one of the barns on my friends property is an rv barn. huge roof and one open side for parking the big rv's in. he let me build my box in it and he wanted to hear it once it was done so i had it playing quiet tones for the very initial break in at 14-18 on my radio. 40 is my max volume because 50 is the max so its under the clipping limit. the whole barn was rattling and everything in even though its barely even doing anything at that volume on 800 watts rms. ill try to get some videos posted up after i can turn things up so everyone can see it.

[///M5 2,833]

17 hours ago, anonymous48420 said:

im actually glad to have it turned down to properly break it in.

It isn't necessary to turn it down to break it in, just makes the process take longer.  It isn't an engine where you have to set the rings, just want away.  Glad you are digging it though! 

[anonymous48420 0]

really? ive always heard to play em at lower power initially. its generally treated me good so far but the way i do things arent always right or orthodox. looks like i may have some reading to do.

[///M5 2,833]

There is no validity in what you read.  Wherever you were reading that also may have shared other incorrect info.  The internet sucks that way...we try to make sure crap like that doesn't happe here.