Help : 12 BL or 12 Q D2...?

[dre3k78 0]

Hello everyone, im new to Fi and have decided to try out one of their drivers, however i need some help. I just recently ordered a 12 BL D2 w/ cooling on the 18th and went down to a local shop where im getting the box made eventually and showed the guy the BL's specs which i had written down so he could get an idea of what he would be building.

He took a look at the driver's FS of 37.8hz and thought i was crazy for getting a sub with such a high FS...saying it would suffer in lower frequencies. So i starting thinking perhaps i should of got a Q instead of a BL. Ive got a Nine.1 @ 1200 rms to throw at it for Daily Driving...not SPL comp/burping, etc, just a street beater type of a deal. He was thinking of a box about 2 cuft @ 32hz...which seemed about right on.

Ive already sent an email to Fi asking if i could change my order to a Q instead of the BL due to the lower FS and id imagine better for Daily Driving...but havent got an answer yet. Is this possible to do before the driver is built? Is it even worth switching to a Q or would i be fine with the BL? BTW this guy has never heard of Fi, RE or eD...only big box brands ie Kicker, Alpine, JL and stuff his store carries...so im not sure how much he really knows but he is a "professional" installer.

Also is there any other way to contact Fi directly ie a phone number?

Thank you for reading this and any input would be great.

[NDMstang65 403]

Fs drops when the suspension breaks in.

BL will be fine...Fs isn't that important...tune it to 32hz and let it eat, it'l be fine .

Let him build the box, let the sub break in...

[dre3k78 0]

Thanks for the reply. I still havent got a reply email from Fi but i guess ill ask them more about it when i hear from them. Any more input would be great. Thanks again for the help.

[vladd 26]

check out NDM's e-mail addy at the bottom of his signature

[dre3k78 0]

I just got an email back from Scott saying the BL has already been built and will ship tomorrow so im just gonna go with it and see if it breaks in like what was mentioned above. Im sure it will turn out ok, i just was kinda thrown off by the installers reaction to the specs of the driver. Anyways ill get some pics as soon as i get the sub in. Thanks folks.

[theabunai 3]

K slice

Let me tell you...

Not everything on paper is what it seems...

If the installer is recommending you not get a sub cause of a T/S parameter then that just means he may not know how to build an enclosure...

The enclosure is almost (if not more) important than the speakers T/S sheet....

Testimonials here should re-assure you enough that the BL can certainly hit low and loud....

Case in point is RMS

RMS of a Q is rated at 1k but it easily takes 1500 watts and keeps on grinning....

If i took a speaker "A" with almost near perfect T/S and threw it in a crappy box

and i took a speaker "B" with the poor T/S and threw it in a expertly crafted box

speaker "B" would sound superior to speaker "A"

but in this case get a GOOD speaker with a good enclosure and you get

"award" winning subs (also known as Fi)

Scott and the team have been building subs for a very very long time.

he owned RE when they started and they became THE sub for Competition.

now he owns Fi and his new subs are placing tops at major competitions

trust me no matter what sub you get from Fi I can almost be certain you will be amazed and confident about your purchase.....

Also FYI

the NDMustang65 guy who replied in this thread...

He works for Fi..... tech support/Sales etc etc... So he is more than qualified to answer any questions regarding the Fi product.....

Edited March 21, 2007 by theabunai

[dre3k78 0]

Thanks for the info and taking the time to post. Im sure the BL will be just fine. I found it kind of funny that the guy i was talking to about the box says he "competes" yet has never heard of RE, eD or even Fi...He asked me how much i paid for the BL and then said "Man i could of got you a JL W6"...at this point i told he well i didnt want a JL lol.

Anyways im really looking forward to this driver. I got a new cannon camera recently so ill get some pics and a vid perhaps once i get it all sorted out.

[theabunai 3]

I had a pair of w6's 12 from JL

And my SSD's made shame of them with LESS watts for half the price.....

Swap for swap we did

Here read this

http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/forum/i...showtopic=7246#

[Fi Car Audio 64]

2 cuft tuned to 32Hz will play the lows with authority. Definitely need to set up the subsonic filter correctly (28Hz or so). You should be set. I have told people for many years that FS is not an indication of bottom end extension (well it can be for IB and some other applications... but it really isnt much of an issue there either). Otherwise those that are using BTLs with an even stiffer suspension and often similar moving mass wouldnt drop deep (and I think they do )

If there is anything else I can help with, let me know.

Thanks,

Scott

[dre3k78 0]

Thanks Scott for your reply and email and everyone else in this thread for some great info. I was also wondering about which way to fire the box from my trunk to yield the best results...standard to the rear with seats up(and no rear fill) or perhaps fire into the cabin with the seats down, or something else?

This is going into the trunk of an 02 Accord Coupe. If anyone can provide some thought on this that would be great. Thanks again guys.

[tejcurrent 13]

I've come to find that despite what many say the t/s parameters don't often mean what it's easy to conclude they would. I definitely think the BTL drops low, that's where it really shines to me is those teeth-rattling lows. For some reason when a shop owner tells me they compete but they don't know of RE, cactus sounds, ed, or pretty much anything but the major brands like kicker,jl,alpine,pioneer, etc, it hurts their credibility to me. They may compete, but I wonder how seriously when they only know of products their shop carries.

I had a shop owner tell me I would've been better off with 2 memphis mojos, that I probably wasted my money. Then he sat in the car, and had nothing to say.

I've had soooo many people tell me to shell out the green for JL, but I can't for the life of me see why. Everything I've heard from them has been good and looked good, but not special in any way to justify the price. I was cosidering one of the w7s, but you can buy 2 btls for the cost of the 13w7 and be much louder... it wouldn't make sense.

I met a guy w/ 2 12w7s in his extended cab, and when he heard the one btl I had in at the time he was in awe. The major brands have some good products in different areas, but they charge more than they should because they can ride on the name. (Down w/ marketing hype!)

As far as your honda, some of the people I've talked to w/ your car found good results w/ the sub & port facing back, or the sub facing up and ports back/or to the sides. If you have time before installing try to really coat the lid of the trunk w/ sound deadener. I like to cover all the surfaces, then fill in the corners/gaps of the trunk lid w/ expanding foam. It really keeps it from making so much noise- which you most likely will.

Good luck!

[bigjae1976 0]

Sound isn't made by numbers.

[dre3k78 0]

Ive already got the entire trunk walls and floor deadened + the 2 front doors. I still need to do the "hard to get" rear deck area and perhaps figure a way to get some in the tail light area. Ill prob just end up having the box up against the rear seats w/ driver + port firing back.

Also i agree totally about big box brands. I just avoid them for the most part. I know JL can make good subs but the price just doesnt warrant the purchase with better alternatives out there esp online. I guess these guys live and die by what they carry in their shops. And as for TS numbers well that obviously isnt something i know a great deal about and was nice to get some info on that. Well im gonna try to get a few more spots deadened in the meantime, and the BL should be shipped out today, if anyone has something they would like to add please do. Thanks for the input all.

[NDMstang65 403]

What type of vehicle is it going in?

[dre3k78 0]

What type of vehicle is it going in?

2002 Accord Coupe (trunk). Seats fold down and rear fill has been removed.

Edited March 21, 2007 by KSlice

[NDMstang65 403]

I'd fire port and sub forward into the car if the seats fold down.

[dre3k78 0]

Would the trunk area need to be sealed off with the box to do that or just fire the box normally into the cabin w/o it sealed?

[NDMstang65 403]

Doesn't have to be, but you would probably get better results if you did seal it off...

[dre3k78 0]

Ok ill talk to the guy and see what we can come up with next week when i receive the BL.