Best shallow mount sub

[Diesel23]

im trying the Memphis audio, they have a nice 10 and 12" shallow subs that seemed to rate better then the alpines

 

[thuglike]

Just do not go over the rms ratings on the Memphis..I've read where they burn up rather quick.

 

[MadDiesel73]

alpine type-r shallows

 

[97stoker350]

How many, what size and what amp are u running with the type rs?

 

[MadDiesel73]

2 12's in .70 ea with polyfill and a rf1500bdcp turned way down.

 

[97stoker350]

I'm sorry can u put that in English please

 

[jdc753]

Be a little while before I get a box together and put some power and music to this sub but finally got it in hand.


Stereo Integrity BM MKiV 12" shallow sub

I'm sorry can u put that in English please

HA!


What he is saying is he has 2 12" subwoofers. Each sub is in a box having 0.7 cubic feet of internal volume and stuffed with polyfill (which acts to trick the sub into thinking it is in a larger volume box) and the subs are powered by a 1500w RMS amplifier that is tuned conservatively, so say 1000w instead of 1500w.

 

[97stoker350]

Right on I can understand that! What are u gonna drive that mkiv with

 

[jdc753]

Gonna be with my sundown 1500d at 2ohm so 800w sub is rated for 450w rms. But I will keep the gain low till it breaks in and then turn it up and see how the sub likes the extra power.

Plan is to toss it in my current center console box at 0.5ft^3 and then build a box for under the rear seat.

 

[97stoker350]

So what does the rms value really mean is that like the safe power level for it or what?

 

[bigrpowr]

Be a little while before I get a box together and put some power and music to this sub but finally got it in hand.


Stereo Integrity BM MKiV 12" shallow sub

are they available right now? i'd like to redo my green truck with a couple of those if there is enough airspace under the backseat. right now i have a 13tw5 .. its decent.. but not enough.

 

[jdc753]

So what does the rms value really mean is that like the safe power level for it or what?

Yes basically RMS is the safe continuous operating power, some of the "cheaper" company's and gear will list Peak power ratings, but those are more of a marketing gimmik to grab people's attention.


In car audio like diesels, you can boost the fuel/power as long as you are careful with it and know the tell tale signs to listen for. As long as the power is clean and you are not clipping the signal than the speaker can be pushed relatively safely to it's thermal and mechanical limits. For example in my truck I have on occasion smelled the glue from the speakers when they have gotten warmed up a bit, and I have also heard metal on metal contact from the cone slapping the backplate on the sub. Usually you will hear some distortion before this happens but the sub was super clean sounding. Quick twist of the volume brings everything back into acceptable limits.


Also certain subs will handle more power above ratings than others, and also the box will greatly dictate the power handling abilities too, a large or ported box will handle less power than a tight sealed box.

are they available right now? i'd like to redo my green truck with a couple of those if there is enough airspace under the backseat. right now i have a 13tw5 .. its decent.. but not enough.

As far as I know they are! I got this one from a preorder deal so this is a first run batch.


I don't quite know if this will have more output than the 13tw5 but I would certainly guess it to be cleaner sounding. These are built off XBL^2 technology which has a different sound to it than other subs. Sorta like a gas job vs a diesel kinda thing. It's a cleaner sound, but to some is just so different from what they are used to that they don't like it. Hopefully I'll get some experience from it soon, but if it is anything like the current sub I have then it should be nice, expecially with the compact package.

 

[bigrpowr]

Yes basically RMS is the safe continuous operating power, some of the "cheaper" company's and gear will list Peak power ratings, but those are more of a marketing gimmik to grab people's attention.


In car audio like diesels, you can boost the fuel/power as long as you are careful with it and know the tell tale signs to listen for. As long as the power is clean and you are not clipping the signal than the speaker can be pushed relatively safely to it's thermal and mechanical limits. For example in my truck I have on occasion smelled the glue from the speakers when they have gotten warmed up a bit, and I have also heard metal on metal contact from the cone slapping the backplate on the sub. Usually you will hear some distortion before this happens but the sub was super clean sounding. Quick twist of the volume brings everything back into acceptable limits.


Also certain subs will handle more power above ratings than others, and also the box will greatly dictate the power handling abilities too, a large or ported box will handle less power than a tight sealed box.




As far as I know they are! I got this one from a preorder deal so this is a first run batch.


I don't quite know if this will have more output than the 13tw5 but I would certainly guess it to be cleaner sounding. These are built off XBL^2 technology which has a different sound to it than other subs. Sorta like a gas job vs a diesel kinda thing. It's a cleaner sound, but to some is just so different from what they are used to that they don't like it. Hopefully I'll get some experience from it soon, but if it is anything like the current sub I have then it should be nice, expecially with the compact package.

what about airspace requirement? im hoping 2 of those require less than 2 13's .. 1 13 just doesnt hit hard enough for me. its very clean though.

 

[jdc753]

The SI sub wants to see 0.5ft^3 where the JL calls for 0.8ft^3. So you could fit 2 of the SI subs in a box slightly bigger than the JL's optimal box. For what the JL wants for a pair you could squeeze in 3 of the SI subs.

 

[97stoker350]

What would you guys say is the best combo out of these:
Alpine shallow 12" with 550 watt alpine amp
Rockford fostgate shallow sealed enclosure with 12" p3s and 500w or similar amp
Jl audio tw3 12" enclosure with jx500 amp
Or
New stereo integrity shallow 12 with adequate amp?

 

[97stoker350]

What would you guys say is the best combo out of these:
Alpine shallow 12" with 550 watt alpine amp
Rockford fostgate shallow sealed enclosure with 12" p3s and 500w or similar amp
Jl audio tw3 12" enclosure with jx500 amp
Or
New stereo integrity shallow 12 with adequate amp?

Double post

 

[jdc753]

Biggest key word to me when making these sort of selections is BUDGET. How much are you looking to spend, also how much of a complete system are you looking to build. If you are only looking to add a subwoofer then I personally wouldn't go crazy spending big dollars on a single piece of the puzzle, but if you were going to do speakers and amps then I would look a little more closely at higher end subs to compliment good speakers.



Alpine Shallow 12" - http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SWRT12/Alpine-SWR-T12.html#details-tab

I would kick this one out just based purely on budget, unless you can find it for a much better price, say around the $300 mark. Spec wise it is pretty similar to the JL 12TW3 other than the power handling, but the JL is a good bit cheaper. also the JL has a pretty good lead on the Fs(Hz) stat (this is basically how low the subwoofer can play with authority.) They are both pretty equal in Xmax and sensitivity.


JL Audio 12TW3 - http://www.crutchfield.com/p_13612TW3/JL-Audio-12TW3-D4.html#details-tab


See above, I would pick this one over the Alpine as your mid to high end selection especially if the Alpine is going to be more money, heck even if the Alpine saves you $50 I would grab the JL, more savings though and the Alpine looks more appealing since they are so close in specs.


Rockford Fosgate P3S-12" - http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_43416_Rockford-Fosgate-P3SD2-12.html


This is a good budget entry level shallow sub, this gets you up off the bottom feeder subs and into something decent. Stats wise it's a good bit below the JL and the Alpine, RF only has 10mm Xmax vs their 15mm, and a much higher FS rating but if you are only adding a subwoofer and have no plans for amplified door speakers then this is where I would set my target, OR...


Along with the RF sub I would take a good look at the Pioneer offerings. Pioneer was one of the first to enter the shallow market and has always been held in high regard when it comes to budget minded shallow subs.


Pioneer TS-SW3001 12" - http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18212_Pioneer-TS-SW3001S4.html

The sensitivity is WAY higher than all the others listed above, this means it will get louder per wattage fed to it, or better utilize the power it's fed. The FS is middle ground, not overly high but would like to see lower. The Xmax is pretty sad, but like I said above Pioneer has always been good and I have heard previous versions of this subs that all sounded and worked good for such a tiny package. Also they recommend a fairly small box compared to the others, previous models were even smaller.


Well after typing all that out for the pioneer and comparing the specs, price being equal between the Pioneer and RF I would have to pick the RF sub.



Now for the Stereo Integrity BM mkIV - http://stereointegrity.com/index.php?id=47


Now this one is going to be at the upper end of your budget range, similar to the Alpine price wise, but I would compare this more closely to the JL Audio 13TW5, as the 2 pinnacle subs in the shallow mount catagory. The Xmax is much greater than the 13TW5 but actually 1mm shy of the Alpine and the RF sub, it's frequency response starts much lower than the other subs listed and if I had the full T/S specs I would image there are a few other points with the BM looks good.


I don't want to straight pimp this sub as I haven't listened to it yet, but the builder I know is very meticulous when it comes to specs and design and has always put out quality products. I have a previous sub he produced and I will never sell it.

The main difference you will find with this sub is that it is XBL^2 based motor which actually has a distinct different sound compared to common underhung motor design. The best way I can describe the difference is it sounds as if there isn't a subwoofer, it is a cleaner sound that for some is very lacking, but after getting used to it, it is very nice for a SQ system with the sub blending in. Distortion is extremely low, almost non existant, and other specs are more even over the frequency range.








OK, so long story short, depending on your budget, buy the RF if you are looking to stay simple and cheap. Buy the JL if you are looking for a higher end system and hopefully future expansion. Buy the SI sub for the same reasons as the JL if you are willing to do some experimentation and branch out into smaller lesser known gear and hear something a bit different than the norm.

 

[97stoker350]

Great response that's exactly what I wanted. My buddy has an alpine type s with 500 watts and it hits pretty hard I think but I've never been in a car with a sub. Do the regular size subs sound better than the ahallows?

 

[Yellow1000]

Any of you use the JL tw3 10s yet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and ****.

 

[jdc753]

Great response that's exactly what I wanted. My buddy has an alpine type s with 500 watts and it hits pretty hard I think but I've never been in a car with a sub. Do the regular size subs sound better than the ahallows?

Glad to help ya out. If you think that type S hits hard should try a type r with about double the recommended power. The type arrrgh as they used to call em were well known for taking gobbs of power and being a pretty good budget ground pounder.

Not really any difference sound wise between a regular and a shallow. It is just with the different topology of Underhung/Overhung vs XBL^2. The XBL^2 is extremely rare though so most likely 90% of people haven't even heard of it. As best I know the only companies to build them were Adire Audio (defunct looong time ago) and Stereo Integrity has used it on the past 3 subs he produced, and I am sure there is at least 1 other company but I really can't think of one.

Any of you use the JL tw3 10s yet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and ****.

I am pretty sure Bigrpowr has three of them in his newest ride. Maybe shoot him a PM and see what he thinks of them. Here is a thread on them, http://powerstrokearmy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40696&highlight=mikey