Hi guys/gals,

My Girlfriend has said she wants to buy me a Sub/Amp for my birthday (6th Aug), but has asked me to choose the one I would like to get. I am quite liking the Vibe CBR10 Active Subs which are on Ebay for around £150 brand new. The 12" version (CBR12) is another ~£50 on top. What I would like to know is, will the 12" have a distinct advantage over the 10"?

From what I have been told in the past, a smaller cone will give a more crisp sound in the lower frequencies, whereas a 12" will give a more punchy but less defined bass, due to the increased distortion across the cone. Is this true?

I am after a Sub that will not occupy the whole of my boot area, will send nice deep throbbing sensations through the whole car (chicks dig a bit of vibration, lol), and won't just sound flat like many I have heard in the past. Would a 10" do the job, or is 12" the way to go?

cheers,

=chris=

 

Yeah, thats correct. Another thing is that a 12 will have more movement than a 10. The flat sounding bass that you have herd is because they dont have enough power to the subs! As you try to produce lower and lower sounds it takes exponentially more power, but then again you have to be carefull not to over drive your speakers and pop'em out of the magnets! So, 2 12s and a 1000Watt amp should get you sittin about where you would want to be. If anyone finds anything wrong with what i said let me know cause, i am half asleep at work right now, lol.

 

Do 2x 12's or 3x 10's.....3x 10's is best i think

 

2 x 12's or 3 x 10's?! Jesus dude, I'm still gonna need some room in the back, lol. I'm not really going for the full over-the-top-make-my-ears-bleed sound system, heheh.

For now I'll be sticking with a single I think. I appreciate what you guys are saying tho, 2 x 12" subs would kick *** bigtime, and 3 x 10" must be unreal. Bit OTT for me tho...

So far my system comprises of...

Alpine CDA 9847r with iPod adapter
30Gb Apple Ipod Video
Infinity Reference 5 1/2" speakers up front (brand new, literally only just fitted)
Pioneer 350w 6x9s in the rear

I plan to swap the 6x9's for an Infinity set, as my Pioneer ones were bought second-hand from a mate. They've seen a lot of abuse over their life and now seem to rattle on the lower frequencies. Still not bad for £10 each tho, lol.

 

With 1 12 and a properly designed box with the correct power from a nice amp will be loud enough so you dont want to be in the car.

 

Before you really decide, you need to look at the music you mainly listen to. Rock or Metal= 10 because it has fast bassline punches that will sound clean. Rap or Hip Hop = 12 because it has a slower but much deeper bassline that will turn some heads. Another thing to keep in mind is the maker. I'm partial to JL or Kicker but they are more expensive, but deliver the goods either way you go. If you really listen to all kinds of music I'd go with one or two 12s in a well built box that has minimum 600 continuous watts. Just like everything, bigger and more expensive is not always what you are looking for.

 

That is complete crap, you do not choose your sub size based on the music you listen to. You do choose your box size and choose to go ported or not. I can take a JL 18W3 and smack alot of your average 10's around in sound quality.

 

Generally it is true in my experiences, I'm not talking just going to best buy and buying whatever lightning audio sub I can find, I'm talking about distinctively telling the differences between a tight hitting bass and loud long bass which come from different forms of music. Thats why a 15 is better for rap because of the lower bass frequencies that are associated with rap music. Im being completely generalistic of which direction they might want to explore. Your right I can take 3 10 JL w6s and with the right amps, blowing off my trunk by the bass. or you can take one 10 or 12 w7 and it sounds like the greatest system in the world. Being budget aware, it is a basic way to look at what you want.

 

You are still wrong, I have been into car audio sense before it was popular to. I was installing godfather 18's in BMW's in the early 90's. I had ED subs before they were all so popular, I have pushed everything from RE MT's to Solo X's to their max. I am telling you in all honesty that given a good sub(dont have to be expensive) that a large driver can produce every bit the soud quality a smaller driver can. People mistake loudness for not sounding good alot. But in the same sense most people put subs in ported boxes that are to large and tuned way to high.

It is like the last setup I had, I ran a 12W7 in nearly every configuration known to man. Everything from ABC boxes to snail shells, to boxes tuned super low to boxes tuned relatively high(mid 40's) and will say this. That sub is totally touted and used wrong 95% of the time. The best that sub ever sounded was in a 2 cu ft box sealed with a PG Tantrum 1200.1 on it.

Box manipulation and correct tuning of the HU, amp, and on board processors can make nearly any sub shine. I did a install into a 93 Eclipse and used a JBL BP600.1 and 2 bazooka EL1204's which were $99 buy one get one free at circute city and it pounced in the area of 142 on a super stiff TL mic. This setup was not a one hit wonder either, it would hold it's own anywhere from 30hz all the way up to 80hz and all was done for around $250. Subs differ to much for anyone to say any 10 hits "tighter" than any 12. I can make a 8W7 sound like(be as loud) 90% of your average 12's at a retail store(Circut City/Best Buy) or I can make a Kicker 15L7 hit as low and as tight as your average 8 or 10 inch sub that is ment for sq. It is not a matter of the sub itself more times than not it is a matter of the person installing and setting it up knowing what they are doing.

 

I agree with what you are saying. Its all in the configuration, I understand that. I was just talking from my own experiences from the systems I've had. I've bought the 12 600 watt kenwood tornados front circuit city for 150 bucks for the two, with a walmart jensen 300 watt amp and it sounded good. Ive had 2 12 kicker L7s with an 1800 watt mono amp the hit like no tomorrow and was tight. The setup is key and money can be a limitation, thats what I was trying to tell them. I wasnt trying to argue since every system sounds different in different cars.