I dont know much when it comes to all the specs they give you on subs and what they mean i just know that the higher the maximum power the better theyll sound( i think ) but I know that kickers subs and eclipse have some really nice subs. Which are better a set of kickers or eclipse.

http://www.eclipse-web.com/

http://www.kicker.com/05/05kicker.html

 

eclipse all the way

 

eclipse all the way

 

id say look for dealers and go listen to some....Or go to a car show or something....Everyone has their own opinions and might not be the same as yours.

 

Not quite...just because a sub can handle more nominal power, does not mean that it will sound better. It *may* sound louder, but that isn't even a guarantee. There are a lot more factors that will determine the SPL (Sound Pressure Level) or SQ (Sound Quality) of a sub. What are you looking for? Just loud bass or something that sounds good as well??

 

both of those two brands are good i have owned many kicker subs and still do. the kicker solobaric are sweet i have a 15" L5 thats pounds.

 

don't mind me all i'm just tagging along for some info

 

Power handling has absolutely NOTHING to do with how the speaker sounds.

Unfortunately, 99% of the time, unless you REALLY know what you're doing, you can not tell anything about how a speaker will sound just from looking at published specifications. You may be able to identify the type of box that is most suitable, and how deep the bass will be, but not how good it sounds.

For this you need your ears, and an understanding that the enclosure makes more difference than the sub itself. The best thing you can do is audition speakers yourself, and hope that you're hearing them in the right box.

Between the two brands you've highlighted, I would definately take eclipse if you're looking for sound quality. Specifically, the Eclipse Titanium subwoofers. They are made by an American speaker company called TCSounds. They are built on the TC2 design, which is a very well respected and highly regarded design.

The kicker designs are not something that I'm impressed with. They have caved into the "bling" craze and are building based on asthetics instead of sound engineering principles. Their square subs may have more surface area, but they sound like ***, especially if you put them in the way-too-small enclosures that Kicker reccomends.

 

Eclipse all the way. All i've ever bought for all my cars. To me, the only thing that even came close was JL W6's, and anything made by xtant.

 

Jim--- ok so you seem to know what your talking about and me not really knowing anything at all about this what do you (or rather any of you think would be the best 12" sub's for our cars
i'm looking for chrystal clear sound from all different type's of music (classical country r&b rap even new's...) I listen to it all

I've been to sereral local shop and thried out all differnt types of sub's / box combo's and it's funny but they all do sound diff.....
even seen the "exact" setup's produce totaly different sounds
so i'm maily wondering about the sound produced by our well boxes b/c no shop i know of will have anything along the lines to really compair it with

 

Again, listening is the best you can do. Overall, people seem to gravitate toward a select few "high end" subs when looking for sound quality.

You can look at any of the subs with XBL^2 motors. This includes the Adire Koda (I'll be reviewing one soon), Adire Brahma, Resonant Audio XXX, Ascendant subs,

There's a new company out called Ascendant Audio. This sub is the most affordable sub you can get with an XBL^2 motor. This sub is the Ascendant Atlas. So far the guys who have gotten them seem very impressed.


There's another new company called Soundsplinter. They are selling subs that are based on the TC Sounds TC2 just like the Eclipse Titanium. Essentially you get an Eclipse Titanium for a lot less money.

 

right now i have 2 10" sony xplod subs cause they were cheap and they sound decent. I also havea a ported sub box that was in the car when i bought it. How can i tell if my subs were designed for a ported box or a non-ported box.

 

Out of the 2 i would say Eclipse, i have some of there speakers in my truck and they sound great. But for a sub i went with Alpine.

 

i have to beg to differ slightly however you hinted to it here with the too small enclosure deal. it all depends on how it's built and how it's tuned. i agree for overall clarity i give it to the eclipse unless your comparing kickers ss65.2's those things are unreal even with their briefcase gimick and $1,100 msrp a pair.



i do agree on asthetic craze though, i chose kicker because the lines of their amps and speaker went well with my interior design but after some tunning they sound really good especially with their sx line of amps. nothing i'd run and compete with but then again that's not what i was looking for and the price reflected it.

 

While having a great pair of speakers is important in having great quality sound, you also need a good quality clean amp. You can have the greatest sounding speakers on the market, but if you have a cheap low quality amp it will still sound like crap.

As far as the power goes, don't fall to the maximum power market ploy. That goes for the speaker and the amp. When an amp says it has 500watts max power, the amp may hit 500watts for a split second every couple of minutes or so. That can also be determined by how you have it hooked up. What you want to look at is nominal,rms, or continous power. All 3 are the same, different companies like to call it different things.

Pay attention to how many cubic feet the speaker need for optimal sound. That should be listed on the spec sheet along with nominal, peak power, impedance etc. I would also ditch the ported box. A sealed box will give better sound over a broad range. The ports in a box are tuned to a certain frequency. It sound great in the one frequency, not as good anywhere else. Ported boxes are ideal for competition. Hope this helps.

Oh and Eclipse are awesome. I had a set and they were the best subs I've ever owned.

 

Unless you're using some flea market piece of crap, the differences in sound quality from one amp to the next will be almost zero... especially at bass frequencies. The only variable between amps that isn't subtle is their realistic power output capabilities.

Your comments about ported enclosures are also flawed. If a ported enclosure is designed properly, the result will be a smooth, flat frequency response. The only time you get an output that peaks at the port tuning frequency is if the enclosure is way too large.

One potential benefit to sealed enclosures is that typically they have a high rolloff frequency, which will in many cases be offset by a vehicle's cabin gain, giving a resulting sound that's pretty well balanced. A ported enclosure (or a sealed enclosure for that matter) with a response that stays flat to a lower frequency will in fact result in an eggagerated bass response that gets larger as the frequency goes lower. However, I actually prefer this type of response (within reason) in a car environment because it makes the bass much more full and natural sounding when overcoming road noise while driving.

There are countless examples of fantastic sounding ported systems that do very well in SOUND QUALITY competition. The myth that ported enclosures are just for boomers is just that... a myth.

 

yep and so is you have to spend thousands to have a decent system. someone who knows what they are truly doing can do wonders with the right equipment.

i'm learning more and more myself everyday doing research. there is alot to it besides just picking out your favorite amp and speaker and going at it.

 

Sure if you have a properly designed box you will get great sound. That goes for ported on non ported. Generally speaking, going with a sealed box is the easiest to tune and can be cheaper since most shops stock them already built to fit the right cubic feet. Getting a "properly design" ported box can cost considerable more. Especially to have one designed for you cabin space. The only ported boxes that I have ever heard that sounded good cost a lot of money because it had to be custum built(and that was for competition). The rest have sounded like crap!If you had read the original thread you would have known that the person didn't know a lot about what he was purchasing. My suggestion, while not for everyone is the simplest and cheapest approach.

Now I am going to say that you are totaly wrong about the amp thing. There is a big difference and often it is between amps that cost as little a $50 more than some cheap one. I have installed many systems including several of my own and have heard many different amps. With the same subs (eclipse), i got another amp the was only $50 dollars more and the sound was way cleaner and more natural. And I never once said you had to spend a crapload of money. That IS false! I am quite cabable, and have installed great sounding systems that didn't break the bank.