12 or 15 sub sound

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crotonevans

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I have a alpine 500 watt amp looking to get 1 12" or 15"
both ar sundown rated at 600 watts same amp does a 15 sound louder or lower than a 12" ? not sure what 1 to get if there is a sound difference
 

bigdaddymatty

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the 15 should play lower. the 12 will play low too just depends on ported or sealed box. i have a rockford t2 12 on a rockford 400-2 running 2 ohms and it pounds. i listen to top 40 music and like the 12 a lot. my box is tuned to 37 hz. i might build a new box and tune it up around 45 hz. i would stick with a 12 if i was you and spend the extra cash on a great stiffening cap or extra battery and good wire.
 

Leedogg

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The theory that all small sub are tight and punchy, or that all large subs are boomy/inaccurate is largely just a myth now a days. In the correct enclosure the 12 with likely play just as deep, and the 15 would play just as high(being as must Subs are crossed over at 100hz or less). I have a 18" SSA Xcon in my Suzuki- and it plays everything up to my x-over point(80hz) just fine.

With that said- determine the room you have and buy the largest woofer that will use that space optimally. Also- in a proper enclosure(notice the theme here), the larger sub will be louder watt for watt.

I would suggest a 2nd battery over a 'cap'. Caps that are large enough to really help cost about as much as another battery. For the power you are needing to run(1000w or less) I would recommend doing the big 3, and maybe a AGM Battery/or 2nd Battery. I bought into the Cap thing yrs agao, and rand a 30 farad Stinger in a 1000w build- it didn't seem to help much at all.

I am running a blue top Optima in my Zuk with 1600w rms and it rarely goes below 13v. But I do have a 160amp Alt to replce the lil 80amp stocker. For my Avalanche- I have 4000+rms on hand(Crescendo Amps) to power a pair of 15's, for my electrical- I plan to run 2 Stock size AGM's and a 320 amp Alt. You can only make as much power as you supply.

If you need help with box design, hit me up. I Also suggest checking out www.ssaudio.com, their forum is a wealth of real knowledge an myth debunking.
 

ccapehartusarmyINF.(ret)

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go with 12 or 12s ive had friends that ran 15s and they seem to over power everything else and you can hear his stereo a mile away im of the philosophy of making my system sound good on the inside i can care lesss what it sounds like outside the vehicle
 

HortonHiresAHoe

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Even a single 12 in a proper enclosure, as Lee suggested, will easily overpower the factory speakers. In either case (12 or 15), you should look into upgrading to some nice components.
 

Phil_B_Hughes

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if you are a sundown fan, you should really get the SA-8 v2, i have 1 with 500 watts to it, and it hits harder than 2 15's or 12's....honestly, its one 8 in sub. Sundown is the best hands down. you can get a new sa8 for $145 and save space with a somewhat smaller box.
 

Leedogg

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if you are a sundown fan, you should really get the SA-8 v2, i have 1 with 500 watts to it, and it hits harder than 2 15's or 12's....honestly, its one 8 in sub. Sundown is the best hands down. you can get a new sa8 for $145 and save space with a somewhat smaller box.

I agree with this to a point. 1 SA8 in the right enclosed, will perform better than a larger driver in a bad enclosure. And will still dig deep. I have a friend with a Massive Hippo 8 in his Typhoon...I would've sworn it was at least a 12 back there. It's all in the box.
 

HortonHiresAHoe

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These guys are right... that sa-8 is a lil beast and will hound in a proper box. I wouldn't go as far as to say that "sundown is the best hands down", but they do make really good stuff.
 

gryans07yukon

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I have 4 12inch jl audio w6 with a arc audio se amp. It pounds hard. But next im gonna get sundown d4 sundown 12s 4 of them and crack my skull
 

08grey

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Tinnitus sucks. I live with it every day careful what you ask for.
 

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