sub swap question
 

so I have a JL 12w1 sub. installed in a sealed box (built by a stereo shop) that I am wanting to swap out to A revo 12 or a 12w3". Will the box that I have (assuming its built to spec ) work for the revo 12?

looks like the volumes are pretty much the same, 1.1cuft is that what is important? I am also curious if the change to the revo or w3 would even be a noticeable difference or just a waste of time/money?

http://www.jlaudio.com/12w1v3-4-car-...-drivers-92083


https://wetsounds.com/pages/products/REVO-12HP_spec



any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Is yours actually the v3, or a v1 or v2? If all you do is literately swap woofers, you will certainly hear a difference is SQ, but you may not get an output difference thats a return on the investment, since you moved from one 12" to another. If your amp is throttled back and and has some untapped headroom, now you begin to hear a noticeable difference.

you know I am unsure ( I guess the only way to check is to remove it and look at it right? for what its worth it looks like the v3 photo ( v2is grey) I know that its currently bridged on channel 5-6 on a wetsounds ht6. 300w rms. that the shop said was the perfect amount for the sub. output and quality seem to be lacking from my polk 12" in my old boat.

I am in the process of adding a dx2 as the 3rd amp.

the system will be

ht-6 ( for the 6 in boat xs650's)
ht-2 ( bridged to power the sub old or new if the swap works)
dx2 ( power 2 wet sounds rev 8's)

I assume this would be the best setup?

Bridging a 4 ohm woofer on the HT2 has the potential of double the wattage the amp currently sees. Now you begin to see the benefits of a woofer swap to either the revo-12hp or 12w3. Also gives you a littl e bump in wattage to 4 in-boats at the same time, reducing the load on the HT6. For the money, id consider the HTX-4 for a pair of Rev-8.

300W rms to a 12W1 is not bad, but it is on the low end, with no headroom as the amp is bridged to get that. Can be some other factors, like amp tune and enclosure design. Lets presume its built to the suggested 1.1 ft3. Thats could be a little mellow with only 300W. Reduce it might pep up the woofer's response. Also hard to make a comparison without knowing all the details of the old setup. Might be worth pulling the driver and measuring the enclosure just to be sure you know what you have.

Yes, upgrading the woofer to a W3 or Revo12 and power to a HTX2 will make a huge difference even with the same size sub.

thanks for the info mike.

I'll do some measuring this weekend to see what it is.

I would go with the htx-4 but I already have the dx2 amp. purchased.
do you think I would be better suited to change the wiring setup

ht6 ch 1,2,3,4 bridged for the rev 8's ch 5,6 for the front xs650 inboats

ht2 or dx2 for the rear 4 xs650 cabins (2ohm) a bit over powered but I assume could be tuned correctly
ht2 or dx2 bridged for the sub.

I am pretty much set on equipment except the sub replacement so I am hoping what I have will work

From a wattage standpoint, thats the way to go. Id designate the Syn-DX2 to the woofer and the HT-2 for the 2 pair of main cabin in-boats.

Depending on the particular series, there are small differences in the ideal sealed box size for these three subwoofer options. Add to that, the JL Audio 12W3 and Wetsounds Revo 12 will have slightly larger driver mass, thus the net displacement in your enclosure will be slightly under-sized. This small difference can be remedied by either adding internal damping material, or by opening up and adding another layer to one side of the enclosure only, with no changes to the seams. So minor surgery in any case.