10" sub selection

Got my enclosed sub box made and reinforced. Picked up an Alpine PDX1.600 on craigslist and now need a sub. Dont know much about em, never bought one before. Was thinking about:

JL Audio 10W6
Alpine Type-R SWR-1042D

These seem to be top brands. The Alpine is around $110 and the JL is about $180. I need some guidance here guys, I know there's a ton of stereo knowledge out on this board. I dont really want to spend more than $150, so the Alpine is looking better and better - anyone have one? Is the JL way better?

Please feel free to weigh in. All advice/guidance greatly appreciated.

I can't say enough about my Alpine Type R 10" Sub. Super clean bass and the thing just hits! When people hear it they're amazed at how good it sounds for a 10". If you get a chance, listen to the type R and compare it to anything else out there (same amp) and you'll be amazed. Mine is inside a ported box tho. GL.

Antonio, where is your sub located on your boat? I have a v215 too.

How about the image dynamics IDQ10? I have heard good things about the IDQ's.

I love my Type-Rs. A friend of mine has four of those JLs in his Armada and it sounds awesome. Either way I don't think you can go wrong.

It's under the helm behind the driver foot rest. Ended up moving my seat back in order to get it to fit tho. I tried hiding it inside the storage compartment opposite the driver's seat, but it sounded "muffled." and rattled my cup holders like crazy. In the end, it sounded the best under the helm facing the driver. Seriously tho, until I heard it, I wasn't even considering the Type R. No BS. I was looking at other subs like kicker and what not. Then my stereo guy hooked both a kicker and the alpine to the same amp and I was sold! Even had him hook up a 12" to compare to the Type R 10", and still the 10" sounded so much cleaner. I listen to all kinds of music, from Rap to Alt Rock and it sounds great no matter what you're playing.

Sounds real good. I am building my whole system to fit in front of the drivers foot rest. Sub will face the back wall, sub and tower amps will sit on a shelf just above it. interiors amp mounted to the bulkhead. Appreciate the feedback about the location - i was considering the passenger storage compartment too, but wanted didnt want to give up the storage space. Plus kinda nice to have all the audio gear up under the dash outta the way and not even visible...

Ive talked to several guys who say to have it fire at the hull or the bulkhead for best results - counterintuitive to me, but what do I know...

Many thanks for the opinions - looks (sounds) like the type R is a winner.

(Message edited by CamasSanger on February 24, 2010)

I have a 15" type-r and it is AWESOME!

Not sure if you get them in the usa but here in nz we have some 10" fusion power plant subs . although they have been taken off the market now but i have got 2 in my van and one in the boat . they are awsome and put out a nice clean bass.

Interesting that you built the enclosure for a sub, without knowing which sub. Might be kinda hard to choose a good sub that will fit your enclosure, considering it's best to choose the sub, then build the the correct enclosure to match that specific sub.

Is your enclosure sealed or vented and what is the internal volume?

kikcer l5 or l7 will hold up better in the marine environment. rubber surrounds holding the cone to the basket.

You've gotta know what your doing to load subs off the hull wall. simple solution just fire it into the cabin area.

Yeah Mike, I built it to the specs for the 10w6. Can't remember the specs but did all the math, and customized it for that one. My observation (again NOT a stereo pro) is that the enclosed box specs appear to be very similar for several that I have checked out.

I guess I'm just second guessing my selection and now try to save a few dollars here and there, so that is why I started looking around. And it seems that Alpine is a good brand... Anyway, that's why I started the thread- to get some feedback...

Anyone have any feedback on the Kicker KM10?

the foam surrounds on my w6's were giving me problems. My boat sits on my lift so it's aroudn water all the time, but I switched them all out to kicker l7's

Andy-

The Kicker KM10 is designed as a true marine subwoofer. The cone is co-molded with its rubber surround, so it is extremely tough, and is UV treated to resist exposure to the sun. The grill has drainage designed in to prevent standing water next to the surround. It has very little ferrous metal to cause rust stains in your gelcoat, and what ferrous metal there is in the woofer is sealed up inside the back cover of the woofer. You can hose it down with a stream of water from your garden hose or the car wash, (at a distance of course) with no ill effects.

The motor is magnetically shielded. That doesn't mean much for the freshwater guys from a compass usage standpoint, but the magnetic shielding focuses and concentrates the magnetic energy in the voice coil gap, resulting in higher efficiencies when compared with non-shielded woofer motors.

It is a design that does well in a free air mounting, but it does better in an enclosure. I like it in about 2 cubic foot vented. I also like how it sounds sealed, in about 1.1 cu. ft.

The KM10 is rated at 150 RMS, so it is lower in power rating than, say the L5 or the L7. But, I have personally run it at a solid 250+ RMS with no ill effects... It will handle some power in a good enclosure, more than the specs might suggest.

With all things, listening to any woofer or speaker is very subjective, so take the opportunity to listen to one.

A quick note: With ANY woofer you are considering, make sure when you do that it is installed properly and has appropriate power connected to it. Even the very best woofer on the market can sound like poo if it is not mounted and powered correctly... The worse thing you can do is make a purchase decision based on the poor results of a bad demonstration.

Good luck, and have fun with it, always!

Phil
Kicker

Phil, I don't know if you have a little tally (that doesn't sound right) sheet to count the number of kicker sales you directly produce through helpful advice to prospective customers on message boards, but if you do, add another mark to it (KM10 ordered).

Andy-

Not trying to produce sales, just trying to help you make an informed decision. You asked for information on the KM10, I shared objective facts.


Okay, my subjective opinion IS in there, I said I liked how it sounded in the vented and sealed boxes... Sorry!

At the end of the day, I just hope everybody makes a decision based on their needs and informed opinions, based on listening, based on taking the time to understand the relative merits of each product. I truly try to come here and be of help without swaying an opinion based on any subjective opinion I might have; that would not be fair.

Glad to be of assistance!

Phil
Kicker

(Message edited by philwsailz on February 25, 2010)

Saying they all work the same is like saying all wake board boats produce the same wake.

Every sub manufacturer designs their sub for a different sound, and with different power requirements in mind, as well as different enclosure volumes to achieve that desired sound. But with enough searching, you will find subs that require about the same power and recommended enclosure volume.

As Polarbill pointed out, It's always better to exceed and amp's rated RMS, by a bit, then to be underpowered.