ncfc3s

iTrader: (1)

Good deal. The funny looking glass box you were speaking of...is it by any chance a hotbox? I run a sealed box also. I like the bass to be tight. I have been told that the ported boxes have better sq though. My ears tell me different though. I dont HAVE to always be right, but go down to features: http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...n_US&p_status=
"Protective PVC textured magnet cover" 200 watts RMS isint bad for an 8 though.

90FC

The MTX Thunder 9500, 8500, 7500, 5500, and 4500 series subs are still of good quality. I'm not sure about there amps anymore though. Its when MTX started targeting the "Best Buy" market is when they started going to crap.

The OP's MTX sub is the crappiest I've seen from them.

ncfc3s

iTrader: (1)

you can get the same quality from audiobahn for alot cheaper

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Oh ok well maby its a cover but the magnet itself cant be too much smaller if every screw stuck to the back of it that easily and to tell you the truth I have no idea what a hot box is... maby thats what I have. the rockford was actually so big, I had to destroy part of the box to get it to fit inside, and now I realized that I cant put it back together so I have ghetto temporary bass right now until my sealed 8'' box comes in the mail next week.

The MTX box with the 8'' sub was a good design, but the reason why mine doesnt sound good anymore, is because this box wasnt designed to have a more powerful sub in it. When I installed the Rockford, I have a lot more bass, but the ported box sounds like garbage because there is too much power, PLUS my amp cuts out every 3 min's or so... time to upgrade that too

I read that a ported box will sound a lot louder then a sealed box, but the bass will not be as accurate for fast beats like techno...the bass will fall behind. However, I also read that a sealed box can sound as loud as a ported box but it takes a lot more power to accomplish that.

One thing I realized, is that my first car had a 12'' Rockford P1 sub with 200 watts RMS I believe. So I knew for an 8'' sub to even sound close to that, it had to be a P2. I love these conversations

juice22

iTrader: (4)

I'm running a single JL audio 8w7 8'' sub in a ported box built to JL's specs. Hitting around 135-140db with a US amps usa-600 and a accuvolt fr1500 to regulate a steady stream of 14v so I dont destroy the alternator.

If your amp is cutting out every three minutes or so it could be going into protect mode because its overheating or your running it at an impedance it doesnt support.

ncfc3s

iTrader: (1)

I love US Amps! Juice is right about your amp. Your running a single sub though and its prolly d4, so your either running in 8 or 2 ohms. Most amps out there will support 2 ohms, so my guess is that you have a bad ground, the sub hooked up wrong, or you have it in an area where it cant get rid of the heat.

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Ok so today I finally got my 8'' subwoofer enclosure from here http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...+-8ANTCM-.html and... It DOES sound better, but not louder. At low volumes bass boost on MAX, there is no distortion at all, and it sounds very clean, crisp, clear. It sounds so good, that you hear bass in songs you didnt even know had bass. However on the other hand if the volume is too loud, the bass actually starts to diminish. After searching in google about this issue, I found out that it's my amplifier causing that problem.

My amplifier cannot handle the power the subwoofer is putting out, therefore when the volume gets too high, it start "clipping". Sometimes if it is a fast beat song like techno at a loud volume the bass will skip , and then the amplifier turns off altogether because of overheating. The temporary fix I realized, is if I play the bass boost at "zero", that way it sounds clean at high volumes, and the amp doesnt overheat.

A permanent fix is, I need to upgrade my amp. When I install my new amp and everything, I will let everyone know how it sounds in the end and i'll put up a few pics

ncfc3s

iTrader: (1)

Lol.....A bigger and better amp isint going to help out your problem. Your sub is fluttering. Its in a sealed box and it cant keep up with the amp. Also the bass boost just adds distortion to your system so if you want sq it should be at 0 anyway. If you want louder your going to have to throw away the 8....

SinSFDream

iTrader: (9)

I dont think anyone has mentioned Elemental Designs. They make quality stuff and are their own distirbutor. No middle man jackin up the prices. they make amps also which are very reasonably priced for the power outputs. Just an idea.

I have yet to hook up my e3.8's. I'll have two 8's in the rear being pushed by a 400W Rockford amp I've had forever. I personally havent heard them yet, but they have a very good reputation. This is just a new line they made. Subs look great.

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Sadly im starting to think this too.... I dont have any experience in 8'' subwoofers so I didnt really know what to expect. This is what im looking for in a system:

--Good clean bass at high volumes without distortion
--Small so it doesnt take up too much space
--Not too much power 150-300 watts max ( dont wanna have alternator problems or need to add capacitors)

What im gonna do, is buy a new more powerful amplifier which wont cut out and overheat, and I'll test it at high volume to see how the subwoofer performs. If there is still distortion at high volumes even after tuning, then I'll look into another 8'' sub which can handle high volumes better. I really dont want a bigger sub because of the weight and bulkiness.

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Ok so ive been doing some serious research on 8'' subwoofers tonight. Checking out things like: Linear Excursion, Frequency response, power handling, enclosure size etc. Ive decided against going for the Rockford 8'' P3, because I compared its specs to other subs, and I can get the same quality for cheaper, therefore it's not worth it.

I did find 2 subs I liked however. The first one im sure everyone has heard about, the JL Audio 8W7. From the reviews, I dont think I'll have any problems with distortion at high volumes with this one. There are 2 downsides to this sub for me...
(1--- It requires a rather large enclosure for it to operate efficiently
(2---Its very and I mean VERY expensive!!!

The second Sub I found is called a Polk Audio MM840. This sub runs for a fraction of the price of the JL 8W7, how ever if you compare the specs for both of them, they are almost identical with only minor differences. Dont get me wrong, at $140 for an 8'' sub thats not cheap, but better then the 8W7 at $400! The only major difference I see here is the 8W7 has MUCH higher power handling capabilities, but I only plan on running 200 watts RMS.

Heres the specs here for both Subs:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107MM84...ures_and_specs

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1368W73...ures_and_specs

Let me know what you guys think

ncfc3s

iTrader: (1)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Robot-HardTimes-...3A1%7C294%3A50

ncfc3s

iTrader: (1)

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-KICKER-08-S...3A1%7C294%3A50

SinSFDream

iTrader: (9)

The Kickers will get loud but thats about it. The Hardtimes sub is made from what used to be Adire Audio which sold out because they got too big. Quality stuff though. Hands down I would get that over the Kickers.

ncfc3s

iTrader: (1)

Me too. the people who make them are great people. robotunderground.com from what I get out of their opperation is they get kids off the streets and out of trouble. I have had 2 of their hardtimes 15s in my dd pushing them at 1000 watts RMS EACH for around a year. I think I have $200 in the set?

juice22

iTrader: (4)

I'm running a single 8w7. the power handling is 500 or so watts. I'm putting out 750watts to it and it doesnt break a sweat It is extrmely loud
and makes your ears hurt. Never bottomed out the sound quality is no slocuh either.Not a big fan of rockfords> they were the **** back in the 90's the then iny opinion they started sell crap I'd look at tc sounds. soundplinter. elemental designs for a sub....there a few others and they are cheap. TC sounds make subs for eclipse or they use to, you can order through their websitel

********but I only plan on running 200 watts RMS.**********

wow I missed that. Do not buy any of the subs listed above if your amp is putting out 200watts. Total wasted of money. You would need a good 500 watt mono amp to push hose subs. maybe evening moe.

Rx7_Nut13B

iTrader: (1)

KICKER L7 = GREAT

I have one 12in in my truck and that is all I need with the 1500w kicker amp.

One Kicker 8in L7 will be so much louder then a normal 8in round sub. Look up that sub

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Actually I think I like the way you're describing the 8W7. It IS very expensive, but I checked on Ebay, and I can buy it brand new for almost half the price with a warranty. The reason why I dont want more then 200 watts, is because I dont wanna have to upgrade my wiring, I dont wanna strain my rebuilt alternator, or need to wire in a capacitor. The 8W7 says that it can handle from 150 watts rms to 500 watts rms, and then 1000 watts max. With 200 watts I wouldn't be getting its full potential, but I want somthing that when im blasting with bass boost on max, there is zero distortion at high volumes, plus I LOVE the way it looks

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Ok so I finally bought the JL Audio 8W7 and it arrived today. Before I can get to test this thing out, I still need to buy the amplifer and the box. I hooked it up temporarily and played it at low volume just to make sure it worked and it does. I really hope this sounds better then the MTX sub I had before.

jshiz

iTrader: (4)

Nice. JL is definantly the best bang for your buck

XRedXSe7enX

iTrader: (1)

i would have to say that kicker cvrs are the best subs when you're on a budget. i had two 12"s in a sealed box with a crossfire xp1000d and was hitting 147 while my homeboy had 4 rockford fosgate p2's (with the exact same amp) in a vented box in a jeep and he was hitting 149. he had spent a little less than 2000 bucks without his flipout while i only spent 600 on everything!

DrKillJoY

What meter are you using to get those kinds of numbers?

and where are you taking your readings?

Ernesto13B

iTrader: (4)

Ok so..... I finally got my Pioneer Amplifier, and my JL Audio box and installed everything. My results... It sounds..."Alright" My expectations were much higher, but I will admit it does sound a LOT better then the Rockford P2 and I can have my gain set MUCH higher at loud volumes without distortion.

I'm still playing with my settings, and tuning, but overall it sounds pretty good for an 8'' sub. My amplifier no longer overheats and cuts at loud volumes like the old crap amp did. The JL 8W7 does distort at a volume a little lower then I usually blast my music at, but ill play with some more setting tommorow and try to find something I like.

I know that I have more power then before, because on some songs, I could see my roof vibrating, and my licence plate rattles too, when it didnt before. There's another rattling coming from somewhere I didnt even think rattling was possible. I think i'll stick with this set up, its good enough. The custom-made JL Audio enclorsure BARLEY fits in my trunk, which is why im glad I didn't decide to go with a larger sub.

I checked my alternator with the car running at IDLE: a/c on MAX, blasting my system 300 watts, and high beams on and Alternator was reading 14.3 volts, not bad. As soon as I increased the RPM it jumped up to 14.5 volts. Im pretty sure if I had a bigger sub I would have been happier, but I would also have to sacrifice trunk space and my alternator, so I have to compromise. For the kind of bass that I am looking for, I would give the Rockford P2 8'' a 2/5, and i'd give the JL Audio 8W7 a 4/5. Anyway, here's some pics