# 15" Woofer Choice



## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Hey guys im currently running four fi audio x series 15's in a blowthrough in my silverado, time to step it up. I got my hands on an rf t-2500 that is doing a little over 3k @ 2 ohm.

Still looking to do four 15's just lookin for possible woofer ideas, it's not a one hit wonder i want to do gnaarly output but im still building it to be musical. Up to the $300 range on each woofer is what im thnking. The few i had in mind right now were the incriminator audio lethal injection, the jbl gti mkii was a big player just a little out of price range. What else you got for me?


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Eastman474 said:


> Hey guys im currently running four fi audio x series 15's in a blowthrough in my silverado, time to step it up. I got my hands on an rf t-2500 that is doing a little over 3k @ 2 ohm.
> 
> Still looking to do four 15's just lookin for possible woofer ideas, it's not a one hit wonder i want to do gnaarly output but im still building it to be musical. Up to the $300 range on each woofer is what im thnking. The few i had in mind right now were the incriminator audio lethal injection, the jbl gti mkii was a big player just a little out of price range. What else you got for me?


I have 3 JBL GTI 15" subs babied and never used for SPL... PM me if interested... Or I can get some pretty badass subs for what you want for a good price... Never retail


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## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

$300 with gnarly output and musical, here you go:

DIYCable.com : Intro » Home » Exodus Subwoofers »


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

mSaLL150 said:


> $300 with gnarly output and musical, here you go:
> 
> DIYCable.com : Intro » Home » Exodus Subwoofers »


I like that one. ^^^

Here's another one I like too.

AE Speakers Online Store

AE Speakers Online Store


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Hmmm I like both ideas. Have either of you guys heard any of those subs personally?


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

Eastman474 said:


> Hmmm I like both ideas. Have either of you guys heard any of those subs personally?


I haven't, but I do have a pair of the AE IB15 "auto" version & it's by far the best sub I've used. I've never read a negative comment about the AV's or the Tempest, & if I ever had a large enough car for an enclosed 15" these two subs would be at the top of my list.


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

fish said:


> I haven't, but I do have a pair of the AE IB15 "auto" version & it's by far the best sub I've used. I've never read a negative comment about the AV's or the Tempest, & if I ever had a large enough car for an enclosed 15" these two subs would be at the top of my list.


Okay thank you i appreciate the advice ill definately consider them


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

fish said:


> I haven't, but I do have a pair of the AE IB15 "auto" version & it's by far the best sub I've used. I've never read a negative comment about the AV's or the Tempest, & if I ever had a large enough car for an enclosed 15" these two subs would be at the top of my list.


What are the main differences in the av-x and av-h?


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

Eastman474 said:


> What are the main differences in the av-x and av-h?


The H model can be used in smaller enclosures compared to the X.


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## SomeGuy748 (Feb 24, 2010)

Try these. Higher sensitivity, higher power handling, more xmax. This series is pretty damn amazing.

DD1500 Series Subwoofers - DDAudio.com | Digital Designs : Speakers Made in the USA


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

I've been recomended the db drive k9 subs and they seem to be very efficient high xmax and also look like they are pretty well built. Also might be able to get a decent price on them anyone got more opinions on them?


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Okay so I'm stuck between three subs mainly now. The sundown audio sa-15 at $219 a piece, the db drive okur k9 at close to the same price, and the one I like most yet might not be able to afford the tc sounds lms-r at 320 a piece. What do you guys think.


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Eastman474 said:


> Okay so I'm stuck between three subs mainly now. The sundown audio sa-15 at $219 a piece, the db drive okur k9 at close to the same price, and the one I like most yet might not be able to afford the tc sounds lms-r at 320 a piece. What do you guys think.


Skip the SA Sub , not what you want ( do they make a 15 ? ).. now pick between the Okur K9 and LMS-r both are excellent subs for what you wanna do ! One is cheaper cost


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

DAT said:


> Skip the SA Sub , not what you want ( do they make a 15 ? ).. now pick between the Okur K9 and LMS-r both are excellent subs for what you wanna do ! One is cheaper cost


ya they make a 15, im probably gonna go with the db's


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

AE AV 15
or the exodus tempest, both of which have been mentioned, but they are gonna be the best musicaly 15s for the money in my opinion. they are gonna be my next purchases


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## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

Cruzer said:


> AE AV 15
> or the exodus tempest, both of which have been mentioned, but they are gonna be the best musicaly 15s for the money in my opinion. they are gonna be my next purchases


The LMS equipped TC subs should sound awesome too, with high output. They are beasts though, what like 45 pounds each?


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

yes the tc sounds subs are like 47 lbs or something ha but weight isnt an issue as they are in the bed of my truck in a blowthrough enclosure


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## DonH (Jun 25, 2009)

tc drivers= way overpriced IMHO. get your hands on some RE MT's if your going strictly fart box. they even sound not to shabby in a daily ride @ around 4.5ft^3 @ 38hz for each driver. and the SA line from sundown put up BIG numbers FYI and yes they make them in 15's


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

mSaLL150 said:


> The LMS equipped TC subs should sound awesome too, with high output. They are beasts though, what like 45 pounds each?





d_man1 said:


> tc drivers= way overpriced IMHO.


i agree. a tc lms 12" is more than an AE AV 15". only way that would even cross my mind to do such a stupid thing, is perhaps burping the sub. the tc sub can probably handle quite a bit, where the ae av is build to handle its rated power and slightly more, but not 2k or more


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

d_man1 said:


> tc drivers= way overpriced IMHO. get your hands on some RE MT's if your going strictly fart box. they even sound not to shabby in a daily ride @ around 4.5ft^3 @ 38hz for each driver. and the SA line from sundown put up BIG numbers FYI and yes they make them in 15's


well i want it to play clean and musical.


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Cruzer said:


> i agree. a tc lms 12" is more than an AE AV 15". only way that would even cross my mind to do such a stupid thing, is perhaps burping the sub. the tc sub can probably handle quite a bit, where the ae av is build to handle its rated power and slightly more, but not 2k or more


true however the tough thing for me is that i have heard the lms-r 15 and they sound very nice and loud they're just power hungry... i haven't heard the AE AV but yet there are a lot of people recommending them.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

well ive heard neither, but i love the fact i can go to AE's website and read all about their motor design and how it works, how they made it to give the best SQ they could possibly come up with. how it defeats distortion and other factors that hurt SQ.

u mention the lms is power hungry. and thats just another reason i personally feel (again with no experience) that TC subs are geared more towards getting loud where AE will have better SQ (noticeable? no idea) and still get as loud as a typical sub its size and power.

tc has a design to help vs distortion, but i dont know, or think its as in depth and detailed as AE's motor. but tc will make their sub handle more power and possibly get louder.

much like spl subs are built like tanks, take tons of power, get really loud, but they only sound average. i know that from experience.

i wish someone on here had heard both, owned both, whatever and could set me right, or agree with me.

im probably wrong on all of it, because its just a guess, but hey im telling u this so maybe i wont get flamed.

but i do know i will go with an AE AV sub, or the shiva/tempest, whichever is cheaper when i go to buy my next sub, 12 or 15. gotta get something for the home theatre


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

Eastman474 said:


> well i want it to play clean and musical.


I know you said you settled in on a few choices already, but you should seriously reconsider the JBL W15GTi MKII. It sounds like you want your setup to get very loud but you're not building a one note wonder. I recently tore down my 2003 single cab S-10. I had a blowthrough with three W15GTi and a JBL/Crown BPX2200.1. It moved some SERIOUS air and sounded phenomenal. I use a single W15GTi in my current install and have used the 10s and 12s as well. They are amazing subwoofers, are perfect for your budget and power available, and sound like they meet all your other goals. Here are a few pics of my install:














































It was about 12 cubes net volume tuned in the low 30s and had 160sq.in. of port area.  I am not sure if DAT sold his yet, but you ought to take a second look at the JBLs.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

mikey, can i ask u something?

Do you think the jbl W15GTi is better than an AE AV 15" ?

considering the jbl costs $380-400 new
the AE AV costs $250 from AE

the jbl is rated for 800 rms
the AE AV is rated for 1000 rms

when i model them in winisd, give both 1000 watts, they look very similar.

the ae never drops off, can play 100+ hz without budging.
the jbl ported, just falls down like a slide. even sealed its declining.

the jbl has a 2 db increase only at the box tuning. sealed the jbl fails to the ae av in every way, including being 1 db quieter all throughout what it plays.

idk about you, but im not gonna pay for 1 sub, that can play 2 dbs louder when i could buy a sub that can do every bit of it what it can do, for less $. not to mention can play any frequency u need a sub to play, 30-100, u wont be stuck cutting it off at 50, 60, 80


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

Cruzer said:


> mikey, can i ask u something?
> 
> Do you think the jbl W15GTi is better than an AE AV 15" ?
> 
> ...


I don't have any personal experience with the AE woofer so I can't comment on any kind of real-world comparison. I know what the JBL looks like on paper as I spent lots of time modeling it. I don't know how it stacks up on paper to the AE, but I'll take your word for it.  I have always crossed my WxxGTi at 100hz, -24db/oct slope and have never had a problem with output. I was not knocking the AE in any way, as I've never used one. There are other factors to consider when modeling a woofer besides an A/B output comparison- where do both woofers run out of gas, i.e. hit their thermal or mechanical limits? What about distortion? Etc.

Have you had an opportunity to use either woofer?


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

I have used both the AE 15 and of course the GTI 15's. on Paper & WinISD is only half the battle. the way the subs sounds as also part of the deal. While I liked the AE15's it didn't do everything I wanted it to. and it did play louder in some parts it just didn't make the cut for me and my music. Would I suggest it to others "YES" do I like better than the GTi's ? " Hell No"

In the competition lanes the GTi is a true winner but not much on the AE15.

Erin "bikinpunk" has used both ask him. But if we all liked the same sub/speakers we would not need all the other companies right?


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

mikey7182 said:


> I don't have any personal experience with the AE woofer so I can't comment on any kind of real-world comparison. I know what the JBL looks like on paper as I spent lots of time modeling it. I don't know how it stacks up on paper to the AE, but I'll take your word for it.  I have always crossed my WxxGTi at 100hz, -24db/oct slope and have never had a problem with output. I was not knocking the AE in any way, as I've never used one. There are other factors to consider when modeling a woofer besides an A/B output comparison- where do both woofers run out of gas, i.e. hit their thermal or mechanical limits? What about distortion? Etc.
> 
> Have you had an opportunity to use either woofer?


of i wasnt saying or suggesting u were against the AE products, it was just a question.

i know winisd isnt the 100% deciding factor, or proof one product is better than another, and no i have not used either woofer.

Its just i have a hard time believing the jbl is really worth that extra $150. sure it may be better than the AE AV, but i just doubt its audibly better, which would make it worth $150 then, if u could at least hear its better.

i dont have a problem believing the jbl is a great woofer, for the money it better be. perhaps it can take more power than the ae av, but i could care less, im a sq guy, not worried about burping. and i highly, highly doubt the jbl is better as far as distortion, inductance, etc.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

DAT said:


> I have used both the AE 15 and of course the GTI 15's. on Paper & WinISD is only half the battle. the way the subs sounds as also part of the deal. While I liked the AE15's it didn't do everything I wanted it to. and it did play louder in some parts it just didn't make the cut for me and my music. Would I suggest it to others "YES" do I like better than the GTi's ? " Hell No"
> 
> In the competition lanes the GTi is a true winner but not much on the AE15.
> 
> Erin "bikinpunk" has used both ask him. But if we all liked the same sub/speakers we would not need all the other companies right?


What are u saying, the gti had better sq?

Or what do u mean the ae didnt make the cut for you? it can play up to 100hz so easy, its design allows it to technically play up to 2k hz, of course it wont hit anywhere near that being a sub. it has the lowest inductance compared to most subs.

just looking to hear why the gti is better, and worth extra $150. just trying to learn


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Cruzer- i do see what you are saying and the AE AV looks to be a very nice woofer, i guess when it comes down to it its hard for me to look at a sub that i havent heard a ton about in the past when comparing to a wgti that i have heard much about. However specs are definately impressing me.



Mikey- I have looked at your build log before, very impressive i like it. And I dont want to count the JBL out, 4 of them are just a little out of my budget. $399x4 + tax and shipping is a lot lol. But its very hard to count them out being that i do want to get LOUD and still have good sq. Did you ever get that build metered by chance?


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

i think im gonna buy an AE AV, 12 or 15 in febuary, for my HT, or possibly to go in the truck.

ill get it metered and im gonna find out once and for all if its as good as ive read and believe it is


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Cruzer said:


> i think im gonna buy an AE AV, 12 or 15 in febuary, for my HT, or possibly to go in the truck.
> 
> ill get it metered and im gonna find out once and for all if its as good as ive read and believe it is


Sounds good id really like to hear your opinions on it once you've heard it.


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Mikey- I just bought two of Dat's wGTI's so now i just gotta save up for two more.  Couldnt help but do it.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

cool, have to let me know what u think of them

anyone know if winisd's specs are right as far as sensitivity? jbl claims the 15" gti is 96 or 92 db, but winisd shows it at 88db


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Will do, cant wait to start he build. Probably mid January


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

Eastman474 said:


> Will do, cant wait to start he build. Probably mid January


Good for you man!  Are his the MKII or the white dustcap? I have an extra MKII I would get rid of if it matched the two you bought.


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

mikey7182 said:


> Good for you man!  Are his the MKII or the white dustcap? I have an extra MKII I would get rid of if it matched the two you bought.


How much shipped? 
California, 93536


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

Eastman474 said:


> How much shipped?
> California, 93536


PM sent.


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

now new question, i can still get that rockford fosgate t2500, but the 4 W15GTi's are gonna wire to a 3 ohm or .75 ohm. What other amps do you guys have in mind? I know good from bad but just like others opinons. My worries are that @ 3 ohm its gonna take a BIG amp to do that kind of power, where @ .75 it would be easier to get the power but im worried they might start sounding a bit sloppy with that loss of dampening factor. what do you think??


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## cubdenno (Nov 10, 2007)

Do you have the electrical? you know for a 3kw system?

Sundown SAZ 3000 or 3500


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

The JBL/Crown BPX2200.1 would be perfect for them as it has the same/similar output regardless of impedance. They are rated at around 2,700w between 2 and 4 ohms, and slightly less at 1 ohm, and I am almost positive they put out more than that. They are powerhouses.  I may know someone that wants to get rid of one as well. Not sure how much he'd want for it though.


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## hendel (Feb 4, 2010)

you could give soundigital sd3000.1 a try its small and lightweight but........packs a lot of power without asking too much juice


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

cubdenno said:


> Do you have the electrical? you know for a 3kw system?
> 
> Sundown SAZ 3000 or 3500


Yes I have a 250 amp Alt now and im gonna get another soon. 


mikey7182 said:


> The JBL/Crown BPX2200.1 would be perfect for them as it has the same/similar output regardless of impedance. They are rated at around 2,700w between 2 and 4 ohms, and slightly less at 1 ohm, and I am almost positive they put out more than that. They are powerhouses.  I may know someone that wants to get rid of one as well. Not sure how much he'd want for it though.


Okay I'll take a look at them and maybe try and ask your buddy


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## NOTORIOUS97200 (Dec 11, 2008)

You're talking about the Wgti from JBL, take a look at the SSA Icon : it's cheaper, louder and at least as accurate on music. You could love it. Or just run one SSA Xcon, its big brother.
I tried both, and they're amazing.
Good luck !


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

NOTORIOUS97200 said:


> You're talking about the Wgti from JBL, take a look at the SSA Icon : it's cheaper, louder and at least as accurate on music. You could love it. Or just run one SSA Xcon, its big brother.
> I tried both, and they're amazing.
> Good luck !


already have 3 of the 4 wgti's thank you though


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## Eastman474 (Jan 8, 2010)

Still looking for one more W15GTI MKII


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