which one???

[Silvrmaxx]

so i sold my 2 DB Drive 12's yesterday amd am looking at either a JL 12w3 in a 1 cu. ft. sealed box... or a kicker solo-baric L7 in a ported box...

just lookin for some opinions on these speakers. i heard the 12w3 has a clean, low/no distortion sound but isnt very loud... and the kicker could be tuned to be quiet and clean or tuned to be a monster... also does anyone know about how much either of these speakers weigh... the whole reason of selling my 2 DB drive subs was because they weigh a ton and a half... any opinions appreciated...

[Dracc]

how about you sell me your car and forget all this nonsense lol. but seriously.. before jimmy chimes in.. I'm a kicker man. but I now have FI audio BTL's in my car.. now.. about the kickers.. if your looking for something to sound good and not BEAT DOWN THE BLOCC as we say.. then 1 maybe 2 L7 12's will do you justice.. and a nice kicker 1500.1... great match up and great sounding.. as far as the JL... I like them but for the price.. you can get the entire kicker system cheaper then the subs alone from JL.. the kickers weigh I think maybe 35lbs or maybe more.. checc out there website for more info on the newer lines.. and checc out www.hifisoundconnection.com for good prices on things

[Silvrmaxx]

lmao, some dude offered me like 9 grand cash last week, i told him to keep it. well the reason for choosing JL is there is a guy i work with that has a 12w3 he is willing to sell for cheap... i know they are not huge on power tho... you dont think 1 L7 in a slot port box built to specs would beat?

[alpine_aw11]

One L7 will definitely get loud. Imo beyond that level of bass it just gets unnecessary.

[patrick4588]

mathematically, here is how they compare.
the JL has a 80.6in2 SD and a .51in xmax which equates to 41.1in3 volume displacement.
the kicker has a 99.98in2 SD and a .56in xmax which will give it a higher 56in3 volume displacement.
this simply compares how loud they are and not necessarily how responsive or clear they are. there are other variables to consider as well. i personally would get the kicker though.

[BanginJimmy]

The JL will sound MUCH better than the Kicker while the Kicker will be vastly louder so it really comes down to what you are looking for.

Most people know I hate Kicker. I even have an older L7 sitting in my garge right now. I know it worked fine when I got it back in 05, yet I have enver used it. It just sits in the enclosure I have. If you want it, make me an offer.

[Ruststang]

I had a Kicker L-7 and i had a JL Audio w6 and i must say the Kicker sounded a little fuzzy to me but the single JL sounded great and was still able to make my seat belts jump around with 500.1 jl amp pushing it.

[90_ACCORD]

Kicker FTMFW
no doubt go with the one kicker

[terrytowe22]

kicker to me sounds better, i got a kicker l7 10inch weighs like 25lb i think beats really hard.

[Dracc]

The JL will sound MUCH better than the Kicker while the Kicker will be vastly louder so it really comes down to what you are looking for.

Most people know I hate Kicker. I even have an older L7 sitting in my garge right now. I know it worked fine when I got it back in 05, yet I have enver used it. It just sits in the enclosure I have. If you want it, make me an offer.


notice I posted before this bias bastard came in lol hahahah.. how you been jimmy...


though the kicker would sound great... JL looks better in cars...

[Silvrmaxx]

^true, im looking for soemthing that will look and sound ghood, and that i cant make sound clean but when needed, i can make it beat pretty loud

[Silvrmaxx]

someone also offered me an MTX Thunder 7512-44. im thinking of going with that if this L7 deal falls through. anyhone have any experience with these? 400w rms fual voice coil... i have heard these are decently loud or as loud as an L7...

[patrick4588]

mtx got a new owner a couple years ago and their new line of stuff is very good. i ran dual 7512s for a while and it was hard for some ppl to breathe in the car. my entire car is fitted with mtx stuff. componenets, coaxials, both amps and subs.

[blackboi50]

coming from what i heard in your DB setup.....andrew u should def go the L7 route!!!! :2cents:.......1

[Silvrmaxx]

sh!t im tryin. cant get this guy to call me back!! lol

[BanginJimmy]

L7's sound like a wet fart after too much low budget Mexican food, but they do get loud.

If you are looking for loud, then definately go with the L7. They are warhorse subs that can really take a beating. In an equally well built enclosure the JL will be more responsive, and just simply sound better.

[Silvrmaxx]

i guess im looking ofr a "dual purpose" sub lol... i want a clean nice sounding sub for everyday use and if and when i decide to enter a DB drag, i want to be competitive... My DB Drive setup was definately competitive and veryh loud, but i could also make it sound clean... i got rid of it because it weighed so much made the rear end of the car sag a lil...

[patrick4588]

how much did it weigh? those mtx's are 100lbs in the enclosure and they are loud as well.

[Silvrmaxx]

i was just trying to figure out how much everything weighed before... the subs weighed about 25lbs each and the box weighed about 41lbs... so roughly 91lbs with that setup... sure as hell seemed like a lot mroe than that

[patrick4588]

81lbs isnt much at all. you wont get much lighter than that with a good system. sounds to me you just need some stiffer suspension if it was saggin :/

[Silvrmaxx]

my bad its 91lbs... sorry cant add this morning... yea i am looking into getting coilovers. right now its sitting on tokico shocks and tein s-tech springs...

[patrick4588]

if 91lbs is too heavy, you should definitely get a single sub.

[alpine_aw11]

Since you said you want clean sound, by all means stay the hell away from the L7. Seriously, I mean get a restraining order on L7's to stay away from your car.

[Silvrmaxx]

^lol so im guessing your a JL guy??


i wish there was a way to install both of them and use the JL for everydayh use but have the L7 for things like shows and DB drags, and just flip a switch to go between subs and have custom1 and custom 2 EQ setting on my hu...

[terrytowe22]

hey man u buy my l7 10inch in the amp i will let it go for 430 lmk??

[patrick4588]

those 7512's are decently clean sounding, much better than the l7 for sure. as loud as the l7, and much more than the JL, but probably not quite as clear.

[Silvrmaxx]

^Pm'ed

[alpine_aw11]

^lol so im guessing your a JL guy??


i wish there was a way to install both of them and use the JL for everydayh use but have the L7 for things like shows and DB drags, and just flip a switch to go between subs and have custom1 and custom 2 EQ setting on my hu...

No, I'm an Alpine man. I'm not anti-JL, they make great stuff, but it is overpriced and people put JL on too high a pedestal. I'm not anti-Kicker either, I've heard CVX setups that sounded amazing. But the L7's don't sound clean, and L5's are a complete waste of money.

[Dozier]

Do away with both. You want clarity and to be loud....Choose one of these.
FI Car Audio - BTL or BL
Resonant Engineering - XXX or SX
Some of the best subs on the market. Just without the rediculous prices.

Just my 2 cents...

By the way, I am Adam. I am new and will be chiming in on the boards now.

[Silvrmaxx]

i have never heard of any of those before...

[BanginJimmy]

all RE gear is now priced worse than JL. FI is great gear for a very reasonable price.

ficaraudio.com for more info on Fi. I dont really think it is what you are looking for though if you plan on cutting weight.

[Dozier]

Yes, they are a little beefy. ^^site above listed.

[patrick4588]

all RE gear is now priced worse than JL. FI is great gear for a very reasonable price.

ficaraudio.com for more info on Fi. I dont really think it is what you are looking for though if you plan on cutting weight.

x2

[myyellowspec]

If you want sq and spl you should just get three 8w7's and a 1200 watt (true power lol) amp. Then you can suprise the shit out of people when you show em' you have 8"s.

[BanginJimmy]

If you want sq and spl you should just get three 8w7's and a 1200 watt (true power lol) amp. Then you can suprise the shit out of people when you show em' you have 8"s.

For SQ I would so a single IDMAX 10 in a 2.5cu box tuned to 25hz with about 1kw. That setup will cost less, weigh less, and get louder than the 3 8's.

[03RCode]

For SQ I would so a single IDMAX 10 in a 2.5cu box tuned to 25hz with about 1kw. That setup will cost less, weigh less, and get louder than the 3 8's.


x2, an IDMAX is probably one of my favorite subs out there, always have been. I had a IDMAX v3 d2's a while back and LOVED it. I wish I had never gotten rid of it.

[patrick4588]

just be careful on the break in with those. i have personally never used one, but heard of them being very sensitive before/during break in period

[redgst97]

When did MTX get a new owner?

You keep asking about which sub to get, but I would also add what enclosure you are planning. This is nearly as important as the sub itself. A (properly) built custom enclosure will typically perform better than a pre-fabricated enclosure (everything else being equal). Amplifier power, vehicle, musical tastes, and more come into play when designing a system/enclosure.

[patrick4588]

john ivey took over 2.5-3 years ago, he's the president of mtx now. mitek still owns mtx, he's just in charge of mobile audio. he's doing a good job to point them in the right direction. mtx used to be your mediocre line of stuff and he's trying to change that.

[hybrid90accord]

Have you ruled out a rear deck enclosure? They take up almost no space, will port threw into the cabin very easy. will not require alot of power to get loud and you will retain great Sq and nice low end :D i did a customers car with 3 10w6v2s in the rear deck and it was crazy. and he didnt lose almost any trunk space. The enclosure was a small sealed box so it gave a really tight, punchy, accurate sound

[Dozier]

I have also dealt with one of those setups....Sounded amazing with ok subs...Kenwoods. Three 12's. Impressed me. Should sound really good with anything you decide on.

[patrick4588]

thats a good idea. then you could just set your big subs in for your shows or competitions and take them out for everyday cruising