Subwoofer-JL or Rockford Fosgate

[mtnsmith]

I was wondering if any of you have any experience with either the JL 10" marine sub or the Rockford Fosgate 10" marine sub. I want a direct fit for the hole that is already there from the Clarion and I have a JL marine amp to power it. Thanks in advance!

[dogbert]

You may want to ask NICKYPOO about the 10" RE he just installed. I think he's real happy with it.

[akdoc]

Don't waste your money buying a "marine" sub. They are way overpriced for what you get. How many watts will your amp push to a sub? JL subs are better than rockford subs, RE audio subs are really good also. Tell us the wattage and then you can get some good recommendations.

[talltigeguy]

I agree with AKDOC, Marine subs are a waste of money. I suppose if you put it in the right spot, it might need to be marinized, but if my sub is getting wet, I've got bigger problems at that time.

[Tequilasun]

What is RE? I remember Nicky prasing them, but I can't remember what RE stood for.

[mtnsmith]

I know this will drive most of you crazy but I am using my boat in salt water about 50/50 and was told that the non marine subs will not last. I am running the JL e1400dm amp-240W RMS @4ohms.

[Tanner]

Your right... your sub will not last in a saltwater environment if it not a marine sub. The salt is also in the air, not just the water. Quite honestly I'm not sure a marine sub will last that long either.

As for the subs.... IF you really want to get the most out of your sub, I'd like at an IDMAX. It'll handle small power if that's all you have, but it'll also more or less as much power as you want to throw at it. Of course that all depends on your budget, as you will pay for the performance of that sub. Personally I prefer JL over the RF subs. Although I kind of hate that JL went to foam surrounds instead of the rubber surrounds a longggggg time ago. If you can't afford the IDMAX, the other Image Dynamics subs are VERY GOOD. Just another option.

[dyldebus]

The Rockford marine sub is basically the equivalent of a P2 (if you have used/heard their standard subs). They actually sound and look pretty good for a marine product. If your climate is fairly dry and the boat is for fresh water only you won't need a marine grade sub.

[mtnsmith]

I'm leaning more to the JL, I have a friend that put the two speaker specs into LinearTeat.com ISD software and he said the JL driver came out ahead of the RF anyways.

[mtnsmith]

That should have read LinearTeam.com...not LinearTeat.com...ooops

[dyldebus]

Even though I work for Rockford I'll be the first to say JL does make a killer sub. However, I would do a pepsi challenge with our amps over theirs any day :)

[inspectorscott]

Anyone had any experience with the Kicker CVX subs in their boat?

I have an 05 22v and the Clarion marine sub sucks(bottoms out all the time). It needs a box and Clarion support blows. They just told me that it is a free air design and they do not have box size criteria.

The boat has a Kicker amp so I called to see what they would suggest for marine applications. They basically told me that the marine grade was a testing criteria that they had to put their products through to get the certification and that most of their subs are made with the same resistant materials, just not certified as marine grade. BTW Kicker has great customer support; unlike Clarion!

So, I am thinking two CVX 12" under the driver kick panel and building a 5 sided ported box to fit in that storage area. I think I will need about 1000 watts. Anyway, I have been out of the stereo seen for a long time but, the new boat has me reinterested. I do not want to enter sound offs, just have good clean, hard bass. I am ok with the kids listening to their rap but, the kind of system that sounds good for "dirty bass" will probably not sound good for my music choices (alt & rock) It would be really cool to ripple the water too!

Any suggestions on this idea or others would be helpful! I probably do not want more than 2 quality subs and do not want to get into dual alternator setups, etc.

Thanks,
Scott

[dyldebus]

Kicker is more comparable to Sony or MTX. There stuff is good but not great. Honestly you would probably be better off buying a single high end 12" sub. A single T212D2 (rockford) or W6 (JL) would put off a much cleaner bass and probably the same volume as two mid-grade kicker subs. Just be sure to have enough power :)

NEVER run any sub with free air, especially in a boat. I can't tell you how many people mount their subs in the driver side firewall and use the compartment as the box... The proper size box with proper ports will more than double your bass output over running it boxless. You may want to consider building a box for your clarion and hearing the difference it makes before upgrading.

[dyldebus]

PS. Take a cup of water into a kicker dealer and throw it on the sub... then watch the dealers reaction :)

Only marine grade products are built to handle all weather applications. If your not deep sea fishing however, you'll be fine.

[inspectorscott]

Ok, the world has gone full circle since I was in the stereo scene. Rockford was the king of dirty power and subs. Kicker was good to better quality. I certainly would not want anything in my boat of the MTX or Sony (ie Walmart) quality. Can anyone second this opinion of Kicker? I really like their customer service. They will design a box and take the time to make sure I am happy with their recommendations just for using their products. BTW the Comp VX is their high end round sub.

Someone should give Tige' your advice regarding boxes (they installed it). I believe you are correct. Try and tell that to the IDIOTS at Clarion. I just assume use their stuff as anchors than run that crap after I got off the phone with them! $50 on ebay or the satisfaction of really testing the "marine" certification. Hmmm.

Scott

[xpjim1]

There is another sub post on this site. Tige states in 06 they do mount in sub boxes.

[dyldebus]

Can you get a sub installed at the factory with no box??? That's insane, I thought it was a dealer by dealer basis. I know a lot of dealers take the easy way out because it is tricky putting a box in that space.

-Dylan

[Tanner]

I cannot disagree more w/ the Kicker statement. Kicker makes a great sub. I wouldn't necessarily enter any SQ events with, ALTHOUGH they have won quite a few SQ events, so my opinion doesn't say much. I have a single 12" L5 w/ 1000 watts and it hits HARD and is very clean. However I also know how to tune my gear, but it honestly didn't take much to dial it in.

Now I do get kicker stuff at less than dealer cost so of course that's what I have in my boat. But in the open environment our boats are playing in, I probably would have went w/ the Kicker solo-baric anyways. I'd say get an L5 w/ a ZX750.1 in a sealed enclosure w/ the rec. airspace and you'll LOVE it. If you must port it try around 33 Hz. Of course if you have the money to spend just go to the L7 and a SX1250.1 ;) If you do insist on the Comp line, then I might just stick to the JL.

As for Amps.... Kicker make some of the best amps for the money. Bar none! Very clean power and you get more than u pay for. I mean they aren't a Zapco or Brax... but the SX line is way up there!

As for the RF's... personally I've just never ever been a fan of their subs. Their amps I love.

JL, has always made a great sub and an awesome amp. Can't go wrong there either.

Of course if you want Sound Q and SPL, then you just can't beat Image Dynamics or even Adire like I mentioned earlier :D

If you have any questions about the kicker stuff, feel free to PM me.

[inspectorscott]

Originally posted by dyldebus
Can you get a sub installed at the factory with no box??? That's insane, I thought it was a dealer by dealer basis. I know a lot of dealers take the easy way out because it is tricky putting a box in that space.

-Dylan

Factory Installed, no box. Tige' will even admit to doing it. The idiots at Clarion probably told them it was ok to install without a box. Call their marine tech support. You will be amazed with the crap they will tell you.

Scott

[mtnsmith]

That is why I don't care much for the Clarion, that the dealer showed me the build sheet on, was factory installed. They didn't even order the subwoofer but it came in the boat already so they left it. He said it would be difficult to build a box that would stand-up to saltwater but would give it a try if I wanted. I completely agree with there being no such thing as a good free-air sub, but I think I will get the JL Marine sub to see if it will last better and then see about making a box myself. Does anybody think Starboard would work for a box???

[dogbert]

Originally posted by mtnsmith
That is why I don't care much for the Clarion, that the dealer showed me the build sheet on, was factory installed. They didn't even order the subwoofer but it came in the boat already so they left it. He said it would be difficult to build a box that would stand-up to saltwater but would give it a try if I wanted. I completely agree with there being no such thing as a good free-air sub, but I think I will get the JL Marine sub to see if it will last better and then see about making a box myself. Does anybody think Starboard would work for a box??

Why not get an acrylic enclosure? Here's one that I found: http://www.gatelyaudio.com/.

[Ruune]

Seriously, if you want a high-end sub thats marine grade, check out the polk-momo series. They're actually certified for marine use. I've used the MMC6500 (component), MMC650 (coax), and MM104 (now the MM2104) 10" subs since around 2000. Bar none, these are the best SQL subs you can get. CC and MC both offer these as factory options as well.

Other than that, you cant go wrong w/ JL, Alpine (their new Type X sounds a lot like JL!), or even audiobahn... if you want the bling factor. AB also has a line of marine products, but I havent heard them yet. The Kicker Solo X is insane too... albeit very expensive, and requires a lot of power.

Now if you're going to be in a salt water evironment, stay clear of anything with a paper (pulp) cone... unless its got some sort of coating. Also, use a sealed box that's coated in spray-on bedliner or fiberglass resin. Something thats air-tight and waterproof.

Speaking of fiberglass (and resin) have any of you seen the new CC sub boxes? They've actually got the Polk-Momo 2104 or 2124 (couldnt tell w/ a quick glance) in a sealed fiberglass enclosure thats part of the hull. Crazy stuff! Tigé- are you taking notes? :D

[NICKYPOO]

Somebody asked about RE. RE stands for Reasonant Engineering. They are a fairly new company out of Vegas, I think. Check them out here. (http://www.reaudio.com) All power, no bling. No silly assed chrome flame baskets or crap like that. Much like a Tige, they are built for abuse. I put a 10" re series (base model) in my boat over the winter. I'm very impressed with the sound quality for what is basicaly an SQL machine. I'm runnig it in a .72cu.ft. sealed box with 70% polyfill, RF P2002 (bench test reads 265w bridged @ 2ohm). I'm pulling this off the top of my head so these might be slightly off. Long story short, my little $250 dollar (sub and amp) sub set up POUNDS! I was shocked when I put it all together. It consistently gets me dirty looks from the wife when I'm bumpin' it.:D