New Subwoofer Brands?

I'm planning on putting a very shallow 10" or 12" sub in my standard cab chevy. I have been out of the Car Audio loop for some time now and I have no idea who some of these companies are or their quality. I'm hoping someone with some knowledge can give me some insight on a few of them... Who is BOSS? - never heard of these. when did they come out and are they worth a damn? Are DUAL and PYLE still as crappy as they were 10 years ago? Pioneer and Kenwood were decent but nothing to write home about - how are they now? RockfordFosgate, Audiobahn, and Kicker were the major names when I was growing up. Are those guys still as good as they used to be? Any other new (worthwhile) names in the game?

Aside from that does anyone have any personal experience with shallow mount subs? Brands to go with/stay away from? I'd obviously like to stay as cheap as possible without throwing money away on junk. I love my Kicker L7, but I cant physically fit in my new truck. I'm not looking to shake the truck apart, I just need to add some bottom end for my component speaker set at a realistic price. I'll be building my own box (sealed) for whatever I get, and I've still got some old amps that I may be able to put to use.

Appreciate any input anyone can give me.

this is one .. http://www.pasmag.com/car-audio/reports/2957-illusion-audio-carbon-series-c12-slim-12q-subwoofer

this is another ... http://www.jlaudio.com/product/605265/JLU92181/_/JL+Audio%2C+USA+-+13TW5-3?utm_source=imwave&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=imwave&m=9013&c=0&o=imwave?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adwords_pla&os=pla&m=9013&c0&gclid=CNeOw-2BqbwCFVFk7AodvDEAAA

you also may need to look for one that needs a small box

Boss is more junk, not much changes in car audio lately.

Great Info. Just not sure I'm ready to shell out $600 to $800 on a sub when I'll have to buy a new amp to match the 600w RMS. After doing some research I found some Super Shallow Rockford Fosgate R2's for around $100 a pop. RMS is 200w for the 10's and 250w for the 12's. I have a bridgeable 4channel 500w amp sitting in the garage so I could really save some money if these things are worth a crap. Is RF quality still as good as it used to be? Amazon & Crutchfield reviews look good, but sometimes I question whether these people actually know what they are talking about. Anyone have any experience with the RF R2's? I'd really like to hear from someone who's used these.

You're right, most of the reviews on places like that are glowing with praises regardless of whether it's good or bad. I have never cared for RF but quality for a sub amp is not really that important, the sub is just a piston moving air in the bass region. The only thing that matters is getting the sub enough power.

Couldn’t agree more. “These sound great” doesn’t really tell me much. I thought my Walmart Brand Thumps sounded good too, when I was 16. Now, after 10+ years of playing with car stereo, I wish I could go back and kick my own ass for thinking that.

I did some looking around today and found those Rockford Fosgate R2’s on ebay for about $60ea. For that price I think I’m going to give them a shot. They only need a 0.7cuft box and space is my biggest factor to deal with in this truck. I already have an amp that can run it, so worst case scenario I’m out $60 plus the cost of building a box.

I’m alittle torn between the 10” or 12”. 10” power range is 100w to 200w RMS; and the 12” is 100w to 250w RMS. I’ll be using a “Rampage” brand amp that I’ve had forever. Being an offbrand, I’m sure this thing is not pushing the full 500watts(max) it claims. It’s a 4channel that I’ll be bridging so assuming I get 80% of the power it claims, I’ll be at 200w. What are your thoughts? Go with the smaller sub with more power OR the bigger sub slightly underpowered? Price difference is like $5.

I also need a quick recap on Ohms... RF offers a 2ohm model and a 4ohm model. My amp says “Stereo Mode 2-8ohm - Mono Mode 4-8ohms - Mixed Mono Mode 4-8ohms”. If I’m bridging 2 (of the 4) channels to run 1 sub that would be MonoMode and I would need the 4ohm model, correct? I’ve always found ohms to be confusing and I just want to make sure I’m getting the most out of such a low power system.

Appreciate anything you guys can add. I’ll make sure to update the thread when I hear how these things do.

ohms is the resistance, the lower the resistance the more power your amp will deliver - up to a point. Bridging the amp results in each "half" only seeing seeing half the total impedance. This is why an amp that can run 2 ohms in stereo can only run 4 ohms bridged. You will only be able to use (bridge) 2 of the 4 channels per sub. If you are going to run 1 sub per pair of channels then you need a 4 ohm model - make sure the sub is NOT a DVC.

Okay, That makes sense. These subs are however Dual Voice Coil. Now this is where I get confused... Because the sub is DVC, and I'll only be running 1 sub, the 4ohm model wont work with the bridged 4channel. Now with the DVC would I be able to run Channel1 to one Voice coil and Channel2 to the other (rather than bridging)? or would I be smarter to get the 2ohm model and wire the sub differently?

I do realize that the 4channel isnt the ideal amp to run 1 sub, but being as money is tight at the moment; I've gotta figure out how to wire the 4 channel to a 2ohmDVC or 4ohmDVC, OR, If it can't be done, I may just have to learn to live without a sub =(

I really appreciate all the help you've given me, man.

get the DVC 2 ohm and wire them in series, then bridge the amp

I personally like to suggest you the following brands for car audio

1. Kicker
2. JL Audio
3. Digital Designs
4. Pioneer
5. Kenwood

I'm also having Kenwood sounds and its awesome. I recommend you the same.