I need some help out on picking subs out. I planning on getting 4 12s. I was looking at hifonics hfi12d4 it has pretty good excursion at 11mm. And I was also looking at the jlwx-4. it got only 9.5mm xmax on it but i know jl is well known for there sound quality. and i was also looking at mtx terminators. I just neet some sugestions on what i should get, Im kinda leaning tword the hifonics atm. I am on a budget do to school. im open to any suggestions

 

You call 11mm good excursion, lol. From the specs I've seen they're only 6.5mm either way I'm sorry, but in the realm of subwoofer cone movement that's down right miniscule. LOL, just playin... Of course for lower budget subs it's not too shabby if it is 11mm. Those Hifonics are real cheap subs and if I may add not made to last. I've owned two series of Hifonics subs the Zeus and Brutus. The Zeus subs are still running, I sold them to a co-worker, however they had less playtime on them than the Brutus subs did on much less than their rated power. The Brutus' lasted about a year before the voice coil came unwound in the gap and they died.

I would highly suggest trying to save up and buy something built to last. Not only will your money spent last you longer but the reality is that you get what you pay for and a better sub will perform better period. My favorite budget subs to recommend are the SSA DCON and the Fi X series subs. Both are fantastic performing subs that will do anyone very well for a very long time. Of course a single one of them is 3/4 your intended budget, but I honestly believe they would do you much better in the long run.

If your mind is set on a cheap sub like the Hifonics I would recommend the MTX's or the JL's just for the reliability the brands are known for.

 

I see what your saying. Im kinda having second thoughts on the amp i was gonna get to. i was going to get a hifonics hfi3000d but i read some stuff on it and it reall only puts out about 2000w. any suggestions on amps

 

The Hifonics Brutus lines aren't too bad, do pretty close to rated power. The better budget brand amps I've been seeing of late are Audioque, Audiopipe, Powerbass, Cadence and Crescendo. They all seem to do well on their power ratings and seem to be very reliable for their individual prices. I've not had any personal experience with any of them except the Audioque (AQ2200) and it was a very powerful amp that seemed to be pretty efficient too. My sister recently bought a Cadence F100-5 five channel amp too, but I've not had a chance to install and play with it yet. Although just judging by the weight and build quality I look for it to be a very well performing amplifier. I highly recommend Sundown Audio as well, the best amps I've owned so far, but they're not exactly budget friendly. You can find used ones at pretty good prices many times and can occasionally get a great deal on a refurbished one from dB-r Electronics, the only Sundown Audio authorized vendor for repairs. Obsidian Audio and Skar Audio will both have amplifiers available soon. Obsidian is an internet retail only sister brand from Jacob Fuller the owner of Sundown Audio and Skar is a separate brand that was brought into being with help from Jacob. Both of these seem to be promising upcoming companies and being that they're following in Sundown's footsteps I don't think their amps will disappoint.

No matter what amp you get be sure you have the electrical backbone to support it. A true 3,000 watt amp is going to need about 300 amps of current available from your electrical system to run full tilt. As a good easy way to figure the current you need to run an amp just multiply the power rating by 10. It gets you in the ballpark for figuring what kind of power reserves to plan for. On my own vehicles I try to get an HO alt and at least one second battery on anything over 1,000 watts. Under 1,000 can usually get by on stock electrical, 2,000 and higher will pretty much require an HO alt and multiple batteries to run to their full potential. Between 1,000 and 2,000 it kind of depends on the stock electrical system, the vehicles own load capacity and other factors. Basically it's watch the voltage drop and add to support the electrical until the drops are at a satisfactory range. Capacitors can help, but won't fix it when you're trying to pull 300 amps of current with only an 80 amp reserve. You simply have to have the power to make the power. I also consider the BIG 3 upgrade a necessity on any vehicle that's getting aftermarket car audio. It helps the rest of the electronics in the vehicle too and allows you to get the most out of the factory charging system as well as have the wire capacity available for an HO alt if one gets installed. It's also the cheapest and easiest of any of the electrical upgrades a person can do.


EDIT: LOL @ myself, just noticed in your sig that you have done the BIG 3 already and are using a yellowtop battery. A good start for sure. READING > ME some days.... lol

 

Well im going to have 0 guage rockford fosgate running it. Im about to buy an 140 amp alternator. I wanted to get a bigger one but everyone wants to much for them. ill probably get a kinetic power cell to run in line with the zero guage. I might end up getting that hfi3000d bc it does have alot of good ratings on it from multiple websites.

 

Even if that amp only does 2kw you're still going to be lacking in the power to run it to it's full ability. Why do you need so much power to start with? According to your sig you have a Brutus series 1700, that should be able to run almost anything you've considered picking up very well and would be easier on your electrical than the HFI3kd.

 

i sold the brutus awhile back i havnt updated it yet. but im looking at some mtxs now and polk db series possible some rockford fosgates

 

Those are all great brands. Don't count out Cadence either. I know several people on another forum that use them and love them, and for the general price I see them selling for it makes them a great option too.

If you were willing to adjust your figures for your budget around you could go with a little less power but great performing subs and probably spend about the same amount of money, get better equipment, not put such a strain on your electrical system, and get overall better performance too.

For example, if you went with four 12" Fi X series subs for $476 or four of the 12" SSA DCON's for $500, power them by a Cadence F1200-1D for $163 or an Audiopipe AP15001D for $160 or this dB Drive A3 1500.1D for $170 and not need to do much, if anything to your electrical system which would save you there. With either of those subs in an optimal enclosure you're going to do VERY well and for a budget friendly amount by shifting the money you would have spent on more electrical anyway to better subs and still getting a good amp at a good price.

 

Ive been skeptical about cadence bc my friend got one of there subs and you could twist the whole motor around but ill look into them. I actually was looking for the FIs but i cant find them anywhere. and I sold my 2 guage kit and I got a great deal on a rockford fosgate 0 guage kit (I payed 50 bucks brand new) so i gota get an amp thats can take in 0 guage. the fuse on it is only rated at 150 amps tho. Im not too worried about the electrical system bc it did handle 3600w with a stock battery and stock alternator. But the volts did drop petty bad. but Im gonna get a 140amp alternator and a power cell and run the power cell inline with the power wire. Or do you think it would be better to run a blue top optima inline with it. cause where I work I can get one for 160.

 

I don't know anything about their subs, but I know some good guys who say the amps are pretty good for the price. I'll let you know how my sister's is Wednesday after I've got it installed.

If the blue optima is cheaper it will do you just fine IMHO. Fi subs are sold strictly through Fi's website unless you're buying a used one from somebody, so you won't find them anywhere else. I'm pretty sure the Audiopipe and dB Drive amps both take 1/0 so you'd be good with them on that front.

If you're serious about using the Fi subs I'd recommend the Audiopipe amp and call it a day. With an optimal enclosure that setup would likely murder any cheaper sub options on output and SQ, still be affordable, last you as long as you'd like it to and not require a ton of electrical work. Not everyone would agree but IMHO it's going to be real hard to beat that combination.