So for the past 1.5-2 years I've been happy with my subwoofer and amps. I currently have a 15" Kicker CompVR (500Wrms) paired with a Kicker zx750.1 amp. I also have a 5-channel Orion amp for my speakers (it has an output for a subwoofer but I'm not using it. I made my own box to fit over the passenger side wheel well.

Anywho, I'm getting the urge to upgrade again
I'd like to keep my current amp (750rms@2ohms) and buy a new sub and build a new box. I'm looking for suggestions on a better sub. I'd prefer a smaller subwooder so that I can build a smaller box as well. After I bought the Kicker, I started reading more into some of the smaller companies (RE, Fi, DC, Treo) but I don't know nearly enough about them to make an informed decision yet.

I need suggestions for a great sounding sub
SQ > SPL any day
I leave the subwoofer setting fairly low on my headunit- don't really care if I can break windows/shake roofs/set off alarms/impress ricers.

tl;dr, I want a better sounding and smaller sub

 

i have a kenwood 10" woofer and a 350 watt amp in a small vented box and my whole interior booms but doesn't rattle. the sound quality is amazing as well. All my friends have huge subs and amps and can out "bump" me but every one of em says my sound quality is better. in other words a good quality 10" can shake the truck but still sound good. I had an Alpine Type R 10" in my old truck and it was LOUD.. and i think it matchs your RMS rating.

 

I've got a 300w rms and 10 inch sub, both Fusion, and love the quality. My friend has 2 12" Alpine Type R's in a Bassworx inverted style sub box in his 2006 Civic. It was loud enough to knock the wind out of me on a bass shot when I was in the back seat.

To be honest, my quality is better than his, I even use it to give me my bass for rock music. The only time I really turn it up is on Bar-hopping nights when I'm DD and I have a bunch of friends and my girlfriend in the truck, other then that I leave it at 1/4-1/2 volume on the sub.

The style of box I have too is great to take out when I need the space, I undo a velcro strap, unhook my custom sub mount from the tie-down hooks, unplug three wires and it's out, all in 10 seconds.

 

biggest quesiton for you..... what is your budget??? Id recommend a dayton HO based purely on your amps power specs.

 

I had a Diamond D3, damn good sub. Excellent sound quality, material quality, fair pricing and it was LOUD with a 500w amp.

I've got 2 or 3 friends running around with Treos and I'm not going to ly the are AMAZING. Pretty ridiculously priced, but still.. just AMAZING.

 

x2. They also work well in small enclosures and arnt to picky. I had a 10" HO in a sealed .7 box tuned to 30hz in my old blazer. had a nice smooth and clean sound to it.

 

Is this the same Dayton HO you're talking about?

As far as budget goes, that's not my main priority. I'd prefer to find/get input on some great sounding subs and then narrow down that list to my price range. If that even makes sense. Obviously, the cheaper the better but I won't let price keep me from taking a sub into consideration (unless its wildly unreasonable like 400+)

Also, my current box is sealed. For sound quality, should I go for sealed or a basic ported box?

 

thats the one!amazing little sub. And the reason why we need your budget, or atleast a ballpark, is because I would have recommended higher end/priced subs. $400+ is not outrageous to some, but since you mentioned it, now we can help point you in the right direction a little better. Im still going to stick with my dayton HO recommendation.

 

I accidentally linked to the HF sub. Whats the difference between the HF and HO? Also, from the spec sheet, it appears to be a single voice coil. My current woofer is a 4ohm DVC wired so it's a 2ohm nominal load. According to Kickers spec sheet, the amp I have will put out 375W RMS at 4ohms so that seems perfect for that sub.

You think a single 8" would sound alright? I'd like to make a small, compact box like that JL hidden sub

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EDIT:

Did some more research. The HF is 350RMS and the HO is 600RMS. From a very informative post on another forum, it seems like the HO may be more suited to a smaller enclosure but the HF may be a better sub. Unless I can find a different way to wire it up to my amp (I really don't want to buy another) it looks like I will go with the HF since it would match the power output better.

 

If it were me I wouldnt go any smaller then the 10". The Hf will need a bigger box then the ho, but like you said doesnt need as much power as the ho. The amp you have will be fine for the hf. As for the enclosure, stay around 1cu ft. This will allow you to have a tune of 30hz. Anything smaller then that and you will lose bass around 35-40hz.

Im currently working on a sub enclosure for a friends blazer. That sits behind the rear passenger side wheel well. Takes up no cargo room and is a little over 1cu ft. Which sounds like what you want to do.