Another sub question

I had my mind made up that I was going to get 2 JL W13 subs in my boat but now I'm second guessing that after reading several posts on this site. I see a lot of people raving about the kicker subs, givin that both subs are in the right boxes (kicker solox) and the JL and also considering they are both in a marine application will I notice a difference in sound?

You can go smaller boxes on the JL subs. The JL subs sound better as well, no louder but sound better. I've had both in my boat, you really can't go wrong either way. I think the Kicker will hold up better in the marine environment given the materials they are made of, ie. rubber surrounds vs. foam etc.. JL subs have better SQ and Kicker has better SPL in my experience. The W7's are a different story however.

Thats a good point, in a open enviroment will you really notice the SQ and SPL? vs. a enclosed vehical? I want the best bang for my buck but if you really can't tell a difference then I would rather go with the SoloX vs. the W7's because of price.

I think a person can tell the difference. Will they both sound good absolutely, I'd probably go with the SoloX as well. I got a good deal on my W6's though so that's the route I went.

I ran kicker CVR dual voice coil 10's in my last boat and they held up great. And loud as hell

has anyone ran the Kicker solox subs?

i am currently running a kicker vr10 and am about to upgrade my whole system to kicker componets and two l7 12's. i used to install kicker, memphis, alpine and am a big believer in those so that is what my decision is based on. ive been to dealer meetings of all 3 and was very impressed

I have a kicker l7 12 and two w6 10's. My next baot will have all kickers. For the price, the kicker's are hard to beat.

I currently have 2 12W6's and a friend has 2 12 L7s in his boat. I agree the W6s sound a lot cleaner but his boat has a lot more bass. We both have the subs amped appropriatly. If you want SPL go Kicker if you want SQ go JL. You really cant go wrong either way.

SPL and SQ? refresh my memory on the difference on these 2 specs.

SPL= Sound Pressure Level
SQ= Sound Quality

SPL is measured in decibels as a sound intensity (how loud it is).
SQ is just that the accuracy and quality of the sound the sub can reproduce.

So the kicker subs have better SPL?

Yes unless you want to shell out for the JL 12 or 13 W7. You get more SPL for you dollar with Kicker.

Thats exactly it, If the JL W713's are going to out perform the Kicker solox then I don't mind paying more, but if its not a noticable difference then I don't want to pay the big difference in price.

Do kicker subs need more cubic space to sound as good?

I think the kicker require a slightly larger box and more power to sound as good. If you have the room and the power kicker is a good choice. Kicker gives you a size range on their recomended enclosure size. You really need to build the enclosure to the larger size of the range to optimize the output. I've never run the solox so don't know if they're different. I've only run the L5, L7, Comp CVR, and Comp series.

Deez I thought you were talking about the comp VX my bad. I'd go with the JL 12 or 13 W7 over the solo X. Those are expensive as hell and need a ton of power. Are you going to be able to pour 2000 watts to each one. You're better off going with the JL in this case IMO.

When I get my 230 I'm going with 4 l710's with 2 of the New 1500.1's to push them. My Bu had 2 l715's in it and was loud as hell. But having a 15 firing at the privates all day might make it hard reproducing!!! LOL

If you want the spl of a W7 or a kicker and the sound q better than a w6 go with the Boston SPG555. Let me know it you have questions on it.

I heard the new Boston's were good.

Ben, I spoke with you on the phone yesterday about the 555's. I know the GT28 was built for the 555s but is it enough juice for two? What do you think about the Rockford T2001BD amps?

See you on Wednesday

Ben do you like those Boston subs better then the W7's?

Ewing, Nate, Deez - The 555s are amazing. The GT28 is enough for 2. The technical director at Boston is running 2 555s with a GT28 so its a factory proven set up. The Tahoe in the picture has a GT28 per sub with the gains about 1/4. The sub is VERY efficient and so are the GT amps. This is going to result in more bass in the boat with less amperage needed from your charging system. I will admit that Rockford makes much more power than the GT28 but its overkill for the 555s and isn't as clean. I do like the 555 over the W7. The only W7 I like is the 10". Keep in mind that I listen for a 50/50 mix of sound q and volume. I think the best subs from JL that has that mix is the 10w7, 12w6v2 and 13w6v2 (maybe the 12w3v3). The 555 has more volume than the 13w7 and sounds better than any sub JL has ever made.

Nate- See you Weds afternoon

Ben what is typical price on the boston. Feel free to pm me. I would be driving with an Mmatts 1400.2, is that enough or would need more for 2 subs.

Anyone else have some feedback on the 555's?

Ben what makes the Boston subs out perform the W713s and the Kicker subs? Do these subs require a fairly large enclosure? and If I were to run these subs which amp or amps would you power them with for peak performance? I'm curious if anyone has these in their boat and how they sound.

Ewing- Price off the 555 falls between a 10w7 and a 12w7. The 555s are a very new woofer in comparison to the W7s (We installed our first W7 in November of 2001). There are not a ton of people or dealers who have taken the chance with going over to the 555. It has the same hesitation that the industry had going over to the first square woofer. I have had many clients that say "I sure hope that big a** 6x9 sounds as good as it looks!"

Deez- Boston went for a completely different approach to this woofer. They wanted a woofer that had great sound quality, didn't take much space, conserved the amount of power needed and install friendly. To answer your specific questions, the 555 needs 1 cube sealed and 2.1-2.5 ported (gross measurements). The enclosures pictured my previous post totals 8.4cu for 4 ported. Boston has the GT28 that is designed for the 555s and I think would be the best match for use in a boat. If you want max sq and volume use a GT28 per sub. If you want max out of the subs with one amp get the JL 1000/1 as we found in this set up:




^These^ enclosures are 2.3cu. ea.

Now for your comparison between the kicker, 13w7 and the 555.... The kicker I don't think I need to say much about the sound quality. Those who have heard know what they sound like. The 13W7 is an excellent sub woofer for certain people. If you want to listen to the latest rap songs your entire day out on the lake get the 13W7. If you don't mind loosing 2-3cu. ft of space per woofer go for the W7. In my opinion DO NOT listen to a track with kick drums or a fast beat with the 13w7. If you have your heart set on a W7 and you listen to Jazz or rock get a few 10 inchers. We have done installs with the 555s in boats and have been more than pleased. The loudest boat set up so far was 2 555s down fire, front ported under the back seat of a Velocity speed boat with a GT28 to each.



I know this isn't a wakeboard boat but it was insane for 2 woofers in a boat. It was loud enough for him at 100mph.

If you want to see all of the specs and an exploded view of the removable voice coil, soft parts system and neodymium magnet on the Boston follow this link.

http://bostonacoustics.com/manuals/SPG555Man.pdf

Loud enough for him at 100 mph, that's saying something. They must thump...

Everyone should remember when comparing subs from one boat install to another that there are MANY factors that can effect what you are hearing. How the woofer is placed in the boat can have a huge effect, how much power, how charged your battery is, how much battery you have, the type of head unit, how much time was spent adjusting all the settings, etc, etc....These things all can have a huge effect on both quality and quantity of music. I have heard two boats with similar systems but because one was in a closed bow Malibu with a well “Loaded” enclosure, it crushed the other boat in bass output even though it was using 2 10” subs instead of his buddies 2 12” subs. Both were run with JL 500/1/s and both used W3 woofers but the 10” woofers were louder by at least 3 db or twice as loud. It all came down to how I was able to load the woofers into the bow of the boat…It rocked. So remember when you are out on the water and hear a buddies boat that really impresses you, to look and compare his install to what you can actually or are willing to do in your boat. I have heard some pretty bad boat systems that have used really good gear.

I got to hear that off shore boat above and it is insane. The boat actually looks really cool to despite the Miami Vice colors.

Cheers
Scott