I was looking though some specs on certain subs, namely the Infinity refference series and the kicker comp series (both bottom of the line). And I noticed that the Infinity refference subs have a sensitivity of 93 db, where as the kickers have a sensitivity of ~89 db. I've allways known kicker to be loud and boomy from what I've read, and infinity to be quieter and more for sound quality. From these stats it shows that the inifity sub is actually louder than the kicker sub? Is that true, and disproves that kicker is not louder than infinity? Or does kicker still have the upper hand with their subs and their overall boom, with the sacrifice of continuous loudness? Thanx

Sensitivity is how well the sub will push every watt it is given. Or that is how i was always told. Say you give those subs the same wattage, the infinity will be louder, probably not that noticeable tho.

The dB scale is logarithmic, every ~3.1 dB increase is a 2x increase in sound, so all things being the same, you can expect the Infinity to be twice as loud as the kicker, watt for watt. If all-out loudness is what you're looking for, then you need to consider the RMS of the subs and your amp as well. If your amp has enough power to drive either of these subs to their limits, then it comes down to the sub. The kicker will need to handle over 2x the power of the Infinity in order to outplay it. If it doesn't, go with the Infinity. I myself prefer more efficient subs that require less amplifier power, which is why I have a single 1052W in my car. I can run a smaller, less expensive amp and don't need to worry about straining my electrical system.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

Don't look at the sensitivity number alone when comparing subs. There's more to performance than just that number.
90% of a sub's performance depends on the installation.

GAM (The Kilted One) wrote: if you think you're that much better than them because you're "correct" I hope your progeny don't turn out as screwed up as yourself.

Installation is important, yes, but all things being the same, the Infinity will be about twice as loud at the same power level. No point in introducing stray variables, I'm sure he can do an equally good job on both subs.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

Yea, with box sizes and mounting the sub aside, I read up that the infinity subs use a lighter material for the cone so it can produce more sound per watt vs the kicker which has a heavier material. Now since the kicker has a heavier material (and probably a heavier/stronger magnet) will the kicker hit harder than the infinity sub?

From what I know as of now, I'm probably going to end up with 2 infinity 12" refference subs in a sealed box sized to the required capacity. I normally listen to Rammstein, KoRn, The offspring, and a whole lot of techno/trance. So my needs are somewhat contrasting which is why I want something louder, fuller, and not too boomy. Which reminds me...

I was thinking about the kind of box I want to use and figured that the sealed is the best for my needs, but what if I made a port sized hole in the back of the sealed box and put a removable cap in it so I can get turn the box into a ported box by removing the cap (obviously it would have to be air tight, and the ported version wouldn't be up to it's best since it would be more efficient at a different volume than the box would be at, being natively sealed. Anyway, just a thought, probably pointless to even bother with since I've never heard of it anywhere and I doubt I'm the only one to think of it. (in other words, if the idea where any good it would probably already be on the market)
Anyway, thanks for the info so far guys.

Quote:

will the kicker hit harder than the infinity sub?

If and only if:
1. The kicker can handle 2x the RMS power
2. Your amp can supply that much power
3. Your charging system can support such an amp

Quote:



From what I know as of now, I'm probably going to end up with 2 infinity 12" refference subs in a sealed box sized to the required capacity. I normally listen to Rammstein, KoRn, The offspring, and a whole lot of techno/trance.

We're pretty much on the same page then. I've found Infinity subs in sealed boxes to be excellent for rock, dance, techno, pretty much every genre that's supposed to sound the way it was recorded. They can also get quite loud thanks to the high efficiency, but if you want to play as loud as possible with little concern for quality (dB competitions / rap), then Infinity is not for you.

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I was thinking about the kind of box I want to use and figured that the sealed is the best for my needs, but what if I made a port sized hole in the back of the sealed box and put a removable cap in it so I can get turn the box into a ported box by removing the cap (obviously it would have to be air tight, and the ported version wouldn't be up to it's best since it would be more efficient at a different volume than the box would be at, being natively sealed. Anyway, just a thought, probably pointless to even bother with since I've never heard of it anywhere and I doubt I'm the only one to think of it. (in other words, if the idea where any good it would probably already be on the market)

I have seen boxes with capped ports, I think QLogic makes/made them. I hope you are aware that ported boxes are not one-size fits all, and must be tuned to a specific frequency which means box volume, port diameter and length must be precise. If you go this route, design the box as ported and plug up the port later to convert it into a sealed box, not the other way around. Reason: a sealed box of the wrong size will always sound better than a ported box of the wrong size.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

Hey snake, thanks for the info, very to the point. So it looks like the infinities are the one's I'm to get then. And yea, I know that if I capped the sealed box to switch between sealed can ported, it wouldn't sound its best while being ported, but I'll try and think of a way around that, like putting the sealed box in a bigger box that would be tuned for the subs as a ported box, with a correct port diameter, and somehow have an actuator take off the back of the sealed box so the subs would be playing in the capacity of the ported box. But still don't know if/how I'll end up doing that. Anyway, thanks again Snake.

What I was trying to say is, make no compromise when you design the ported box. The ported box is VERY sensitive to misalignments where the sealed box is not. If the sub mfg recommends a 1.5cu ft ported box or a 1.0cu ft sealed box, make it 1.5cu ft. That additional 0.5 cu ft as a sealed box will not pose any problems. Too small of a sealed box creates boomy sound, too big of a sealed box extends the low end a bit while losing a tiny bit of efficiency. Even a box of 100 cu ft will at worst behave like a free-air mount. I've never come across a ported box that didn't sound good (though maybe a bit quieter) with the port blocked. However, existing sealed boxes are usually too small to port and if they are, will sound boomy.

Use a good box design tool. In the program, design the best ported box you can, then design a sealed box of the same exact displacement. A good program will let you overlay one response plot directly over the other. The sealed box results are guaranteed to be good.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

Efficiency (1W/1m) is not an accurate indicator of a subwoofer’s output capability and should not be used as a comparison to other subwoofers to determine which one is “louder”.


Elmer the wricer hunter..."Shhh be vewy vewy quiet...I'm huntin wrice"
Kill da wriiiicer...Kill da Wricerrrrr..kill daaa wriccceeerr!!!

My JL 10w7 Efficiency (1W/1m)**: 84.3 dB SPL and is maxed with 500rms jl amp and my brother has a kicker compvx 10 that is rated 87.2 and is maxed out at 600rms with a kicker amp...and my jl blows his away...same style sealed box and same style of car and same placement


Elmer the wricer hunter..."Shhh be vewy vewy quiet...I'm huntin wrice"
Kill da wriiiicer...Kill da Wricerrrrr..kill daaa wriccceeerr!!!

and my two 12 inch hx2 powers will blow your away

hahaha ..if not you have something wrong


Elmer the wricer hunter..."Shhh be vewy vewy quiet...I'm huntin wrice"
Kill da wriiiicer...Kill da Wricerrrrr..kill daaa wriccceeerr!!!