Which sub? Kenwood vs MTX?
 

So I'm looking for a shallow mount sub...I could get a 10" Kenwood Excelon with a box for about 200 CDN or a 10" MTX Thunder with the same box (just a cheap Bassworx sealed) for 250...OR I could get a Rockford P3 in a Rockford box for 260...or a Rockford in a generic box (the Rockford box is 3 feet wide, a LOT wider than I'd like it to be) for about 250...hmmm

which one should I go for and why?

MTX is much better in output. The kenwood is a great sub, but the MTX hits harder and sound better.

RF's are bang for the dollar for output, but horrible in the sound quality field. If you like rock/hip hop music go MTX. If you listen to Southern rap RF is better.

Thanks...thanks to this thread (and others) I was dead set on the MTX...but fate had other plans for me. I ended up getting a really good deal on a shallow-mount 12" Pioneer and a Bassworx box. I had store credit, and with that, I ended up paying a few bucks over $100. Can't really beat that. Am I gonna regret it?

I figure even if I regret it, I can get what I put into it back for the setup :)

The Pioneers can handle quite a bit of power and wail pretty good in the right enclosure. Can't go wrong with that price.

Thanks! We installed it today and I'm VERY happy with the result...still babying it (haven't put the gain on the amp past half and haven't gone over 32 out of 50 on the deck)...but it sounds great. (I have a RF amp pushing it, can't remember the number, just borrowing from my buddy

as an added bonus...I found out just now that the box was designed for my sub

http://www.bassworx.com/smw.html

talk about a happy coincidence :)

Pioneer subs definately need to be broken in. I've seen way too many blown up due to improper usage.

How? I've just been listening to it at 1/2 to 3/4 volume for the last roughly 4 hrs of playtime...I'm thinking of giving it another hour of that then letting it rip...plus, I got the 2yr extended warranty (I got the sub so cheap it was only 20 bucks extra), so I'm covered even if I blow it up haha

Bestbuy and FS warranty for subs is pretty good. Visions I hear isn't quite as lenient.

Well...I'm gonna bump this thread again, as I blew my Pioneer and won't be getting another one...really leaning towards the MTX now (getting 12", found out the box fits!)

How did it blow

We're not sure...

It COULD have been that I was running a 300W RMS amp with a 250W RMS sub...or, apparently the amp is 2 ohms bridged, while the sub is 4 ohms...I'm not sure if that'll make the sub blow, though...

You should find the problem before you buy a new sub.Or you will just keep blowing subs.

we're thinking it was likely the fact that I was running an amp rated at much higher power than the sub...also, the amp went up in smoke (literally) today...FML...we're thinking it may have gotten pooched when the sub blew...

I don't think overpowering was the problem. Whats the model # of the amp?

I've run 2000WRMS to 1000WRMS subs before. I don't condone it, but just saying it's possible depending on the quality of each component and TUNING.

Most amps don't handle well two ohms bridged, I'm not sure about the current RF amps as I never follow the stuff they release anymore because of many bad experiences.

Either way, if your sub is 4 ohms, and you have 2 channel amp bridged, that should be fine. Almost all multi channel amps nowadays are 4ohms stable bridged.

I think it blew due to the fact the sub wasn't broken in properly and the settings on the amp might not have been set correctly. As I've stated before PIONEER SUBS NEED TO BE BROKEN IN properly. I forgot who recommended that you never break in subs, but almost all manufacturers recommend it for a reason. Especially pioneers. They can't handle excessive abuse unless broken in properly. I can't even remember HOW many I've had to attempt warranty because of improper break in.

Another big issue I find is people buy "entry" level gear, and when it doesn't perform the way they expect or they get used to it, they end up cranking it up even louder to try and compensate. Then causing issues.

Either way, try the MTX thin sub. I've done many of those. They can take a decent amount of power and output is much better. They still need to be broken in, but don't blow as easily as Pioneers.

hope this helps a lil