ProfesrLEX

iTrader: (2)

I have a 2nd Gen GS with 3 tens currently in the trunk facing up through the stock sub hole in the rear deck




this is a pic of the same model of subs that i currently have, although i made a custom box with more breathing room for the subs. the box is HUGE and does not fit between the wheel wells

they are old and im looking to replace them with something more efficient in a smaller box. I was inquiring about getting a single W7 when I talked to a guy at a stereo shop in San Jose, ca. He told me that by getting a single 12" sub (of any brand) it would be a downgrade and i would loose some loudness over my current 3 subs because there is simply more surface area with the 3 tens.

Can this be true? Say for example in both examples that the amps running them and other conditions are optimal.

Mesca

iTrader: (28)

Yeah 3 8's could definitely be louder than a single 12" just because of the overall displacement. Maybe you could do 2 12's and it might be exactly the same, just in a more efficient and smaller box. After all 3 x 8 = 2 x 12. 3rd grade math ftw!

Big Mack

iTrader: (1)

1st grade reading FTW.

Also, 3 8's would not even come close to the surface area of 2 12's. He's talking about a round speaker, keep in mind, so you do the area of the circles. 151 sq inches in 3 8's in your example (236 sq in for the 10's he actually has), and 113 sq in in a 12 (so 226 in 2 of them). That being said, I agree with you and the stereo guy who said that 3 10's down to a 12 would be a downgrade. Even when you factor in the fact that the W7 has more suspension travel than the MTX speakers do, you're giving up a lot of surface area that simply cannot be made up for in excursion (unless, of course, you buy a sub with a mad amount of excursion, but those are more geared strictly for SPL burps, not music).

Optimal conditions the same, you'd still be louder with the 10's, but as Mesca pointed out, 2 12's could be an option, and as I said, that would yield more area than the 10's. I'd also point out that 12's will play lower than 10's, so you may like that part mo betta, too.

Big Mack

93SC300.

iTrader: (7)

I have 1 13" W7 in my SC and i put it against 3 12" eclipse with a silverado and everyone says mine is louder... no doubt about it. Im impressed with what 1 sub can do compared to other multiple subs. You pay for what you get