Are Xplod/JBL subs any good?

[xenfacta]

Looking for a sub for the civic. I can get an XPLOD or JBL 12" for a pretty good price. Is it worth getting either one or are they junk?

If so, what should I get?

[EuroDude]

Nooo dont get Sony speakers, they are overpriced and sound terrible.

JBL are better, but you are better off getting a decent brand such as Boston Accoustics, Adire, Kicker, JL Audio, etc..

[Muzz]

Nooo dont get Sony speakers, they are overpriced and sound terrible.



Oh so true:thumbsup:

[Muzz]

Whats the price range u wanna spend?

[m3ntAL_l2]

sonys r ugly n expesive... alpine/clarion ftw

[Muzz]

yeah i got alpine and luv em. smooth sounding bass

[davec]

Nooo dont get Sony speakers, they are overpriced and sound terrible.

Oh so true x 2 :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
im running a JBL does the job for me

[Vinnie]

out of those 2 definately the jbl but if u look around brands like JL audio, kicker, boston, focal etc have even better products depending on if ur after SPL or SQ and how much ur willing to spend.

[EuroDude]

Basically, the speakers/amps Strathfield Car Radios sell, dont buy it :p

...although there are exceptions, some of the expensive pioneer stuff is apparently ok. And most the head units are fine.

A general rule is that if a company produces a huge range of products such as sony (they make hifi's, tv's, playstation, laptops, optical drives, etc..), they dont dedicate themselves to produce decent speakers.

[xenfacta]

im not looking for competition gear just that extra bass. really dont want to spend a lot of money on a sub if im not going to do the whole system - and im not enough of an audiophile to spend that kind of money.

sounds like a win for JBL tho - comments seem to mirror what ive been hearing

[EuroDude]

yeh JBL is ok.

If you want bang for your buck, have a look at the Adire subs. Its pretty much a no-name brand, but they are US based and make damn good and affordable subs, rivelling brand-name subs that are double the price.

http://www.acousticconcepts.com.au/product.html sell them in Aus.

[shinji112]

Alpine or JBL! i got my Alpine Type S 12" hooked upto a JBL 300w RMS monoblock amp! does the trick for cruising =)

[yourfather]

i got my pioneer sub for like 60 bucks. hook ups lah.

pity It got SUMASHED. so im running some crap Xplod that I bought for 50 brand new.

[Redteg]

From my own experience, and im my own opinion, 'better' speakers seems to sound clearer and more controlled than their cheaper counterparts.

This is pretty important when you're considering a sub, because most people feed a fair bit of power to them and expect alot.

What I have also seen is cheap subs running off cheap amps. Put in a half decent amp and take some time to build a decent box and you can get a considerable improvement. Much of the problem is often installation.

In my own car, I've had a Sony, Pioneer, Alpine, JL, Rockford, and probably others I can't remember.

My fave for clarity was the JL, my fave for low and big hitting bass was the Rockford, the Pioneer and Alpine crapped themselves pretty early on, and the Sony is still going strong, but does seem a little ragged down low.

Having said all that, the Alpine and Pioneers were entry level, the Sony was a $300 DVC (I still see that as entry level...) and the JL and Rockfords were around $500 i'd say. Different boxes too, so there are too many variables...

Don't forget that people associate different features with different brands, whilst they fail to take into account price points. I have heard little difference between a $100 Sony and a $100 Pioneer for instance. Maybe there is a difference, I just can't hear it.


Go out and buy the sub you like, and make up your own mind. Don't jump on any bandwagons, if you're stuck with something crummy, try making it sound good. Thats all the fun!

[Muzz]

Go out and buy the sub you like, and make up your own mind. Don't jump on any bandwagons, if you're stuck with something crummy, try making it sound good. Thats all the fun!

yeah thats some great advice there. when i first got into car audio, i started with a Venom 15" sub ($99 at jaycar) and a 450wrms responce amp and stock speekers. real entry level stuff, but alot of sound quality comes from the tuning, bass loading (direction sub fires), box design etc. i had a person who had spent $1000 dollars on sound gear go - hey nice system bro wat u runnin? wen i tell em it cost me bout $350 all up, and im using cheapest components, the look on his face was priceless, i hopped in his car and honestly it sounded crap, tinny sounding, no mid range, no louder than my shit setup.

back on topic, any ideas on what ur doin for an amp or is that department sorted?

[mj3610]

out of the two the JBL is definately a winner :)

[xenfacta]

yea sounds like jbl is the go. thanks pplz

[DSNTGR8]

easy choice, JBL. Why does sony still make speakers for? anyone know lol

[EuroDude]

easy choice, JBL. Why does sony still make speakers for? anyone know lol

Its called Brand Power. They are taking advantage of the "sony" name to sell crap speakers that are double the price they are really worth. :eek: :cool:

[DC5TYPER]

Nooo dont get Sony speakers, they are overpriced and sound terrible.

JBL are better, but you are better off getting a decent brand such as Boston Accoustics, Adire, Kicker, JL Audio, etc..

hahaha

JBL range is shit loads better then all those brands except for Boston Acoustic, I cant believe your trying to put JBL down. JBL GTO range which was entry level until this year is better then many jap brand mid level. JBL GTi range is just as good as anything Boston put out. This company prides itself at quality and shit loads of amplifier power. And banana heads always compare JBL Gto and CS range with Alpine Type S/R and Rockford Power products. There not in the same league and if you ever saw JBL Power series and GTi series products you wouldnt be knocking the brand.

[DC5TYPER]

Its called Brand Power. They are taking advantage of the "sony" name to sell crap speakers that are double the price they are really worth. :eek: :cool:

Thats crap. Sony's range this year has been better then the last 5. There speakers are as good as pioneers but for the price you pay for the CD, Amps and Subs its a very good choice for people who want to spend $1K for a system. Sony speakers are always sold well under the RRP and the price you do pay when on special is quite a good one. You dont pay retail for them unless your realy bad at shopping around. Sony is the Second bigest car audio company in the world behind pioneer. Reason being is that more people are wanting systems for $1K rather then $1.5-2K+ if you go for american brands.

[EuroDude]

ergh man ive bought plenty of sony speakers even recent ones, they all sound terrible to me - including a $220 pair of 6x9's which sounded tinny and one blew a few months later for no apparent reason. Never had pioneer speakers, but ive been told a few times that they arent much better than sony. Although the expensive range is ok.

Recently bought some JL Audio 6x9's for about the same price as the Sony's, and they are heaps better in every aspect. Couldnt believe the difference in SPL and SQ

[dynosaur]

Rockford Fosgate is my personal favourate :)

[silver_screen]

sonys r shit... JBLs r ok and rockford fosgate rock! :P i had a set of theyre 6x9's and they sounded great!

[Fr3aKi3]

Personally I don't like Rockford speakers, they're too bright formy tastes.

[silver_screen]

too bright as in apperance??? just cover em up with something lol

[xenfacta]

too bright as in apperance??? just cover em up with something lol

ROFLMFAO

oh and by the way i ended up with a kenwood. it was the spec higher and i got a good price with a kenwood ported box. just need the other components now. anyone know a good place in sydney to get a cheap good 4ch amp?

[L-Plates]

i got a JBL 1000watt sub..
12''...it goes good...but i guess u get what u pay for

[ludecrs]

If your worried about price, just buy a 2nd hand Alpine Type R or S.

Price will vary from $80 to $200.

Great Alpine quality, low cost.

ALl I see is a win / win situation?

[silver_screen]

I just bought a Clarion sub.... sounds great for the money :)

very good response and good punch... now ill just get another 3 for the rotor and she'll b right!

[Spunkymonkey]

have you tried JB hifi? they are usually decently priced - and then try and barter with them.

[EuroDude]

Yep JB Hifi sell decent stuff, got my JL Audio 6x9's from there at a decent price :thumbsup: Although they also sell some cheaper crap there, so do some research before choosing.

[tune2look]

I am a big sony hater too but I realise they are not that bad at all.
"Sony" steal our money by selling their tv, dvd, hifi and stuff....
They will try to make better product then many others, but its not a must for them.
For what they are, they arent rubish.
I wouldn't buy a sony car audio my self, but if someone test heard and satisfied, I wont stop them.
Its just like.... some people over-rate euro brand cars and under-rate asian market cars.
They both all have best and worst within!!!

[iket]

JBL is 1000times better than sony speakers!
I used to have a pair of sony 6x9, and all they were good for were deep notes, they couldn't fetch the high notes a quality [Alpine] 6x9 could.

I used to have an MTX 12" sub in my car powered by an MTX amplifier. I could never distort it [I really tried hard!] and it always bounced back with clear notes. However, when I first got the amp installed, my mate hooked up his Sony 12" to my amp, and the PieceOfShit distorted like a mutha****a!

So please, do not buy Sony speakers for your own benefit!

We should probably band together all audio enthusiasts and boycott Sony speakers altogether! :cool:

[Redteg]

Looks like its time for me to set up a WTB thread for all your crap Sony products, hehe.

As I said before people, don't jump on bandwagons. I've seen how people perform installs in their cars and sometimes I am truly astounded. They expect the world from a few rolls of electrical tape and zip ties...

Go and make educated decisions, regadless of whether you're voting, choosing your career, or buying your stereo gear.

And yes, you do get what you pay for.

[vtegra]

cadence sub is pretty good..
jb hi-fi is a good place to buy from.. good bargains

[Koul]

you'll find that if you go with an alpine type R sub, you'll be spending a bit more, but the bass will sound really crisp and good with a decent amp. A 12" with a 1000W amp and you're laughing.

If you want that massive bass, a JL audio will do it. You'll for sure notice the difference in quality between say a Sony and Alpine

[Geekstar]

Dls! Dls! Dls!

[civic01]

if u have got the money go the higher end JBL stuff it is great and has the smoothess bass lines and also has the punch to back it up,

but saying that im running alpine type R 12" and they are great and not to expensive either,

matt.