Differences 12" & 15" sub

[Mugen Civic]

Hi guys

In abit of a dilema, if specs for 2 subs being the same in everyway but one is 12" and one is 15", would there be any differences in the sound. Like i think the bigger one would be more deeper as its a larger face or so i could be wrong.

Reason i ask cause i want to buy this sub that is 12" with its own factory ported box which i think would be sweat as it would be made exactly to the subs specifications to gain from porting. Or i could go for the 15" version of that sub but it doesn't have a factory box to go with it so i would have to bundle it with a non ported 15" sub box. Would also like to know you guys knowledge of the two different setups what benefits and differences.

Thanks

[teh_mechanic]

basically bigger subs go lower,but are slower.
10's are good for general music with drum kicks and stuff,very punchy and can keep up with the music.
12's are good for more bassy music like hip hop but still good for general music,although they tend to not keep up with heavy metal as well,well suited to hip hop as its good for low bass but still have good punch.
15's are more wank factor in my opinion.they can go ultra low and loud,but they sound crap listening to a band,they just cant keep up with a drummer,they are good for spl competitions and R&B and hip hop with very low bass

[OMG.JAI xD]

stick to your 12"

gives the best response in both ported, and sealed.

and as ^^^ said.
higher you go, the worse response you get out of it.
like .. you wont be playing trance, with a 15"+
if youre a trancy person, go for 2 10"
one sealed one ported.
or just 2 sealed.

really dont see a point why you would get a ported sub for normal daily use.
but anywhoo .. people do it.
stick to a 12 inch. performs better in general/overall than other sizes.

=]

[tron07]

how would a 15" and 12" sub have the same specs??

You mean the T/S parameters when you mention specs do you....

[Mugen Civic]

like the same rms rating and claim to have the same frequency response etc and their the same in line/series products with each other, just you can get different sizes.
both are DVC

What is T/L?
also is there a big advantage having a dual voice coil over a single voice coil?

[solitz]

DVC allows for more wiring configurations rather than SVC in regard to the amp your going to use.
subwise i think the 12" would suffice over the 15 but it all comes down to the RMS power of the amp which will drive the sub and what box (sealed, ported/bandpass) it will be contained in.

[_matt07]

12inch is the best size it doesnt lag as much as a 15er.. and has deeper bass and isnt as punchy as a 10inch

[integraz]

The difference in 12" and 15" is efficiency, and box size.

If we are talking about the same brand/model sub.

a 15" will always be louder than the 12" if given the same amount of power, due to surface area.

A 15" can still be punchy, but that is up to box that is given.

A 15" take up alot of space, but if u have enough space, always go the largest driver possible, due to efficiency.

Ive had 2 8"inch subs lag harder than 12".

the common mistake people think, is that 10's are punch, and 15" are slow.

If you go for a high quality subwoofer, say a Rockford Fosgate t1 10, it plays incredibly low.

Whereas an Alpine Type-S 12" doesn't even play that low, and rolls off quite early in a 1cuft sealed box.

My preferred method of choosing size, is don't choose any size at all, until you have worked out the space you are willing to spare up in the boot.

1. Choose the brand/model you like
2. Work out how much space you are willing to give up, say 20, 30L or 60L+
3. Then from there choose according to the largest size you are able to place in the space.

Also if you don't have a good front stage to keep up, say you have 4" stock speakers powered by the headunit, and 15" sub powered with 500WRMS, there is no wonder it lags.

[Mugen Civic]

hmm thanks for the feedback guys.

To give you and idea what i'm runnin and wat i want to do is:
1) Amp 1 is Audio Mobile Acoustics 4-channel 60Wrms each for the front and rear drivers
2) Amp 2 is Sony Xplode 2-channel 150Wrms each that is bridged for sub drivers
3) Front speakers are 3-way JBL GTO series 6"
4) Rear speakers are 3-way JBL GTO series 6x9's
5) Subs are two 12" JL Audio 12W0 series both in enclosed box

What i plan to do is to get rid of my two subs and run one sub to give alil more boot space and hopefully reduce weight.
Ive been looking and the 12" and 15" JBL GTO subs with the 12" housed in a custom factory box thats ported which i think is sweat but only has Single Voice Coil. The 15" one has Dual Voice Coil but has no custom box from factory.

Just would like to know wats best outta the two and would like some closure on DVC better than SVC myth or not.

[arverson]

theres no 'better' out of DVC & SVC. just one allows you to wire your sub to your amp in more ways, like solitz has said.

eg, (ill use single sub configurations since you're after 1 sub for now) 1 single DVC 4ohm sub allows you to run it at 2 or 8ohm off an amp, 1 SVC 4ohm sub only allows you to run them at 4ohm. 1 dvc 2ohm subs allows you to run it at 4 or 1 ohm, 1 svc 2ohm can only b run at 2ohm.

seeing as your after 1 sub, you only have a 2channel amp for sub duties, and ASSUMING your sony xplod isnt stable at 2 or lower impedences, i'd say get a dvc 2ohm OR svc 4ohm sub.

ok, u say the 12" only comes in svc. if its svc 4ohm then u can get that, plus your ported box.

if the 15" comes in dvc 2ohm, then you could get that. but if you want to stick with a ported box im gonna guess this box is gonna be bigger than the 12" ported box... how much space are you willing to give up??

can these gto's be run in sealed boxes??

[EuroDude]

Sell the Xplode Amp and get a decent italian/american brand. the sub will sound much better.

I had a "750w" sony amp which dimmed the headlights, overheated all the time, and sounded boofy. Upgrading to an Audison 350wRMS amp fixed these problems and made the sub sound 10x better

[sendok]

15" is massive for SPL, but they got low bass most of the times.

I prefer 12" better cost they can do all with less lag... The thing is how you gonna set up the box...

[Mugen Civic]

Oh I see now

thanks for clearing that up guys, i'm gonna go for the 12" with the ported box. That makes it a complete JBL GTO series speakers all round the car.

[Mugen Civic]

Oooops, I actually bought the 15" version of it and put it in a Qmax ported box. Intentionally I wanted to get the 12" but oh wells, i want to give the 15" ago

THanks guys

[OMG.JAI xD]

dvc also has better temperature ratings..

svc pumping 1000watts compared to dvc pumping 1000 watts (both being the same sub)
will handle heat better..
and most of the time.. it gives off a lower impedence anyway.
and if you run a sub off a mono, most monos are more stable at lower ohmages.

ever tried QVC?
power acoustic subs =]
neva tried em though.. but .. its sumfin different

=]

[euro_tr4sh]

you all seem to be (except for integraz) under the misconception that the bigger a sub, the "laggier" it is... not flaming anyone here but thats an utter load of crap, it all comes down to how well the box is designed and constructed, yeh a 12 and 15 will generally go lower in the frequency range, thats cos its bigger and can move more air, but i beg someone here to go and find me a 10" "subwoofer" that cant play below 28hz, anything below that is probably in some pipe organ music and i doubt anyone here listens to that :P

so to the op- go the 12, its a good medium, it will have plenty of out put given a decent amount of power and i will probably give you the most enjoyment

[tron07]

if you compare a cheapo 15 and a branded 12 or 10, of course the 15 would be "laggier"... or a similar price 15 and 12, the 15 is bound to be the cheaper range of sub.

A good and well design 15 would be able to keep up with the 12, but then you will probably need bigger box, more power, and also more money to spend on the sub.

[arverson]

Oooops, I actually bought the 15" version of it and put it in a Qmax ported box. Intentionally I wanted to get the 12" but oh wells, i want to give the 15" ago

THanks guys

qmax ported box hey.. hope that box is tuned & suitable for the sub, let alone optimal for it.

[mrwillz]

qmax ftw

u no how myn sounded
sick aye

[integraz]

It's not necessary that more expensive 15's will need bigger boxes or need more power etc.

I find that the more expensive drivers you go they prefer smaller boxes, and also are very efficient.
Particular SQ subs, which are usually expensive- $500+ for a good one.
They don't need heaps of power, usually require smaller boxes- but then again this depends on the T/S specs.

SPL subs, however which again are expensive, do require heaps of power, but with the more power u have the louder they go/shine.

IMO any sub thats in the $100-$300 range, are pretty much all the same, once you spend more you can really appreciate the quality subs.

And about SVC and DVC they don't handle the temp ratings any better.

A Dual voicecoil is essentially a SVC split in two. DVC is good because you can have more flexibility. ie. dual 2ohm- series for 4ohm load to say a 4channel bridged amp, or parrallel-1ohm for a high powered monoblock.

There are more factors in Heat cooling, such as basket design.

Again 12's are great all rounders, enough surface area, don't require large boxes/save space.

If you can fit a larger diameter subwoofer, DO IT, but only when you have maxed out on a quality sub.

ie/ no point going a 15inch Alpine Type-R, when you can get an Alpine Type-X 12 instead for the same price, which would have better SQ, require a smaller box etc.

Also IMO- spend as much money as you can on your front speakers, they are the most important. $1000 sub and $200 splits ain't gonna cut it.

[Mugen Civic]

I still haven't had time to bolt the sub into the box yet. I currently have 2 x 12" subs wired in and when i get sometime most likely this weekend i'll tell you guys of the comparison.

Basically power wise my 15" is the same as the 2 x 12" put together and my 12" were abit too punchy for my liking. They are in a sealed box thou. I'll be using the same amp and everything.

My predicitions are that my 15" setup will be hopefully more deeper rumbly but not as loud as the 2 x 12"

Stay tuned :P
Attached is the 2 x 12", will post up 15" once compared.

[tron07]

It's not necessary that more expensive 15's will need bigger boxes or need more power etc.


Very true.... that is when you are comparing different products.

But when I say the 15" will probably need bigger box, more power then the 12", I was comparing the same sub from the same range by the same manufacturer/make....

Find me one that is not so......

Let me put some example here....RF subs.

RF P1 4ohm subs. (Entry level)
Power Handling
12" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer - 150 Watts RMS 300 Watts Max
15" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer - 200 Watts RMS 400 Watts Max

Rec. Sealed Enclosure (12" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer)
1.02 cu. ft. (28.88 liters)
Range: 0.70 cu. ft. - 1.80 cu. ft.
Range: (19.82 liters - 50.97 liters)
Rec. Sealed Enclosure (15" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer)
1.58 cu. ft. (44.74 liters)
Range: 1.30 cu. ft. - 3.50 cu. ft.
Range: (36.81 liters - 99.10 liters)

Rec. Vented Enclosure (12" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer) 1.79 cu. ft. (50.69 liters)
Rec. Vented Enclosure (15" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer) 2.66 cu. ft. (75.32 liters)


RF P3 4ohm subs.
Power Handling
12" Punch P3 4-Ohm DVC Subwoofer - 500 Watts RMS 1000 Watts Max
15" Punch P3 4-Ohm DVC Subwoofer - 500 Watts RMS 1000 Watts Max

Rec. Sealed Enclosure (12" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer)
1.0 cu. ft. (28.88 liters)
Range: 0.75 cu. ft.- 1.25 cu. ft.
Range: (21.24 liters - 35.40 liters)
Rec. Sealed Enclosure (15" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer)
1.6 cu. ft. (44.74 liters)
Range: 1.50 cu. ft. - 3.00 cu. ft.
Range: (42.48 liters - 84.95 liters)

Rec. Vented Enclosure (12" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer) 1.79 cu. ft. (50.69 liters)
Rec. Vented Enclosure (15" Punch P1 4-Ohm SVC Subwoofer) 2.66 cu. ft. (75.32 liters)



As you can see, the same sub in the same range, the 15" will need more power and bigger box then the 12".

[Mugen Civic]

yea i know what you mean.

I was only comparing the JBL GTO subs as that was the only thing i was really interested in.

They are the same spec in everyway except one is 12" and the other 15" and of course the box size they require.

My Qmax box is actually smaller than what is quoted in the manual but my sound engineer dude said its ok but u just loose alil of the bottom range of frequncy. Like as in it wont be as effitient in the lower frequency. Just a lil sacrifice for some space in the boot i guess.

[bloodsword27]

personally id go 12" coz they are in between highly responsive and ability to hit the low notes. if u go for a good 12" u'll find that it will provide you with good bass across the range, which something like the Kickers or JL can provide for a pretty good price. if you want swing by JB in livo sometime and i'll get u a good deal for the lot. oh yea, ditch the sony amp if you are going to run the subs with it. at least use a Coustic one or something of the sort. you'll find that spending that extra $50 or so on the amp will make a MASSIVE difference in sound quality and the effect it has on the car (ie drawing of current, overheating issues, size in some cases, etc)