What to do to upgrade system? RE x.. 12?

[Nate1]

I'm trying to upgrade my friend's BMW sound system. She is currently running a A1500HCX 2000w amp... and two AW120Q 4 ohm subs. I was told over on the BMW forum that audiobahn HIGHLY overrates their equipment and I would be lucky to get 1200W out of that amp at 1 ohm.

She wants something louder: I want to put a 12" x.. in a ported box (the AQ120Qs are in a sealed box), but I'm concerned about two things. One: Will this be louder? Noticably? She wants this to be noticably louder, if she spends $400 on a sub and it sounds the same/less, she is gonna be pissed. One sub is 1/2 the surface area of two... so I'm not sure how one RE x.. 12 will be louder, but I know people around here love them, so will it be?

Two: Anyone know about these audiobahn amps? Am I really going to only get 1200W out of it?! That would suck, because I'm sure those XXXs need some serious wattage to move. Would an MTX Thunder 1501D be stable at the ohm load one 12" x.. would show?

Okay, sorry, I'm just trying to plan out what to do
Thanks,
-----Nate

 

[VairKing]

All audiobahn stuff is rated at 12 volts, and at 14.4 volts (car running) it puts out a lot more than that. I have the 1300HCX, the 1500's little bro, and I can vouch for 1200 watts rms...these amps can push like crazy, if you have enough power to supply them. I have heard nothing but excelent things about the x.. series, and If I were upgrading, that sub would be on my top 3 choices of subs. Not sure how it would compare to the other subs though.....

 

[Nate1]

Those other subs are cheap $70 audiobahns. Here are their specs. I really need to know if one 12" RE x.. in a ported box is going to be louder than two of these 12"s in a sealed box.

AW120Q
FS: 32.4 Hz
Qts" 0.39
Qes: 0.42
Qms: 4.43
Vas: 45 Liters, 1.6 Cu.Ft.

Re: 3.25 ohms
Le: 2.55 mH
Mmd: 144 grams
Xmax: +/- 10 mm
RMS: 500 Watts
Sd: 0.045 M2
EBP: 77
Freq. Resp.: 26 Hz-1kHz
Efficiency: 92.8 dB

 

[expo5.0]

i vote yes- but not as loud as one 9500 15

also- its debateable whether you can run a 1501d at 1 ohms. i know some guys who are for competition with good results but the longevity is still up in the air. it will give you well over 3,000 watts though if you do at 14.x volts.

 

[davesexplorer]

I really think its up in the air whether or not the x.. will beat the 2 'bahns....It may be a better sub and all, but dont forget the x.. is not a spl sub!, while its bigger and yadda yadda, it does'nt have as much cone area working on its side..so many variables, if its a kick @ss ported installation, It very well may be better in all aspects....
I wouldn't tell her it will be louder, I'd say it would sound better at higher volumes.... And get more looks!

 

[Nate1]

Bumpity bump?
Any other people with experience of those 'audiophile' quality unknown stuff? I'm really trying to get the most I can out of the system for about $500. (subs only)

 

[izackary]

i'm interested in that as well as what prices you've gotten for the 12" x..

 

[vteg]

You did not give alot of specs on what your current box is, and what you plan to build for the x...

The 12xxx in ported enclosure will easily outperform the sealed subs in the subbass range. Easiest way to confirm is to plot your current subs, and then plot the 12xxx and look at the difference. Don't put too much faith in the audiobahns plot though. Without bl optimization, it's specs will shift more than the x.. as the power input rises, causing less output from bl decrease.

Keep your current amp. The x.. will surprise you.

Long live the super subs


izackary, the 12xxx is only available from RE if you are in the US. It runs around 370, but you should call them for current pricing.

 

[Cartman]

If she just took the current subs and put them into a new ported box wouldn't that to the trick, no need for a new sub.

 

[vteg]

She might want better sq with her spl.

 

[Nate1]

Okay, well I am going to go ahead and have her order the 12" x.. and I'm probably gonna get her a new alternator for christmas. I'm making the ported box that RE has on their website for the x.. and a little space for the amp to sit on it, because she wants some of her trunkspace back (picky picky, you can't have everything)