i never have cared for mtx, but all i've heard from them is the jackhammer, which to my has no sound quality.

 

JackHammer was just to play loud and nothing else. It's been 10 years since I last used anything from MTX, but the Thunder5000 series were just as good as the JL Audio W0 series of that time. It was hard for me to sell them against the JL because JL had the better name and I made a little more money on them. However, of all the speaker companies I have ever done business with, MTX had the best warranty.

 

Kicker makes the best bang for the buck speaker by far in my opinion. JLaudio is on the pricey side for there stuff really IMHO.. my cousin has JLaudio subs that are 300 a pop and my kicker system sounds just as good and hits harder than his..

 

How hard a system hits has a lot more to do with the amplifier and speaker enclosure than what brand of speaker is in there.

 

the size of sub to use really is about what youre listening to and different encolsures effect that. smaller subs react way faster and give more punch. bigger subs react a bit slower and are more of a rumble.

for my mix of rock, metal, hip hop, and dubstep 10s would be best. though I do want to see what 12s sound like. the problem right now is (besides money) is one shop has awesome customer service but the only good brands they carry are JL. the other shops customer service wont spend the time with you (i think because the sales guys do installs too and rather spend their time on that) but they have every product.

its best i do the research on my own and go in knowing what i want.

right now I want more kick from the back, its just odd the subs are in the door. so either
a) sub with its own volume control i can turn that up without the other speakers going up and being distorter
b) a new head unit that separates the channels a bit so i can adjust each speakers frequencies and levels + a sub being controlled that way.
c) leave as is and put money into the sound of horse power

At the very least those rear deck speakers seem easy to replace so ill look into that. and i can also try leaving the rear seats down to see if it gives things a fuller effect.

 

This is a totally FALSE assertion. Sub size has NOTHING to do with fast, punch, etc. The main mistake that individuals make is trying to force their subwoofers into playing midbass versus the subbass spectrum that they were designed to play! The reason many chose 10s, is because the majority of the 10s out there out there can be forced into playing those higher bass notes.

The tough thing to get right with subs is choosing the proper sub, building the correct enclosure for it, and implementing it in the vehicle. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't as simple as picking out a random pair of subs, dropping them in a pre-fab Chinese enclosure, then just sticking them in the trunk where they will fit. Unfortunately, this is what 99% of the custom shops out there try to sell their customers on. What you generally end up with in the process of dealing with these "custom" shops is an enclosure that is too small, tuned relatively high for the subwoofers if ported, or a combination of the two.

Sadly, all too many individuals focus WAY too much effort and budget sub which reproduces approximately 15% of the musical spectrum depending on genre. I can't stress how it is much more important to choose a nice set of components up front that produces a good bit of midbass up front. After doing so, you will realize that the sub isn't as important as you think. Of course, if you are one of those individuals who believes that your sound system should be heard for blocks and sound quality is flipping quarters on the roof of your car for a youtube video, ignore everything I just typed.

 

the thing of it is about what you just said.. most people dont do that. most people might get caught up in that situation. but if you go on forums like these and get the help and advice then your most likely not going that route right?

most shops will tell you to go in the most expensive route you can go.. so that therefore means that your going with pretty good quality stuff.. if you do your research correct and go to the right places then you'll find what your looking for and spend your money the way you wanna spend it. on the other hand.. not everyone with subs in the truck of there car/truck has quarters flipping on the top of their roofs.. its good too have a little bass in your car because it makes it sound good to people that want it in there cars. some people dont want bass in there cars, so therefore they dont put subs in it. especially when you have a mustang, thats not something you wanna have coming out of a muscle car. because personally id rather hear the exhaust and the power my car has coming out of it than the bass. its good to have in there every once in awhile and to have to show people but most of the time its not an every day thing.. and IMO most people would agree.

 

Find someone you trust, that is the most important thing. Even though I prefer JL Audio, I can take a car with MTX, Kicker, Rockford, Alpine, and make it a competition winning car because I know what I am doing. What set me aside from the competition is the customer service I offered. You may pay a little more at a shop like that, but what you'll get in customer service is much greater value.

 

i usually just listen in the local shops around heres sound rooms, see what i like, and find a better price on the internet.

 

I used to have a JL Audio 10w3v2 in a sealed box built to the ever perfect .707 Qtc alignment. I'd toss that in the trunk of the car, approximately where the aftermarket subwoofer(s) would go, play some pink noise, then RTA the vehicle. From there, I would be able to get an idea of cabin gain and I could import that information into BassBox Pro. Afterwards, it was a factor of modeling different subwoofers until the cows came home.

Unfortunately, I am just a hobbyist and most local "custom" shops don't even know what a RTA is. Furthermore, most of the shops in my area think that everyone just wants a lot of bass, so nearly every recommendation is focused on bass.