14 replies to this topic

[mayday]

Hey guys

I have an alpine pdx f6 amp. I'm going to bridge the rear two channels which will produce 300watts rms.

I'm Unsure whether to go a 10" Boston g2 (rated at 300w rms) or a 10" g3 (rated at 375w)

Is is much of a difference between the g2 and g3. I'm keen on the Boston's because they only need 0.5ft box. I pretty much can't go any bigger than that.

Also the birth sheet that came with the amp says 174w per channel. Does that mean when bridged it will be making 348watts??


Thanks in advance

[justdofit]

mayday, on 13 January 2012 - 05:45 PM, said:

Hey guys

I have an alpine pdx f6 amp. I'm going to bridge the rear two channels which will produce 300watts rms.

I'm Unsure whether to go a 10" Boston g2 (rated at 300w rms) or a 10" g3 (rated at 375w)

Is is much of a difference between the g2 and g3. I'm keen on the Boston's because they only need 0.5ft box. I pretty much can't go any bigger than that.

Also the birth sheet that came with the amp says 174w per channel. Does that mean when bridged it will be making 348watts??


Thanks in advance

I would say get the best sub that you can afford.

If looking for alternate brands an image dynamics idq10 should work in .5 (stuffed) or .75 if you can fit? Also will run off 300-900w if you come accross some more power down the track?

What car is this going in?

[mayday]

I can get the g3 for $239, from what I've read they seem to be a very good sub. I just wanted to make sure I could run it ok. I know the g2
Is probably a better match power wise, like you said I am trying to get the best I can afford with the power I have available. (I definitely won't be upgrading it any more) I will be running spz60's up front. I know it will be enough for me

It's a 2008toyota hiace commuter (mini bus) it has to go under one of the seats and the biggest area I can find will JUST get a 0.5ft box.

[shiny_car]

mayday, on 13 January 2012 - 05:45 PM, said:

I'm Unsure whether to go a 10" Boston g2 (rated at 300w rms) or a 10" g3 (rated at 375w)

Is is much of a difference between the g2 and g3. I'm keen on the Boston's because they only need 0.5ft box. I pretty much can't go any bigger than that.

When I look at what subs to buy, I take box design a step further, and model the relevant Thiele-Small (electromechanical) specs to determine what the optimal box size is. Unfortunately, Boston Acoustics are not unique in 'marketing' their subs as suitable for very small boxes (many brands do this). But when you model the specs, such small boxes are far from optimal IMO.

It's not to say that what looks good/bad 'on paper' translates to the realworld. The subs will be 'good' in 0.5cuft sealed boxes; just that they will be 'better' in bigger boxes. Modelling the specs, either sub would be better in larger boxes, like 2.0cuft/56L. Small = not as loud, relatively boomy/peaky, won't play the low subbass very loudly.

Given this, I've compared other subs which might well perform better, given your restrictions, so you might consider:
Alpine SWR-1023D
JL Audio 10W1v2-4
Image Dynamics ID10v3D2 (or as above, the IDQ)

If your choice is limited to the Boston pair, then I agree with justdofit, and buy the best you can afford, which is probably the G3. It will still run perfectly well from your amp.

Be mindful of the mounting depth of the subs too. I don't know how much space you have for this.

Quote

Also the birth sheet that came with the amp says 174w per channel. Does that mean when bridged it will be making 348watts??

Yes, at full power, it should be capable of 348WRMS (if the gain is set correctly).

[mayday]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

To be honest I don't really care what brand is used. Just trying to get the best sq I can get without spending too much.

I'll look into the other options you mentioned, there is just so many subs to choose from i just thought that having same brand they might "blend" together better. But I understand box size and tune would be a major factor in this.

To be honest I don't understand all the specs, so I've just been googling threads and customer reviews on the Boston's and generally only found very positive comments.

In regards to mounting depth. I will be facing the sub towards the bottom of the seat (to hide it from the passengers). I think the maximum internal mounting depth i can have is 195mm. (ie internal height of the box,using 18mm mdf)

So do you think the 0.5ft size box is more of a marketing thing? I could prob get it up to 0.65ft but I'm trying to also have the amp mounted on the box. So going any bigger would rule that out. Plus it might interfere with feet room

I wasnt going to use a sub at first but got advised to get one. I just want it as small as possible. Mainly because of people I will be carrying in the bus.

[shiny_car]

mayday, on 14 January 2012 - 06:29 AM, said:

So do you think the 0.5ft size box is more of a marketing thing?

Yes, it is IMO. Again, the Boston subs will still perform well in a 0.5cuft, but it's not optimal. I would rather one of the other subs, which by themselves are not necessarily better than the Boston ones, but in combination with a small sealed box, they will probably overall sound/perform better. Bit of a hard call, because I have not compared them, so it's only 'on paper', and this does not always reflect realworld performance.

Still, I would prefer one of the others. Alpine Type-R subs are of moderate price, but readily available, including at discount stores like JB. JL Audio are readily available from JB. Image Dynamics will be harder to find, though probably my first choice of these 3 in terms of performance (though I've not heard the JL subs).

[mayday]

Thanks for all the advice. I've done some reading on the idq10 subs. They certainly get a good rap! I think that's the way I'll go. It's a little more pricey so I'll probably wait a little before I get it. But definitely seems like a winner


Thnx again

[mayday]

One more thing, as I will be bridging the rear channels of the amp which ohm version of the Idq10 would be most suitable?

[justdofit]

mayday, on 17 January 2012 - 07:49 AM, said:

One more thing, as I will be bridging the rear channels of the amp which ohm version of the Idq10 would be most suitable?

Very nice choice in sub!

By far the best sub I've owned to date was an iDQ 10 D2 v.3!

You will need the D2 model (Dual 2OHM Voice Coil) which can be wired to present a 4OHM (to suit your bridged 4-channel) or 1OHM load.

The tech sheets don't appear to be on the ID website any more so I've thrown up a PDF on my hosting (apologies to ID if this infringes copyright).

http://images.adam-d...iDQ10-D2-v3.pdf

[mayday]

Thanks for that. Really helps me out!

[TMM]

The IDQ10 is no better than the Boston G3-10 in a small box. The Boston actually has a little bit more extension in a small box and a lot more in a large box.

The G3-10 really needs about 30L sealed. I run my G3 in a 40L box ported at 30Hz. The box with the flattest response and most extension is around 70L ported at 25Hz

IDQ10 also needs about 30L sealed. A ported box for the IDQ should be about 60L, 26Hz. Again you could get away with 40L, 30Hz at the cost of a few Hz of extension and a minor hump in response.

heres a comparison (optimal ported, small ported, small sealed) for each.


and 30L sealed for good measure. Both are ok but not going to cut the mustard imo if you listen to music that gets to under 40hz.


As for which is more "SQ"? I think you are going to be hard pressed to find much difference. Even if the IDQ has lower distortion it's not going to be audibly different once you put it in a car and have the distortion caused by the cabin thrown into the mix.

I chose the Boston because it was reasonably priced, well built, looks plain and extends pretty low for a 10" in a smallish box.

Edited by TMM, 19 January 2012 - 03:27 AM.

[shiny_car]

ID10 is better suited to smaller boxes. Could be the better choice.

[mayday]

I had a think about everything mentioned here. then looked at the bank account and decided I'd give the g3 a go. It is almost half the price!

I fitted it in the other day. I built a 0.5ft box for it and I'm very happy with it! It has a very nice clean sound! I actually don't have it up to loud but
It blends with the spz60's I have up front beautifully!! I absolutely love it!!

I think it would be a little bit better in a bigger box as the lows freq aren't the best. But I'm kind of happy as I just wanted a nice kick. I might build a bigger box and see how it compares.

The terminals on the speaker aren't the best though, I had to bend the fuses slightly to get it working
It seemed to have a weak connection (I couldn't be bothered going back to store to replace it)

It's funny I bought all my equipment on eBay! and the sub which i bought from a shop had the problems.... Go figure

[justdofit]

Good thing about buying the sub from a bricks and mortar is that if this issue with the terminals turns out to be a real issue, you can take it back somewhere for warranty issues and/or get advise from a specialist re: installation etc...

To mimmick the effect of a larger box have you tried stuffing the enclosure with Dacron (pillow filling)? Google it for a weight to volume value...

Enjoy the fat beats

[mayday]

I'm not worried about the terminals it's working ok now. It is true what you say though
Thanks for reminding me, I forgot about stuffing
I'll give that a go!