I'm running a 10" JL-W0 4ohm powered by a VDO Dayton amp that can produce 280WRMS of power.

Now I've got a $500 budget. Should I spend it upgrading the sub or the amp? Which upgrade would make the more improvement in the sound quality? Thanks.

those $500 sub amps in the forsale forum are the best thing you could do

Which $500 sub amp? I can't find the thread.

Anyway, I was thinking of spending the whole of $500 on either the sub or the amp

So the next time I have some money, I'll upgrade the other one.

difficult Q. a higher quality amp may require a better amp.

consider if you've reached the limitations of the sub. is the box a high quality construction and of suitable design and dimension? giving it a more robust amp (powerwise) may help a bit.

is the amp powerful enough? if so, consider a better sub.

IMO, go with a new sub. you won't need the best amp in the world to get good results at normal listening levels. a new amp may not yield much improvement from a sub that may be performing near its best anyway.

I'd go for the new sub as well. Apparently the little 10" JL-W0's optimum power rating is only around 125wrms anyway.

the ca2000ds in the forsale forum seem like a good buy

Yeah, I'd definately look at a new sub first. IMO, buy a nice 12" and put lots of effort into getting the box just right. You'll get good results using your current VDO amp, but later you can upgrade the amp and get another great improvement.

new amp or better box, i have a JL 12WO and they sound nutts, so if your not happy with your JL maybe the encloser or amps not doin any justic for your JL

It's not that I'm not happy with the sound, I just want to improve it. I'm thinking of getting Boston 10.5LF or IDQ10V2, and put it in the current sealed enclosure.

Thanks to everyone who answered btw.

i go0t a 10.5lf running of 200wrms and it sounds fantastic.
i got told in the last SQ comp i was in that the sub bass was spot on

Do you know if the Boston Pro 10.5 will fit in a 10" sub hole?

Is the 10.5 in the 10.5LF refer to 10.5" or just a model number, and it's actually only a 10"?

the '.5' refers to the version, like MkV.

it's still a 10" sub. the website should give details on specs including the cut-out hole requirement.

gr8, Thanks!