Options among 8" subs?

I'm running two Cerwin Vega HED 8" dual 4ohm subs right now, wired to 4ohms at the amp. I'm looking for recommendations for replacement 8's, or possibly two 10's, or one 12.

Needs to be of exceptional SQ, with good output, capable of being wired to 1 ohm at the amp, and support 1100-1300wrms.

so basically SQ subs from 8-12" eh? Lol, there are a whole lot of options out there that fit in the range.

elementals designs (k, o line), image dynamics (idmax, id, idq), adire audio (shiva / brahma), JL (w6v2/w7), ascendant audio (avalanch) boston, diamond audio, resonant engineering (kinda overpriced though imo), digital designs (9500 series are pretty nice), sound splinter (more spl), infinity (kappa), alpine (type-r), etc

list goes on, and I'm sure there's a lot I don't know about because I haven't been in the shopping mood for quite a while, but to narrow it down you need to figure out a bunch of things. like..

-budget
-size
-pair or single
-if you care about buying from a small company

best SQ without spending too much though I'd probably give the nod to an image dynamics IDQ just for starters

Well, considering I've already got the box for two 8s, I'd prefer that, but power handling is an issue with a driver that small.

Although 12s are my favorite sized subs, I'd like to stay away from them for space reasons. So... 2 - 8"s, 2 - 10"s, 1 - 10", or 1 - 12" are the setups i'm looking for.

Not really on a budget because I don't like to rule out my options via price, but of course, less is better.

I don't mind smaller companies. I was investing in Adire Audio back before they even marketed mobile audio products. Back before the days of eD, and RE even. I'm very fond of these two companies though, because of their good sq, great spl, and good prices. That's the combo I'm looking for. Just want to explore all my options before buying in.

well 2 10's should have the most output obviously, most subs you'd be looking at a box around 1-1.5cuft for 2 10's which isn't big at all.

personally I'd choose between elemental designs 11kv2 or 11ov2, image dynamics id10 or idq10s, infinity kappa perfects, alpine type-r's, RE Se, soundsplinter rl-i (tc2),

single 12" setups I'd look at: idmax, adire audio brahma if you can find one, JL w6v2, diamond d9, soundsplinter rl-p (tc9)

the idq's you could save a lot of money on by buying the v2's if you want, which should still be sold new from a few places. the v3 went up in price quite a bit.

brahma I almost bought when I got my idmax but they are power hungry and even harder to find than an idmax. sidenote about idmax is they aren't built to take a lot of abuse, gaps are kept tight to keep efficiency up.

I haven't kept up with ascendant audio but I don't think I'd buy any of their new stuff, I heard a long time ago they ditched their xbl^2 tech, and it might be coincidence but after I heard that I also stopped hearing about AA all together.

RE makes good stuff, I would just never buy it myself because I think they are seriously overpriced ($1500+ for the xxx? please). Still, the SE's aren't too bad in price. Just be wary of their customer service.

I'm sure there's like 20 other brands that have popped up in the last few years that make good stuff too, I just don't know about them.

I'm obviously biased here because I like my idmax, and I was impressed by the 16kv2 I used to have running as a home theater sub. Personally out of curiousity to see how good eD's O line really is I'd probably pick up a pair of 11ov2's. That, or a pair of rl-i's, and after that I'd just stick with my idmax.

Not a lot of help I know lol. There are also solid companies like Memphis that make great speakers but I don't know enough about the brand to speak towards a certain model.

Btw - Assuming your amp puts out 8-900wrms @ 2ohm, I'd just run it at that for whatever it is you end up buying

Thanks for all the info! About how much are the IDQ v2's running?

Looks like two eD 11Kv2's would run me $180. I'd like to run them in an infinite baffle setup like the images you posted in the other thread. Either dual 2's at 2ohms, ~700wrms, or dual 4's at 1ohm, ~1200wrms. Ya think 600wrms each would be too much for the infinite baffle?

EDIT:

AFAccord said:

Thanks for all the info! About how much are the IDQ v2's running?

Looks like two eD 11Kv2's would run me $180. I'd like to run them in an infinite baffle setup like the images you posted in the other thread. Either dual 2's at 2ohms, ~700wrms, or dual 4's at 1ohm, ~1200wrms. Ya think 600wrms each would be too much for the infinite baffle?

Click to expand...

I've never done an IB setup, so that said I think that would be too much power. I had a 16kv2 in about a 10cuft box when I had it for home theater, and with only 300 wrms it got plenty loud. I'd imagine 600wrms for the pair would be plenty. But, more power just means you don't have to turn the gains up as much which doesn't hurt either. I'd start off around 300wrms a piece and turn it up slowly until you find a level you're comfortable with.

IB you'll lose output too keep in mind, but it should sound damn nice.

talked to one of the tech guys @ ed on their live chat thing to ask them, he said the 11kv2's only need about 200 watts a piece, the 11ov2's around 250watts, so you could definitely just run a pair at either 2 or 4 ohm and have plenty of power if your amp is putting out 1100+ @ 1ohm