The SQ of shallow subs can vary significantly base on the size of the box. And you can't always go by the manufacturer's recommendation. I was looking for a sub that would work well in a small 0.5 cu.ft. sealed box. I soon realized that most shallow subs work better with a box between 0.75-1.25 cu.ft.. There is also the TB or ED 10" sub that work with 0.5 cu.ft. but they will max out at 125W RMS. I ended up going with Clarion's PFW-1051 (not the SFW-1051) as i felt it would best fit my needs. Hope to have it installed soon.

I also found this review from Car Audio Magazine that compared Clarion's PFW 10" to Pioneer's Premier 12".


Clarion PFW1051 and Pioneer Premier TS-SW3041D

 

Thats what i had in my truck before it was a write off. 2 of them in appropriate boxes and fully powered will not be dissapointing. If i had known you were looking at thoes as an option.... i still have both of mine for sale man. Talk about bad timing! I hope you got a good deal on yours!

 

Some stuff that isn't getting mentioned... there are spacer rings and mid-depth subs... can we count those in?

Meanwhile, there's the Dayton Neodymium 10 and 12 inch flat subs, MTX has two, both in 10 and 12 inch variances, DB Drive OKUR Flat 10 and 12, also 8, and Alpine SWR though they are all GOING to be classified as economical subs, and none of them will have the SPL of a full sized motor and cone in a frame designed to handle excursion. The compromises involved in reducinng depth of a speaker are so many that there is just no way to generate the horsepower with any magnet material.

Construction quality suffers because the manufacturer figures the sub will be behind something, so it can be a little less precise than the standard subs, which get mounted magnet out, and worse, so those get more QC and TLC.

Best manufacture quality I have seen is on the JL and Alpine, though the Okur DB Drives are a fight to get into a higher shelf market, so they aren't too bad, especially for under $100 for any of the models.

I agree totally about Pioneer and Kenwood subs, they are made in the 10s of thousands at a time, and they are slipshod craftsmanship. I had a pair of the Premier SPL Champion 2D2-12s, and they didn't last long. Amp is a D2000SPL, so it's odd that Premier's own competition setup has a short life. The amp is great, but the subs are aweful. Muddy, nasty. Musically speaking. They knocked my rearview mirror off the windshield... so they do provide. Equalized, they can be acceptable. I replaced them with JL w3s on the cheap for a temporary fix, and WOW what a difference. JLs cheap sub blows the Pioneer away. Since the other two I mentioned are about equal build quality, I'd venture to say they would last as long as well.

There will be more tech into flat subs in the future, but don't expect a Fi BTL to be 1" thick any time soon.
The neodymium ones work best, JL, Dayton,

 

all of these reviews are from people using small boxes, does anyone have input on how these shallow subs perform in IB situations? i have an 07 civic with an 8" sub in the rear deck that gets about 28wrms im looking to upgrade to an 8" with about 200-250wrms but there are torsion bars under the sub so i cannot use anything too deep, what are your suggestions as the best 8" sub, id like to spend 150-200 but if there really is a huge gain in output and sq id get something more expensive

 

Use an enclosure... cabin gain in Civics can be awesome. Those torsion bars can be removed, and a universal hood piston set can be used in place of them. Pistons are usually sturdier, so if you spend time with the trunk open, it won't blow shut. It also gives you a clean deck, in case you want to drop in some mids or other equipment.

As for IB subs, there's not much left. If you can find a "Free-Air" Kicker in good shape, those were great for the money.

Otherwise, not much as far as SQ. I'd go with a single 10 or 12 in a sealed box, and maybe think about a larger amp (500 watts is still rather affordable).

 

yeah i actually just looked and theres absolutely no room for an 8" thats any larger than the stock sub so im just gonna scrap the idea of having trunk space and get some 12's and run 5-600 watts

 

Then keep reading, there's a lot of cool enclosures... now that you have freed your mind to all the world of options, you can really have the maximum fun. Any idea what style of install you want to plan? You ought to start a thread about it, and take lots of pics!! I just started my 3rd reinstallation and will have lots of pics... WRX build thread coming

 

i really should do a build thread, im also installing a bunch of other parts on my car so it would be a good idea to take pics start to finish

 

si mag

Stereo Integrity | SI BM mkIII

 

To the OP, can you share why you need a shallow sub? You may take some measurements and see you don't actually need one which really opens up your options. I would personally suggest a moderate depth sub (like 4-4.5") if you have room and port it. You will get more output off of less power than doing sealed shallow mount subs.

You can build a box that sits under the passenger side back seat, the port can actually extend outside the box, and you can extend it towards the driver side. If you go that route you will likely have room to mount your amp on the port side as well.

If you do go with shallow subs, the only one I've personally heard is the JL, and they sounded good. I would suggest you put them in sealed boxes that fire off the floor (subs facing the floor) to horn-load them and get more output from them and reduce vibrations from the rear seat that will pull your sound backward from rattles.