JL vs Kicker?

Question

So recently I bought 3 10" jl W1s in a sealed box. They sound great but they dont hit as hard as Id like but the quality is excellent. I am using the JL 500/1 amp to power it. I heard my friends 2 10" l7 kickers ported and they sounded excellent.

I drive a 1998 Infiniti I30.

I don't know what I want to do. I feel the kickers will give me the thump but I don't know if I want to lose the quality. I'm up to any other suggestions

Help me please. (thanks in advance)

Answer 1

W1's are lower end. He might have higher quality subs and more apm's.  As far as ported box vs sealed I have seen it work out great both ways.

Answer 2

You're in for quite a bit of money for those W1's.  You can try to build a custom ported enclosure for your subs but for SPL it's completely unfair to judge a W1 to an L7.  

My advice if you're looking for that Kicker type thump is to sell your W1's.  You should be able to get good money for them since they are JL and people are willing to pay decent money to get them in good condition.  You don't necessarily have to get Kickers, but you will want to look for a sub that is geared a little more to the SPL side.  Keep in mind that the enclosure plays a very big part in how your subs will sound too.  Make sure the enclosure is built to the sub manufacturer's recommendations.

Answer 3

you could put the JLs in a ported box but you would lose sound quality

there is no comparison- JLs are for sound quality and kickers are for beating- period

if you put a JL and a Kicker in their respective perfect boxes and they are supplied with the same wattage the kicker will pound on the JL all day

(plus JLs are overpriced -amps and subs, and their subs come in those funky impedance's) if i were you i would look for a trade or to sell the JLs and get kickers for the trunk and just upgrade my inside speakers for the sound quality

Answer 4

JL is better for home audio but not all that great for car audio kickers are better for thump and they do sound pretty good... but i currently have one 12" punch p2 sub in my car connted witha 1200 watt california amp and they sound GREAT!!! but its your choice