Press Release

Second Skin, which was started in 2002 by Anthony Collova, was recently sold to an individual buyer. After 22 years in the auto glass business, Ken Kanefield decided that the timing was good to pursue an entirely new venture. Ken remarked, “The auto glass business was extremely good to my family and I for many years; but, I just didn’t feel challenged by it any longer. After I sold the business, I began looking for a challenge in a different segment of the automotive industry. When I came across Second Skin, I was immediately drawn to it.”



Anthony Collova, who attributes a significant part of Second Skin’s rapid success to his social and web marketing efforts, said, “It was important to me to sell Second Skin to someone that I felt could take it to the next level and Ken and Sue couldn’t be a better fit.” He continued, “I spent the last eight years building Second Skin and I’m confident that Ken and Sue will be equally as successful.” Max Kanefield, Ken and Sue’s son, is following Collova’s lead by keeping Second Skin actively involved all over the web.

As Ken and Sue are new to the 12 volt industry, they are eager to become involved. Immediate plans are to put Second Skin products to work as they have a
complete audio / video system installed in Sue’s 2004 Honda Odyssey. Next on the list will be Ken’s 2009 Lexus RX-350. Ken had the following to say in regards
to the upgrades, “We are anxious to get our products in our own vehicles. I was into car stereo when I was younger and now that we are in the business, I can think of no better way to familiarize us with our customers’ needs. I am very excited to improve the audio systems in both of our vehicles and what we’ll be able to learn as a result.”

The Kanefields are in the process of relocating Second Skin headquarters to their home town of Tucson, AZ. This should be completed by the end of September. In the meantime, it’s business as usual and the Kanefields don’t intend to miss a beat. For more info, contact Second Skin Audio at (800) 679-8511, or visit www.secondskinaudio.com.

This Tricks of the Trade is about the sub/amp install in a Honda Element. This vehicle served as one of Alpine's show vehicles a while back. Some of you may recall that we ran another how-to on the building of the pillar-mounted speaker enclosures in the magazine. Here we focus on the subwoofer/amplifier area in the rear hatch. This is a good example of a nice-looking, easy-to-build custom project that won't break the bank. If you haven't worked with fiberglass very much, a simple project like this is a good way to get some experience.

1) Our Honda Element project vehicle received a complete Alpine audio/video system. In the hatch, we wanted to have good bass in a nice looking package, so we decided to put the amps and sub in the spare tire well. The first step was to make a ¾” MDF border around the edge of the spare tire area.


2) Making the enclosure for the 12” subwoofer was simple, since we decided to make it out of ¾” MDF. Notice how the top of the box angles the woofer up slightly, for better viewing of the Alpine equipment. This box was bolted through the floor of the spare tire well to keep it in place.


3) We also wanted two amplifiers to mount behind the subwoofer enclosure, so we welded ¾” square steel tubing together to form mounting frames for each amp. If you don’t have a welder, a local welding shop can perform basic welding like this for a nominal fee.


4) Next, we placed the steel amp frames where we wanted them, and temporarily held them in place using MDF strips and super glue. More ¾” square steel tubing was welded between the amp frames and the spare tire well to permanently mount the amp frames. Now, we have a complete amp rack that is welded into the car.


5) All of the components are in place, so next up is the framing process that dictates the shape of the top trim panel. The amps are mounted on the amp rack, and an MDF rectangle was made to fit around each amp. An MDF ring fits around the subwoofer as well. MDF strips are then super glued between these components and the MDF border that we made in step 1.


6) The front view shows how each amp is framed, and how the ribs connect these frames with the border around the edge.


7) Polyester grill cloth is now tightly stretched and stapled over the frame, followed by five layers of fiberglass mat to build strength. Once this has cured, a layer of Dura-Glas goes over the top to fill any major surface imperfections.


8) After the whole thing has cured for at least 12 hours, it can be removed from the car. A grinder is used to roughly finish the surface, then a layer of Rage Gold body filler finishes off the filling process.


9) The Rage Gold is sanded down with 36 grit sandpaper to make the shape smooth. At this point, the piece should fit well, but if any additional filling is needed now is the time. We decided to fasten the trim panel to the car by using three bolts on each edge.


10) To hide the six trim panel bolts, an insert was made on each side of the trim panel. Masking tape covers the area where the insert is needed, followed by a layer of aluminum foil.


11) More fiberglass mat is added over the insert area, and the piece is finished in the same fashion as the trim panel with Dura-Glas and Rage Gold.


12) One additional detail we added on this installation was a skeleton housing to hold two 6.5” video monitors. This was done with MDF, with a little Dura-Glas and Rage Gold on the edges to smooth out the look.


13) The final product shows a nicely integrated and custom subwoofer/amp/video display. We decided to paint the main panel silver, with black accent coloring on the video mount and on the bolt-concealing inserts on each side. As an added bonus, the subwoofer rocks since it loads well against the rear hatch door.

Budget woofers are great, big bass for small bucks. But if you can afford a little more, you can get that much more performance and musicality for your car audio system. Here, we look at the more than formidable Alpine SWX-1243D, a finely engineered product that's great in terms of SQ and for serious output as well. It's only in recent years that Alpine's developed into a strong subwoofer brand. That's in large part to the engineering department in the U.S., working in conjunction and leading the way for new products. This Type-X woofer is one of the first of continuing achievements from Alpine on the speaker side. Another is the new Type-R flat woofer which we will be reviewing soon. —Ben Oh

The first gen Type-X 12" subwoofer from Alpine, reviewed in 2005, had our evaluators saying things like, "Alpine has done an incredible job in creating a wonderful sounding subwoofer." That wasn't enough for the engineers though; they had to make it even better. Alpine improved the Type-X woofer in '08. Cosmetically, it's hard to distinguish any changes at all aside from the obvious difference in color of the two-piece, cast-aluminum frame—now a semi-gloss black. But dive deeper into the technical side of things and the real story unfolds.



One of the primary goals in reinventing the SWX 12 was to improve efficiency. Initiating this meant addressing the issue of weight, starting with the three-layer cone. Tipping its hat to the original, the new gen SWX uses a parabolic-shaped cone with a carbon-fiber layer out front and a Kevlar-reinforced paper layer at the rear. The big difference, however, is the core material in this sandwich that has changed from an aluminum honeycomb to Rohacell—essentially, a foamed acrylic polymer. This strong material is extremely lightweight, thus lowering the moving mass of the driver, and thereby improving efficiency. Rohacell also benefits the cone by adding more bonding surface area with the other layers (compared to the aluminum honeycomb), improving rigidity. Additional stiffening comes from Alpine's force transfer assembly," an 8-armed injection-molded polycarbonate and glass fiber structure that supplies attachment and suppport to the rear of the cone and a collar at its base, which connects to the voice coil former.

The second step in bettering efficiency was to address the motor components. While the new structure still uses a three-magnet stack, most of the metal components have been altered to fit the larger 80mm (2.83"), six-layer dual voice coil (VC). Size is not the only thing that changed with the VC. Interestingly, three of the six winding layers reside inside the VC former while the other three wrap around the outside in a traditional manner. Dividing the layers up in this fashion helps maintain cool VC operating temperatures by doubling the wire surface area in contact with the surrounding air. The design also doubles the area in contact with the "Twin=Wall" aluminum former, the latter helping wick heat away. This is particularly important since the VC wire is now made of aluminum (instead of copper, as in the previous generation), which is less tolerant of heat than copper. While your first inclination may be to question this decision, it actually benefits the driver by lowering the mass of the moving parts. These design elements also allow the driver to maintain its impressive power handling numbers listed as 1,000 watts RMS and 3,000 watts peak.

The increase in VC size also required changes in the metal components of the motor structure. The most notable is the redesign of the Compound Radius Curve (CRC) pole piece. The pole piece is the magnetic return in the center of the VC that usually (and in the case of the SWX-1243D) contains the vent hole you see at the rear of the driver. At the top of the pole, the newly designed CRC helps smooth the air flow and focus it through the copper shorting ring and heatsink. More importantly, the shape of the CRC controls the flux fringe field—the dispersion of magnetic flux within the magnetic field. By changing its design, Alpine was able to extend the range of the magnetic flux, thus bettering the magnetic X-max over that of the mechanical X-max. This means that the VC will always stay within the magnetic gap, lowering distortion at high-power levels. It also increases the efficiency of the motor, and with efficiency you get better response and more output.

These improvements should go a long way in the perfromance of this driver, so let's get to the good stuff.

Getting Ready
Normally, I prefer to test subwoofers in the recommeneded enclosures listed in the owner's manual; but Alpine was up front in saying that the best performance would be achieved in a larger-than-recommended sealed enclosure nettting 1.5 ft3 (the manual recommends 0.65-1.25ft3). Per this recommendation, I built an enclosure from 3/4" MDF with a 1.5" faceplate and minimal polyfill inside. I inserted the thoughtful VC configruation jumpers in the proper slots to achieve a 2-ohm load and connected the 12-gauge speaker wire to the gold-plated brass block terminals (insulated by an injection-molded form) using the provided hex wrench to secure the set screw. The C-shaped rubber gasket stretched over the basket's mounting flange provided a tight seal against he enclosure. Once screwed in place, a slick cosmetic rubber cover press fits on top of the gasket, hiding the screws altogether.

The enclsoure was placed in the rear cabin of my F150 and adjusted to the optimum postion. For this test, I installed a 2,200-watt Zapco C2K 9.0. After a little adjustment, the crossover was set to 70Hz at 12dB to achieve the best transition with my system's midbass.

Listening

R&B
Usher Confessions

At "mega" volume, I released the pause button and secured myself for the powerful bass not that kicks off "Confessions". I actually repeated this scenario numerous times as I was impressed with how strong and natural the SWX went from 0-45Hz and back to 0Hz. The sharp punches that followed were snappy with an abrupt decay. Exactly as desired. It was almost as if a mule were kicking the back of my seat. However, I didn't find the rendering of the staggered bass lines as spectacular. They just weren't as distinguised as I'd like, with the lowest notes sounding too similar, and leaving the impression as if it weren't extending low enough. But I later dispelled that inital impression by playing the following track, "Caught Up". Here the lowest notes came through with authority, but did seem to do better at moderate- to high-volume levels—at low volume it just wasn't as articulare as it could have been. Score: 8/10

Jazz
Diana Krall "All or Nothing at All"

The scaling of the string bass in this track really works the crossover area between the midbass and subwoofer. It's here that a system's transition between the bass ranges is delineated. With the Alpine, there was absolutely no draw to the sub's location—the bass seamlessly transitioned betweeen the front stage and the sub so well that I verified that the sub was actually playing. The bass stayed up front and well-focused throughout the entire track. Very ncie.

While listening to the timbre, I noticed a slight anomaly. At low-volume levels, the defining tones of the strings were less resolved that I like. However, goose the volume to medium and moderate levels and the SWX-1243D comes alive, providing a nice bit of resonance to the front end. Score: 9/10

Reggae
Ziggy Marley "Gone Away"

Overlapping bass lines can be troublesome for some speakers,. With this in mind, it's easy to see why "Gone Away" can be a difficult track for subwoofers. The heavy electric bass guitar often dominates the track's lower frequencies, overshadowing the drum beats.

Once again, I noticed that volume dictated the sub's level of accuracy. While not bad at low levels, there was a definite improvement at moderate volumes—not uncommon on larger format subwoofers such as this, and nothing that would be discernable when placed hehind the back seat or at driving levels. Note shifts of the guitar were easily detectable and the drum was reasonably taut with a little power behind it.

As with Diana Krall, the transition from the midbass of the front stage and the subwoofer was remarkably smooth. The sub also maintained a good, complementary image that was up front with the rest of the system that never stepped out of place. Score: 8.5/10

Electronic
Techmaster P.E.B. "Bass Computer"
Power Supply "Bass Boom Bottom"

While rearranging my music collection, I found some "real" bass CDs I thought were long lost. Back when bass was big and crusin' was cool, these CDs got a lot of play by subwoofer-loaded ground shakers that could rattle your mirrors from 10-car lengths back. The label on Techmaster P.E.B. reads: "Caution" Ultra Low Bass May Damage Speakers," which may have carried some truth with subs of its time. Today's drivers are far more advanced—but that didnt' stop me from trying.

I first delved into Power Supply and pulled up the title track, "Bass Boom Bottom". This is an intense, electronically derived composition that has nearly constant bass the entire duration of the song. Hoping my electical system would hold up, I cranked the volume knob until the system reached the "neighbors are complaining" level. The Alpine woofer clearly had no problems with my action, as it stretched its surround to near max. Its output was quite spectacular—enough to make me surrender to the beast in the box.

With Techmaster came the ultra-low frequency goods. The lowest notes of Bass Comptuer" came through with authority, proving the SWX-1243D to be rather linear on the frequency scale. To that end, playing "Bass by Numbers" provided further prooof of its abilites. Driving these ultra-low frequencies at high volumes, I was highly impressed at the composure of the Alpine subwoofer. In short, it nvever seemed to display nonlinear behaviors or exhibit even the slightest hint of cone breakup. Its output (at comparable power levels) performance neared that of the ultra-impressive Critical Mass UL12 I had on hand for reference, but at a quarter the price. That of all things is pretty impressive in itself. Score: 9/10

Rock
Candlebox Candlebox

Most every track on Candlebox's self-titled album is loaded with drum kicks, like every good rock album should be. The pace and ferocity of the hammer hitting, cracking the skin of the kick drum differs slightly between the tracks and when accompanied with a bass guitar the sub should be able to maintain good distinction.

I started off with "He Calls Home." In this slower-paced track the kicks should play through the accompanying bass guitar. Here the Alpine scored high with the kick drum very distinct as the snap of the hammer was presented with good attack and decay. The bass had a nice bit of resonance in its fundamental tones and again the SWX showed it can play nicely with the other speakers in the system.

Tracking back to "Don't You," I paid close attention to the double kicks and how they differed from the individual beats. Again the Alpine proved to be fast and accurate, making it easy to detect changes in the amplitude of the drum kicks. Score: 9.5/10

Conclusion
Alpine's latest iteration of the venerable Type-X sub is further proof that the company is serious about sound. While the improvements over the previous gen may go unseen, they're a definite step in the right direction.

Alpine really has built an outstanding performer in this competitive price range-a musical subwoofer that is capable of turning out some serious SPL. Needless to say, I really enjoyed my time spent auditioning it. Regardless of the music genre, it was one of the most transparent subwoofers I've added into my system, and that goes a long way in terms of long-term listening enjoyment. If you have $500 for a subwoofer, check out this from Alpine. —Casey Thorson

SUBJECTIVE SCORE CHART
	Points	Alpine
	Possible	SWX-1243D
Overall Sound Quality	50	44
Tonal Balance	10	9
Low-Frequency Extension	10	9
Clarity at Low Volume	10	8
Clarity at High Volume	10	9
Impact	10	8
Total Subjective Score	100	87

Gear gets old, but a great install design doesn't age, as is evidenced here with this amazingly sophisticated system by top installer Calvin Thomas from a while ago. We saw a lot of bad custom cars for celebrities over the years on the magazine. And we unfortunately even ran a few (or perhaps more than a few!). This is definitely NOT one of them. The car may be owned by Jermaine Dupri, but stands as a testament to the talents of another type of artist, the kind that turns a ride into more than a mode of transportation. I think it's safe to say that had Calvin had an opportunity to work on a major build like a lot of the "Best Customizers", he would've been on that list. —Ben Oh



When you don’t come home “‘til 8 in the mornin’” you need a smooth ride that provides sound quality rivaling your studio. Jermaine Dupri has been a music powerhouse since the early nineties when he introduced Kriss Kross to the world (we won’t blame him for the unfortunate fashion side-effects). As the founder of Atlanta’s So-So-Def Recordings, Dupri has worked with such acclaimed artists as: Jagged Edge, Usher, Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, Da Brat, Xscape and countless other popular Rap and R&B musicians. At the ripe, young age of 19, Dupri turned his fancy to automobiles and with a bank account to support his automotive creative urges, and began his association with Car Tunes of Atlanta. Over a decade and 25 cars later, the team has produced yet another hit single, the 2000 Mercedes Benz S500 featured in Car Audio magazine.



As the owner of countless top of the line automobiles, music producer Jermaine Dupri had little use for this 2000 Mercedes and decided to offer it as a dare to his friends at Car Tunes. With little instructions, and even fewer limitations (remember the song “Money Ain’t a Thing”), the team at Car Tunes was challenged to “make [Dupri] want to keep it”. Car Tunes faced the pressure of not only of pleasing Dupri’s discerning ear, but integrating a fine audio system into a visually pleasing package to ensure that Dupri’s comrades feel at home (read: add lots of sophisticated bling). Lead Installer Calvin Thomas and store manager Jeff Smith, both IASCA competitors, corroborated to provide Dupris’ 2000 model with 2004 technology in a seamless install. The system is not overly showy, blending with the Mercedes’ subtly luxurious interior, but the sound divulges the time, energy and talent the dynamic duo invested in the car.



Up Front
The factory bezel which once housed the factory A/C controls and radio were removed to make room for a new custom bezel fabricated out of body filler, that was sanded smooth and painted silver to match the car’s exterior. This bezel is the new home of Alpine’s flagship CD Player, the CDA-7990 along with an Alpine 6.5-inch LCD monitor. The monitor provides Dupri with directions to the nearest Cartier store and allows him to enjoy a DVD en route (Poetic Justice, perhaps?). The brain for the navigation, the Alpine NVE-852A is discreetly located underneath the passenger seat. Inside the glovebox, Dupri has the option of loading six audio or video discs into the Alpine DHA-S680 6-disc changer controlled through the Alpine 7990. When Dupri runs out of fresh cuts in the changer and tires of local radio commercials, the Alpine TUA020M XM Radio with XMAT RF controller gives him over 100 channels of digital satellite broadcasts. The XM antenna TERK XM3 is mounted on the exterior of the car and painted to match the Benz’s silver paint.





Big Beatz
Since Dupri usually cuts a CD in the studio and then takes it to his ride to demo, MB Quart (Microphone Builder Quarternote) speakers were installed throughout the Benz. In the front doors of the car, the MB Quart QSD 164 6.5” midbass and QSD 210 4” midrange are installed in custom baffles. The bottom of the door panel was removed to fabricate baffles for these drivers out of MDF and fiberglass which was later rewrapped in vinyl to ensure the interior maintains a seamless appearance.



In the A-pillars of the Benz, Calvin Thomas with the help of installer, Brandon Shane, mounted MB Quart 1” tweeters that he integrated using body filler then rewrapped in gray suede. The tweeters are located in the A-pillars to maximize the width and height of the audio soundstage presence. The rear doors are accompanied with a MB Quart QSD 210 4” midrange and a MB Quart 1” tweeter. All of the grills were sanded smooth and painted silver.

When Dupri switches his system source to DVD format, a 5th channel of audio appears from the center of his dash. This center channel is a custom-built pod painted to match the car and home to a single MB Quart QSD 213 5 1⁄4” midrange and 1” tweet.

Back that Thang Up
Opening the custom-embroidered trunk lid reveals four logos well-known throughout the audio industries: SoSoDef Recording, Alpine, JL Audio and MB Quart. Because this ride sees a lot of time on the street, trunk space is premium. The spare tire was removed and a custom fiberglass enclosure was built in the wheel well to house four of the inverted surround MB Quart PWE 254 10” dual voice coil subwoofers with titanium coating. These subwoofers display true German engineering and incorporate the latest technology to provide competition-grade sound quality with street credible sound-pressure levels. Being a celebrity does have its perks as Car Tunes of Atlanta laced Jermaine’s ride with the first production shipment of these subs to Georgia. To protect these four works of art, Calvin made an acrylic cover: you can look, but don’t touch.



In each side panel of the trunk resides a JL Audio amplifier. Calvin chose these amplifiers because “The JL Audio amplifiers have plenty of power allowing us to use two amplifiers to power the entire system rather than three or four. These amplifiers gave us the ability to keep the trunk symmetrical on both sides.” On the left side lies a JL Audio 450/4 “The Big Block” which provides 2x150 watts of raw power to the front doors and 2x75 watts to the rear doors. The JL Audio amplifier is the 1000/1 model providing 1000 watts to the subwoofers. Both of the amplifiers were installed in fiberglass tubs that were sanded and painted to match the color of the car’s exterior.



In the deepest part of the trunk rests the heart and soul of the system, the Alpine F#1 Status PXA-H900 processor. This processor was Car Tunes’ weapon of choice to tame this audio beast due to its powerful DSP processing and level of flexibility. The processor receives the digital audio signal from the CDA-7990 then performs all of the digital sound processing that was programmed by Jeff Smith before sending the analog signal to the amplifiers via IXOS 700 series RCAs. IXOS 1 gauge power wire feeds the pacemaker-like Alumapro 5 Farad Capacitor outputting power via (2) IXOS 4 gauge wires. The 4 gauge wires then feed two of installer-friendly IXOS FB840 Mini ATC distribution blocks that straddle each side of the processor.



David Kinard of Car Tunes also laced the Benz with aftermarket performance mods as well (what can’t these guys do). He first outfitted Dupri’s ride with new shoes, 20” Lowenhart LD1 with Bridgestone Potenza SO-3 tires with custom painted inlets. To make the car even more intimidating he equipped the ride with a mean Lorinser body kit.



With all the audio equipment installed along with 48 sq. feet of Dynamat Extreme, a Lorinser exhaust was then bolted on. Combined with a Renntech CPU chip upgrade and air intake they give the Benz some of its horsepower back that the audio system’s weight has taken away. With a system of this quality, Dupri is set to find the next platinum hit while tearing up A-town’s streets.

Big bass doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, these days it’s easy to round out a system on a budget without sacrificing much in the way of sound quality or overall volume.

We spoke to some of the finest installers from across the country to get their recommendations for the best in bargain and value-oriented subs (read: less than $250). Their favorites—which run the gamut from bargain basement $50 woofers to more high-minded subs—are listed below. So if you're on a budget, these are some great bass options.

Turns out, there really are still values to be found in car audio.

Ultra LV6
Priced at a mere $169, Ultra’s LV6 6.5-inch sub is a popular choice for tight spaces and budget-minded systems. Jon Kowanetz, an installer with Handcrafted Car Audio in Mesa, Ariz, says he uses a lot of them for pickup truck installs, where space is often at a premium. “I typically do two of them down firing and they sound real good. It's all the sub you need.” The 4 ohm, single voice coil design can hand le up to 175 watts RMS and mounts in less than four inches. Click here for specs.


JL Audio W3v3
“When I think of value-oriented subs, the first speaker that comes to mind in the JL Audio W3v3 series,” says Ernie Onate with Sound Innovations in Hayward, Calif. “They’re an overall great value and a great sounding speaker.” Sound in Motion’s Jim Cavanaugh agrees, calling the W3v3 an “insane woofer.” “It’s got great sound quality, it’s durable, it’s versatile, I think it’s priced really well and it’s made in the USA. It’s one of our favorites.” The woofers are available in a range of sizes from 6-13 inches for use in compact sealed or ported enclosures. Click here for specs.


Alpine Type-R
Alpine’s entry into the budget-minded sub category, the Type-R series, ranges in price from $200 for the 10-inch to $220 for the 12 (though other sizes are available at higher price points). According to Jim Cavanaugh at Boston’s Sound in Motion, the Type-R is a good sub for the money, though there is a price to be paid when compared to nicer subs. But then again, that could be said for all the bargain woofers featured here. “For a kid who’s just starting out it’s got good bang for your buck and it sounds pretty good,” he says. That may be an understatement! Click here for specs.


Rockford Fosgate P3
Priced at around $250 in a 12-inch, Rockford’s P3 series woofers are, according to Bjorn Gunnlaugsson with Custom Autosound in Oakland Park, Fla., “just great, great subs. You can beat the living hell out of them, they’re extremely efficient and they have good power.” According to Rockford, the 12-inch version can handle 500 watts RMS and 1000 peak.Click here for specs.


Hertz Energy 10
A 10 for all seasons, the Hertz Energy 10 features of a double voice coil designed to coax the most possible power out of a smaller box. This versatile design also allows for a wider range of wiring and installation possibilities. “At around $200, it’s just a nice, solid woofer,” says Handcrafted Car Audio’s Kowanetz, who adds that the Energy 10 is probably his go-to for 10s. Click here for specs.


Memphis SClass
For installations that call for a shallow depth woofer, the Memphis SClass is Jason Kranitz's weapon of choice. Jason runs Kingpin Car Audio in Wilsonville, Oregon and he says, “It’s just a phenomenal sounding thin sub,” he says. “If you’re going to do a thin sub, you really can’t go wrong.” At around $229 for the 10, Memphis offers the SClass in both single and dual 4 ohm coil designs and the woofers can be installed at a mounting depth of just 3 inches. Click here for specs.


Image Dynamics CTX
In terms of pure bang for your buck, Jay Oliphant with Drive Customs in San Luis Obispo, Calif. says the CTX series from Image Dynamics is hard to beat. “There’s just nothing out there that gives you the kind of sound quality and volume output that they give you at that price. Usually with subs you get one or the other, but with the CTX you get the output level plus the kind of musicality that you usually just don’t see in a $99 woofer.” The CTX series is available in a range of sizes and is built to last, with UV-protected surrounds and cones. Click here for specs.


JL Audio WX
Like the JL W3v3 subs mentioned above, the lower priced WX line is another beneficiary of “trickle down technology” from the company’s flagship models. Available in both 10- and 12-inch varieties and priced at around $100, the WX line is positioned as an entry-level sub for performance-minded users. “The WX subs are really good sellers for us and they hold up,” says Peter Riker with The Specialists in Tucson, Ariz. “JL has always been right up there at the top with their engineering and they include all of that technology even in the cheaper models." Click here for specs.


Arc Audio KS 10
Built to handle up to 200 watts RMS without punching a hole in the bank account, the $119 KS 10 from Arc Audio is advertised as offering high-end sound at an enthusiast price. According to Arc, the Kar Series, of which the KS 10 is a part, is designed for use in small, low-power systems. Handcrafted Car Audio’s Kowanetz is a fan, saying he’s “always had good luck with them” as a good, basic sub. Click here for specs.


Image Dynamics IDQ 10
Available in single- and dual-voice coil varieties, the IDQ 10 from Image Dynamics also gets high praise from installers for its versatility and overall value. Custom Autosound’s Gunnlaugsson calls the IDQ 10 “phenomenal” and says they sell a lot of them in the shop. “I really like it because you can use it free, sealed, bandpass, ported; just about any application you can dream of.” The IDQ series is priced in the $230 range, depending on the cone size and other options, and can handle up to 250 watts RMS. Click here for specs.


Planet Audio RX
There’s a thin line between “value-oriented” and “cheap,” but it’s one that Planet Audio’s RX series subwoofers walk nicely, according to Drive Customs’ Oliphant. “They’re durable, they sound pretty good and they have pretty good output,” he says. “They're much more about output than sound quality, but for a guy who just wants to slam they’re a good fit.” Best of all, Planet Audio’s RX subs can be had for well under $100 (sometimes even less than $50) and come in a range of sizes and ratings (though the 12 can handle 180 watts RMS at 4 ohms). Click here for specs.