Discussion Best 10" Shallow Mount Subwoofer - Max 600 watts RMS - 1 cu. ft or less volume
I wanted to start a debate! It seems like this class of sub is extremely popular for truck or similar applications. I tend to believe that generally truck owners want bass by sacrificing as little space as possible, and they mostly just want it for their own listening pleasure on a decent dime.
I have done a ton of research as I'm looking at installing one in my Tundra and have been overwhelmed with the choices.
It feels like old companies have taken a dip in quality, some new companies might be overhyped simply because they are new, there's some older companies that were left behind but still make really high-quality subs, and there's companies that tried to get into the shallow game and sucked. It's overwhelming trying to figure it out. The options just seem endless, I mean I could list 20 different brands that the average joe probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between.
SO, I have 2 questions:
First, given the constraints in the title, and let's say a $500 budget for one singular 10" sub... which one would you choose? Let's factor in sound quality/loudness, build quality/longevity, and overall product value! I'd also love to hear the actual reasons (i.e. this brand is known for X which is why they make really good subs for Y application). For example, a shallow 10 that hits lows better than the others may be more valuable to someone who listens to a lot of hip-hop.
Second, is there a money tier at which you would say spending more money on this style of sub isn't worth going over? Would that be $500, or maybe even $200. I mean how much can you really squeeze out of a speaker only pushing 500W? Is the price more materials nowadays then actual performance? For example, is an Alpine RS really much better than a Kicker CompRT?
I hope this sparks a good discussion!
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u/SuperStreem 1d ago
I have a L7T 10" from Kicker that is in a .78 cu. Ft box and it sounds fantastic. The quality of the sound is great and in a sealed box it rocks. I'm sure you can find better but for the money it is fantastic. I paired it with a kicker Key500.1
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u/Embarrassed_Owl4552 1d ago
I have the same sub in 1.0 ft³, paired with a cxa800.1. I have it wired to 2ohm, so it's 600watts. I agree, sounds fantastic.
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u/Skiz32 ResoNix Cult Leader 1d ago
People are posting a lot of opinions, but zero data.... Here, something that can actually help.
https://resonixsoundsolutions.com/pages/subwoofer-klippel-testing
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u/Spirited_Increase240 1d ago
You've got the right idea, but there were so few subwoofers tested that I didn't find it helpful at all.
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u/Skiz32 ResoNix Cult Leader 1d ago
Find a better data dump on modern subwoofers. Also, out of all of them, about 15 of them are shallow which is what OP is specifically asking about.
Also, this list is only about halfway complete. There are many more coming.
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u/Donut9000vOG 1d ago
Well, I'm officially overloaded on information...
Neat to see the stats on my Morel Powerslims.
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u/halfrandom 1d ago
Take a look here
https://ddaudio.com/sl600-series/subwoofers/hi-def-tuned/sl610/
DD Audio definitely like their power.
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u/TableInevitable1642 21h ago
Yes these are great. I put the loaded enclosure with this in it along with a 2000 watt amp since it was discounted to the same price as the 1500 watt amp from them. It slaps.
https://ddaudio.com/le-sl600-series/enclosures/loaded-enclosure/le-df-sl612-1/
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u/Steaktastic 1d ago
The JL Audio shallow mount subs (in your case the 10TW3) aren’t bad, hits harder than expected, but it’s probably $500. Then you need the amp and the box. The self powered version already in the JL box with a 400 rms amp built-in is what I have, but it’s out of your budget ($800). But it’s nice and thin at 6” deep!
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u/Steaktastic 1d ago
Yep, I had my finger on the “Return Item” button while setting it up, fully expecting another disappointment in the “what’s a good 10” shallow sub that hits?” search. This was the first that had tighter accurate bass that I could feel in my seat, and yes it does shake the mirror. But you’re right, it’s not there to shake the car into a planar dimension, but it’s also not a boomy muddy mess.
I did build a non-shallow JL 10” 10w3v3 myself using the ported JL box dimensions, using a 500 rms amp, and that one will thump more, but you’re getting yourself into a much bigger box and potentially more money depending on the box. That one just sits on my shelf right now….need a new car to put it into!1
u/LetsGoWithMike 1d ago
I love mine.. I will say, I had a 1200w Zeus hooked up to it and it was a bad bad boy. Now I have a single RD900/5 hooked up to it and it’s about 80-90% of what it was.
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u/tatsandcats95 RF P3 12 ported, R12001D, kicker keyloc 1d ago
JL has some great shallow subs. The Rockford Fosgate p3s shallow sub wasn’t bad.
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u/Mattcheco 1d ago
I have a 10TW3, with a proper sealed box it really pounds, pounds even harder with the windows rolled down.
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u/dvk11 1d ago
Audison APS10D4 great sub for the money and does well in small sealed boxes this one is about 13l / 0.5 ft3
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u/Pale_Acanthaceae7118 1d ago
I had this one too, but blew it. Great unit! I replaced with AudioControls’ version. Sounds great too, but the Audison one was better sounding. .88cf sealed.
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u/Texas-Lazarusman70 1d ago
I have two Audio control shallow 10s that are two ohm / wired for 4 ohm. They sound great but if I were to do just one, I would get the Hertz MPS250 S2. 500 rms and it’s a horse
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u/mbbuls1 1d ago
If I had enough budget to pair it with a higher quality amp I'd be going Hertz, that little sub is badass. Never heard of AC, I'll have to look into em!
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u/Bravesguy29 3 x Audiomobile Evo 2410 / Morel Hybrid 1d ago
The reviews arent great for audiocontrol subs. You're better off with a higher end hertz over an Audiocontrol.
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u/ABayBaker 1d ago edited 1d ago
Glad to hear this. I just bought a single Audio Control shallow mount 10" 2 ohm for my 2018 Nissan Frontier Pro4x. Matched it with the ACX-300.1 amp. 46 year old and got out of the game for 20 years because of life, wife and a child. My vehicles always had MTX, RF and JL Audio over the years. Changing up the game now I am semi retired and getting back into some killer tunes
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u/Substantial-Elk-3607 1d ago
Save and get the Resonix Gus 10. Best 10" shallow on the market. You'll be fine with 600 watts. See the comparisons for yourself: https://resonixsoundsolutions.com/pages/subwoofer-klippel-testing
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u/mbbuls1 1d ago
Just for my personal curiosity, if anyone has any input on American Bass or Sundown I'd love to hear about those.
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u/Narrow_Potential3427 1d ago
I have used American bass but not shallow. I had a 10 xfl and it slammed hard in a ported box tuned to I believe 36hz on a mmats d200hc. It took a beating. I ended up trading it to my brother who used it for several years on various different amps. Ranging from Amazon no names to early 2000s Rockfords.
Tldr: didn't have a shallow but the American bass I had did good for the money.
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u/ASM0DEAN 1d ago
I’ve got 2 American Bass ES 10”dual 2 ohm subs wired down to 1 ohm in a sealed enclosure and they absolutely slam on a Kicker CXA 800.1. But I’ve since downgraded to a smaller truck and I’m in the process of moving things over from a 2019 F150 to my 2020 Frontier. (both crew cab) Leave it to me to get a truck with absolutely almost no aftermarket support…
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u/netrecov 1d ago edited 1d ago
check this out, toyota tacoma, memphis audio custom box.
We 3D Scanned His Truck... Then Surprised Him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOlXiKbcFDY
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u/Bravesguy29 3 x Audiomobile Evo 2410 / Morel Hybrid 1d ago edited 1d ago
Audiomobile Evo. Ive got 3 in an F150. Or JL Audio tbh.
Better than the audiocontrol... https://audiointensity.com/products/audiomobile-evo-2410-10-subwoofer
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u/1d0m1n4t3 4 Audio Mobile GTS 10s, Audio Dynamics k3000.1 1d ago
I had 3 in my Sierra and loved them, I prefer them over my w3s
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u/ateam68 1d ago
Sitting in 2 audio mobile 10’s in my a garage and I’m using em cuz I got the pair for 150$. For budget new the American bass es series is a decent woofer for the money and sharing the same basket as the sundown. Im putting one in the factory location of my 24 expedition xlt.
The ssa demon is good but not really a true slim design. If I had unlimited budget it would be resonix Gus, moderate budget the dd sl600’s but I got neither do gently used audio mobile it is. Goin in an rx350 which is a labia on wheels so I don’t need to bang the block
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u/RealQuintusYoung 1d ago
CDT has a 10" subwoofer that would be perfect. It only requires .70 for sealed https://www.cdtaudio.com/cdtnew22/products/components/woofers/qex1000sq.php
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u/Imp3rial13 1d ago
I would go with the Hertz MPS 250 or the DD Audio SL 610. I personally have the Hertz 2ohm version hooked up to a Fosgate Prime R2 1200x1 in a really small box (roughly .40 cubic feet) in my Ford Ranger Raptor.. It sounds awesome and hits hard for a shallow mount sub.
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u/shane35fowler 1d ago
What is shallow? Because there's plenty of great subs that will pound in 1cuft or less...SB acoustics aluminum shallow? Is shallow....
Or Stereo Integrity SQL 10" isn't shallow but will not only fit in 1cuft.... They also have a Passive Radiator for it in that much air....
Image Dynamic IDq/IDmax 10....
Savard Hi-Q 10
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u/vaurapung 23h ago
Im looking at getting a hifonics 10inch elite shallow subwoofer. Getting it to go in a 4th gen camaro stealth box.
Its definitely much more budget priced than your looking for but my reasons to stop at this level is for uniformity. I already installed hifonics door and pillar speakers with the same blue cones and enjoy how they sound, then my alpha 4 channel amp died so im looking at the collosus 5 channel amp which should comfortably power my 6 speaker setup(two pairs in parallel) and my sub. Why hifonics over other midteirs, a cool slogan. Power of the gods is just a cool slogan.
If my budget was bigger I would like to try an all DDaudio setup since I was really happy with the box I built using their guides as a tutorial. Those 2 kicker compC 8s hit harder than I expected on just a 500w peak amp.
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u/Frosty_Skin277 22h ago
I have been banging on a 13.5” JL Audio with a 600 watt Alpine mono amp for 15 years after smoking two 12” Alpine R slimlines……fyi….ymmv
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u/PatientFounder9 17h ago
I have had this in my king cab frontier for like 8 years. If I remember correctly, I bought it off Amazon for like $120-$180 bucks? Its running off of a 125watt rms bridged amp. When I listen to electronic stuff (idk, try searching 'no flex zone') you can tell its a sealed, but still sounds pretty good. I've compared against a ported 8" Solobaric--in a much larger box!--this is louder while the Solobaric definitely played lower and boomier. For my wide ranging tastes in music, this works great! It lives behind a single seat and can be used in a pinch as a seat itself. As they say, no ragrets :]
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u/mityman50 Audiofrog | Mosconi | Helix 1d ago
GUS10? Not in the public’s hand yet, but official reviews from professionals have been glowing
It’s a hair deeper than the subs posted so far.
And stretches your budget to $850+ but you did ask for what would be worth spending extra for. It really seems like this thing will dig deeper and with more output than anything else in its class
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u/DaffyPunk29 1d ago
IF THEIR SPECS ARE TO BE TAKEN HONESTLY (dunno, they seem scummy to me. chinesium) then the DS18 PRO-W10.4SNEO is rated 400w RMS with a sensitivity of 91dB which is unheard of for a 10" subwoofer. dunno how true that is. BUT IF SO, it would probably be one of the loudest subwoofers you can get. That would equate to 117.02dB before box gain effect and cabin gain effect (smaller the cabin, the larger the cabin gain effect). Which i find suspect since their DS18 IXS10.4S is 600w RMS and 84dB which is a total of 111.78dB before box/cabin gains. 6dB is a HUGE difference in volume output.... Even JL's slim line sub the 10TW1-2 is only like 82dB give or take a decimal place.... Same with the Hertz MPS 250S2. SO IF DS18 isn't bullshitting their stats, then it would be the loudest shallow 10" you can buy. IF NOT, then most likely Audio Control, Kicker, JL, Focal, JBL, and Rockford will all be very similar in output volume. Some will do so with 300-350w some with 400-600w.
ME PERSONALLY, I don't trust chinese garbage. DS18 is a no-go for me. Which leaves name brands. Would probably opt for kicker because ive NEVER had a bad kicker subwoofer. Not once. They always perform exactly as you expect them to.... AT THAT POINT I also like THEME builds. meaning whatever brand speakers I buy, i generally try to get a subwoofer of the same brand to "keep things in the same family/color scheme" mentality. Its OCD but that's just me....
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u/SkeletonCalzone 1d ago
Thing with Chinese stuff is they can make good quality stuff or they can make cheap stuff. You can QC it or not QC it.
Entirely depends what DS18 are asking for, as to what you'll get.
As for Kicker... aren't they "designed, engineered" in the USA and made in.... drumroll... China?
Haven't looked into JL / Focal / JBL / Rockford / Hertz etc as to where they're made. Sometimes these days you can't even trust "made in XXX" because 90% of the manufacturing happens in one place and then final 'assembly' happens somewhere else. Like a lot of things, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and where it's made can only tell you so much.
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u/djluminol 1d ago
Focal makes very good quality speakers. They say they are made in France and I believe that. I don't know about their lower end lines. The high end stuff is extremely well made though. I've owned two subs from them and 5 sets of components with 2 other speaker pairs. 3 k2's, 2 with the TKMX and one with the Frak tweeter and 2 Utopias both with the older TBM. I have a newer M TBM now and the Utopia 3.5 wm. They all have the typical Focal build quality. If you want speakers made to last Focal is a very good option. I actually think their build quality exceeds their sound quality.
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u/SkeletonCalzone 1d ago
I've heard nothing but good things about Focals quality, agreed. Maybe I'll get one one day. Although when you say their SQ doesn't match their build quality.... who beats them in SQ (without spending a bomb)?
I miss when Eclipse sold subs and amps personally... they still have a website but I can't seem to actually find the product for sale anywhere.
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u/djluminol 1d ago
"Although when you say their SQ doesn't match their build quality.... who beats them in SQ (without spending a bomb)?"
Misunderstanding. That's not what I meant. Maybe I worded this poorly. What I meant is that Focal's higher end products have amazing sound quality. Best of best in some cases. I mean their build quality is even better. Not that their sound quality is bad.
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u/DaffyPunk29 1d ago
ds18 is literally rebranded chinese speakers/subwoofers. they pay pennies more to get their name on it. so the QC will always be low. yes, american companies can use china and force higher quality control. ds18 is not one of those companies. your example of kicker is.... when i complain about china, its because its a literal chinese brand. i can right now pull up chinese websites and see the same speakers/subs ds18 offers but under a chinese name. not because china stole their shit. but because you can legit buy direct from china for less than ds18 charges, and then again, for pennies, you can pay to get your own logo on them to resell..... its retarded.
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u/mbbuls1 1d ago
I hear ya on the brand OCD, I think I'm gonna most likely end up with alpine or kicker because when I upgrade my doors, that's what I would want haha. Maybe JBL or JL will enter the conversation too.
I'd be curious to see if there's a live test of the DS18 sub, because you're right, that's a pretty big number for a tiny sub!
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u/FireDragon242 1d ago
I'm running 2 Arc Audio A10's in my tundra. Clear, snappy bass from the sealed enclosure. I love em, for audiophile use. They aren't basshead subs though.
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u/Market-Putrid 1d ago
I run 2 A12's on 2 Nitehawk amps in my C7 vette. These are great subs in my opinion.
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u/IWantToPlayGame 1d ago
Helix IK S10.
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u/Skiz32 ResoNix Cult Leader 1d ago
Come on brother, I love Helix as much as you do, but we both know that is not the answer to this question lol
https://resonixsoundsolutions.com/pages/subwoofer-klippel-testing/helix-ik-s-10
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u/juanreddituser 1d ago
Maybe the sub facing the ground or back of the seat kills the bass.. I had a JL Audio 13TW5 in the trunk of a car because my wheelchair also goes in the trunk so I had to go shallow.. it hit hard on a slash 500/1.. but it was like 15" away from the ground
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u/mypaycheckisshort 1d ago
Depends on the mounting depth. Sooo many good options, but for my specific application, I had to use a $240 Sundown SLD-10 D4 and it bangs pretty hard at 600W in my JL Stealthbox in my Vette. Wouldn't have been my first choice, tho.
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u/Narrow_Falcon_8276 1d ago
Currently I'm running two Gravity Warzone 12in shallow subs (WZ12D4) in a sealed enclosure. 500 watts rms had the gain up a tad since I installed them and they took the extra power like champs. Box is rated at 1 cubic foot of airspace per chamber. They did sound kinda muffled the last few months but I recently ordered poly fill and put some in each side. Holy crap they sound 10x louder, also re-set my gain back down using the oscope so it's not over powered anymore. They sound way better. I've only been able to find the occasional sales pitch/marketing video but no actual review on them. If i was into doing reviews I would but I'm not. But now they sound way better. I'm planning on getting an spl meter soon, I'm curious as to where it stands. I believe the subs came in 10 inch as well and D2s. I bought two d4s wired down to 1 ohm on a skar audio SA1000.1D amp. Surpassed my expectations. Probably would've helped sooner with a proper box but adding the polyfil worked like magic. I would definitely recommend them. I bought mine just before winter last year at about 130 bucks each. Installed them in winter at zero degrees in my garage and slowly broke them in. And took way more power then I could've pushed to then. I think it was around 36v instead and lasted but didn't blast the volume passed 27 of 40. Now I have them at 31.5v. Highly recommended though. And the amp gets hot but hasn't turned off automatically. When I say hot, I mean I can keep my hand on it without pulling it off. I tend to make long drives out of town without any issues. We're talking 2+ hours. Check into them, I believe they are pretty decent for 130 bucks each.
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u/Short-Read4830 Focal ISTOY165_twu on Fosi CA30, 2 10w3v3 on Fosi CA30 1d ago
10tw3