My 03 that I bought from a friend has a Kenwood head unit in it, along with a rockford fosgate amp, a box that fits under the rear seat with two 10" RF punch subs. I think the subs are, well....sub par. They just don't sound near as good as the mtx Thunder speakers I had in my first truck, which were 2 12's, and they definitely don't sound near as good as the 3 12" JL W0's (I think that's what they were) that I had in my Ford. I know that being two little 10's they aren't going to compare to well to the 12's but still I think they sound like crap. The bass is not really smooth, or very deep either. It's hard for me describe how it sounds, but the best way I can is that it sounds like you're listening to subs that are buried under a boatload of pillows...kind of muffled in a way. It makes no difference with the seat up, they still sound like crap and it doesn't matter how I adjust the settings. I think they're the cheapest ones rockford offers. I would like to get some that hit just a little bit harder, and will produce nice, clean bass that rumbles instead of just making a bunch of distorted like noise.
What's good in 10" sizes that I can just swap out? The amp I am sure is pretty sufficient, but I'll have to check tomorrow.

 

I would pick any of these... you really can't go wrong, you just need to bump up power ranges. Make sure airspace won't be an issue, high power in small spaces can heat things up quick if you don't have it tuned specifically for the box.


Kicker CompVX or VRs
Rockford Fosgate Power series
Infinity Kappas
JL W series
Memphis M series or M3 (they have a new lineup that's killer!)

 

what brand of box is it

 

when referring to SQ and not SPL, a 10" driver can produce just as good if not better than a comparable 12" driver. Don't think that a smaller subwoofer is going to be worse sounding. I like the w3 line of JL Audio. The w6 is even better and the w7 is pure sex. they are pricey but worth it, IMO. I personally dont care for brands that go mass production. Once a brand of mobile audio starts putting their speakers in Circuit City and Best Buy, the quality goes downhill. Rockford Fosgate is the perfect example of this. In the mid-90's, RF subs and amps were some of the best you could buy. Once they started filling Best Buy shelves, they turned to crap. I personally wouldn't run anything kicker, RF, or the like. The solobaric series of Kicker drivers are awesome for SPL but not comparable in the SQ department.

 

alot of the sound is just the box! I have yet to hear an under the seat box that hits really good! As for the speakers all the ones that rip 112 listed are good but i dont think the jl series will fit in there cause the depth and size of the magnet! That is one of the biggest reason the under seat boxes dont sound good, cause you cant get a good speaker to fit! Good luck!

 

the Fox Box by Joe Fox sounds fantastic with 2 10w3v2's and the 10w6v2's will even fit in there with no dimension issues. They are also the perfect airspace for the 10w3's and tuned at 35hz so they give a tight, responsive sound.

http://www.foxacoustics.com/gpage.html

In my father's '05:

 

If airspace and magnet depth become a problem, the compact subs are getting better, take a look at these, I have a friend using them and so far they sound great in the small space he's got for em. I've never had an issue with Memphis, they have a good 4 yr warranty and they back their stuff up.

http://www.memphiscaraudio.com/subs.html#sclass_subs

 

I like my Diamond Audio D1's. I got them from a local shop. You can hear them this weekend. They are a great sub.

 

I'm going to have to agree with rip, I'm an audiophile and have run just about everything and I have to say JL or memphis has been my absolute favorite. My new set up about to be fiberglassed will be 2 JL 10" W6's I belive they are unbeatable.


Now what we need to know is the mounting depth, amp size etc so we can better recomend you a sub. My amp is so big I melted 2 kicker L7's in 45 min

 

I would go with a ProBox under the seat. 3/4 or 1'' mdf rhino lined. IMO they are the best on the market. For subs i would use either memphis or kicker, never been a fan of rockford fosgate.

 

I have to agree that I like the JL's as well. I would say his limfac may be the amp and the airspace. Need to have an amp stable down to 1/2 ohm with good THD and proper airspace.

 

I'm running a JL 12" W6 sub in a HotBox center enclosure, and it sounds really good. FWIW, I previously had a JL audio stealthbox (under rear seat) with a 10" W3, and it sounded like a scratchy paper cone woofer compared to the setup I'm running now...although it was a lot better than factory.

I guess it's one of those things that you think is really good, until you hear something better! Or like when I thought my yamaha RT180 dirtbike was really quick until I jumped on an KX 420 2-stroke! Or like, well, nevermind, I'm getting off the subject...

--Eric

 

I will go out to the truck later and get some better specs, like box brand, amp brand and watts, etc. I just really think these RF's are very low quality, not what you expect from the name. I'm glad I didn't spend my money on them. I always told my buddy before I bought the truck from him that I thought his stereo sounded like do-do. He's a moron on stuff, was like "I think it sounds good" when everyone else agreed with my assumption that it sounds like it has no treble or midrange....seems like the subs are pushing all the sound. It's a little better with the treble and midrange up but still sounds like dookie.

After the JL's that I owned, I am sold on their product.

 

If you are getting no midrange a good set of components and a decent amplifier pushing them will do more for your sound stage than better drivers. Look at CTD, focal, rainbow, or the higher polk line.

 

You will love the Infinity's for the money...even the Reference ones.