Tried searching for this but couldn't get a precise answer.
Would I be better off running two 12" alpine type r's with a 1000 watt amp or running one 15" alpine type r with a 750ish watt amp? Would this hold true for other brands? I'm looking at a higher end amp, such as US Amps or JL.
I'm wondering which will be better for decibels and loudness.(bumping) I know from my physics class that two loudspeakers will interfere with each other..leaving 'dead spots' ..so i dunno
First you have to find the potential output from the subs and than compare the two. For example sub 1 has xmax of 12 mm peak to peak, second find the sd of the sub convert sd to square meters if it isn't already, for example sub 1 has sd of 375 cm^2 so divide that number by 10000 to get square meters so it works out to be .0375 square meters, now multiply the sd(in square meters)by the xmax so .0375*12mm=.45 that will be the maximum linear displacement of the sub expressed in liters. so sub 1 has displacement potential of .45 liters. Now sub 2 has a xmax of 10mm peak to peak but sd is 570 square centimeters so sub 2 has output capability of .57 liters. So although sub 2 has less xmax than sub one it has more sd (sd is cone area)so it has more potential than sub one. sub 1=.45 liters, sub 2=.57 liters of linear displacement which is a 21% displacement advantage! Can you hear a 21% difference? most definately! Sub 2 has the potential to be 1.5 db louder than sub 1. So find sd as well as xmax and do the math, if your comparing 2 12's to one 15 then find the displacement for the 12's and multiply by 2, now do the same for the 15 and compare the numbers. What we are talking about here is potential "linear output", some subwoofers have xmax of 12mm but can move way more than that, as you go past linear xmax though, distortion goes through the roof and eventually you will reach the mechanical/thermal limits of the sub, also it will not sound very good! That is one reason why I have chosen to go with the adire tumult for my sub, it has linear xmax of 68mm peak to peak(34mm one way). It takes a lot of power to reach the limits but it is well worth it, and you have to use at least a 3.0 cubic foot enclosure to realize its potential.
I was thinking about the US AMPS DE1000. But that was when I was getting those two 12s so I may have to re-adjust depending on my decision betweens 12s and 15s.
