Giving the price of other lithium technology. 4-cell RC batts are not cheap...but they are getting cheaper.
Give it time. Tech prices will go down. Just 10yrs ago, a 150dB daily system was unthinkable. Now, I do that w/ just 2-15's!!! And to compound things....that # is @ 38hz!!!!
Li-batts, neo subs....the world of car audio is changing. And quite a bit faster than 20, 15, 10, 5, 2yrs ago. Think about it. Back when Alma Gates topped 160dB, they said that was insane!!!!.....now we have vehicles doing 157's w/ just 2-12's!!!! And extreme vehicles at 181+++!!!
The world of car audio is changing. In the last decade, 12v has become a whole new world. In the coming years, I feal that given current model vehicles the addition of aftermarket 12v audio will depend on 12v integration....not stock replacement.
People want to keep stock HU's, but still add audiophile sound. AudioControl, Rockford, PAC, and many other brands are working on OEM Integration that will give the listener what they want.
For instance. Ford Sync. Say a customer pays $50K for a vehicle w/ these features....why the hell would they want to loose any of these features to gain a little bass?
Stock Integration, equalization, time alignment, and cross-over ability are what the future holds.
"Make my stock equivalent system sound amazing." That is what I see as the future as 12v audio.
Yes, we will have 'people like us'....looking for bigger, badder, sicker, systems. But the average joe will want to get what they can for their dollar and the best from their stock HU. Highs, Mids, Bass....everything.
The car audio landscape is changing...and the major vehicle brands are driving it!!!! They integrate more tech....so the 12v brands must device more and better ways to integrate their tech into upgraded 12v audio systems.
Seems to be race apps only. If you can shave a few tenths off your time with the less heavy battery, then sure, money is no object. "Speed is just a question of money" (quoted from Madd Maxx)