i just bought a alpine pdx-5. I have alpine type "R" in the door speakers. I’m looking at subs now. I’m looking for either one 10 or 12 in a small box. My 5th channel is 300rms. the type "s" sub is rated for 300rms max. The type "R" sub is rated for 600 rms but the reviews look good on it. What sub should i go with? Or should i look at other brands? i think i want a ported box to get more sounds out of it.

 

yes you can under power a subwoofer. I would get the s they still sound good and are a little cheaper.

 

A ported box will not necessarily mean you get "more" sound

A ported box will produce a less accurate sound over a defined frequency range (you have to build the box to a certain frequency) whereas a sealed box will generally produce a tighter and cleaner sound over a wider frequency with a flatter curve. Also, a ported box requires a lot more box volume which can be difficult to achieve, even in the trunk, especially if you have a rear strut bar. If you listen to rap, or music with sustained bass a ported box is definitely the way to go. If you listen to a bunch of hard rock or even regular rock, you may want to consider a sealed box.

Just my .02

 

dont you need more power for sealed boxes?

 

No

A type R on the fifth channel of a PDX5 will be just fine as long as your gains on the amp and radio settings are properly set. Meaning you have your gain set to where the amp will not clip.

GREAT info

 

Do you have to stay with alpine. If so a type R will be ok on the 5th channel. But you can get into a JL Audio W3 that would sound better. I would choose your box based on music and base preference.

 

Most decent sub manufacturers will provide a minimum power rating for their woofers as well.

 

You will be ok with this setup,,,get a sealed enclosure

 

This is correct you can not under power any speaker or sub, you can however over drive or clip an amp that does not have enough power to produce clean power at your gain settings.

If you could under power a speaker, that would be the same as saying you could blow your sub with one watt of clean power!