Im helping a buddy of mine out with a cheap stereo in his beater car and I came across these subs. I know this type of question has been answered on here about a million times, but im just looking for some feedback. So let me know what you think.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2425113718

 

Paper cone =
foam surround =

BUT...their cheap and can take power, so if you're building an economy system...go for it. Just don't expect them to sound as clean as any other more expensive subwoofer.

 

Yeah, thanks for the advice dude. I just found a pair of Rockford HE2 12's for $100! Brand new, and the seller has hundreds of positive feedback so I think were gonna for for them, hell I might even buy a pair for my car

 

Not bad...not bad. Enjoy! Ah yes...Budget System building...I've been there. WHen I was building this last one...I wanted the JL 500/1 and the 500/4 SOOOOO bad....but I just couldn't fork over the 800 dollars. But I'm happy with my Rockford's that I got pushing about the same amount of power for half the price.

 

Building a budget system? Then there's no BOOM like the funky pup BOOM! Check it.... they're sold in 6 packs!

 

Are they serious?? How do they sound?

 

...also, what is "foam surround"?

 

A surround...that's the material that connects the cone, paper in this case, to the metal basket of the woofer. It's at the VERY edge of the top of the woofer. A paper cone is usually not good. Prone to warping...breaking...cracking...you name it. It's good to have a polypropalene cone..or something similiar to it. A FOAM surround is the cheapest type...nice thick rubbery material is usually what you would want for that.

 

You are wrong on most all counts... i will be back later to set the record straight

 

Ok...well...that's what I was taught when I was selling the stuff. Maybe I was taught wrong. I didn't make a permanant career out of it...so if I am wrong about whatever I said...then please accept my most humble apologies.

I am curious though...what exactly am I wrong about?!

 

My guess rthompson is referring to your comments about paper cones and foam surrounds. Paper is not THAT bad for a cone. It's light weight. And when pressed into a pulp, it's actually fairly ridgid. And probably has the least resonance out of all cone materials.... don't get me wrong. There is without a doubt better cone material out today.... but paper is not THAT bad. The rubber surrounds, with out a doubt, outlast foam surrounds. Anyone with an ancient home audio system knows that! But rubber is pretty heavy compared to foam. If it were my choice I wouldn't have either paper or foam...... but in some cases, they my be the best choice for you.

 

First there is nothing wrong with paper cones. they are used on some of the top woofers for a reason.
they are resistant to odd resonance
they are the strongest material you can get for the weight.
They do not warp, they are more likely to return to the original shape is they are deformed
There is a good reason why so many of the top of the line subs use paper, cheap, durable, and resistant to resonance.


as far as surrounds go....
you have to use the correct surround to fit the situation. foam is NOT worse to use than rubber, they both have plusses and minuses.
where is rubber better.
it is usually more pliable and has less restoring force than foam, making it better for EROm type surrounds, and helps a bit when trying to squeeze out every little bit of eficiency out of a sub.
There used to be a day when rubber lasted longer than foam, but the new foam surounds with the pressed multiple layers are a different formulation than foam of the past and there is relativly no difference in the length it will last.
when is Foam is better. In high excursion applications foam is better at keeping the coil centered, is not prone to pucker, and is less prone to voice coil rock. That is the reason that foam is the surround of choice on most high end, high excursion woofers of the day.

 

I would challenge you to name one.

 

rthompson...have you even read this thread? This particular thread is basically about budget system building...and you are telling me how wrong I am on surrounds and cones based on your knowledge of 'high end, high excursion' woofers.

Let's get back to basics. Link There's the link from the top of the thread. A cheap woofer with a paper cone and a foam surround. Based on what this guy is asking about...and the type of money that he's trying to spend...I would say...that without a doubt...the information I gave earlier would probably be more the rule than the exception for a system that MOST people would purchase for their cars (read "durability" & "cost"). At any rate...he was asking basically what a foam surround was...I was trying to give a generalization about the materials in question based on the price range we were talking about. Had I known that it would be taken as a statement about the materials across the board, I probably would have just kept my mouth shut. Now if you're talking high end systems...or products made for audiophiles....then sure...whatever you say. Hell...the best sound quality I've ever heard is my old vacuum tube setup @ home w/it's old paper and foam woofers and mid and high horns.

oh yeah...you can't put vacuum tubes in the car...I guess we weren't talking about high end here.

 

I'm not arguing with you, but I know polypropalene has been raved about for some time now. Back with the old school 8" JL's. And aluminum is very stiff and can be lightweight but prone to resonance. Ehhhh, there's always a give and take.