Charles, don't get your hopes up quite yet man lol. I'm just trying to figure things out right now. Check your PM on CA.
I have a good chance of getting a RL-s but can't decide between these two subs. I have the Mag already obviously. Let's look deeper into it. When I compare the price of the amps and box for the Mag, it is only $100 less than if I bought the RL-s and my amps and sold the Mag. So really, for $100-$150, should I get the RL-s and sell the Mag? My heart tells me yea, but my head is telling me I'm retarded. I've heard a RL-s before and absolutely loved it.
I heard both also from Chads setups. The thing that I liked about the mag was that it got low enough for me and was able to hit the higher notes hard as well so it was that 50/50 sub on lower and higher notes. I liked the mag a lot.
As for the RL-s. I loved how low it got and how clean it was. But I just hated how the higher notes didn't hit as hard. I heard both of Chads setups when he had a single RL-s ported and 2 sealed.
Thats the only thing I am worried about with the RL-s Bern. If I do buy it I will hold onto the Mag for a little bit just to make sure I don't make a mistake.
since you have a hatch yanks, that sub can really sound good. the sub tends to roll off at the upper bass frequencies but i think it had alot to do with the fact that it was in the trunk for me. when i had the seat down, it was totally different.
Vehicle: 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. Factory electrical and Bose sound system.
Amp: Orion 2500d wired to 3.5ohm nominal (not much choice, eh?)
Box: 2.5ft^3 tuned to 28hz with 32in^2 of port.
Music played: You name it, for rap to rock to test tones.
Impressions:
Clarity: this thing doesn't know distortion. even when I clipped the amp, distortion is, well, impossible to pick up, to my ears at least. I have not heard a driver this clean, ever. A few get close, like the RE XXX, but none achieve this.
Reproduction: it reproduces all frequencies up to the crossover point very clearly. No muddiness at higher volumes like I experienced with the RL-p(which is going to get another shot in this enclosure soon!) and XXX earlier in this exact same box. It stays crisp and clean throughout. On a side note, just like the SI Mag proto, it's a true subwoofer. Don't set your crossover to 120hz and expect to hear it strongly. Of course, that's box dependent somewhat, but in this application, anything over 60hz and I'm listening to it from the factory 8's (?) in the doors.
Output: AWESOME! Considering that it's getting around 1200wrms, the signal from the hu gets weaker as the volume goes up and it's tuned so low. How's a 137.9 legal, @ 34hz grab ya? Ok, how about a 133.7 legal style @ the headrest and @ 34hz? Ok, how about a 139.3 outlaw/meca style at the headrest @ 34hz? (we should've played with the freq again at the headrest to find the sweet spot, and i forgot to do an outlaw/in the kick reading, will try to get one this weekend). While these numbers might not seem great, remember, box tuned to 28hz, burped at 34hz and a factory sound system that attenuates the bass as the volume goes up. This sub has some serious potential. James thinks a 140 legal with the current setup is possible with some tweaking.
Overall Impression: This sub just replaced the RL-p as the best SQL driver I have ever heard. The RL-p still has some advantages to my ears, like the ability to play a touch higher while still getting low. But then again, I've played with the RL-p in both sealed and ported alignments. I might throw the RL-s into a sealed......no, no, I can't. It sounds too damn good in what it's in. I can only imagine the output one could gain by tuning higher. Or just how flat the response curve would be sealed. I will say this, a large box(bigger then 3ft^3 ported), for street play, isn't needed. It does a great job in this alignment, so well, that for most people, this set up would work beautifully! Maybe a bit higher tuning to grab a few more upper frequencies. A touch more port area wouldn't hurt for down low. (I got some port noise playing right near tuning frequency). No, this thing does a great job in 2.5 cubes. Would probably give a flatter response in about 3 cubes. To me, that's not much considering this thing will get stupid low, sound super clean, get seriously loud, look insanely good and all the while in just a touch bigger box then normal. But in this age of "superwoofers", 2.5-3 cubes for a 12 ported is about the norm. So all the big box worry warts, don't. It does it's thing and does it quite well, in a fairly normal sized enclosure. All in all, this driver is worth every penny that Mike is asking for it, and then some. Great job Mike! IMO, you have a bonified hit on your hands!!
The rl-s is on it's way to jellyfish to play with. The rl-s is one monster of a sub. loud, low and clean. It's just simply one of the best, if not the best, sub i have ever had the pleasure of listening too. Even in a box considered too small, by parameters, it is one awesome machine!
