1 12" should do it.. Depending on what you get. Don't skimp on the sub if your still want quite a bit of bass, but I think you'll be satisfied as long as you get a good one and nothing generic. I was pretty much in the same boat as you.. Didn't want to sacrifice too much trunk space but still want good deep bass. I ended up going with a 10" kicker comp VR in a small sealed box. Doesn't take up too much space and fills my bass needs plenty when wired in series. Fairly clean bass to in the sealed box!
Look into these companies.... - DC Sound Lab (Subs & Amps) - Tantric Sounds (Subs & Soon to be Amps) - Ascendant Audio (Subs) - Sound Solutions Audio (Subs) - Sundown Audio (Subs & Amps) - Incriminator Audio (Subs & Amps) - RE Audio (Subs) - (Screw Their Amps) - Fi Car Audio (Subs) - (Awesome Prices) - PSI Car Audio (Subs) - (Again, Awesome Bang For Your Buck) - Crescendo Audio (Amps) - Zed Audio (Amps) - Crossfire (Subs & Amps) - Digital Designs (Subs & Amps) - Image Dynamics (Geared More Towards Sound Reproduction) There are many more I wouldn't hesitate to run in any of my vehicles, but we'd be jumping up even more in price. Look into the BOLDED primarily. If you have any questions, you will get a response if you message me. Personally, I don't like running things everyone else is running, but that is preference (along with wanting superior quality).
If you're set on something SMALL, but still being loud to most people and sounding good, look into the Sundown Audio SA-8v2. It's one of the beefiest 8's I've seen and people will think you're running a decent 12". It's rated @ 600 watts RMS, but you could give it upwards of 800 or so all day and be fine as long as you're not sending a clipped signal to it.
i have a 12 in comp vr in a sealeb box right now in my vdub getting slightly more than 500 rms. It used to soun d allright, it got fucked up and its ripped all around the foam. Still actually hits pretty good haha. will ~500 rms be ok on the sa-12? not tryin to buy an amp and sub right now, plus its going in a ported box in my golf so i dont need too much more bass.
500 will be fine on it and you'll be able to add a little more power later on if you'd like. Just make sure you guys set up your amplifiers properly with a digital multimeter so that you have the power you want going to the sub without making the amplifier clip and sending a shitty signal to your sub. Seriously guys, keep your eyes out for Tantric Sounds. I just recently started doing a bunch of reading and watching videos on them. They have some crazy good drivers for their price range and they're geared more towards loud daily drivers rather than competition subs (they can still compete, and win). I'm thinking about going with them for both of my builds and am really wanting to do 2 18" SHD's (5,000 RMS PER SUB) walled off in a VW Golf. I don't have very many hobbies, so when I actually commit to doing something in said hobby (especially car audio), I go big. "Better safe than sorry" is also a good one in regard to your electrical system. When you're running 10,000 watts RMS or more daily and aren't dipping below 13.5v at all while driving or at idle, I'd say you don't need to worry about electrical anymore
Oh, one last thing....EMF Audio (Linked to Sundown Audio) has a sub coming out called the "Erhmagherd" or some shit. Stupid fucking name, but the sub is no joke. 6500 watts RMS and looks to be a low end monster. If I were able to get a couple without the stupid name on the dust cap, I'd consider them.
I've always liked JL for subs, you think those 8" Sundowns are beefier than the 8" W7s? 1 12 should be plenty depending on what box you have. I've always been a bandpass guy but seeing as you're trying to save trunk space a simple ported box would probably be better. lol I havent done any car audio shit in days
I've never used the sa-12 or anything Sundown unfortunately.. Like Jimmy, it's been a while since I messed with Car audio a whole lot until my recent car needed speakers so I decided to fill out the sound. Generally I think 10"-12" range are perfect for daily driving.. The last thing I'd want is my car to sound like complete shit on the outside and end up paying 100's of dollars dynamatting or sound deadening! Lol. Plus it's always plenty of bass IMO, but then again it usually depends on what kind of music you are listening too. Again, I'm not to familiar with the sa-12, but I'm sure 500rms would power it. I jut wouldn't crank the amp all the way up if your going to listen to it on full blast a lot because it will tire out your amp in a hurry.
While JL Audio has pretty decent quality and sound, you're paying mostly for the name. I would take an Fi Car Audio Q 12" over a JL Audio W7 12" any day of the week. The 8" Sundown Sub is half the price of the JL. JL sounds a little better in SQ (SQ varies based on listener), but the Sundown will be noticeably louder if in a solid enclosure. If the JL W7 8" was priced the same, personally, I'd still roll with the Sundown due to less people using them. As to which one is beefier...I think the Sundown 8"(25lbs) has 2lbs on the 8" W7(23lbs), but the W7 is slightly taller/needs more mounting depth. Both take around the same amount of power daily. I have also seen someone use an 8" Sundown on one of their NS-1 amps (6,500w RMS) and achieve over 150db sealed up. Don't know that any JL 8's can claim the same, all while costing twice as much.
Maybe a cheap amp from Best Buy or Walmart that advertises it's PEAK rating rather than it's continuous RMS rating. Any well built amplifier that is backed by an electrical system that can keep up with whatever amount of current is being drawn, and set up properly with a digital multimeter, solids grounds, proper gauge wire, etc.....will be more than fine all day for a long time. I ran my old RE Audio 12.1 @ .7 Nominal for years with no problems. I have seen Incriminator Audio 20.1 & 40.1's wired down to .35 for daily driving and even down below .2 Nominal for burps. Quality over quantity I always say, with weed, audio components, damn near everything.
i typically dont like crazy bass, the 6X9's in the back of my car do ok, but i would like a 10 in a sealed box mounted on the side of the trunk wall. keep my practical trunk space. but i wouldnt recommend very large subs(2 or more). run a sub for like 4-5 months. then take it out and listen to your car in silence. you may discover new rattles and shakes that were loosened out by the vibrations. happened to a friend of mine whos parents bought him a new Scion Xb in '05 bright orange Release Series #01. had a kicker CVR for 6 months he blew it, took him like a week to replace it, but in that week of silence, you would think the car was 20 years old.
If you think it's bad from a Kicker CVR, imagine an Fi Audio BTL 18" (4,500 RMS Daily). They do make some awesome sound dampening though. Second Skin Audio (My Personal Favorite), Murder Mat, Dynamat(Meh), KnuKonceptz's, Hushmat, etc. My last build, I had over $1,200 into the sound dampening ALONE. Twice as much as the average aftermarket car audio consumer wants to spend on their entire setup. For my next 2 setups, I'm considering; Family SUV: (Meant to get loud when I'm driving solo and not take up too much space) Subs: 2 x 12" DC Sound Labs Level 5 DVC 1 Ohm's (3,000w RMS Per, Daily) Wired in Series Sub Amps: 1 x DC Sound Labs 7.5k @ 1 Ohm (Reactive Impedance will lower total output slightly) Speakers: 6 x CDT Audio ES-620X 6.5" Components Speaker Amps: 3 x DC Sound Labs 175.4's Sub Box: 4 Cubes Net @ 35-36hz (Tuning chosen to play multiple genres) *Not going to list all the odds & ends (Batteries, Alternators, Dampening, Headunit(s), etc) unless anyone is curious* Volkswagen MK4 R32 Golf: Subs: 2 x 18" Tantric Sounds SHD D1's (5,000w RMS Per, Daily) Wired in Series Sub Amps: 1 x Zapco ZX-10KD Speakers: 6 x Hertz Mille 6.5" 3-Way Components Speaker Amps: 2 x Zapco Z-150.6's Sub Box: 12 Cube Net Wall Tuned @ 26-28hz (Geared Towards Rap & Bass Enhanced Music) You get the idea. It adds up quick if you want quality. Bass is an addiction....you're always looking for more. Women love getting hairs tricks as well and having their clit vibrated while they go for a ride is always fun to observe.