BM mkIII vs Alpine SWR-T12 (New Shallow Mount Type R)

[usa414]

I've been looking for the two best shallow mount 12" drivers for my 2005 F-150 SuperCrew to put in a sealed box under my rear seat. So far, all of my research points toward your BM mkIII and possibly the Alpine SWR-T12, which is their new shallow mount Type R driver. Power handling seems to go toward the Type R, but I've heard so many great things about the quality of the BM mkIII. I wanted to throw about 600 watts RMS at each driver with either a Rockford Fosgate Power T600-4 (bridged at 2 ohms) for your drivers or a Rockford Fosgate T1000-1bdCP (running at 2 ohms) pushing two Alpine SWR-T12's (single 4 ohm voice coils). I know the Apline's are pretty new, but I thought it was a little strange that no one had compared these two speakers before.

Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Also, when are the BM mkIII going to be available for purchase?

[Electrodynamic]

The BM mkIII's can not handle 600 watts RMS. If you're after a driver to hold lots of power and get loud as your two main priorities, definitely do not go with a BM mkIII. The BM mkIII is designed to sound phenomenal, play deep, work in a tiny enclosure, and still get pretty loud (a single driver can typically do mid 130's). And with its XBL^2 motor, not only is it the most linear shallow mount on the market, it is also has the flattest BL curve. A super flat BL curve means it does not distort like normal subwoofers do. Lack of distortion isn't for everyone, as some people like to hear a driver distort so they know when to turn the volume down. Other people simply like hearing a certain amount of distortion since distortion is perceived as loudness. The BM mkIII, however, is not like that because of its lack of distortion - it sounds exactly the same at full tilt as it does at almost no stroke.

Regular ordering is going to open back up at the end of this month. Parts are scarce, so ordering may not be open for very long (probably a day or maybe even a few hours).

[Mid Life Crisis]

Oh man this is soooooo confusing for some reason. I am finally able to put together a very clean high end system in my truck and I just wonder if I will like it.

I know the distortion thing for volume limit but when you say it will play the same at full tilt as it does with no stroke does that mean I will not notice a difference with it turned up or down?

[Electrodynamic]

Originally Posted by Mid Life Crisis

Oh man this is soooooo confusing for some reason. I am finally able to put together a very clean high end system in my truck and I just wonder if I will like it.

I know the distortion thing for volume limit but when you say it will play the same at full tilt as it does with no stroke does that mean I will not notice a difference with it turned up or down?

No it doesn't mean that the loudness will stay the same. It means that the sound characteristic will stay exactly the same. You won't hear any "stress" or distortion or anything. It is something that takes getting used to, that's for sure. The consensus about how the BM mkIII's sound is "holy crap my front stage sounds huge." The sub disappears, which is how it should be.

[Subwoofery]

Just checked Alpine's website. It looks like a nice driver.

Xmax is about the same, mounting depth too
Now it all comes down to how much space you have available

The BM optimal sealed is 0.5cuft with an F3 (-3dB downpoint) of 47Hz
The T12 optimal sealed is 0.75cuft with an F3 of 45Hz

Since you have the power, you can go T12 but if you need the space, then the BM is the way to go.

Kelvin

PS: I have 2 x Mag v.4 and 2 x BM mkIII and I can tell you I will buy from SI again. 1 Mag in my car and 1 BM in my girlfriend's car.

[usa414]

Originally Posted by Subwoofery

Just checked Alpine's website. It looks like a nice driver.

Xmax is about the same, mounting depth too
Now it all comes down to how much space you have available

The BM optimal sealed is 0.5cuft with an F3 (-3dB downpoint) of 47Hz
The T12 optimal sealed is 0.75cuft with an F3 of 45Hz

Since you have the power, you can go T12 but if you need the space, then the BM is the way to go.

Kelvin

PS: I have 2 x Mag v.4 and 2 x BM mkIII and I can tell you I will buy from SI again. 1 Mag in my car and 1 BM in my girlfriend's car.

Cool, I think I finally settled on the mkIII's. I'm just trying to order them now but the website is giving me some trouble checking out??? Anyhow, I guess I'll try later. I really like the whole idea of the mkIII. Made in the USA, great CS, super low distortion, etc... Anyhow, I'm more concerned with SQ than anything. Thanks for checking on the two drivers though. I'll have to let everyone know how they sound once I get them installed.

-John

[Electrodynamic]

John, check your PM's!

[usa414]

Alright, so one more quick question...

With my amp (Rockford Power T1000-1bdCP), I can either wire for a 1 ohm load which gives me a rated 1000 watts, which is much closer to 1320 "real life" watts based upon the way Rockford rates their power series amps (Dynamic PowerCube). I know these drivers are rated up to 450 RMS, so I guess my real quesiton is am I going to cook them if I push 1320 RMS to two drivers or am I better off wiring the amp for 4 ohms giving me a rated 700 watts, which is much closer to 924 dynamic watts? I don't want to break the drivers, but I want max output. I realize I can control most of this through the gain on the amp, but just wanted to see if you thought the drivers would hold up to 660 watts?

Thanks again for all of your help!

[usa414]

Originally Posted by usa414

Alright, so one more quick question...

With my amp (Rockford Power T1000-1bdCP), I can either wire for a 1 ohm load which gives me a rated 1000 watts, which is much closer to 1320 "real life" watts based upon the way Rockford rates their power series amps (Dynamic PowerCube). I know these drivers are rated up to 450 RMS, so I guess my real quesiton is am I going to cook them if I push 1320 RMS to two drivers or am I better off wiring the amp for 4 ohms giving me a rated 700 watts, which is much closer to 924 dynamic watts? I don't want to break the drivers, but I want max output. I realize I can control most of this through the gain on the amp, but just wanted to see if you thought the drivers would hold up to 660 watts?

Thanks again for all of your help!

Sorry, I just read back through the thread and you had already mentioned that the drivers won't handle 600+ wattts. Sorry for repeating the same question. I just want to make sure everything gets done right the first time with this build. I'll wire everything for a 4 ohm load so the drivers will only see 350 watts a piece. I'd rather not brake anything and want to make sure I don't void the waranty.

[Electrodynamic]

350 watts per driver will be PERFECT! Don't think about changing anything until you hear the BM mkIII's installed with that amount of power. They will surprise you with their performance off of that amount of power. Just remember that power handling is not a power requirement! ...now where have I seen that said before?

Make sure nothing is clipped (input, amplifier gain, output, etc) and you'll be good to go.