If you want great sound reproduction and like to crank it, this is your sub!
Written: May 24 '02 (Updated Jul 02 '07)
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Pros: Excellent Sound and Volume. Enclosure options.
Cons: Can't find one, excellent product
The Bottom Line: The IDQ12 does it all, best bang for the buck hands down!
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| cspu's Full Review: Image Dynamics iDQ 12 D4 V.2 Car Subwoofer |
My subwoofer requirements were simple. I wanted a 12" speaker that sounded good and wouldn't take up all the cargo space in my 1991 Honda Civic hatchback (there isn't much). I had never heard of Image Dynamics until I went to www.sounddomain.com and perused the subwoofer forum. Nobody had ANYTHING bad to say about IDQ's, the phrase that was repeated over and over was "Excellent sound quality, and they can get loud"! I bought one on ebay without ever even hearing one for myself!
IDQ12V.2 D4
The D4 stands for Dual 4 ohm voice coils, the sub can be wired to show your amp either 2 ohms or 8 ohms. Dual voice coil subs give you all sorts of crazy wiring options.
RMS (average) power handling is 350 watts, but my sub has been working flawlessly with ~400 for over 18 months as of this writing.
The sub is well made! The only things that really "look" cheap are the terminals used to connect the input to the sub. Image Dynamics chose to use flimsy spade type terminals. The only other surprise was the stamped basket. These two things are the ONLY things I can find to complain about on the IDQ!
I chose a sealed enclosure because of my space requirements. The IDQ12's minimum sealed enclosure size is .65 cubic feet! Many 10" subs require more space than that! I built myself a custom fiberglass sealed enclosure that is ~.65 cuft. One of the features of the IDQ is that it works equally well in sealed or ported enclosures.
How does it sound?
In a word... AMAZING! I could not believe the amount of sound coming from only one sub in such a small enclosure! One of my friends was amazed to find out that the bass that was blurring his vision was coming from a single 12" sub in a tiny box! So much for the loud part of the above qoute. (Side note, I don't usually go around blasting it, but the IDQ CAN get loud if you want it to). Loud is fine, but what about sound quality for those of us that would like to keep our hearing in tact? Once again AMAZING! The IDQ has the most tight accurate sound of any sub I've heard. Everything from classical, rock, rap, techno, whatever I try, the IDQ makes it sound wonderful. In the tiny .65 sealed enclosure, I'm not able to "hit" below about 30hz, but in a bigger box, the IDQ could handle it with no problem.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, a better sub can't be had for the money, the IDQ can outperform many subs that are twice it's price. Very few manufacturers have been able to design an Ultra Low Frequency Transducer that is as well rounded as the IDQ. You don't sacrifice SPL (volume) for SQ (sound quality). I paid $100 shipped for this sub used on ebay... I stole it!
P.S. I thought about getting myself a Kicker Solobaric L7 (because of all the hype) to replace my IDQ. When I went to the Kicker authorized retailer (that does NOT sell Image Dynamics) they said..."Man, you should keep that IDQ!" Even Kicker salesmen know it can't be beat for the money! The L7 would have required more power and space anyway... see, it's hard to top the IDQ!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100
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Epinions.com ID:
cspu
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 in Electronics |
 - Top 500 |
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Location: The Island of Misfit Toys (Alabama)
Reviews written: 116
Trusted by: 98 members
About Me:
Sarcastic car audio enthusiast, motorcycle rider, and hunter... and I make NO apologies for it!
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