heres the secret. it doesnt matter what speakers you have, the box and the positioning of said box make ALL the difference. true, certain speakers might not have great reliability, but most cheaper subs can still sound great with the proper install.

box selection:

if you want reliability and a good "tightness" for techno/rock music, go with a sealed box. the bigger the box, the lower it will play with a higher amplitude. the smaller the box, the louder it will play at higher frequencies (like kick drums). i generally tend to take the manufactuers specs for a sealed box and add about 30% extra volume to them. this works well for rock/rap/techno/etc., as it is a good comprimise. this is just my personal opinion though. if you dont have much experience in box building/selection, this is the way to go.

ported/bandpass/etc.: these are harder to build/find pre-fab, but CAN yeild greater results in SPL. talk to someone knowlegable at a local car stereo place about these, as it is difficult to explain why and how they work without a serious study of the physics involved. too much typing for me at this late hour

you mentioned you had two subs, one blew, and now you only run one. was the enclosure a "common airspace" one? if so, theres no wonder it sounds like crap, you are geting all kinds of destructive interference from the -180 degree backwaves. iof each sub was sealed, ignor this.

placment:

ive tried six different positions for subs in our cars.

1) backseat, facing forward
2) backseat, facing backward
3) rear trunk, facing forward
4) rear trunk, facing upward
5) rear trunk facing backward
6) wall, subs sealed into forward cabin facing forward

with each increase in number (1-6), there is an increase in SPL, due to the lack of cancellation (destructive interference). if, for example, you box is in the front of the trunk facing forward, try moving it to the back of the trunk facing backwards. youd be VERY surprised at how much of a difference this makes.

well..thats about all i can think of now. good luck!

:shhh: i do cocaine :/shhh: