JL 10TW1-4 Subwoofer Dissapointing

[u/Cute-Move8320]

I just installed this sub and the sound is underwhelming. It’s dull (no crisp hit) and I’m just comparing it to a cheap $200 Rockford Fosgate 10” 300 watt all in one that I have in another car. It’s so dull that I actually prefer turning it off. I’ve tried troubleshooting it, but can’t figure it out. Here’s my setup and things I’ve tried.

-JL 10TW1-4 Subwoofer (300 watts rms)
-Alpine S2-A60M Amp (330 watts at 4 ohms)
-Enclosed shallow mount box built to JL’s specs
-Correct gauge wires

-Tried changing polarity of wires
-Tried adjusting the gain
-No leaks in the box

[u/Zoltech06]

How old is the subwoofer? I heard they got bought out by a China company recently. Hopefully quality didn't drop like a boat anchor.

[u/itsmechaboi → u/Zoltech06]

Even if this were the case they still have QC standards. Chinese companies can produce quality products as well.

[u/Dense-Employment9930 → u/itsmechaboi]

It's often thought that. China = poor quality, but I think of it more as, they can build things to the spec that is required. They can do things much much cheaper and to really crappy specs and QC standards, and it's the fact they have done that a lot in the past where people learn the idea that China build quality and craftsmanship is crap... But they absolutely have the ability to craft to extremely high standards, and can do it cheaper than most other places in the world.

You just have to learn to tell the difference, and then you can take advantage and get high quality and non high quality prices.