save and at least get Type S's. here's an exact quote out of the product guide i made at work regarding Alpine products (i have stuff on pretty much every company in the guide, most of it done by myself):

"ALPINE

good bang for the buck. nothing will make you drop your jaw, but they will perform without breaking the bank.

AMPS

alpine makes a solid amp. they don't shock you, they don't make you go wow, they don't even look that amazing. they do, however, put out the power they advertise, which is the most important thing with amps. they are pretty well never overrated and i have come across few (and i mean few) returns or problems with them. they are good way to get the power you need when working on a budget. the only problem is they don't have much for high wattage amps, but they don't have much for high wattage anything. GRADE: B+

SPEAKERS

the most famous, well known speaker from Alpine is the Type R 6x9's. around here, everyone and their dog has these, or wants them. problem is, those who know car audio know that 6x9's are popular without reason. a high powered 6x9 is made to mechanically fail and crack, simply due to their shape. a round speaker is more likely to hold up in high power applications. that being said, alpine has a ladder of products. starting at the bottom, Type E, then Type S, then Type R, then Type X. type E's are nothing very special at all. type S is decent. they're like a slightly lower class type R. they will perform decently, just not quite on the Type R's level. i suggest these to customers on a tight budget as their performance vs. cost is very good. the Type R's are the a good speaker. however, around the shop we refer to them as Type Rice. simply because those who have them think they are the bomb simply because of their ignorance to other brands. see: honda civic. they are VERY good bang for the buck. i have only heard one set of Type X's. they performed very well and definitely earn the Flagship title Alpine has given them. all in all, a good company for those wanting to sound good. GRADE: B+

SUBS

pretty much the same thing as the speakers. type E's are ok, type S's are better, Type R's are very good, and Type X's are the best. one thing i should mention is that 10" Type R's are good for fitting in regular cab boxes. also, i am yet to see someone who has bought the type X's and kept them, as the first couple shipments had a voice coil short in all the subs. i'm sure that has/will be fixed. GRADE: B+"

 

nice lil writeup punk

 

i got 2 10" type r's i like them they thump pretty good, and today i was getting in my truck after letting it warm up and i notice the loose change in the seat was jumping around.

 

the type E's have the same specs as the old type s's don't they. i believe the new type S' has more power handling.

type e-200 a piece
s- 300 a piece
r - 350 a piece
i do have type e's, but i need a larger amp so i don't really count. i used to have one type s a while ago that i have sitting around and the old type s is still beefier than a type e. my amp is only 200 going to two type e's. i plan on going w/ a 350 or 400x1 in the future. they don't sound bad at all. i like them, i should have went with 12's even with my reg cab though, because 10's move in and out way too fast. regardless, i'm not big on making a ginormous boom, and i like the quality of bass. here's my setup for now.

 

i should have went with 12's even with my reg cab though, because 10's move in and out way too fast.

changing the size will not change how quickly the motor moves. 12's will just push more air and will need more enclosure volume, that's about the only difference.

 

got 3 type-r 10's. i like em.

 

either way will 12's hit harder b/c of more surface area and they'll sound deeper right?

now i have a question, been driving me nuts. i love a well put together system, and i thought i knew a decent amount about them. (with the help of ppl on the forum of course). if i were to upgrade my amp to give each of my subs the rms power they specify that they want, will they play louder and not have a higher volume level before they distort or will they be able to play louder than they do now in general?

 

maybe not LOUDER... but cleaner probably

 

either way will 12's hit harder b/c of more surface area and they'll sound deeper right?

now i have a question, been driving me nuts. i love a well put together system, and i thought i knew a decent amount about them. (with the help of ppl on the forum of course). if i were to upgrade my amp to give each of my subs the rms power they specify that they want, will they play louder and not have a higher volume level before they distort or will they be able to play louder than they do now in general?

No. You're ignoring a lot of other variables - 12" vs 10" of the same model? Are they box in the proper box size (vented or sealed) with adequate power? Where are the subs at? Hatch car, SUV, reg cab or ex cab truck?

As far as "hitting hard", in my opinion, those subs suck, Subs produce music and music isn't BNNT BNNT BNNT. They should be transparent. With that out of the way, yes, 12s will be overall louder and go deeper with more authority. The whole old argument of "10s are clean 12s aren't" is bulshit, also.

 

maybe not LOUDER... but cleaner probably

if he gets an amp that gives his subs more watts but the same THD%, then it is going to sound louder and not cleaner.

and a 10" sub hits no more "cleanly" than an 18". the only difference between the two is that an 18" will move more air and require more enclosure volume.

 

well...basically i have those two 10'' type e's and my amp is only pushing 200x1...i was going to get a 350x1 amp to give the subs a little more wattage closer to the recommended rms...

 

if he gets an amp that gives his subs more watts but the same THD%, then it is going to sound louder and not cleaner.

and a 10" sub hits no more "cleanly" than an 18". the only difference between the two is that an 18" will move more air and require more enclosure volume.

thanks for correcting me