Earthquake DBX12 Extreme
This is one good little woofer for me. Rap/pop and Top 40 aren't my everyday stuff so that's why it fits me. It certainly pounds out today's music, but it can also switch and be accurate and smooth, the best of this bunch in that respect. Like the Ultimate it has dual 4-ohm coils and a similar sized motor structure. The surround is huge and the woven cone looks good.
The biggest challenge for sonic accuracy in my list of songs was the Yello track. The bass notes march along almost like playing a scale, but very fast. No other sub gave me the impression of different tones like the DBX12. It also kept up very well with Cheb Mami's Turkish rap track. The synth bass isn't near as boosted as on Ludicris' album, so it's a bit easier listen. A good match for the radio, too, it would "wiz" in and out at big excursions and volume that made me gave up. Power handling was good also, matching the 700 watt peaks the bd500.1 would deliver into 2 ohms. Box size was really certainly reasonable. At .8 cubic feet, you probably could fit more than one and have huge amounts of bass. Even better, at the lowest price in the group, you could probably afford more than one. The best compromise of this group.
Ultimate ACW1200
The ACW1200's cone is the most unique looking of all the subs. A metal cone with a copper-like color, its front side needs to be shown off. Both the build and sound quality of this subwoofer are more like the Earthquake than either the Audiobahn or MA Audio.
In fact, the sound of the Ultimate is more like the Earthquake than the other two. On Nirvana's "Lithium" the ACW1200 reproduced the rock solid kick drum; it was like slapping a pool of water with flat board. With Yello and Salif Keita, it also hit really hard.
One downside of the ACW1200 was its power handling. It was possible to make it audibly distort at full throttle, but I knew that because of its 400 watt limit. The good side of that is you can hear the distortion and back it down. This is serious SPL and will cause damage. The only other issue was a tendency for the bass notes to run together where the notes tend to sound the same. With the highest in-box Q of the group this result is to be expected as there is a much larger rise in the frequency response at the resonance in the enclosure. This could also be contributed to the cone as just taping the cone yield a resonance at a similar tone. The Ultimate does everything, but at a lower price, a lower level and with more accurate bass than the MA Audio or the Audiobahn. Check it out for a system with 250-400 watts of bass power per driver.
In The End
All these subs are good at what they do. Vance's numbers confirmed that there are two camps here; the Ultimate and the Earthquake or the MA Audio and the Audiobahn. The Ultimate and the Earthquake are the best choice for someone who wants more variety because they can hang in high excursion, bass heavy tracks and still settle down to something more musical.
On the other hand the MA Audio and the Audiobahn are all about show and go. Blinding chrome, unique baskets and massive motors scream, "Look at me," or "Listen to me." If you're about bumpin and cruisin, then look no further. You'll also need a big amp to send these subs into bass orbit.
If you're looking for new bass, decide where you're at; that is, all thump or some... Or a combination of those qualities. Then get to a car audio shop near you.