Will a 12" sub hit lower frequencies than a pair of 10's?

Would you recommend purchasing a subwoofer(s) that can handle a lot of wattage and a high wattage amplifier if the listener prefers lower sound volumes and rich "full range coverage"?? or are there subwoofers that put out plenty of low frequency coverage at relatively low wattage draw?

 

Any subwoofer is capable of hitting low notes. The problem is moving air.

In bass, the same "there's no replacement for displacement" holds true.

That said, a quality 10"er in a low-tuned ported enclosure will have more low end output than an equal 12"er in a sealed box.

It all depends on the subwoofer, and the enclosure. You need to somehow move a lot of air to get low ... how you get there is up to you.

Go with 2 12s ... that's what I did
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Check out www.ascendantaudio.com

Get an Atlas 12" and you will be MORE than happy

 

Trick I use on my sub is to put polyfil in the box. The more you stuff in there, the deeper, lower thump you will hear. I packed my 10" box with a bag of polyfil from Michaels, and everyone comments on how deep it sounds...Give it a try..

 

That is correct to an extent. You can gain a theoretical 30+% in box volume by stuffing with a fiberfill or other filler, but there are diminishing returns, and as it becomes overstuffed and has reverse effects. 1lb of fill/ft^3 is a good rule

Also, by doing this, you will lose "punch" in your bass, but gain extension .... its all a big game of give and take

 

Agreed - You do lose a lot of the 'power' or the 'punch' as Jim puts it. To compensate for this loss, I increase the gain on my amp from 250 to 280. I am currently running 280Watts to my 250Watts Infinity 1030W sub. Stuffing the polyfil reduced my power by 10-20 Watts (you can tell teh difference when you stuff the box). If you have time, experiment with the subwoofer box; fill it with a bag of polyfil and take out as much as you need until it sounds the way you like.