they can get loud but to me sound crappy. I remember having a type R 12 back in the day. Had a JL 500/1 on it and literally was starting to come apart within a few months if not one month.
I just so happen to look at it one day and noticed the rubber surround had come unglued from the cone. Since then i haveno respect for those subs.
And yes its all in the the way its all put together. I had 4 10w0's in a tahoe get louder than my 13w7 in a single cab 1500. sub box replace the center seat.