I never had the subs, but I have had sony xplods and JL 6x9s I can compare. You will get tighter, more efficient bass from JL, I would stay away from the sonys. The sonys I had were good, but the sound quality was bad. The JL's I currently own not only sound great, they can shake the whole car without the need for an amp, and these are just 6x9s.