i have been a bassaholic for 20 yrs. i have made my living at it for 16 yrs. manufactures are being forced into extreme bass in a compact box. so what you see is what a lot of people have asked for. if you dont give people what they want, you will go out of business. some people dont want to take up space in the trunk. the wife in most cases wont let you junk up the room with boxes that give you heart stopping bass.
any way, i do agree, i have not heard a small box or any premade, off the shelf, with an amplifier built in that i thought sounded good. i am hard to please when it comes bass. i think bass should be tight,hit hard,and not sound muddy. i also like it loud. i have had alot of subs in 20 yrs. i beleive what i have now is the best i have ever heard. i currently have parasound hca 1000a brigded to a klipsch pro ki-115-b. music needs to be fun. different subs serve different needs, its all just opinions.