92V6Heritage

Okay, i just bought 2 Audiobahn AW1206Q subs on ebay for 200 bucks plus shipping :-D (hella good deal). Both have a max power rating of 1100W RMS. I also found a good deal on a custom built box from a local shop thats going out of business for 65 bucks that I'm going to house them in. But what kind of airspace should I give these subs? What kind of amp would push them well, meaning what kind of RMS would I need to really get good use out of them (keep in mind I'm on a slight budget of probably around 2-300 dollars for an amp and box). I dont know anything about amps really, so should I buy a 2, or 4 channel amp? What would be the best wiring setup(the factory says they run best a 2 or 8 ohms).. so should I run them parrallel or bridged? And if i do get a decent amp pushing them, would I need to buy a power cap as well and what should I look for out of them. Sorry for all the questions at once but I searched the boards for solutions and didnt really find ne :-/.. By the way, i have all the Specs on the subs so if you need them to answer anything just ask...Thanks :lala:

Screamer27

I just bought a set to early in the week from the same guy. I am running a JBL 1200.1 to these. Let me tell ya, that amp was cheap for such an awesome amp. This thing is incredible, I payed 239 on ebay for it. You are going to need some decent wiring and then a cap for it too.
You don't want either a 2 channel or a 4 channel, what you want is a mono block, one that is a one channel amp, just for subs.

White Ninja

best bet is you check either Crutchfield, or contact AudioBahn directly for airspace requirements and such.
i think a JBL1200 would power them nicely. Anything from 500-1000 watts each would work, if they indeed take 1100RMS...

- Andy

92V6Heritage

Thanks for the replys so early :-D.. I'm gonna look into the JBL right now..Any other suggestions? oh and I checked the Auidobahn website and i couldnt find a number or email to write someone about the airspace. Oh, and how did your transaction go with him? Did you get everything okay and all? And how do ya like em?

Eric86TA

Here is Audiobahn's website: http://www.audiobahninc.com/index_noflash.asp Go to tech support and there will be a pdf file for 2002 box specs. Your particular subs takes a 2.6 cubic foot box per sub and two 4" diameter and 14.5" long ports. They do not recomend a sealed box. I have to agree. I have two AW1208Q's. I run each one with a MA Audio SY7011DX. Thats 1800W per sub. I tried them in a sealed box and busted three of them. They replaced all of them and helped me find the error of my ways. The subs have 2 inch surrounds which gives them a lot of extension. In the sealed box there was so much back pressure that the cone actually seperated from the pole peice. It broke the glue joint. The pole peice them tried to puch through the cone. Not good. I built a ported box and it is now the loudest system that I have ever built. Check out my box in my back seat. I use this for SPL only.

92V6Heritage

By sealed, you mean air tight or like in a box with plexi glass over the sub? I'm kind of new to this whole thing..Sounds like a dumb question..it is..lol

Eric86TA

By sealed I mean "air tight". No plexi over the sub. There are three major types of boxes: Sealed, Ported, and Bandpass. There are several websites that can explain to you the chararcteristics of each type. My best advice to you is to not buy a pre-made box. I would either have someone build a box for you or at least take the box specs into a dealer and have them select a box for you. Manufacturer specs are not the end all and be all for subs. The specs they give are for optimal performance but you can deviate to a certain degree from what they recommend and still have a good sounding sub. The subs that you have are really nice subs for someone just getting into car audio. Spend some time doing some research and learn what you are doing and you will appreciate the end results all that much more. Good Luck.

Ragnarok_Tyr

I second Eric86TA on the "custom box" remark. I have yet to see a prefabricated box that has the quality of a good custom unit. Some of them aren't bad, but I've also seen ones that are only held together with wood glue and the carpet. Get a hold of someone who knows how to build a box, or, if you're comfortable using a table saw, and can do a little math, build one yourself. There are lots of knowledgable people on this board who won't mind helping you one bit. As far as your subs are concerned, My friend has the same 12", but one rather than two, in his Suburban. The box is a little over 1.5 cubic feet selaed, and it sounds good.

92V6Heritage

well the whole thing is the fact that i cant spend 300 bucks on a custom built box, but i happened to find one that was built for some big 12's that go in the back of a thirdgen..So I gotta call the guy and find out what he made it out of, the dimensions and what type of box it is, be it sealed, ported or open air. But for 65 bucks i can probably just mod it and cut off the bottom if it is sealed so that I can make it an open air box if i need to... would that be okay? Im still kind of shaky on the whole box and amp issue

Eric86TA

Sealed versus Ported is a matter of opinion. As Ragnarok_Tyr said, he has a friend that has your sub in a sealed box and it sounds good. In general, a sealed box has tighter, harder hitting bass while a ported box gives much deeper and IMO louder bass. Again that is just opinion. I'm sure others may disagree but that is what I know from over 10 years of car audio experience. I still suggest the ported box and so does Audiobahn. As to buying the box and modifying it, I personally wouldn't. There is more to building a box than just cutting a whole in it. I agree with Ragnarok_Tyr, if you have a skil saw, go to Lowes and buy a 4'x8' sheet of 3/4" MDF. I goes for about $18 here at Home Depot. Then sit down and calculate the correct box deminsions. Its work but like I said before you will appreciate it more in the long run.
As for the money issue, maybe your best bet is to buy the box because that is what you can afford. Slap those subs in there and try it out. As long as you aren't pushing them with a lot of power they should work fine. If you don't like it then you can save up your money and do it the right way later. The best way that I learn is trial and error. I've had a lot of error in my days but I have learned a lot from it. Again, good luck

92V6Heritage

Thanks for the help all.. i just talked to the guy and he said its a ported box :-D Im jacked, i gotta get in contact with the seller tho

Eric86TA

Just because the box is ported doesn't mean that it is the right box. There are all kinds of different ported box with different volumes and different port diameters and lengths. Here are a few sights you should check out to educate yourself on car audio and boxes.
http://www.carstereo.com/help/Articles.cfm

http://www.jlaudio.com/

You should check out the JL Audio site. They have some great tutorials for the beginner or someone with experience. The have a great tutorial on "The Myth of the Magic Box"

Good luck