ScottieB

Hey guys, im wanting to get 2 12" subs and an amp (or 2) to go with it... i have been thinking of something like:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882117145

and i dunno about amps... im lookin to spend about $500 not including a box or wiring... just on subs/amps.

let me know please!

thanks!

j_mangus

ive had a good run with audiopipe equipment. i am a car audio dealer in tennessee and this seems to be the best bang for the buck. i would go with 2- 10" TXX10 eye candy subs in a ready built box with audiopipes AP15001D amp. mount the subs facing into the box with the magnets outside, utilizing the car as the box and the box as the reverb. with this very setup, i hit a 140.7 on a termlab meter in 97 degree weather and hella barometric pressure. I think you would be impressed. not only could you get this setup but also the cap for the $500 you suggest. you'll love it

champnesupernva

a sub that only costs $60 and says it handles 1200 watts, is probably not gonna be a great speaker. not to dis pioneer, cause i do like them.

i suggest an mtx 5500 series with like a kicker 450.1 or 550.1. you might just be barely over budget, but check ebay.

my $.02

The Project

iTrader: (6)

For subs have alook at these. They are 10" dual voice coil
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?...roduct_ID=4993

Amp
Kicker
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?...roduct_ID=3952

Alpine
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?...roduct_ID=6250

ScottieB

awesome guys... but explain something to me please... what is the deal with rms vs max. i know that rms is preferred/when it sounds the best, and max is just blowing your ears out... but what is the best thumpage wattage?? what if i could spend $750 just for 2-3 subs and amps? what would you guys prefer to spend my money on then?

educate me :P i know a little, but im not a guru

champnesupernva

rms is the continuous amount of power the sub can handle. so say, a 12" DVC sub has a 450w RMS. that means that at 12-14volts, it can constantly withstand 450watts. if you had 2 450rms subs, you would want a true power (ie kicker, eclipse, xtant) 900w going to it. its the optimum wattage that the speaker likes.

max is what it could handle if there were a MASSIVE surge, or you wanted to go right above the rms. contrary to popular belief, under-powering a sub, not over powering is the common way to blow a sub. thats not to say that if you put a 5000w amp on a 1000w max sub, that you're not gonna catch it on fire, but putting a cheap, non-true power 450w amp, on a 450w rms sub, will in time separate the voice coils.

in a hatchback, by putting the subs in the back and firing them upwards (in a sealed box), or towards the rear (trunk box ported or sealed), is going to add roughly 6db.

im personally going to get 2 mtx7500 10", with a kicker or xtant 1000.1. these speakers like about 550rms, and these amps are actually rated at i think 10v. which actually gives it a little more power than rated. then im going to take the back seats out, build a downfire box, with a vent (rectangular port) hitting the back glass. this way, my subs are hidden, i have more room to get the optimal air space, and i have more cargo room in the back. haha.


this would be a killer package. if you plan on listening to rock AND hip hop/rap, i would personally go with a 10" sub. plus, if you're using the pocket in the back for your box, you will have better airspace with a 10.

SUBS
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Pair-MTX-Thunder-Subs-10-Inch-DVC-5500-Series-FS-NR_W0QQitemZ380052058324QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item380052058324&_trkparms=72%3A1071|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1318

AMP
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-08-KICKER-ZX500-1-MONOBLOCK-CLASS-D-AMPLIFIER-500W_W0QQitemZ330258271139QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330258271139&_trkparms=72%3A1071|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1318

hope this helps my friend

ScottieB

thanks for educating me... as soon as i get my money i'll give you guys a hollar back here. i am selling a laptop atm, and i also have money loaned out, so hopefully its not too long

-Scott

marcussean92

check onlinecarstereo.com as well. They usually have better prices than woofersetc and offer free shipping.

I would suggest you find a local audio store in your are, go listen to demos, then purchase the equipment, bc dealers try to rape you. Everyone has their own idea and opinion of what sounds good. I had an all alpine amps and alpine type s components and subs in my 02 grand am gt and it sounds amazing. Not going to knock windows out or set off car alarms but it an awesome setup for in the car.

Just my .02, now im broke

Al Hasse

Nothing against buying online, but check the manufacturers website and see how their warranties work. Many manufacturers will not honor a warranty unless their equipment is purchased from an authorized dealer. Buy on-line, sub blows within warranty period, you're stuck with a blown sub - that's why you buy online at your own risk. Same scenario from a dealer, and you get a free replacement if the sub was found to be defective. FWIW, I'd rather pay the extra few dollars and have a warranty for my own peace of mind. My whole system was purchased at a dealer at not much over dealer cost. I suppose it depends on where you decide to buy your stuff - I tend to stay awy from big box stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.)

hellsatan

My advice would be to buy the amp that pioneer sells to go with that sub. Usually the Manufacture makes the sub and the amp to work with it. Don't go mix mashing things together (pioneer subs and alpine amp) its just going to make it even more confusing for you.
Your only gonna buy subs that cost ya 50 bucks warranty isn't a HUGE deal... if you blow em its not like your gonna lose huge bucks. Its more like o **** I blew my subs... Well gotta go bigger and work some Overtime today o well =/
Go check out their websites and find matching amp for the subs you want and buy em. easy as pie mmmm pie
Don't forget a amp kit if you want to make it easy on yourself. (4 gauge power/ground and 8-12 gauge wiring subs to amp should be good enough and fuse, remote should all with it also)

Also usally if you match company it also looks A LOT better if you wanna be cool and open your trunk up and show it off then having a mix mash of different brands. Same year subs usally come with the same look/colors matching and junk

Iunno thats just me tho I like clean matching totaly up to you.

Also last thing is once you have done this you will probably end up asking how do I fix my headlights from flickering and then the wonderful journey begins
PS: *BIG 3* wiring, Deep Cycle Battery, Big Alt. (In that order [cheap to expensive])

Bullydawg

iTrader: (7)

Use my setup. It hits very hard... Yet it is very budget friendly.

I have 2 '08 kicker Comp 12's -$150.00
A Legacy 800x2 Amp (1600 watts)- $75.00 used.

That is what I have and I am truely AMAZED!

Here you go... Very strong setup.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1600-WATT-LEGACY...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-KICKER-CVR12-D...QQcmdZViewItem

The Project

iTrader: (6)

[QUOTE=Al Hasse;3851488]Nothing against buying online, but check the manufacturers website and see how their warranties work. Many manufacturers will not honor a warranty unless their equipment is purchased from an authorized dealer. Buy on-line, sub blows within warranty period, you're stuck with a blown sub - that's why you buy online at your own risk. QUOTE]

EXCELLENT POINT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check to make sure they are AUTHORIZED.

Case in point....ARC audio will NOT warranty ANYTHING purchased online.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you drop hard earned cash.

XxFormula87xX

I have 2 12 JL w3s with a TMA 500watt mono amp.
I recommend JL Audio subs. The W3s are $259 each, but the W1s are much cheaper, like $150ish. TMA is a new company owned by JL the amp was right around $2-225 i think. I had a alpine amp before and the TMA hits alot harder.
Also depending on how far you go I would consider a secondary battery, I had an issue with guage lights flickering.

likhary

Our only gonna buy subs that cost ya 50 bucks warranty isn't a HUGE deal... if you blow em its not like your gonna lose huge bucks. Its more like o **** I blew my subs... Well gotta go bigger and work some Overtime today o well =/
Go check out their websites and find matching amp for the subs you want and buy em. easy as pie mmmm pie.

kcidmil

My personal opinion is to go with some Memphis M-Class Subs and Amp. They are very versatile and can mount in just about any setup be it sealed, vented or bandpass (though don't bother with bandpass). And sound good in just about every car.

I can tell that after installing for about the past 9 years or so, EVERYONE has an opinion as to what sounds best . It all depends upon what you're looking for. I've heard systems that sound good from companies i don't like. I've heard good companies sound like crap because the person didn't know what they were doing.

One piece of advice when it comes to stereo systems. You get what you pay for. So if you go out and buy some cheapy subs and amp, don't expect much.

Oh yeah, if you want them to last for years, make sure to break them regardless if the factory does it or not. I've had a set of cheapy RF punch Zs last for 6 years and take some abuse but yet to break. The person i sold them to 3 years ago is still using them.

Brennan

if your into online shopping go to EBAY i got my 2 kenwood kfcw3514dvc subs there for $140 i think in my local stereo shop they cost $300 each! so yeah theres something to think about

streetworkxs

don't know if you found subs already, but the pioneers you were thinking of getting are actually better than the mtx 5500 that someone recommended. The 5500's have aluminum cones that distort and mtx has bad sound quality. The pioneers are on the same level as kicker cvr which is very much the best bang for buck subwoofer you can find. They run $140 off ebay new with warrantys. Get a kicker 750.1 or mtxtc6001. Lots of namebrand amps you see are underrated. stick with those brands, mtx or kicker. do not buy pioneer amps. kenwood excellon series are good budget amps, they don't put out the advertised power but are very close and don't overheat. stay away from xplod, dual, jensen, ma audio etc.
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for $500 you can get way better stuff though. for $500 you could get way higher quality subs, but they require alot more power. You'd have to upgrade electrical and it wouldn't really be worth it. You should be able to get your subwoofer system for under $400 for everything, box amp and subs.

Brennan

you wouldnt have to upgrade it because its not there yet so youd just have to buy bigger power wire for the amp

streetworkxs

for $500 subs we're talking 1200watts rms and up. you'd need to do the big 3 upgrade, larger wire as he stated, larger alternator, insane amount of deadoning, and another battery. 800watt rms subs won't completely kill your car, you might experience lights dimming though
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800watts subs refering to 2 kicker cvrs or pioneers. anything in a camaro is going to be extremely loud.

Brennan

i completley forgot about the big 3! although older cars usually have big alternaters compared to new ones i never did the big 3 and ive got an 1800 watt amp and i got no problems only dims the lights when i have it loud

streetworkxs

You can have lots of power and only have lights dim a little, you just need to stick with highend amps that are effecient. You arent using the whole 1800watts the whole time. i'm assuming thats its peak. you get more watts depending on the volume you listen to, thats why when its turned up louder you are drawing more power away. I don't know if brennan was being sarcastic or not but I'm just throwing it out there.

Brennan

no im serious and its 1800 peak and only dims when i have it real loud the big 3 is really a must tho and ill do it when i get around to it

streetworkxs

oh no i believe that you have the amp, i couldn't tell if you were joking by saying you didn't think of the big 3. But yeah you must have kenwood right? i know they have 900watt-1800watt amps. i had one of those.

Brennan

lol this is getting confusing but i was talking about the big three it never even crossed my mind and the amp is kenwood not competition quality stuff but it makes my jeans shake a little in the front seat lol, got it for $200 of ebay

3rdgenBrad

just an idea of what i plan on doing. i think that any of these combonations would be a desent setup for the money.
for $500 i would go to www.onlinecarstereo.com they have free shiping on orders of $99 or more. mabey some low charge for subs $10?
then i would buy in either combination:
-subs
4-10" audiobahns~$200
2 or 3 12" audiobahns $200~$300 (owned some before)
2 alpine type s's for under $250
2-15 soundstreams ~$200
-amp(s)
any 2000 watt amp that lanzar makes ~$200-$300(owned a couple difrent
i wouldnt mind trying dhd audio 1600w or1800w $200-$300
any other "high power " amps besids pyle or pyramid for $200-$300

later on i would buy an inexpensive capasitor $39.99-~$100


like i said this is what i was planning on doing,
hope this is any help.

kcidmil

Ok, don't flip a lid on me here ... but i will use this as a perfect example for "what you pay for is what you get."

I've been installing and playing with car audio for 9 years or so now. Time has passed by so quickly, it's been a blur. So take my advice and opinions with a grain a salt, won't hurt my feelings one bit.

Audiobahn... has not changed much over the past decade. Maybe their baskets, but definitely not their quality and usages. They are awesome at booming don't get me wrong. But try playing something with quick rolling beats, and you'll have a problem. The quality just isn't there with audiobahn. Rap yes... techno and rock... no.

Alpine- a much better choice if you listen to everything like me. But honestly they are on the lower end of the subwoofer lineup. Alpine set the standard years ago... but they haven't done much to keep up with the major advances in subwoofer technology. they just kind of plod along.

Soundstream- finally an upper company is named. Of course with any company i've heard of ups and downs with these. Not a highly recommended company (mainly because they're not as known), but certaintly not a bottom knock-off company.

Lanzar... ehhh.... They are ones to be careful of. They are close to being one of those companies you get what you pay for. Kind of like that 1000 watt sub for under $100 that has a magnet the size of a door speaker. Something just doesn't seem right. I have had experience with them before, and they did have some cooling issues. But it's been hit and miss. You ever wonder why you can get 2000 watts for under $400?

Pyle and pyramid... with you 100% there. Even if I was strapped on cash i would just wait or go with a pioneer or sony setup.

Honestly, get a some good 10"s or 12"s, with a decent 500 -800 watt amp, and quality box (vented or sealed) that matches the subs in terms of enclosure specs, and good quality wiring and deck, and you will get a very crisp system that won't dissappoint you. and won't drag your charging system down too much.

Unless you're looking for that booming bass that can be heard and felt a mile away. Then stuff in some Audiobahns into a bandpass box and grab that Lanzer 2000 watt and boom away. But don't be surprised when you're replacing audio equipment, or parts on the car...

champnesupernva

audiobahn is out of business.....

kcidmil

It's about time... and hopefully they don't crawl themselves back out like they did years ago.

I know for a few years now there was always that rumor they were done would start every 6 months or so. But then there would be some restructure or something and they would squeeze through. Even now rumor has it they still make some items. They're like a cockroach, they just won't die.