N00b that needs help

 

New member
Username: Ekul

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-06
ok i just got my first car and i wanna install a cd player in the dash and subs. i've been tryin to research online but it is a bit overwhelming. one site i have been lookin at is crutchfield, looks like a lot of ppl recommend that site. anyway i just want a decent player with an aux input on the front so i can hook my ipod up to it easily. i have no clue about subs and an amp, i've read to pay attention to RMS and stuff like that but i'm no expert. i just want some loud subs that can shake my car and sound good, i listen to every kinda music rap/rock etc. one setup i was lookin at were these http://www.crutchfield.com/S-5O0t9iLqcSI/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=510&I=028V123BP not sure if they're that good since it's kind of a generic brand. i can make my own box for the subs to so they don't have to come enclosed. i have a friend that can help me install all this stuff if i can't figure it out by myself. budget wise i wanna pay less than 500 for all this. thx for any help
 

Bronze Member
Username: Dsmith07

Post Number: 59
Registered: Jun-06
nooo man u dont want bandpass i had the 2 12" duals in a bandpass box and they are nothing but problems listen to somebody with experience about them

when you say 500 for budget is that for cd player.subs.speakers.and amp?
 

New member
Username: Ekul

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jul-06
yea that's for everything, what so bad about those? lol. thx for replyin
 

Silver Member
Username: Dkchillin

Vermont

Post Number: 165
Registered: Mar-05
A couple of things. First, Crutchfield is a great place for research and to get information on equpiment, but they have some of the highest prices on the web so if cash is a concern (and I think that's a given for pretty much anyone) then you'd be best served to purchase elsewhere (ebay, woofersetc.com, there are all sorts of options).

Second, and this is the important thing, I know your super amped to get some equipment in your car but if you take your time and get decent stuff now you won't have to end up replacing it all in a few months when it blows up or you get sick of how crappy it sounds.

You'll hear everyone say not to go cheap on stuff and you'll get tired of hearing it, but it's true that, especially in car audio, you get what you pay for. That's what pretty much everyone on this site will tell you, so if you're going to get frustrated by that, you're in the wrong place. Not trying to talk down to you or be mean, just being real.

Right, so those Visonik subs are a no-name brand and you'd be lucky to get a year of use out of them. Not only that, but they'll sound like crap. For $500 you can actually put together an ok system if you take your time and do it right.

Here are some HU suggestions. Again, keep in mind that this is at Crutchfield pricing.

Sub suggestions: I assume you want 12s, but you don't HAVE to get two subs and if you go with a single sub you'll be able to afford a better quality sub and powering it will often be cheaper. These are just what I found at Crutchfield looking quick, you might also want to look at AA subs (ascendantaudio.com) since I hear a lot of good things about them.

All of those subs have different powering needs and options but if you can get a dual voice coil sub where each coil is 4 ohm then you can wire it down to a 2 ohm load and end up saving money on your amp.

As far as amps go, that's going to depend on what sub or subs you get and what ohm load you want to run them at. Basically, you want to match the RMS of the sub or subs to the RMS output of your amp at whatever ohm load you're running. For example, the RMS of a dual voice coil, 4 ohm Alpine Type S sub is 300W. That sub can be wired to present a 2 ohm load so you'd want an amp that puts out somewhere around 300W RMS at 2 ohms, something like this would work out alright since it puts out 360W RMS at 2 ohms (just an example).

Basic budget:
Head Unit - $150-$200
Subs - $100-$300 (depending if you go with 1 or 2)
Amp - $100-$200
Wiring - $30-$60
Box - Free if you're building it
Install - Free is you can do it or have someone help you out

So if you stick with the lower priced stuff you come in under budget, if you save a bit more money you can get better equipment (obviously). Sorry for the novel, I work nights and have a lot of free time.
 

Gold Member
Username: Pelona

Perris, California USA

Post Number: 1624
Registered: Dec-05
damn derek
 

New member
Username: Have2bump

Buckeye, Az United states

Post Number: 3
Registered: Jul-06
well i can say this,I have gotten some good deals on ebay,but you are going to need a few more $$.I have got 4 10" ma audio subs and a ma audio amp[1800 watts]for 425.00 but you see that takes care of bottem end...head unit can stay low @ first but you will end up wanting more flash in the dash...you still need mid & tweets and possible amp for them..just look around you can set yourself started small and work your way up...I have a set of kickers 12" L5s about 500 to 750 to buy,there good but the 4 10`s are hitting just as hard for 300.00 less
 

Silver Member
Username: Dkchillin

Vermont

Post Number: 169
Registered: Mar-05
Yeah Pelon, I went on kind of a tangent there. That's what a borring night shift will do for ya I guess. I think the thought of someone actually putting those preloaded Visonik subs in their ride got me a little amped up, sorry.
 

New member
Username: Ekul

Post Number: 3
Registered: Jul-06
ok i've been lookin for deals on subs and found 3 that i've picked out.

Sony XS-L123P5 2 for $150

Infinity Kappa Perfect 12.1 2 for $180

Infinity Reference 1242w 2 for $100

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8ThV1aksKHn/cgi-bin/ProdComp.asp?g=520&c=3&s=0&cc=0 1&pt2=0&compareitems=108PER121&compareitems=1081242W&compareitems=158XSL123&x=27 &y=7

i really liked the infinity perfect deal cuz i've read great reviews on em but the specs like RMS{i kno rms is more important than peak power =P), Peak Power and Sensitivity are about the same as on the reference and i could save $80 to spend on somethin else for the system. i've read good reviews on the other 2 subs to but the 12.1 had a ton of em, mostly good. the sony and 12.1 are only single coil also, and from what i've been reading, if i got the 12.1 or sony for that matter i would have to buy a pretty expensive amp or a couple to power each sub by itself right? cuz with the reference i have a bunch of diff options of wiring so like you said derek, i could probably get a cheaper amp with dual coil (correct me if i'm wrong cuz i'm a noob at all this :P).

also i don't really need 2 12'', i'm just lookin for somethin to add some bass to my car. i would like em to be loud but still good quality. i've read the 12.1s are really good on quality but not the greatest on loudness but if u want loudness i'm sure u have to spend a lot more. anyway what one of those 3 do you think is the best? or if u have somethin else better to suggest that's cool. and whatever one u think is best could suggest a good amp to go with it? thx

Edit: i just found this http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8ThV1aksKHn/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=037AW1200V
 

New member
Username: Ekul

Post Number: 4
Registered: Jul-06
hmm guess i can't edit, anyway i found that Audiobahn AW1200V for $200, i don't want to spend more than 200 on subs but i was just searchin and saw outta all the subs under 200 that had the most RMS, 750. i haven't had time to research the sub so i'm not sure about it yet but would that be a better choice than any of those 3 i picked out?
 

Silver Member
Username: Dkchillin

Vermont

Post Number: 172
Registered: Mar-05
Personally, I'd stay away from Sony and Audiobahn all together. There are plenty of folks who have had good luck with Audiobahn equpiment, but I've never liked their sound and Sony is widely known for their lack of quality in car audio.

In terms of budget, you'd certianly be better served to get one sub. You'll be able to get better equipment, I'd just make sure to really considder what you're looking to get out of it. If you think you're going to be lacking bump with a single sup setup, you may want to step down in quality and go with two subs. I know it seems strange, but if you're not going to be happy there's no point wasting the money.

That said, I really like single sub setups and personally run a single Alpine Type S off a Pioneer GM-7100 amp, giving it in the area of 330-360 watts RMS. I've never heard the reference series sub but (at least specs-wise) it's comparable to the Alpine Type S. They'll handle similar power and are both dual voice coil. The Kappa sub is nice, but value-wise I'm not sure it's best for you.

In terms of an amp, since those subs RMS are pretty similar, you'll simply want to track something down that'll match, so anything that will push around 300-350 watts RMS at 2 ohms. Again, Crutchfield isn't the best place to shop, and there are A LOT of differing opinions on amp quality, but here are some options: Sub Options

Like I said, these are not top of the line amps, but on a budget they're not bad. Look around though, these certainly aren't your only options. If you find anything else you want to know about, just keep posting links and I'm sure folks will give their opinions.
 

New member
Username: Ekul

Post Number: 5
Registered: Jul-06
ok i think ima go with the reference, i did find some kickers http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_5116.html i've heard those can get loud. they only have 250W RMS and 500 Peak tho, so how would they be louder than say the ref, that has 300 RMS and 1,200 Peak =|. i guess maybe they aren't then who knows :P.

ok so ima go with the references, will any of those subs u suggested be enough to power 2 of these? i'm tryin to get this stuff ordered today since the deals end tomorrow on most sites =/. thx for helpin me
 

Silver Member
Username: Dkchillin

Vermont

Post Number: 173
Registered: Mar-05
If you're gonna spend the money on two subs you'd be better off getting one better sub and it'll be much easier to power. If you are set on two subs then to power them properly you'll need an amp that'll push around 600W at 4 ohms or 1 ohm because those are the wiring options for a pair of those subs. You don't have to go 300W to each if you don't want, something in the area of maybe 400 or 500 total would probably be alright. Real quick, here are some amp options. As you can see though, the price goes up quite a bit when you're looking at two of those subs, not only because you've got two, but because you can no longer run them at 2 ohms unless you run each sub seperately off its own amp, or don't use all the voice coils. Like I said, i would have stuck with the single sub, but it's your money.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Ekul

Post Number: 11
Registered: Jul-06
hmm maybe i will hold off for now, i just see some good 2 for one deals, and it's the 4th so those deals will be over after today =/. not sure if they're the greatest deals anyway, but wouldn't 2 12'' be a lot louder than 1?
 

Silver Member
Username: Dkchillin

Vermont

Post Number: 175
Registered: Mar-05
The two subs louder than one argument is sort of a can of worms, but I will say that one properly powered decent sub will almost always sound BETTER than 2 poorly powered lesser subs.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Ekul

Post Number: 12
Registered: Jul-06
what about these http://sonicelectronix.com/item_5116.html they got 12's for cheaper, i heard kicker was a good brand. if i only go with one sub what do you recommend?
 

Silver Member
Username: Dkchillin

Vermont

Post Number: 196
Registered: Mar-05
The link in my very first post that says "sub suggestions" would sum up my thoughts if you wanted to go with a single sub and of those I'd probably go with one of the Alpine models. But it'll still come down to what you're looking for out of it and how much power you're going to feed it.

I would personally avoid those Kicker subs, but that's just me.
 

New member
Username: Steven206seattle

Seattle, Washington

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-06
Why not get one good sub for now with an amp that will handle it then later on get another one of those subs with another same model as the other amp. That's what i'm going to be doing. I'm getting two mtx 7500's 400 watts for each.
 

New member
Username: Thriller73

Post Number: 8
Registered: Jul-06
I have 2 mtx 7512 subs. They are rated at 400 rms each, but they are under rated. I am pushing 650 to each one and they can take it fine. 400 will not push them
 

Silver Member
Username: Crayola0

Wisconsin

Post Number: 559
Registered: Jun-06
This would prolly be less then $500.
Head Unit: http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=15705
Sub: 1 of these, http://www.ascendantaudio.com/assassin12specs.html
Amp: http://www.cardiscountstereos.com/catalog%20page.asp?Product+%23=A8000V
Wiring:http://www.cardiscountstereos.com/catalog%20page.asp?Product+%23=BMS2100
Box: Maybe $30 if u build it yourself.

All that for around $431.98 give or take some. That would add some bass and have good SQ.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Blkwardog

Adel, Iowa Usa

Post Number: 68
Registered: Mar-06
i agree w/ jaymes w/ the sub part..iv heard alot of good stuf about assassins and if u wanna keep it cheaper one will do jus fine powered the rite way
 

Silver Member
Username: Dsmith07

Post Number: 135
Registered: Jun-06
i'd get some kicker cvx off ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-KICKER-CVR12-D2-12-SUBWOOFERS-CVR-12-SUBS-BRAND-NEW_W0QQit emZ150023046769QQihZ005QQcategoryZ39777QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or type r

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-ALPINE-SWR-1222D-12-SUBS-TYPE-R-SUBWOOFERS-NEW-2006_W0QQit emZ150021250328QQihZ005QQcategoryZ18803QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 

Bronze Member
Username: 3rdcoastmexican

Houston, TX US

Post Number: 14
Registered: Aug-06
damn i guess darek has some lonely nights to be writing all that stuff at once.
 

Silver Member
Username: Dkchillin

Vermont

Post Number: 270
Registered: Mar-05
no doubt, 12 hours worth. 7pm-7am night shift four nights a week with ample internet access.
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