Haven't messed around in the car stereo game since 2003 when i was out of high school. im behind on technology and what companies are quality and which ones are not.

lets say i have a $300 budget. im trying to avoid buying an infinity bass link or bazooka when i can put together my own and have better sound quality. keep in mind i dont need hammering bass that rattles me to my core. just some quality bass.

i know i need a sub, enclosure, and amp. what do i need to hook up to the stock stereo or can i use the leads off of the stock sub in the deck?

summary: $300 budget, what are my options? im assuming a 10" will be right up my alley, i listen to alot of rock and rap.

 

you're thinking of a Line Out Converter. (LOC)
A loc needs to go after the stock amp

 

oky doky, im assuming that will bite into the budget around $50 or less? i can search for install info. lets focus on components my good friend

 

can you build a box?

if so, you cant really do better than this for 300

ssa dcon
http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/s...7B47%7DS4.html

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...d_RSd3001.aspx

 

never heard of either companies but like i said, ive been out of the game a while. i cant imagine an enclosure being too expensive?

keep the tips/suggestions coming folks. much appreciated

 

should i stay away from ported boxes?

 

thoughts on the alpine swr-1042D? could just throw it in a sealed box. im assuming ill want a sealed box since i want accurate and clean bass rather then tooth rattling boom boom boom.

http://www.crutchfield.com/s_500SWR1...DynamicContent

 

with a lower powered setup, ported would def be the way to go

alpine type r is meh..they get loud but don't sound good at all

 

keep in mind that i dont need LOUD. please give me suggestions based on quality of sound. i dont want just booms

ive never hooked up a dual voicecoil sub... guess i need to research that as well.

 

Really its not too hard...just a little confusing when you get into parallel and series wiring for multiple subwoofers. I blew my two JL 10's and have been looking for one 12" subwoofer as a replacement.

As far as the basics. Choose an amp that matches a sub. (4ohm subwoofer and an amp that runs at 4ohm stable; also get an amp that is about the same watts as the RMS watts of the subwoofer). Next choose a sub that matches the enclosure. (Every subwoofer has an ideal Frequency range, most are about 38ish hertz, and cubic ft. requirements for an enclosure) These are the basics to consider. Try to get a subwoofer that has a pretty wide frequency range to hit different notes (deep bass and hard bass).

Hope this helps without getting to confoozin'...

 

$300 can't get you much, you'll also need an amp kit about 60-90 dollars, $200 for sub, box, and an amp? try craigslist or dual from wal mart. You 'll spend at least $500 assuming you install it yourself.

 

I'm looking for a 12 and box on ebay now. Here is a new Kicker 12 in a sealed enclosure for $92. The box is a little small for the recommended amount for the sub but still think its a great deal. Some of the power sellers on ebay are authorized dealers also. This specific seller is an authorized Kicker dealer so you get the 1yr warranty.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

 

100 for alpine sub, 50 for the box that meets the c.f. And depth requirement. Amp is going to be tricky to find on my budget. Amp wire kit from walmart shouldn't be too bad

 

Nice find!

 

Free shipping too. Eh ?

 

That is a terrible sub.

 

Donnie, how bout this amp? 150w rms at 4ohm to match that sub?

 

I know its a lower end sub but for what I need it for it should work fone right? Gotta be leaps and bounds above the stock 8 setup

 

What about buying an amp and a free air 8 for the rear deck?

 

I think we are going for a similar setup. I know my 2 JL 10's that were pushing maybe 250 watts were shaking the trunk pretty hard. I dont want the rattle from a competition sound system nor want to dynamat the whole trunk just for a system I wont turn up LOUD (or to more than my liking), but something several times better than the factory sub to portray a fuller picture of the music I am listening to. If that makes sense...lol.

There are a few DIYs about this. I read one not loo long where someone replaced the factory sub with a pioneer 8" sub but ultimately upgraded to a full subwoofer/enclosure/amp in the trunk because there wasn't too much of a difference and had a problem with the sub hitting the factory sub grill when the subwoofer was "bumping" hard.

 

Take your time and search your local craigslist. You likely can find some decent packages (sub/amp/box) and then you can get a cheap install kit. Stuff that is a few years old that is medium/higher end will likely be less than new junk today.

Cheap audio is just that.

Try and find some JL W3, Fosgate P3, or the like, along with a smaller (250ish RMS watt) mono-block or 2 channel amp. This stuff is pretty decent and affordable.

 

Pretty much what I was thinking!~ Although P3 are made for more of a truck or similar application because they are shallow mount subs. And make sure the 2 channel amp is bridgeable.

 

These are on my local craigslist:

2 JL Audio 12W3V2 in box and Fosgate 800a2 - $250
and
Single 12" MTX 7500 in box with MTX 2300 amp - $225 OBO
or
Pair 12" MTX 5500s in box with p4004 amp - $200

Either of these setups would beat the heck out of that ebay one - especially the first two.

 

What are mmats? Couple local ads here

 

Never hear of them but google pulls up http://www.mmatsproaudio.com/.

 

MMATS makes some powerful stuff, but I have never heard any of it, that I know of, so I cannot speak to sound quality. I cannot imagine that they make much in your price range. Do you have a model number or anything?

 

Have you looked at the JL Audio PowerWedge units? It may be in the price range, and it's all done for you. Unless you have some skills to build your own, this may be worth looking at. Another option would be checking the Black Market section for something used. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136PWM12WX/JL-Audio-PowerWedge-MAX-PWM112-WX.html?tp=114

 

found one on craigslist for $50 ill see if i can find it again, im at work and forgot to email myself the link

 

http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/ele/1839103302.html

http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/ele/1856752160.html

thoughts?

 

http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/ele/1817735307.html

offered this dude $30, waiting to hear back

honestly, i really like the idea of going alpine since the factory sytem was made by alpine. im weird like that i guess.

 

I like the second link better. Alpine sub/box/amp.

I would def check out the sub but make sure there are no tears around the subwoofer itself. It looks like part of the trim around the sub is missing. It shouldn't affect the sound.

 

im looking at the specs for the sub and im confused to the sizes they give. i need to know how deep of a box i need for this thing assuming i can snag it.

Top Mount Depth (inches) 6 15/16
Bottom Mount Depth (inches) 7 1/2
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) 10 15/16

im such a n00b

 

The alpine sub for $30 would be acceptable, for me, in your scenario. I have never heard it, though. Make sure that it is dual voice coil being 4 ohms with each coil. If it is single voice coil at 4 ohms then I would pass unless you can find a nice 4 ohm amp. Most decent 2 channels or mono amps will be better at 2 ohms, and the dual voice coil (DVC) sub at 4 ohms each can be wired to run at 2 ohms thus taking better advantage of most/some amps where it can.

 

I just bought an amp. Should be here next week.
I have a JBL p1024 sitting in my closet.
I bought a clarion XR2110 420 Watt Mono Amplifier.

will be wiring DVC at 2ohms to take advantage of the amp at a continuous 400watts. hopefully i can install sometime next week!!!

 

good luck man let me know how it goes

 

thanks.
my setup cost at or around 300, fyi.

i bought the sub like 2 years ago, with an amp and wiring for 300.
the amp gave out.
and just bought another.

 

im sitll a little confused about dual voice coils. can i still run a mono amp at 4 ohms to a DVC sub?

say i have a sub that operates well at 300W RMS (4ohm). can i buy a mono amp that is rated for 300W RMS at 4ohm? how would i wire it to the sub? better yet...if my sealed box has 2 terminals (+, -)....how do i wire the 4 connection sub?

 

yes, you can wire a dvc(4ohm) to a mono 4ohm amp. you would wire in series to take advantage of all those 300 watts at 4 ohms.
in my case...my amp is stable at 2 ohms with a continuous power of 400 watts, and my sub is rated at 400watts rms. so i would wire my DVC(4ohms) parallel to drop it down to 2 ohms..

i googled ohms, parallel, series and it gave me a good idea on what all those terms mean and how to wire my sub.

 

so i would wire it like figure 1 (top)

http://www.termpro.com/articles/spkrz.html

 

Correct.
you'll maintain the 4ohm load that is required by your amp.

wiring in parallel drops the impedance down to 2 ohms