rcz22

I'm planning on adding some bass to my 03 CLS...I've narrowed it down to 2 JL 10's either the 10W6 or 10W3V2 in a custom box to fit behind the Navi, i'm not sure of the difference, since both are 300W, and on most sites, they are the same price. So any suggestions there would be helpful.

Also the sales guy recommended the JL 500/1 mono amp, I was wondering if the 250/1 would be sufficient so I can save some money there or will i really need the 500 to drive these subs?

Thanks

ou sig

The newer W3V2's have slightly more excursion than the older W6's. So for the same price, go with the W3V2. That is a very good amp, it will power those subs nicely. You dont want to get the 250/1 to power both subs, that will be underpowering them IMO. I mean it would work, but probably wouldnt be that impressive.

To save money, buy a Kicker amp online. I got the 600.1, it is $499 in the stores, and I paid like $240 for it brand new. It puts out 738 watts RMS. So that would be good for those subs. JL Amps are great, but overpriced IMO if you dont have extra money.

elduderino

"extra money"? WTF is extra money?

I like the "slash" amps a lot... I run one. Spending money on build quality and engineering quality is never a waste... you coulda bought a Civic. Kicker amps are not bad for the money, but neither is a Civic. If you can afford the 500/1, get it - it's a good machine.

One concern I would have is buying too much amp for the rest of your system. With 738 W RMS, how in the hell is your OE system going to keep up? You would not be taking advantage of your power very often, unless you are just looking to be a nonstop bass machine. If you have any significant SQ leanings, you will end up upgrading the F speakers in not too long... and in that case you might regret spending too much budget on the bass. Just an opinion...

Don't compare subs with their power ratings. Power ratings have almost nothing to do with A) reality , B) how subs sound. As someone else here will tell you, electrical power handling is defined by the voice coil used, but sound is defined by just about everything else. Excursion or travel (xmax), resonant frequency , optimum enclosure size, and efficiency/sensitivity are far more valuable specs to look at for comparison purposes.

Shiffy

I have 2 10w3v2's and I was thinking about getting the 500/1. I am planning on buying some mb quart for the front and rear components, how much power would I need to power that and my headunit?

elduderino

??

How are you powering your head unit?

If you can go all JL slash, use the 300/4 for the 4 corners and the 500/1 for the subs. I think they can connect well together...

I personally am not a fan of titanium tweets in the OE tweeter locations. Jigga disagrees with me on this, fyi. If you do it go with the ones that come with the Musicomp Refernce crossovers and set them to the minimum TW OP level...

And of course, here is my standard insertion that that R speakers suck ass and I would not even spend money replacing them... I would go F/Sub. Spend the extra money on getting Dynaudio or Focal or Morel F speaks...: )

rcz22

also with this setup (2 10's), does it affect the Nav DVD ie...skipping, and also would I need DynoMat? If so does anyone know how many yards to get...is there a difference in thickness?

elduderino

There has been at least one instance of trunk-mounted subs in the TSX under the Nav unit hosing up the Nav unit, but that instance was also a hack install where the Nav wires were cut... not definitive IMO.

Sound damping is useful when adding subs. Know why YOU are doing it, though. It's best when attacking a specific issue, not when using it to be "louder" like the brochures say. I personally like Cascade Audio VibraBloc (available from Parts Express and many shops) as being lighter and better than Dynamat. I've put it in TSX doors and the difference is noticeable WITHOUT doing that whole sheet in the door BS. But two subs and a lot of power and the rattles will probably be impossible to completely elimitate, FYI.

Just out of curiousity, why 2 10"s?

rcz22

no real reason for the 2 10's. I was even considering 2 8's. I didn't like the look of one Sub, based on the pics on this site. My thought on this setup, is not to be heard from 3 blocks away,...i had a 98 cherokee, with a 10" tube, and that filled the cabin just enough for me to feel it which the factory bose setup is def not doing, mainly cause theres no sub at all, the 6x9 aren't meant to give off a "boom" feeling. I figure if the bass has to go further now, plus through the trunk, the extra sub wouldn't be wasteful, plus it looks better IMO. I'm def looking for suggestions......

thankx

elduderino

Here's my suggestions:

1) 1 woofer plays no LOWER than two woofers - it just plays louder. If louder is NOT your primary concern, I would go with a single woofer. Take whatever visual triggers that deter you from getting a single woofer and consign them to the dustbin of history.

2)Get the very best single woofer you can afford. In the TSX, I tend towards a single 12" for many listeners, although I've helped with a single 10" install. I think that a long-travel single 10 with a lotta power will sound better than two lesser 10"s, or with two good 10"s but not enough budget.

But I am a huge fan of good mids and highs... and for the same budget range I would rather get 1 good 10 and good F mids and tweets, and a 4-channel amp, and NOTHING else, than I would get 2 10"s and a 500 watt amp and leave the crappy cheap ass fronts alone - and have louder bass than I need, and exactly the fronts I started with.

Personally, I would use 1 12" rather than 1 10" - a little louder, a little lower most of the time, and both of those are good trying to get outta that trunk.

Shiffy

I was planning on using the same amp as my speakers???

elduderino

Shiffy, I think you're missing something... head units aren't powered by amps. Speakers are powered by amps. Head units are powered by your battery. I think you know this and are trying to say something I'm just not getting...

So you want to power your OE speakers with your OE amp? Is that what you mean?

Shiffy

OE = original equipment? I plan on getting new speakers and powering them with an amp. And the headunit will be powered with the battery I have now.

sorry, i dont know much about car audio

elduderino

NP, I'm just trying to get what you meant here... can you re-phrase this question?

ou sig

IF you get Dynamat, the the Extreme, its much thinner and better than the original. The subs wont hurt the NAVI. The only rattles I have are the trunk lid, but you can only hear that if you are outside the car, inside it is very quiet and rattle free...I have Dynamat on my rear deck, trunk lid and sides and behind my door speakers.

The TL is a pretty solid, quiet car. Ive had my subs for almost a year now, and I blast them alot, still no new rattles.

Shiffy

ok, sorry.... I am looking for a 500/1 amp for my subs and what do i need to power my front and rear speakers? Would the car battery I have no be sufficient to power the headunit?

ou sig

dude that doesnt even make sense!!! You obviously need to go to a car audio shop to have them explain stuff to you in person.

The 500/1 amp means it powers one channel...mono...not stereo, so it will not power your door speakers. you need a 2 channel or 4 channel amp for your door speakers (2 or 4 speakers). You hook your amps up to your battery to give them power and they convert that power into power that your speakers use to make sound...dont mean to be rude, but its easier to understand if you see it in person.

with component speakers, you need a seperate amp to power them because your HU's built in "amp" doesnt have enough power to power them to their potential.

and yes your car battery has enough power to power the amps and your headunit with no problem (if its a good one at least)

Shiffy

I was planning on using the 500/1 for my subs. I was asking how much power do I need to power my door speakers?

ou sig

Hell ya, now I understand! For components, you need 50 watts/speaker minimum, I wouldnt go below 75 watts/speaker, I have 100 watts/speaker and it is perfect. Underpowering any speaker is way worse than giving it more power than it needs.

elduderino

Easy, turbo... pick on the ancient ones, not the noobs : )

It depends on what door speakers you go with and what kind of sound you are looking for. Since you are new to car audio, you don't know, so I'll say that a 300/2 or 300/4 to the F speakers would be good, if you are using good upgraded speakers like a/d/s, Dynaudio, Focal, Morel, MB Quart, or Diamond, for example.

I run a 300/4 in 4-channel mode, 75x4, sounds good.

Cheaper upgrades, such as entry-level Alpines, don't need a whole lot of power, but that amount is still pretty good. You need to come up with some parameters you are working with - budget, kind of sound you've liked/want to emulate, favorite albums (= kind of sound you are seeking), and self or pro install.

The HU rarely drives you over the edge, battery wise. With two JL "slash" amps and their regulated power supplies, no battery upgrade will be needed. Lesser amps use loose regulation, and a couple of big amps might neccesitate some actions, but for this kindof system you are probably fine...

Shiffy

so a 300 watt amp would be good for my door speakers??

Shiffy

I plan on going with mb quart and having it installed prof.

ou sig

dude Im not jumping on you BTW...my bad if I came across that way...anyway, you wont have a "300 watt amp" for your door speakers. that is the wrong way to look at it. You need to look at how much power per channel it has. like 50x2 or 100x4 (mine).

and I used to have 50 watts to each of my Kenwood Excelon components...I fried 4 tweeters because I underpowered them. Even if you have middle of the road stuff, more power is better.

Shiffy

How about a 300/4 and do 75x4 like elduderino said?

ou sig

yup that would be just fine

Shiffy

alright, Do you think I should stick with JL amps or go with something else? I would like to save money if I could but dont want to be cheap about it. I am willing to take my time and save money and do it right.

elduderino

shiffy, read the SQ sticky post at the top of this forum, K? Might give you a heads up... have fun building your system.

As far as 300 watts goes, why add them all up? Acura says the OE system is 240 watts. Hmm... maybe it ain't the watts?

If you have the budget, go with a 500/1 for the bass and a 300/4, or a 450/4 if you can afford it.

If you go F and R (which I hate) then go coax in the R or midbass only. Leave the 6x9 spots unused.

If you go F only, you can go 300/4 for Mid and tweet, or 300/2 for both (biamping is cool if you can afford it!). Go with the Reference MBQ with the upgraded xover, smooths that tweet out a LOT, which is critical. Why I like soft domes, cause metal tweets tend to be fatiguing after a while...

ou sig

lol, that sounds like a politically correct statement! haha, but speakers (tweeters mainly) do sound very different, that is why you need to take some of your cds you like into the store and listen to them. and be sure to know what amp is powering them so you can get a good idea on how they use the power.

and I have F and R components...sounds great. Cant really even tell the rears are there when you fade them out, probably because the tweeters are down low in the doors.

Plus, now I know my rear passangers dont get screwed w/o any good music haha

Shiffy...good idea on taking your time to do it right... I saved for nearly a year for mine and I am very happy I did because I smile everytime I drive my car now! BTW Kicker amps are very good also, usually cheeper than JL Audio

Shiffy

Alright, thanks for all the help guys....Oh and sorry for hijacking the thread rcz22

jpswanberg

you could try a jl e4300 (45 X 4 listed, 80 X 4 in reality). run it three channel, 80 X 2 for your speakers up front and about 200 X 1 into your sub. built in high/ low crossovers. good sq if the slash amps are too expensive. jps

slo007

I use 150 watts on my W3v2 and it is plenty. 500 is probably overkill unless all you want is BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

ou sig

sealed or ported? 150 will drive it, but more is always better - especially when you want to blast it~~!!

elduderino

PLEASE remember that any power increase less the 2X will NOT result in louder sound. It takes 2X the watts to get 3dB more volume (output), and 3dB more volume is the MINIMUM that humans hear as a volume difference. It can result in different sound, because we hear volume changes which are less than 3dB as tonal changes - so you hearing deeper bass or tighter bass, for example, is certainly possible - but not LOUDER bass.

Buying a bigger amp is the most expensive way to get louder bass. Getting more woofers is usually a better bet (assuming that no stupid impedances are wired up...: )

slo007

Sealed box. It sounds very clean.

ou sig

yup that is a good clean setup.

Tsx536

Great choice on teh subwoofer!!