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e035830

Member - Posts: 4

Joined: August 20, 2004

Location: Canada

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 6:41 AM / IP Logged

Sorry for the mixup! I will try this onece more as I think I found the problem...

Hello All!

This is my first post. My car is a 2003 Toyota Echo sedan. I am slowly upgrading my stereo. Budget is a concern. Currently I have upgraded my stock head unit to a Pioneer DEH-P4500MP and a Pioneer CDX-P1250 CD Changer. I am very happy with the sound quality so far.

I am looking to add a subwoofer/amp to this setup. I am interested in sound quality rather than maximum sound level. How can I tell that an amp or subwoofer is known as a “sound quality” unit instead of a “SPL” system.

I find it very hard to figure out a good brand as it seems that for every person stating that Brand X is great, there is a person stating that the same brand is junk…but I do know to stay away from the Sony Xplod stuff!

Also, I would like to get some opinions from somebody who is not selling me this equipment. I feel that sometimes the salesperson is claiming that Brand X is the best but I am not sure if it is the best of what he sells, not really the best on the market!

What are your thoughts on Subs. A single 12” or 2 10” (trunk space is a concern as I still use the car for real life :) ). My research also suggests a sealed enclosure

I would also like some thoughts on suggested amp power… I was considering about 300 Watts RMS. Some of the amp manufacturers I have looked at and would like some insight to are Rockford Fosgate, Infinity, Precisionpower (maybe out of my price range).

Oh yeah, I like to listen to Rock (Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Boston, Rush, a little Bob Marley etc.).

Any thought are much appreciated!

John

tomos

Copper - Posts: 78

Joined: July 20, 2004

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 7:06 AM / IP Logged

I'm sure other people will do a much better job than I regarding sub/amp selection. But I will say, I listen to a wide variety of music and the more you pay for the sub the better broadness of music it covers. 12" is really good for rock because there is an (un)surprising amount of drum hits and bass guitars that really come alive with some deep bass. Some cheaper subs aren't tight enough to represent the complexities of rock. (IMO)

Sealed box is good idea as generally it gives faster response.

My thoughts on budget sub, JL W3 (I prefer the W3 to the W3v2 - but I think they were phased out) really good, doesn't need a big wodge of power to get going.

What's that flippie??

Francious70

Silver - Posts: 629

Joined: July 26, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 8:43 AM / IP Logged

I tend to agree, for classic rock and application of that nature, you really won't need all that much power to make the music come alive. The JL sub tomos reccomended would be great. You could also check out some stuff from Infinity, Polk, and any other mid-high end sub.

For an amp, probally all you would need is a mono-block amp that pushes less than 500 watts RMS. Try a Fosgate, Phoenix Gold, or even JL's amps.

And yes, Boston rules.

Paul

evanc

Copper - Posts: 148

Joined: June 20, 2004

Location: Virginia, United States

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 8:44 AM / IP Logged

How much is your budget, because the Alpine Type Es are very good budget subs that circuit city carries. They are very good on power, and fairly inexpensive.

tomos

Copper - Posts: 78

Joined: July 20, 2004

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 9:42 AM / IP Logged

OFF TOPIC:

Don't know any Boston, but heard and enjoyed the other stuff. Recommended Boston songs?

What's that flippie??

vdubmk4

Copper - Posts: 175

Joined: August 04, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 11:03 AM / IP Logged

Well, I would definitely go with two tens because they seem to have better response for rock music in my experience. I personally have two 10" Thunder 8000's and the kick arse. Fosgates newer amps are perdy good, Alpine's awesome, but for a fairly decent amp for the money especially if your one a tight budget you might wanna look at MA Audio, they have some pretty good products. Go to the thezeb.com they have great deals.

Fortune: You will continue to take chances, and be glad you did.

tomos

Copper - Posts: 78

Joined: July 20, 2004

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 11:06 AM / IP Logged

10's are punchy, I just thought that for balance between the rest of the speakers a single sub would be better. And a nice 12 would play guitars well.

What's that flippie??

kfr01

Gold - Posts: 2,121

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Joined: April 30, 2003

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 3:17 PM / IP Logged

John,

A single 10" is more than enough for someone looking to add a little bottom end without waking up the neighbors or stealing too much trunk space.

Furthermore, since you've indicated quality is a concern for you I would recommend spending the money you would otherwise spend on 2 subwoofers to pick up a nice 10" driver. Something around 300 watts is more than enough. I only have 200watts on my single 10" sub and it certainly gets louder than I need it to. You'll find others on this site with the same experiences.

Check out subwoofers by Focal, Adire, Boston, Mb Quart, Eclipse, Infinity, Memphis, JL, Image Dynamics, and Diamond for starters.

A nice 300 watt amp would be just fine. For amps check out brands like Alpine, Eclipse, Memphis, JL, Diamond, Xtant, Zapco, MTX, Audison, etc.

Generally, unless you can listen first hand, the best bet for finding SQ subwoofers is to go with companies known for SQ and ask others (like you are) for opinions about particular products.

I picked my Image Dynamics because it had one of the smallest possible enclosure requirements for a 10" driver while still having a reputation for decent sound quality. I was also highly considering an Infinity Perfect driver.

New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

stevdart

Platinum - Posts: 5,816

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This member consistently provides reliable information

Joined: January 24, 2004

Location: Pennsylvania, United States

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 7:57 PM / IP Logged

You've gotten some very good responses here to your topic. But what stopped me right from the start is that you didn't address the idea of replacing the factory speakers. A subwoofer only plays sub frequencies, and the punch of most of your music is provided by the midbass drivers, be they coaxials or component sets. And those, too, should be amplified. I would suggest taking a broader outlook on the upgrade in your car, and look for all of the rest of the system.

Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Big_Josh

Member - Posts: 3

Joined: February 23, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: August 20, 2004 at 8:36 PM / IP Logged

Stevdart couldn't of said it better. Ata kid I'm with you on the changing of the factory soeakers. They are normally paper made and blow really quick. I don't know who makes your speakers, but there are some stock manufactures like Bose, who make decent stock. But anyways.....components are the way to go up front. Here's a link from Crutchfield on your particular vehicle http://www.crutchfield.com/S-d8DXniMKvko/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?c=10&g=76400&s=0&cc=01&avf=Y&search=

But I wouldn't buy from them. I've got some Alpine R components up front with anther set in the rears of my F150. Both sets are being pushed by Fosgate's 400s amp. I've also got 4 Power Series 12's by Fosgate in the extended cab of the truck with a 1000 bd going to each. So as you can tell I'm a Fosgate Fanatic but not too much on their components yet. But basically bro to me it seems like mostly is "What can you afford?" Do you have a champaigne (?)taste on a beer budget? In my opinion if your only going to do one sub, don't do one 10'. I feel you'll be disappointed too fast and want to upgrade to a 12. 12's give you that all around bass that you can hear as well as feel. But hey, I"m not knocking anyone who gave a post, because if you're putting in the time to help this guy out and type out your opinion, what else can you ask for? We're all strangers, but strangers willing to help out another one in need. I do custom installs with fiberglass molded to the body to take up as little of space as possible and can cut down the wood/glass measurements dramatically. So you can still have your life....... ; ) Give me a shout if you want.

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