1999 4-runner 12 setup

Hello,

I'm new here and have been reading through the posts for a while trying to figure out what I want to get and the pros and cons of each type of setup, i.e. 2 average 12's vs 1 nice one, etc, etc. Flame me if you want, but you guys seem very helful and mellow. Constructive criticism is fine with me but I'm looking for specific advice. I'm new to the world of sq and spl type audio, but I did take electric circuits in my pursuit of a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, so I do learn fast about this stuff. I know the theory behind parallel vs. series wiring and the right gauges of wire to allow least resistance (in power wire gagues). I've read alot of people's particular questions about a certain amp and a certain speaker, but I am trying to find a good package with good bass, small footprint, and low cost (under $500), with little practical knowledge for my specific car and music listening habits. I've bought and read the car stereo cookbook, but I'm looking for actual setups that are tried and true.

I've decided that I want a 12" speaker. I'd like a single one if it's good enough, to conserve room in my new car.

I'm willing to spend around $400-$500 to get an amp, sub, box & wiring. I have a nice sony head unit with pre-amp outputs. I want to stick with the stock front speakers (for now) and set the high pass filter so they don't sound (as) crappy. I listen to rap, southern and more modern rock. So I guess I want a well-rounded package, but emphasis on the low/loud bass. I don't want trunk rattlin' garbage, just clean deep rumble, yet punchy rock type bass. The 4runner is pretty big inside so a friend said a bazooka tube or two would not work as well as they do in smaller cars/trucks, and I would be left wanting more. I'd like to be able to tickle my ears with alot of bass, if i wanted to. No windshield breaking or anything that advanced, just good thump.

I've found that bandpass boxes A) are more efficient (can use a "lesser" sub), yet B) can detroy a sub since it filters out the sounds that do distinguish it's improper setup and C) only allows certain frequencies to pass (i.e. a specified (or tuned) bandwidth)

The ported boxes can be tuned also to a certain frequency, don't hide those "critical" sounds, and provide good bass.

the sealed boxes, A) are more "punchy" B) don't resonate as low, and C) require less air volume inside the box (i.e. smaller box).

I've seen on here that someone recommended a Rockford Fosgate RFR3115 15" 1000W RMS (or the RFR3112 - 12") or the HX2 sub with the Rockford Fosgate 1001BD 1000W MRS amp.

Please help me as I am about to break down and buy a "package" from best buy. I want as much info as I can get on specific combinations (box type, sub, and amp) and what they would give me.

Thanks in advance - Brad   -   Melbourne, FL

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Brad, here is the info that you requested, sorry for the delay. The 2000 model 4 runner that I did recently used these components. The customer wanted a good sounding basic system with little to no modifications to the vehicle.

Eclipse cd player bolts directly into the dash, no cut wires or cut dashboards - ISO mounting.

MB Quart DSE216 component speakers for front doors. The tweeter bolts directly into the factory mount, The woofer will bolt into the facory mount as well. The factory woofer mount does need to be modified but can still retain the stock speaker later on. No problem with the window hitting the magnet or the speaker cone hitting the door panel. Speaker wires are easy to run into the doors. Crossovers are mounted inside the vehicle.

MB Quart DKE110 coax speakers for rear doors. Mounted down low, you cannot get a large speaker here without making a custom baffle board. He wanted it simple and this speaker will fit, be it with a 1/4" baffle board to allow the speaker to mount to the factory speaker mount. If larger speakers are desired a new mount will have to be constructed to replace the factory mount.

Eclipse EA3532 5 channel amplifier. 40w x 4 + 120w x1. This proved to be a nice amount of power in this vehicle. It gave more than enough power for this customer to play to a sustained volume and maintain sound quality. I was totally surprised by the output of the single 10" sub that we used.

Eclipse SW6013.4 10" sub. Wow man. We originally tried a Audiobahn and while yes it played bass it just lacked finesse. A simple swap of the sub and OMG did the system come alive. For the box we used the driver side rear wheel well area. We bolted the box down from the inside by removing the anchor tie downs in the front and rear and using a longer bolt to mount the box down. Now the box is nice and secure. Like was mentioned above, I also fibreglassed the rear area of the box due to the curve of the wheel well. The sub was mounted behind the rear wheel well area to allow for the depth of the magnet. All told the box was 12" wide and came up as high as the rollup tonneau cover which still can be used. On the top of the box is where we hid the amp, it was recessed down into the box and a remoeveable trim cover put over it. If the amp gets too hot as it is hidden away, the trim panel can be removed and the amp will cool quite well. The front side of the box is matched to the slope of the seat and here we put two screw on panels, one to hide the bottom mounting bolt to the anchor tie down and the second to allow acces to the gain controls and crossover adjustments. All told though, the nice thing about a sealed box is that you are almost always guaranteed to get respectable sound. I could have installed a 12" sub here but after listening to the 10", it proved more than enough.

thank you very much guys... I'm sure I'll get addicted soon enough... see ya

one last qusetion I am unsure of. Aside from wiring setup flexibility (parallel vs series), what is the advantage of DVC vs single ones. Does the 2-coils produce more powerful sound or clearer frequencies or etc???