Subwoofer Brands

OK, here I am back on the subject of subwoofers and after looking hard at several models I have found that for me there isn't much difference between Brand "A" and Brand "B", so I would like to enlist your help to determine what is actually good and what is nothing more than a line of BS. So, with that said may I ask of you to give me your thoughts, based upon facts and experience of the models/brands of subwoofers that not only will sound good, but will last long enough for me to get my money's worth. What brands should I stay away from and what brands are well worth every penny? Does anyone have anything positive to say about the non-mainstream brands such as Vidsonix? Is it crap or is solid stuff?

All that I am looking to do is to add one (1) single sub, either a 10" or a 12", to round out my system. I'm no bass-head, but rather enjoy overall SQ, so component quality is very important to me. However, I find myself in unchartered waters here and need your help.

As always, I thank you for your time and input.

Kind Regards,

Razorbacx

my rule is stick with brands you've at least heard of before...there is a reason you've heard of them...

if you're looking at an amp and the brand name is HungWow  or something...i'd avoid it

Sweekster wrote:

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Stay away from anything named Boss, Pyle, Pyramid, Lanzar, Legacy...I could go on.

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Aren't those really "HungWow?" 

kgerry, that isnt always the case,but usually is.

Adire Audio- www.adireaudio.com and Elemental designs- https://edesignaudio.com/ are inexpensive subs, and are high quality.  I recommend these two brands. 

From adire audio i suggest the Shiva. its a good all around sub, and for 125 it wont hurt the wallet.
From Ed, The old K series is going for 65$, and the new is $125

true Maxst, but i was giving a guide to audio virgins.... there are probably people out there that have never "heard" of Eclipse or JL ..... but more often than not when choosing between a brand you've never heard of and one you have... it's best to go with the product you've heard of.... there will always be exceptions to every rule....

like a newie shopping and buying Sony because it's a brand name he/she has heard of.... this newbie unfortunately doesnt know that the reason Sony calls their amp line Xplode is because that's what they do.......

To answer forbidden's question:

1996 Honda Accord EX 4 dr sedan (I don't generally drive with my sunroof open, but I do like the windows down...fresh air!). I listen to modern rock (Seether, Colorfade, Smile Empty Soul, Audioslave and so on.

And now for my system......Pioneer Premeir DEH-P550MP (3 RCA's including a sub pre-out)

US Acoustics 4050 amp (4x50 wrms)

JBL GTO635's in the front and MB Quart DKC169's in the rear. I'm going to change out my JBL's to a pair of Quarts later this summer...just love MB QUARTS!

I have a spare amp (Coustic 161SE) sitting around that I was planning to use to power my Sub. I know that it's not the amp of choice, but bridged and pushing only one sub (10" or 12"), it should do the job until I can replace that later.

I appreciate the advice thusfar, however, I would appreciate a little more regarding brands. I know the basic brands to stay away from (Pyramid? Come on...LOL!). It's just in my search here on the internet and the few subs that I have been able to actually hear the choices are literally endless. Do I need to go with a DVC or SVC? Would you recommend a sealed enclosure or bandpass? Will a 10" do the job or should I consider a 12"? I'm really not a newbie to the game, only when it comes to subs do I tend to scratch my head. Anyway, once again I appreciate your time and valuable advice.

Kind Regards,

Razorbacx

And since I'm on this subject I need a little install advice as well. I am planning on relocating my US Acoustics amp to the trunk along with the sub and Coustic Amp (current location is under the front passenger seat). I know to run 4 ga from the battery to a 4/8 Dist Block to which I'll run both Power leads from the amps to. Do I need to run my grounds to one central location or run them to separate sides of the car? Also, how do I get my Power Leads into the trunk? I know that I can pull the carpet up all the way to my back seat, but from there where do I go? Do I need to remove a side panel? Please help!!!!!

Thanks,

Razorbacx 

Your Coustic amp would power a single sub rated from 125-200watts RMS, bridged at 4 ohms.  Consider a SVC 4 ohm, to wire for a 4 ohm load.  For a single sub and your car type, I would go the 12" route in a sealed box.  You should get some good cabin gain from that trunk.  Personally, I like the Cerwin-Vega sub for a situation like you have (mostly because I use one in my family car...)and it does well with that kind of wattage.  Priced comparably with the Coustic amp.

For the install, you should remove the back seat bottom to send the wires to the trunk.  Grounds have to be a short length of wire, less than 2 feet, so ground to chassis metal accordingly.

MAXST] wrote:

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p>kgerry, that isnt always the case,but usually is.

Adire Audio- www.adireaudio.com and Elemental designs- https://edesignaudio.com/ are inexpensive subs, and are high quality.  I recommend these two brands. 

From adire audio i suggest the Shiva. its a good all around sub, and for 125 it wont hurt the wallet.
From Ed, The old K series is going for 65$, and the new is $125

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Hey thanks Maxst.  We appreciate the support.

Steven Kephart

Adire Audio

Remove the back seat bottom? I've taken a look at it and not sure how in the world I am going to be able to do that. Do you have any recommendations at how I may do this? Also, should the Ground Leads terminate at the same location or should I terminate them at separate sides of the car?

Thanks again for all your help!

Regards,

Razorbacx

Thanks cutomsuburb! Your advice is well appreciated.

I guess at this point I'll just have to wrestle with the back seat until I figure out how in the world I am going to manage to pull that thing off...LOL!

Thanks again for all your help!

Razorbacx

razorbacx wrote:

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Thanks cutomsuburb! Your advice is well appreciated.

I guess at this point I'll just have to wrestle with the back seat until I figure out how in the world I am going to manage to pull that thing off...LOL!

Thanks again for all your help!

Razorbacx

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Before removing the seat though try to remove any trim panels that go right up next to the seat and see if you can run the wire under it and into the trunk.