Amp and sub advice needed
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=56766
Printed Date: May 10, 2024 at 11:50 AM
Topic: Amp and sub advice needed
Posted By: sundownernz
Subject: Amp and sub advice needed
Date Posted: May 31, 2005 at 8:51 PM
Hi all, My daughter has decided that more base is needed in my van, so after plenty of ear bending I have decided to take the plunge during some interior mods and install a sub. I spoke to an audio shop and they have sugested that a 10" sub would suit best (12" being to boomy in the large interior) and a 4 channel amp to drive the rear speakers and the sub. The current setup works fine and I'm not after huge base, just an improvement on the current system. I thought I would consult the experts here for some feedback. I have in the van at present the following: DEH-P3550MP Pioneer deck, 2 x TS-A6957 6x9 Pioneer's (180 watt) front plus 2 tweeters, 2 x TS-A6960E 6x9 Pioneers (240 watt) rear. Have been recommended a Sony XS-L102P5 10" sub and an Infinity 7540A amp. The sub would be fitted at the rear between the two rear seats in a custom box. My questions are: Should I go with the 4 channel amp and drive the rear speakers and the sub or go for a smaller amp to drive the sub alone. Would the sub box be better as a closed housing or should I make it ported. Is the speaker combination a good setup (6x9's front and rear) or would another setup work better. I bought the 240 watts and then was given the 180 watts the following week so used them. Many thanks and look forward to you input.
Replies:
Posted By: saterdaynight
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 3:01 AM
looks like what you have is a pretty good start, i think as it sits, your speakers and so forth are good.
i think you should buy a decent 4 chanel amp for the speakers and anouther single chanel (mono chanel) amp for the sub. this will give best results.... or at least set it up as such, if you already have a sutable amp for eather bit.
im personaly not a fan of sony stuff but that is prefrence. infinity makes an excelent amp though.
if you would like a list of recomended equipment this would be it.
4 chanel amp. look at jbl, alpine, kicker, fosgate, poweracoustik, kenwood... ummm.. there are lots of good ones. personaly, for you i think the power acoustik would be most cost effective and quality for the money, ive used there amps before and been very happy with them.
for sub amp. fosgate and power acoustik are probably the best per price, again, pa being a little cheaper. ive seen pa for sale in best buy and circuit city at very reasonable prices, i dont know what your local dealers have, but check them out. also, mtx makes a good sub amp
for sub... a 10 will give a little better responce, and a 12 will be a little deeper in frequency and a bit more loud. i have lestened to identical model fosgate subs, he2 10 and he2 12 in same car and that was my take. i like fosgate and audiobahn subs, i think they are the best, JL audio is good also, but expensive, kicker is decent, pioneer has some new stuff but i havent herd it so i couldnt tell you if it is good. eclipse is very very good, im not shure how much they are though, the titainium models i demoed were fantastic but very pricey.
alpine type R is very good at reasonable price, my top 3 pick would be fosgate, audiobahn, and alpine.
anyway, the 10 12 thing... its your choice, i dont think a 12 will over power your van nor do i think you will notice a bit difference in response. rember that sound is vibration of air at a certian frequency so the larger the surface area of your vibrator, the more air it will vibrate. a 12 will probably give you more bang for the buck.
just my 2 cents
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speed is my drug of choice, let me drive...
Posted By: dwarren
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 3:20 AM
eww, sony stay away from that! And audiobahn for that matter, two of the most despised brands on this forum, generally speaking. Extra set of tweeters up front will cause cancellation from the 6x9's. That is a low blow from that shop. That is a waste of money without a doubt. 6x9's up front are ok, but the putting a nice component system up front would be much more satisfying. Most importantly you need to demo the gear first and make your choices based on what you like and how it sounds not based on peak power ratings! -------------
Posted By: spl144
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 1:21 PM
i would go with a compnat set up front and use to amp like already recommended as far as the sub i dont think sony is th e way to go i would go with rockford fosgate or sound stream has great subs amps and components for great prices the components are these then half the cost this is the number to woodland eletroincs best prices i have ever seen 19 brands same day shiping 1-218-390-3334 jim is the guy to talk to
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Posted By: TruckSystem
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 1:26 PM
I personally think that componants would sound much better as well. If you are satisfied with your current highs and setup however then a small monoblock amp and one 10" subwoofer will add the bass your looking for. As far as a brand recommendation, it depends on what you can get locally and pay a bit more up front, are you willing to buy online at the risk of warrenty being more difficult to use if needed but paying less, and what your budget is.
And yea, stay away from Sony and Audiobahn.
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2003 Chevrolet Silverado Standard Cab ~ Alpine CDA-9851
Diamond Audio D3600.1 ~ 2x Diamond Audio TM310D4
Diamond Audio D3400.4 ~ Diamond Audio Hex S600s
AstroStart RS5204 Remote Start/Alarm
Posted By: sundownernz
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 3:36 PM
Hi Guy's, Thanks for the advice. I've also heard that Sony Xplod are more like Sony EXPLODE but just thought I'd confirm that. I think I'll steer clear of Sony and look at other brands you've recommended. Can you explain exactly what you mean by components for use up front. I guess this is something like seperate base, mid and high end speakers as opposed to the 6x9 3 way. Is this correct. I'm pushed for room up front with the current layout which is why I put the 6x9 pair up front. However with the rebuild I'm looking at I could definately look at changing the layout to give me room for seperate speakers. Many thanks, Garry.
Posted By: TruckSystem
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 3:49 PM
That is what is ment yes, you can go with a two way or three way componant set, depending on space and budget. Splitting the signal to seperate speakers lets you use a crossover to keep drivers playing in the ranges they play in best and cause less destortion.
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2003 Chevrolet Silverado Standard Cab ~ Alpine CDA-9851
Diamond Audio D3600.1 ~ 2x Diamond Audio TM310D4
Diamond Audio D3400.4 ~ Diamond Audio Hex S600s
AstroStart RS5204 Remote Start/Alarm
Posted By: sundownernz
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 4:02 PM
Many thanks Trucksystem. I'll look at going the component way. I can always use the spare 6x9 pair in the rear of the misses car as her rear speakers are getting a bit stuffed. Cheers.
Posted By: dwarren
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 4:03 PM
A 6.5" component set up would be great up front, adapters are available for a conversion from 6x9's to 6.5"s
Usually components come with a x-over.
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Posted By: sundownernz
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 4:21 PM
Thanks dwarren. Not too worried about adapters at this stage as I'll resite the components with the new layout so the existing holes will end up being filled. The 6x9's are mounted into an overhead console but I'll probably install the components down lower into the dash area. All the van interior and front area is custom made not no problem in chopping anything up. Another question. With going down the component track I guess the front set will still be driven off the deck unit, and the original idea of adding a seperate sub driven off an amp still holds good? Cheers.
Posted By: dwarren
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 4:32 PM
Good yes, but I am sure you will want to upgrade eventually to a four channel amp. You will be severely limited by the deck power.
My suggestion is to install a four channel amp and a dedicated sub amp or a five channel amp.
Also some four channel amps have the capability to bridge the third and fourth channel for a sub. With this setup you will have some flexibility for future upgrades. However you will temporarily run the rear 6x9s off the deck.
I am not sure where you stand right now as far as what you expect from this system, is it a budget system that needs to sound ok or what?
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Posted By: sundownernz
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 8:21 PM
Sounds good. I like the idea of a 4 channel amp and a seperate single channel for the sub. As you say it allows for future flexibility and should give good results. And I can do it in stages, using this as the plan to aim at. As I mentioned at the start of this, the system sounds OK at present but as my teenage daughter has pointed out it could do with a better base sound, and I tend to agree with her. What is it with kids and huge base. So we compromised on a base improvement but not going overboard. I guess I'm just reluctant to spend big dollars on sounds when I would prefer to upgrade the onboard entertainment system from a 10" TV to a 17" LCD. I can probably get a good deal on some components and an amp or 2 so maybe able to do the whole deal including the LCD as well. Will keep you posted on how it all goes and many thanks for your help. Cheers.
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