Adding bass to 2002 Neon

I have a 2002 Neon with a Pioneer DEH-P760MP and 6 Infinity reference. The car sounds really nice but it needs some bass on it. I would like to add a small subwoofer but I've heard the stereo would't support it so I'm thinking on buying a small amp and of course a subwoofer. I plan to run only the subwoofer through the amp so I guess a 2 channel amp would do the job.

Would that be a good a idea? I saw a few Pioneer amps that eventhough I know they're not the greatest are very inexpensive. What would you recommend me to do? how many watts do the amp and the woofer need to be to accomplish this?

willdkartunes wrote:

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Well you pretty much left this one wide open for ideas. Since that isn't the biggest car in the world I'm guessing that your just going with one subwoofer? Pioneer is nice, but I would go with my favorite....Orion. They make a lot of different series subwoofers at very affordable prices. Not only are their subs top-notch and reliable, but I can say the same for their amplifiers too! Basically the decision is yours as far as the sub size. I would go with one 10" Orion P series and an Orion 600watt mono d amp. The sub would be about $100 and the amp would be $250. This would be one nice hitting ten! Not sure as to where your trying to go with your bass as you just stated 'bass' in general. If that's too pricey for you, you can always go down to the C series sub with a smaller amp...

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Hey thanks a lot for your response. I read about Orion and they have a pretty good reputation. All i want is add a little base to my current setup, nothing fancy and hopefully inexpensive. Now that you mentioned is it better to get a mono amp or a 2 channels one?

Thanks for your replies guys. What size would you recommend me to get and how many watts do I need? like I said before I just want to add some bass nothing fancy at all.

More questions and advice at the same time. We need to get a better idea of what you are after. The biger you go on the back end (sub), the better the chance that you will imbalance the rest of the system (as in make it bass heavy). Keep everything in check. The most important thing to consider here in a sub system is the box. If you are going to go the prefab route, a single 10" or single 12" driver is more than enough to play to a respectable volume level and sound decent as well. IMO, a sealed box will do for the most of us, exactly what we need it to do, play our music clean, clear and take up not much room. It is a nice complement to a system rather than an overwhelming brother in the system.

If you want to do it right, have the box built for the sub that you choose, this will ensure that the system will do what it needs to do to the best of it's abilities. Once you have chosen the sub, then and only then should you choose a amp. If it is a good tonally balanced system that you are after, a sub that works in a small sealed box, up to 1.25 cu.ft is what you should be after. Remember that when you look at a spec for a sub, they generally list the smallest sealed enclosure rather than the best size sealed enclosure. Eclipse of course as I have preached for years about make a great sub that works in a small sealed box that has a highly predictable outcome. Look at the SW6103 series or the 12" version if you like as well. Both subs are available in single and dual voice coil. Once you choose a voicecoil arrangement, this will tell you to look for a 2 channel amp (single coil) or a mono amp (dual coil). So do some reading on subs first, then answer the questions as to how much space you want to give up, how loud you are after, do you want it to sound good etc., then we can zero in and help you find what you need.

that combo would work...but if i remember about that pioneer amp it isn't the most powerful. personally, where you already have the infinity system i'd look into the infinity brand of subs, there stuff has a good rep for having SQ...there not the loudest but you did say you wanted to add a little amount of bass.  i'd an infinity reference 1242W (12" sub with dual 4 ohm voice coils) and run off a infinity 311A amp. it will be a very basic setup and add that little extra bass your looking for without burning a huge hole in your pocket. i sell the 1242W for around $150 cdn. and the 311A amp $350 cdn.  the price's will differ for each location. but it's a start

If that's what you want and can afford then go with the Pioneer setup.

This is a statement that everyone could relate too:

There are tons of brands out their that claim they are better at this and that... The truth is there are only three groups of brands: great, average, and terrible. Everyone has their favorites that they stick by (mine being Orion) simply because they have either bought lots of their products and had great experience with them, or someone you know or trust has introduced you to a particular brand. There is nothing wrong with wanting your own individual preference. Everyone has a different "ear" for stereo systems.

This is why there is only good, average, and bad brands: Some people listen to $100 6.5" speakers and don't think there is a considerable difference between the $300 6.5" speakers that they just heard earlier! Then again some people can tell the difference.... bottom line, its all in your preference and budget. Buy something that you like and can afford! But if your going to buy something, then buy from the great or average category! Obviously not everyone can afford from the great category so that's why the average category is there!! Simply stay away from the terrible category!

By the way these categories are completely different for everyone. What I might think is in the terrible category could be in someones great category. (god I hope not!) Anyway, the bottom line is buy what you think is great if you can afford it. If not then buy what you think is average. There is no need to argue over what brand is better than this one or is this brand the best brand type of crap!!! There is no BEST brand! So buy what *you* like, period!