Is this a good sub/amp combo ?

[Doobie1]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7013064&type=product&cmp=++&id=1099393037143

[TechHeavy]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7013064&type=product&cmp=++&id=1099393037143
I'd better leave this to our resident car-audio pros, (seriously... we have some) but it looks like a sweet deal to me. I'm a believer in Sony audio.

[Rider90]

Keep in mind: A box and an install kit including the wiring, postive, ground, RCA cables, and probably a signal exchanger that splices into your back speakers - thats about $28. The box I'm not sure about, and the wire kits run from $50-$80. Thats stuff I didn't think of when I put subs in my crown vic. I had two 12" Fosgates with one 2 channel amp..I forget the output, but I have since upgraded :D

[merc]

The short version is NO WAY, the long version is you can find better equipment for less.

[Doobie1]

The short version is NO WAY, the long version is you can find better equipment for less.
Whats the best as fars as subs & amps!!

[Rider90]

Whats the best as fars as subs & amps!!
IMHO JL Audio, but this question has as many answers as "What oil is the best?" or "Which supercharger is the best?" so everyone has their own idea of what ranks the highest.

[ckadiddle]

What audio equipment is best is - What sounds the best to your ears ? Audition many differnt systems at the stores while taking notes in a notebook. Then decide which best fits what you like best vs. the size of your wallet.

[Fourth Horseman]

...snip... a signal exchanger that splices into your back speakers ...snip...

Can't you use the same signal that's going to the stock sub and just route that to your new amp?

[twolow]

Depends if its a low level signal or high level which the installer could test but the time spent testing it and the installer could already be done tapping into the rear speaker leads and be moving on to the next part of the project.

[LVMarauder]

I have one MTX 10" powered off the stock amp and it sounds pretty good. nothing extravagent and u cant feel it more 15 feet out side the car but its nice. Just went to circuit city with rich ( rich_fl ) and picked up the box and sub, total cost was $89 a set. we went to our cars, and hooked it up right there.

[LimoMerc]

I too am a fan of JL Audio and if you want to mantain trunk space get one of their 8 inch free air subs and put it where our stock sub goes after you make a baffle and dyno mat the area and try using your stock amp to run it at first. Get rid of the black plastic thing the stock sub is in because the free air sub uses your trunk as its box. I have this setup in my 01 Town Car and it suits my needs. I got my 8 inch JL for $99 bucks new and is your creative with the dremel you could put a bigger one there. Good luck and good job on looking before you leap.

P.S. I have picture of my self install

[Rider90]

Can't you use the same signal that's going to the stock sub and just route that to your new amp?
Yes. It is a small black box that converts the signal from the + left, - left, + right, and - right signal into two RCA cables that hook up directly to your amplifier.

[Rider90]

Doobie1, one of the most valuable things you can learn is that you get what you pay for. My first system was 2 12" fosgates with an amp, totaled to about $500. It was nice at lower volumes, produced a pretty good amount of bass, but at higher levels the bass would fade away and it would just be my speakers blaring. After that experience I saved up my money much longer with my eyes on the JL Audio 12w7 and the 1000 watt amp. I wanted two of each, to be very extreme, but I didn't have that much nor could I afford to blow that much away on the stereo. Finally bought it, got a box, installed it myself, and this is quite a setup. Seat shaking bass at any volume and deep thumps that you can feel anytime with any music.

So it is all your preference, I'd say either try Bestbuy or Tweeter (Tweeter for higher end stuff) and just go in there, let them know you are looking, and hear demos of different combos. If it is Tweeter, get his business card to make him feel better. Its your money man, saving up involves a lot of patience that I never had when I was younger...

[rookie1]

Sony used to be good mid fi car audio but their quality and dependability has gone in the toilet recently. JL Audio is a good choice both in subs and amps.
If you want to build a box that houses 2 woofers and run some power into them, Hifonics is an excellent choice in ampplifiers for the budget conscious as is MTX and Planet Audio. 2 4ohm subwoofers wired in parallel presents a 2 ohm load to the amp. Sony as a rule does not hold up well to this type of load. Once you've made a decision always check Ebay for prices.

Yes, using a line out converter you can use the sub speaker outputs to power the amp.

[STLR FN]

Has anyone tried this Pioneer Mid bass out in replacement of our sub?

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4065_34604_tab=B,00.ht ml?compName=PNA_ProductDetailC omponent


http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/vgn/images/portal/cit_3442/34604TS-M7PRS.jpg

Features


Kevlar Laminated Cellulose Cone <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>

Butyl Rubber Symmetrical Balanced Surround <O:P></O:P>

Designed for optimum performance in small sealed enclosures (0.175 cubic feet)

91 dB Efficiency (1W/1m) <O:P></O:P>

200/60 Power Handling (Peak/RMS) <O:P></O:P>

28Hz-10kHz Frequency Response

[Breadfan]

Depends if its a low level signal or high level which the installer could test but the time spent testing it and the installer could already be done tapping into the rear speaker leads and be moving on to the next part of the project.

The input to the amp for our factory sub is a low level.

The leads going to the rear speakers have their bass choked - the full bass signal is sent to the sub/amp combo.

So, use the lead going to the sub/amp combo. I simply bought a really nice RCA cable, stripped one end, and soldered it on. Then used a really nice fosgate RCA splitter into my Basslink.

I did try a line converter on the rear speakers, but my bass was almost non-existant.

The basslink is a fairly good all in one, but IMO it fades out too quick when the volume gets high. Nice at low to mid volume though. Eventually I will upgrade...

BTW, might wanna visit this site: http://www.ikesound.com

[magindat]

I have read posts saying the sub is low-level, the sub signal is 'chopped-up', etc.

The skinny is....

The mids/highs are crossed over inside stock the radio. So, If you change the stock radio, you must do something to block the bass to the 4 cabin speakers. I am a Pioneer guy, so i can tell you most decent Pioneer radios have this function built in.

As for the sub. The factory sub signal is balanced mono. This means it is a summed subwoofer signal and DOES NOT have a ground. If you meter the wires that feed the sub you will find 4.5-5 volts BETWEEN them, but nothing to ground.

Most amps (including the basslink) take a standard RCA signal. Standard RCA is voltage on the pin and ground on the jacket. The jacket part of the plug is also grounded inside the amp (a common reason for noise). If you simply splice in an RCA, you only get half the signal since you dumped the other half to ground.

The real answer to upgrade the stock amp/woofer keeping a factory deck is to either get an amp that accepts balalnced inputs (it will say so) or use a processor like and Audio Control Overdrive that accepts balanced inputs AND adds more voltage to tthe signal. A device like the OD will allow balanced in and unbalanced out, thus feeding a common off-the-shelf amp and sub. It would also give you control of the signal for bass volume to your liking. The signal id already crossed over for low only, so you don't need to add an electronic crossover, although you may want an amp that has one built in for the future. Read on.

Phoenix gold used to (might still) make a similar device and I think JL has one, too. In the car audio industry, balanced signal has kind-of fallen out of fashion, but it's still available if you look.

Of course, if you replace the factory radio, run a set of RCA's to the back. The good news is that if you do the sub first and have used an Overdrive, you can STILL use it witht the new radio. Just flip the switch to unbalanced in unbalanced out and you still have a 'preamp' to you amplifier. Further, most amps that will take a balanced input will also take an unbalanced input, but will either have a switch or will instruct you to not allow the amp chassis to touch ground. Now, unless the new radio offers a sub out, you'll be needing that built-in crossover in your amp.

I truly hope this helps with the subwoofer mystery.
RW

[jawz101]

my .02
Your subs aren't going to produce anything good w/o a custom box mounted under the back deck. I had 2 10" orion's I had professionally installed up there. They took the spare and threw it down in the floor. I'll post pics. Clean install.

The link was broken to what you had posted but I'd recommend at least going to a custom stereo shop and seeing what type of enclosures they recommend. I've had 2 boxes in my Marauder but the only way I could get any sound out of it was springing for a ported box up on the deck.

As for choppiness the aftermkt decks do help. I threw in an old sony deck that was 350+ bucks in it's time but now ebays for around $40. It made a world of difference in sound.

[jawz101]

my setup ........ (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23974)

[SID210SA]

I had 2 12" Orion subs in the trunk of my Taurus with a Pro Audio 350 watt amp in a box..My friend had th same amp and one Orion 12" sub in a ported box and his hit so much harder than mine...just my :twocents: .