I am trying to come up with a quality sub and amp combo that will fit in my budget. I found a place that will sell me a Hifonics Z400 for $159 and a JL Audio 10w6 for $165. Im planning on buying a truck style box and laying it under the carpet flat against the back wall of the car. Ill then cut a hole through the carpet so the woofer can poke out. Ill then slap on a metal grill. My freinds Mom is a upholsterist so she help me with that. What do you guys think? This is probably my 4th idea on the subwoofer location. I was going to fiberglass the pasenger side compartment but have decided against it because of too many conflicting opinions about how it will sound and what it will do to my car in the long run. Does anyone know of a better amp and sub combo for roughly the same price?

 

I'd look at an Image Dynamics IDQ sub. The JL W6 subs are 6 ohm subs. The 6.2 are 4 ohm. The 6 was made to work in sets of three. You will have a wierd amount of resistance going to the amp with just one. http://www.sounddomain.com should give you an idea of the cost for the sub.
As for the enclosure, make a box from 3/4" MDF. Put the box on top of the carpet and don't cut the carpet. Cover the outside of the box with carpet that matches. You won't ruin your carpets and it will look much cleaner and be easier to do. No sewing involved. You just cut the carpet to fit and attach it to the box with scotchguard spray glue. If the box does not fill the compartment, put a couple of screws through it to the rear bulkhead to hold it in place. Remove the woofer and screw from the inside of the box through the back. Then put the woofer back in. Very simple to make a box that is better than a prefab truck box as you will be making one that fits your car. Just make sure you seal it tightly, its solid, and has the right amount of internal volume for the sub, usually around 1 cubic foot for a 12". Amp is pretty good for the price.
Location, I'd build the box so it sits in the far rear center of the cargo area between the speaker locations. You could also do far front and center. The storage would sound fine if you are able to seal it properly. http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/IDSIDQ12D4V2 is the sub I would use unless you want a 10". http://www.mobileaudio.com has a good section in the FAQ on how to build boxes for subs.


[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 1:45 PM 11/20/2002]

 

Your right about the Ohm not being compatible with the amp I got, I talked to the guy at the stereo shop and he made me a deal on the Fosgate HE2 10" for $109. I looked at Crutchfield and they wanted $179 for that one, soundomain doesnt carry Fosgates. We also talked about the sub enclosure, how do you think the bass will be coming from the back left corner of the car with the woofer facing up?

 

how do you figure? a JLw6 is can be wired to 3 or 12 ohms, a stable 2ch amp will play a 3ohm sub just fine. a friend of mine is running a phoenix gold xs2500 on a 12w6 and it's slamming pretty hard. it's also perfect for a mono sub amp such as rockford, mtx, phoenix gold and JL make. also the old series W6 are on closeout from JL, keep your eyes peeled 10w6's will be $100-120 new. my local FULL RETAIL store has them for $139 right now. sub technology is moving into metal cones very quickly. also into incredible x-max travel, the JL w7, phoenix gold ti elite and eclipse ti series have set a new standard. the eclipse aluminum and alumapro alchemy subs are also very very VERY good in the affordable class. just today i bought a eclipse 8102.4 aluminum 10" sub off ebay with very light use for $102.50, retail on that is $300-349


[Modified by gtsyellow, 7:25 PM 11/20/2002]

 

Most times you want to try to match the ohm rating of the amp to the sub to avoid stress to either. I realize you can wire from 3-12ohm and most amps can be bridged down to 2 ohms. But if this amp can't go down to 2 ohms and he wires it at 3, he'll fry the amp. Conversely, if he wires it at 12, he'll have no sound. If he decides he want's a pair of 12s, he could go 6, or 1.5. He'd have to go 6, which again kills power. Most amps can't handle 1.5. Its just not as flexible as starting at 4 to begin with.
In regards to the other woofer, skip it. Its not in the same league. I'd ask about a 12w3 instead or look seriously at the IDQ in 10" as its only $150 and would crush all woofers you have been considering so far.
As to position, bass is supposed to be non-directional so you can really place it anywhere you want. That being said, I still prefer to have it centered. Maybe its an unconsious and unfounded thought but I don't like it offset personally. Also, make sure you aren't blocking either of the rear speakers if you put it rear on a side.
As for setting the standard for subs, I would have to agree that the JL W7 is one of the best. I'd put the Image Dynamics IDMAX and the Kicker L7 up there with it. I haven't heard the Phoenix Gold so i can't comment. As to most woofers going to metal, I don't think this will be the ultimate end. The real high end woofs are not metal. Many audiophiles criticize the aluminum woofers as sounding tinny. I think that the real future for cones is composites like kevlar. Hope this helps.

P.S. There is a good section on wiring subs, amps, etc. including wiring in parallel, series, changing resistance, bridging, etc. and all the possible consequenses at the following link: http://www.mobileaudio.com/rac-faq/


[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 10:57 PM 11/20/2002]

 

Ditto what 92TB said in the above post. First off, as an audiophile, I don't like the metal subs and I too agree the composite materials are the next phase of speaker cone technology. However, I digress. As for sub and placement, I too would recommend you look into the IDQ 12. For the price it is better than the subs you have mentioned so far. I would build a 3/4" MDF sealed enclosure (don't waste your money on cheesy truck boxes) carpet it with black interior carpet from AutoZone or Lowe's and place it in the rear center of the hatch area firing up into the hatch glass.
:cheers:

 

Well I guess fortuantely for me the amp I ordered was out of stock so consiquently they cancelled my whole order. So I will take your guys advice and go for the IQ sub, eithr 10 or a 12". I dont wantthe box to be too big so Ill probably go with the 10". As for the amp, I need to find something quality for less than 200. Any Idea on a amp now? Here are some prices I found in sounddomain.com, not bad actually:

Image Dynamics IDQ12 D4 V.2 Subwoofer
IDQ Series 12-inch Dual Voice Coil 4 ohms $199.95

This comes free when I buy the IQ sub! Dynamic Control Trunk Kit Damping Accessory
Trunk Kit - 5 sheets 20 sq. ft.

HiFonics Zeus Z4000 2-Channel Amp
200W 2-Channel $179.95

Subtotal: $380.90

Does anyone have a coupon code for Sounddomain?


[Modified by mozot, 5:23 AM 11/21/2002]

 

I was reading a thread about how back speakers are not a good idea for sound quality. So what if I delete my back coaxials, wire my my Lighting Audio 400.4 amp to three ways and have one 12" IQ sub in the back. Am I tralking crazy now :crazy: My front DB 5 1/4 Polk Components would get 75 watts each and the back subwoofer would see a 200 watt 2 ohm. Would that sound good?


[Modified by mozot, 6:12 AM 11/21/2002]

 

Yes, bi-amp the front 3-way components and have that single IDQ12 in the back in a sealed enclosure firing up to the hatch glass. Sounds like a good setup. :cheers:

 

Will I still be able to fade my sub in a 3 way setup?


[Modified by mozot, 6:37 AM 11/21/2002]

 

you can still fade the sub with gain controls even if your deck doesn't have the feature. sounds like your've made a good choice with the sub, i had the feeling things were going to composites 2yrs ago & then the metal craze hit, who knows, it might turn around. the old hifonics stuff had a decent power supply, i have no idea on the new stuff but all a sub amp has to do is have a big power supply and a decent output stage. mtx & rockford have 100x1 and 200x1 mono amps on ebay for similar money to what your considering spending. the older model phoneix gold xs amps are a sweet deal as well, i bought one {xs2300} in mint condition for $100 used. 2x75 at 4ohms or 300x1 at 4. if your trying to save money there's no reason to buy new really, if you decide to buy new some of the ebay wholesalers have very good deals. a fosgate 2ch or mono amp could probably be had for the same as the hifonics.

 

Where does Hifonics stand on the amp totem pole? Is Alpine a better choice since I have an Alpine cd player.

 

Skulk around at local stereo shops also. They often have deals on leftovers, discontinued models, demos, or lines they no longer carry. You can often pick up equipment for under cost.

 

I loked in the newspaper today and the place where I usually go has a Hifonics Son of Thor amp for $99. 220 watts, is that enough to power that ID 12" woofer?

 

I don't know the model but that would be on the low side for a 12", and about right for the 10" if its rated at 4 ohm.

 

Sorry, I was wrong it would be 220W X 1 @ 4 OHM for the or I could get a Orion Cobalt 260W X 1 @ 4 OHM for $124. Would these be able to do the trick for the ID 10".

 

:yesnod:

 

Great, I will be ordering the ID 10" and the Cobalt. Ill post pics when I get them installed, thanks for all your help.

 

Got my car back last night, now the car bumps :cool: :yesnod: :thumbs: Ill post pics of the subwoofer box the audio shop built for me soon.