Car stereo help

leckett1

leckett1

Active member
Ok firstly I tried to find the car stereo cult and I couldn't find it. I have an amp in my car and speakers (not sure on the stats because they were in it when I got my car) and I was looking into a decent set of subwoofers. The sound in my car is very flat and doesn't really pump much base at all. I listen to heavy metal 99% of the time, and from my quick research I found that 10" would be my best bet size wise. Now since I'm a noob with this stuff, I just need some expert opinion on this. I read that 8" just isn't great, 10" is quick and snappy (good for rock music), and 12"+ is generally for thumping rap music.

Now I also have an equalizer in my car which is directly hooked up to the amp. Am I able to hook up subwoofers through my equalizer or do I have to connect them directly to my amp? Sorry there are probably a couple threads on this but I just need some quick advice. Thanks in advance!
 
We need more specs.

What's your H/u?

Are there specific RCA outputs for subs from your EQ?>

Do you have an amp for your sub yet.. or just for speakers?

And MOST importantly, what's your budget? I'd strongly suggest 500$ and +
 
Do I need a seperate amp for subwoofers? I'm not sure exactly on all those specs I will try to get them up tonight when i get home. Also my budget isn't an issue I have lots of money saved up. But thanks for your help
 
Yes...if you have subs without an amp, they will sound like shit. Since you're going with a 10" and a single channel amp you will be able to get a fairly good price for it, I personally love alpine, and all of my stereo components are made by them.

My ideal setup would be something like this:

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=14952

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=16412

A good amp is really important, it is what will make your sub sound so nice. As you can see, this sub is 400W RMS at 4 Ohms and 600W RMS at 2 Ohm. If you have a Dual Voice Coil 4 Ohm sub, like the one I linked, you can wire it down to 2 Ohm resistance, giving it 600W RMS.

Wiring diagram:

http://www.crutchfield.com/learningcenter/car/subwoofers_wiring.html?imageID=1DVC%5F4%2Dohm%5Fmono

 
you hook up your subs to the amp and then the amp to the head unit. 

As for music quality, you just need a balance between highs and lows.  You can run 12's and have your metal sound bad ass as long as you have the highs to back it up.  
 
I'll second this post.

Alpine tends to make decent souding stuff, for moderately inexpensive.

Again though, it's all in your budget. You said you have a lot of money saved up, but this tells us nothing. To me, having a lot of money saved up for a stereo is 4000$+, which is unfortunately what you need to spend if you want lifelike audio reproduction, in a car.

Your best bet is to go by your local car audio shop. They usually can give you a discount, and they'll be able to look at your present set up, and give you a sub to match.

 
one 200-600 watt 10" is fine for a good thump in your car. I wouldn't go to to two of them because I find it's sharper with just one, and with heavy metal quick drum beats, you're going to want something that goes in and out fast. So maybe even an 8" they aren't as powerful naturally, and usually don't hit the lowest of notes, but they are very clear.

And yes, unless you have separate channel in your amp for a subwoofer, you're going to get another one. Or you can sell your, 2 channel now (im not sure what you have) and buy a 4... or take out your front speakers in the 4 channel, leave the rears louder, and bridge the other channels for the sub. There's alot of different combinations. If you want every speaker amplified, you're going to need a 4 channel with a separate amp for the sub.

Also, I think the equalizer hooks up directly into your headunit? I'm not sure how they work, but there should be a way to have the subs bass in there. I never got into equalizers...

I think all the info here is correct, I used to be big into it, but I gave up. Though I'm 90% sure on the info, can someone else back me here?

 
10's make a Boom Boom sound and 12's make a BOOOOOM BOOOOOM. i don't know if you can tell the difference but 10's are more hard hiting
 
I just want something to give some nice strong base to my music. I read that 10"s are quick and snappy...just what I need.

Sorry I'm a huge noob to all this (and I thank you all for your help so far). Am I able to hook up a second amp to the amp I currently have? I'm pretty sure it's a 2 channel. I have 2 rear speakers which are drilled into the trunk of my car and they are linked to my amp through an equalizer. Or would it just be better to get a new 4 channel amp altogether?

And by the way whoever tried to send me an invite to the cult, I didn't get it. Thanks for trying though
 
I would say a 4-channel's your best bet. And no yo can't hook up a 2channel to another amp. But with a 4 channel, you can hook up those trunk speakers of yours and bridge the last two channels to power the subs. It's probably the easiest way, then have the amp run into the equalizer, and have that go into the headunit.
 
an ohm measures the impedance of a sub...electrical resistance. As you can see, if you can wire a sub with lower ohms, they can maintain a higher RMS. Search wiring diagrams on crutchfield.com if you have any more questions, they have some good information there.
 
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