tidal

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys, haven't posted in a while around here but i also haven't been doing anything with my car... anyways here's my question (yes I did a search too btw)

I just installed an Alpine CDA 9827 replacing my stock stereo. I've still got the stock speakers installed but will probably be upgradng those at a later date. Now I would like to get a sub so I can get all that bass off my poor stock speakers (the alpine seems to really like pushing those poor things and i'm afraid of blowing them out) but I'm not really interested in high end bone shattering bass and i'm on a very restricted budget so i don't want to get an amp. What type of sub would you recommend for hooking into the new stereo? and also, are there any special considerations that I should be aware of? I know very little about car audio

sleek_concepts

iTrader: (3)

i suggest not getting a sub at all if you dont want to purchase an amp. i dont know of a sub on the market that will sound anything like you want it to with only 50 watts pushing it. if you are going to get a system get a good one and do it right. dont try to push a sub with your head unit it wont work. if you want a sub get an amp, that is why they are made. if you are only wanting to get the bass out of your midrange and highrange speakers, look into a crossover/equalizer so that you can turn the bass down on those particular speakers. or just turn the bass down at the head unit. you should not try to push a sub with your head unit, really bad idea.

tidal

iTrader: (2)

hey thanks for the advice. Could you recommend a decent amp that's pretty low on the $ scale? I suppose it couldn't hurt to do it right and not be disappointed when it sounds like shiat.

BillAce

iTrader: (2)

You get what you pay for in an amp. If you pay $150 for an amp that says 760 watts, your getting 150-175 watts. Buy the amp that looks the best to you. In your price range there are 50 products that are the same PCB just different colors and marketing.

livelyjay

iTrader: (20)

Damn straight. I bought my 650W Kenwood amp for $150. The first one blew a capacitor and the second one the speaker outputs stopped working. Both times I took it back to Circuit City and got it replaced. Unfortunately that amp isn't being made any more, but I think I've gotten my money's worth out of the $150 I spent.

Whatever you do, don't buy Sony, they don't make any good car audio products. Grab an amp for $150, a 12" sub for $75, make yourself a box for $50, and you're good to go. You won't win any competitions, but you'll have some nice bass that you can live with.

black03oz

iTrader: (8)

I would personally focus on the frontstage first. The reason being...even if you get a sub and an average amp to run it, your fronts are still gonna be struggling. Sub bass isn't going to hide your midbasses sounding like a$$ due to over excursion. Get yourself a nice component set and run them off the headunit for now. Later, when $$$ permits, get a nice 4 channel amp (or two 2 channels) and run the frontstage off one pair of channels and the sub off the other channels (bridged). If you must run rear fill speakers, you can always run them off the headunit at that point (so you can fade them out as much as you like). I don't run rear fill, but that's just me. Just my .02. BTW, nice choice on the Alpine. Good luck.

livelyjay

iTrader: (20)

He has a good point. I got my sub from a friend for free and had the amp already, so it wasn't a big deal for me. I am still running stock speakers all around and I'm not complaining. I wanted bass first, and once $$ permits I'll upgrade the fronts. Still having crossovers and tweeters (mid ranges broke) will help me save some cash.

If you want to get awesome components for cheap, check these out:
http://www.thezeb.com/detail.aspx?ID=1083

black03oz

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, livelyjay makes a good point as well. If you really want good low end right now, you could get a good sub and amp to add onto your current setup. If you don't want to spend fortune on an amp, look toward a good two channel that you can bridge for the moment that would adequately power the sub. Later, you can upgrade to a good component set and buy another amp (either another two channel or a mono block amp). By buying a mono block amp, you could then run the sub with it and switch the existing amp to your fronts (and still run the rear off the headunit...if you run rear speakers). It's all a matter of what you want the most right now.

livelyjay

iTrader: (20)

Solid idea on the amps. I'm just going to run everything off my head unit, because usually by the time the head unit gets worn out (or stolen), I want to get a nicer one any ways.

tidal

iTrader: (2)

damn you guys rock. Thanks everyone for the info. I suppose i'll tack an amp onto my list of goodies for my car...

gotta stay in order though, stock spoiler for xmas and then some tinting come birthday time... then it'll be amp time

oh and black03oz, thanks! it's a great unit, definately recommend it

BADEVO

iTrader: (35)

Tidal _ The guys that said do your front speakers first are DEAD ON. Do this first before you ad subs or amps and your listening experience will be much more enjoyable

tidal

iTrader: (2)

thanks for the input badevo. Those front speakers definately suck chodes... and buying 2 speakers is cheaper than buying 4 speakers + amp + sub... hell i might even be happy enough with just new speakers... worth a shot

black03oz

iTrader: (8)

Hey Tidal...glad to hear that you're considering the front stage first. I think you'll be better off that way. Of course, you know you'll be adding an amp and sub later, right? Even if you don't plan on it, it always happens that way.

Anyway, I'll give ya my opinion one more time... I don't know what your budget is for front speakers, but I'd try to pick up a good component set. You will get better mid bass response from a 6 1/2" seperate than from a two or three way. I am personally running Diamond Audio components and love them. I would also consider Focal, MB Quart, or JL if the $ permits. There are several other good brands out there too of course. If you aren't sure about what to get, do a poll on here. We'll all be more than happy to throw in our .02 worth. Good luck bro...keep us posted.

sleek_concepts

iTrader: (3)

for front stage speakers i am going to suggest either jl or memphis. i am a really big fan of all of memphis stuff, for the most part. i have always run memphis in my cars until now, i am switching to jl for a hardcore show vehicle i am building because their stuff is more symmetrical and it all gows together in the looks department. jl makes their amps the same size so that you can have to different amps but still stay symmetrical on your setup. that doesnt have any relevance here but still i suggest jl or memphis.

black03oz

iTrader: (8)

true true sleek...if keeping with the same brand is important to someone, I would definitely recommend JL. JL's higher end components will hang right in there with most manufacturers, their amps are quite nice, and of course, their subs are great.

Tidal, if this sounds like something that is important to you, check out JL's XR line...very nice! Later, you could add a JL 3004 (4 channel amp) and pretty much any JL 10" or 12" sub. If you are gonna run a W6 or higher sub (especially 12"), I would look toward a more powerful amp though...don't wanna starve the sub.