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Car Audio Anyone?

gr8dryv

gr8dryv

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I love music and I drive 30K miles a year. I started getting into aftermarket car audio back in the early 90s and invested in quality stuff to the point where I'm still using amps and speakers I bought in 1992. Sadly, the surround on one of my subs finally gave out so I'm in the market. I haven't researched or shopped for stuff in a while, I am looking for any feedback or suggestions.
 
gr8dryv said:
I love music and I drive 30K miles a year. I started getting into aftermarket car audio back in the early 90s and invested in quality stuff to the point where I'm still using amps and speakers I bought in 1992. Sadly, the surround on one of my subs finally gave out so I'm in the market. I haven't researched or shopped for stuff in a while, I am looking for any feedback or suggestions.
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What kind of power are you running to your subs? Still want to keep the same amp setup?
 
lightningbolt44 said:
What kind of power are you running to your subs? Still want to keep the same amp setup?
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Alpine MRD-M605 running bridged/2 ohm at about 1k w. Yes, I want to keep it. I've been using (2) Rockford RFP-1412 in a sealed box. Looking to go with a single 12 or (2) 10s in a ported box I think.
 
I am certainly no Audophile, but in my Tahoe I had 2 10" JL W3s in a Ported box and they were awesome.

I am sure there are better things, but for a guy who didn't know much I really enjoyed them.
 
Im thinking if your going to go down to just one sub you want something that will and can handle the wattage or ohms your bridging it down to. Of course a dual coil woofer would be the best bet but I am a fan of JL they have never had any issues, except some are pricey. I personally have 2 12" Rockford competition woofers in a box and running 600w Kenwood to them and it is pretty loud when I want it to be. But you can never go wrong with JL or Rockford in my opinion.
 
Depending on your budget I would go jl 12w6, alpine swx-1234d, or focal performance P30 DB
 
Focal is great stuff but out of my price range. I'll check the JL and Alpine stuff.


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I would definitely go with JL in a sealed box. Much more clean and accurate compared to a ported box. Ported subs sound to airy for me. I have 2 10" JL's in my car right now with Focal components powered by an Alpine amp. Love the way that setup sounds.
 
Still have my original McIntosh 2 and 4 channel amps. Eventually I will put them in the Impala I will one day own.

I used to go to DB Drags all over the midwest and at one point had the loudest SoundStream vehicle in the US before switching to Fosgate/JL. Back before they were walmart quality.
 
If you are looking to go to a single sub setup or 2 mid level 10's and are willing to spend a bit of coin (nothing outrageous) give RE audio a go. some of the best subs money can buy. They produce great SQL and SPL. if you are running a amp that can produce 1000 watts at 2 Ohms you will provide more than enough power to the subs. But my question is you said you are running an Alpine MRD-M605, that amp is only rated at 400 at 4 Ohms and 600 @ 2 Ohms RMS. I have had one of these and they only bench about 580 @ 2Ohms on a 14.4 Volt feed. So if this is the amp you are using you are not getting anywhere close to 1000 watts. If this is the amp you are planning on using i would suggest looking at either a single Alpine Type-R 12", or look at a RE Audio S.E.X. V2 12" dual 4 Ohm Sub. Can produce more SPL than you would ever want and still produces the SQL to enjoy music. Just my 2 cents. I have been involved with audio for awhile now, competed in SPL events from the time I was 16-19 and tehn started in SQL comps till i was about mid 24. Another sub to give a look at would be an Orion for a bit less money and to still have good SQL.
 
JRod said:
Still have my original McIntosh 2 and 4 channel amps. Eventually I will put them in the Impala I will one day own.

I used to go to DB Drags all over the midwest and at one point had the loudest SoundStream vehicle in the US before switching to Fosgate/JL. Back before they were walmart quality.
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Nice! Mac is awesome stuff. I'm running an A/D/S PH15 to my front stage (all A/D/S) and a Soundstream Class A100 to my JL Rrear fill. The amps go back to the early 90s when they built them like tanks.
 
musicmaster6921 said:
If you are looking to go to a single sub setup or 2 mid level 10's and are willing to spend a bit of coin (nothing outrageous) give RE audio a go. some of the best subs money can buy. They produce great SQL and SPL. if you are running a amp that can produce 1000 watts at 2 Ohms you will provide more than enough power to the subs. But my question is you said you are running an Alpine MRD-M605, that amp is only rated at 400 at 4 Ohms and 600 @ 2 Ohms RMS. I have had one of these and they only bench about 580 @ 2Ohms on a 14.4 Volt feed. So if this is the amp you are using you are not getting anywhere close to 1000 watts. If this is the amp you are planning on using i would suggest looking at either a single Alpine Type-R 12", or look at a RE Audio S.E.X. V2 12" dual 4 Ohm Sub. Can produce more SPL than you would ever want and still produces the SQL to enjoy music. Just my 2 cents. I have been involved with audio for awhile now, competed in SPL events from the time I was 16-19 and tehn started in SQL comps till i was about mid 24. Another sub to give a look at would be an Orion for a bit less money and to still have good SQL.
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Great info, thank you! I'll confirm the sub amp power specs. It's been a long time since I bought it and it's buried in my trunk. A single sub would be nice to give me a little trunk space back.
I had read a little about the RE stuff, need to find a dealer if I can. Orion, are they still around? Their stuff used to dominate the SPL lanes back when I competed.
 
Oh yea Orion is still around the HCCA is a beast of a sub. almost 3.5" of peak to peak Xmax, but not much SQL. Some of there entry to middle level subs have good SQL and SPL.
 
So I finally got around to getting new subs. Merry Xmas to me! Replaced my 2 RF 12's with JL W0v3. Incredible for the price. Deep & tight. Looking forward to many pounding miles.
 
Very nice, I have not personally had experience with the W0 line, but if they are anything like the W3's or W6's then they will be great! I just upgraded cars so now I am searching for what I want to put in it audio wise, thinking a single alpine type R shallow mount in a stealth box for lows, and Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1 Components front and rear. Now to find an amp that can do the components justice.
 
JRod said:
Still have my original McIntosh 2 and 4 channel amps. Eventually I will put them in the Impala I will one day own.

I used to go to DB Drags all over the midwest and at one point had the loudest SoundStream vehicle in the US before switching to Fosgate/JL. Back before they were walmart quality.
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Oh man Mcintosh stuff was awesome. Jealous.


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musicmaster6921 said:
Very nice, I have not personally had experience with the W0 line, but if they are anything like the W3's or W6's then they will be great! I just upgraded cars so now I am searching for what I want to put in it audio wise, thinking a single alpine type R shallow mount in a stealth box for lows, and Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1 Components front and rear. Now to find an amp that can do the components justice.
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Lots of great old school amps on the bay. a/d/s, Soundstream classA, Rockford. cheap and they don't build them like they used to
 
I used to be one of those dumbies with 3 10" Alpine X's in the trunk and all stock speakers in the car.

Music? What music?!
 
gr8dryv said:
Lots of great old school amps on the bay. a/d/s, Soundstream classA, Rockford. cheap and they don't build them like they used to
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Not a huge fan of the old school amps as I prefer the newer digital amps. I am looking at one of the Alpine PDX-V9's 5 channels and all digital. I mean dont get me wrong there are some of the older amps that were and still are fantastic amps, The older RE audio amps or even the older Memphis audio amps were beasts that you couldn't kill. Now if I could find a C&T 4 channel I would be all over it!
 
ArmyGolf said:
I used to be one of those dumbies with 3 10" Alpine X's in the trunk and all stock speakers in the car.

Music? What music?!
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So I wouldn't have seen you in the SQ lane at IASCA meets. Db lanes, yes
 
ArmyGolf said:
I used to be one of those dumbies with 3 10" Alpine X's in the trunk and all stock speakers in the car.

Music? What music?!
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Wwhooo 3 type x's thats a good bit of SPL lol. I was lucky that my BIL is an electrical engineer and worked for Harmon international for quite some time while I was younger so I wasnt allowed to put subs in with out first upgrading the mids, and highs. That sounds like it was a loud set up tho! Most I ever had was 2 15" audiobahn subs and I cant even remember the series, it was before the immortals came out. Was running a dual alternator set up with 3 batteries, Optima yellowtops, 1000 CCA each, on a JBL GTI 3000 watt amp (got the amp super cheap through the BIL's employee discount). And that was more than I could ever want or really handle. Mind you this was in the trunk of a 94' Sentra SE-R lol.
 
Time for an old thread bump. Trying to help acquire everything to finish the install of a stereo system in my sons Jeep. Recently installed a new head unit and 4 of the Pioneer 5.75" internal speakers. That went well but definitely needs some low end. So I ordered a box that will hold 2 10" subs behind the rear seat. Subs are JL Audio 10W0V3-4 10" Subwoofer which run at 4 OHM's and 300w RMS. Now is time for the amp to power it all and I'm beyond confused...will hire someone to install amp/subs but trying to get everything purchased.

So to the amp....need to know if I can run a 5 channel amp to power all of this? Looking at the Hifonics BRX5016.5 Brutus 5-Channel Super Class-A/B and 4-Channel Super D-Class Mono Amplifier, 1200-Watt. It's configured at 4x90 and 1x750. So can the amp run those 4 speakers at 90w each and then use the 1 channel x 750 to power the subs bridged together? Or do I need to consider a 6 channel amp or possibly having to run 2 amps?

Appreciate any insight as I'm truly confused trying to understand OHM's and parallel versus bridged, etc.
 
#Cookie said:
Time for an old thread bump. Trying to help acquire everything to finish the install of a stereo system in my sons Jeep. Recently installed a new head unit and 4 of the Pioneer 5.75" internal speakers. That went well but definitely needs some low end. So I ordered a box that will hold 2 10" subs behind the rear seat. Subs are JL Audio 10W0V3-4 10" Subwoofer which run at 4 OHM's and 300w RMS. Now is time for the amp to power it all and I'm beyond confused...will hire someone to install amp/subs but trying to get everything purchased.

So to the amp....need to know if I can run a 5 channel amp to power all of this? Looking at the Hifonics BRX5016.5 Brutus 5-Channel Super Class-A/B and 4-Channel Super D-Class Mono Amplifier, 1200-Watt. It's configured at 4x90 and 1x750. So can the amp run those 4 speakers at 90w each and then use the 1 channel x 750 to power the subs bridged together? Or do I need to consider a 6 channel amp or possibly having to run 2 amps?

Appreciate any insight as I'm truly confused trying to understand OHM's and parallel versus bridged, etc.
Click to expand...

750 watts is an obscene amount of power. :eek:

When I was a young man who liked loud music that was also fairly high quality in my car, I would just use a 4 channel amp. 2 channels would drive the mains (fronts), bridging the other two channels would drive the sub, and I would use power off the receiver to drive the fill speakers (rears). Unless you're trying to put together something for competition this is a pretty solid setup.

As far as amplification goes, when you bridge two channels, you are essentially combining their two outputs channels into a single output channel. Going off memory this would usually result in a 150% increase in power in bridged mode for the typical amplifier, (e.g. bridging two 50w channels would yield 150w bridged). Parallel amplifiers is something I haven't explored and would leave that to the competition guys.

Now, your bass drivers. The typical arrangement would be to wire the two drivers in parallel. This will do a couple things. First it will present a 2 ohm load to the amplifier, so it would be wise to verify the amp can handle that load. Second, it will increase the power from the amplifier, assuming the amp ratings are for a 4 ohm load (which is typical for mobile audio applications). It won't double the power output, but it will increase.

Looking at the amp you have listed you can just hand everything over to the installer and let him/her have at it. It will handle the bass drivers wired in parallel plus the mains.
 
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Car Audio Anyone?

My car came standard with a Bose system, it is unreal even mid bass the windows shake. Scared to put full.


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