I'm going to order the subthump enclosure with an amp rack to mount my amp and move my stock CD changer. What is a decent sub and amp combo for this setup, 10" of course. All the threads I see is people looking for sick bass and power, but I'm looking for something more middle of the road. I know I need a class D amp, but wanted some opinions on a sub and amp that would go together and sound decent.

Thanks,

Doug D

 

I recomend the JL W6 or W7, Also the Fosgate T1. Those are very very nice subs, if you get the W7 or T1, i recomend the JL Class D mono 1000 Watt amp. I have owned all of these subs, Right now i have 2 W7 with 2 JL amps.

 

How are those MTX thunderforms with a powered MTX 4500 sub?

Doug D

 

dont really know, ive heard they are nice, but i have never heard one that i know of. Another sub to think of is the new Cerwin Vega, but i dont really know i have read the reviews but i have never heard them.

 

i have crossfire bmfs and they seem to be really good subs but they are in a ported box also.if you're not wanting major bass the jl w3 are decent subs.i've been out of the stereo game for awhile so that's all i cam recomend right now.

 

First off a JL W7 will not fit in a stealth box and if you manage to squeeze one in it won't have enough airspace. They require at least .875-1.0 cu ft. and the average stealthbox is .6 cu ft. The W6 however would work. The T1 is borderline as it requires .75 cu ft. Cerwin Vega makes house speakers..they used to make a decent sub for cars but long since fell off. The thunderform is an excellent enclosure but the powered one is not good. The sub is something to be desired too. If you can find one without the sub, just the enclosure, grab it and load your own sub in it. All stealth type enclosures are about the same in every aspect except price. JL is way over priced new. You can find deals on them used and do just fine. They hold up very well. The W3 will do well also with much less amplifier. You would have to buy a 500watt class D type amp to run a W6 properly. A quality 200-300watt amp will sound great with a W3. By quality I mean MTX (the one in the powered stealth is 100watts), Kicker, RF, JL E-series would be fine or a JL 250, these won't break the bank but will do ok for a middle of the road system. My suggestion is get whatever stealth enclosure you can get for around $100.00-$150.00 max, if you pay more your overpaying. Load it with a W3 JL or a Rockford Fosgate HX2. Both are dual voice coil subs so sun them in series which will drive them at 2 ohms. Use a Rockford Fosgate Power series amp like a 551S or a punch amp will more than do it. Use good RCA's and at least 4ga power wire and ground. Good install kits will use this. You can put together a system for around the $350.00-$400.00 range which is $200.00 less than 1 W7 and you will be happy with the results. As you stated you want a "middle of the road" system for bass...W7 and W6 are not middle of the road. They are very nice though. The system I mentioned with should produce 120+db which is enough to shake the hair on your arms and vibrate your cell phone in your cup holder. Plus if you ever want more your already wired for it. If you need more help finding stuff PM me and I can email links to you. Good Luck!!

 

Damn walking dead thanks for all the info, PM on the way.

Doug D

 

if you think 1 10" sub is going to hit over 120 DB, you are nuts, maybe you need to read up on DB levels. 120 Decibles causes hearing problems, maybe you should read this article.

http://citypages.com/databank/21/1024/article8826.asp

 

o and btw, i dont know what you are saying about Cerwin Vega, yes they make home stereos mostly, but you might want to read up on there car stereos also. The cerwin Vega stroker series are some of the best subs on the market, you might want to look them up before you say anything else

 

120db with a good 10 and decent power should be in the ballpark, my dual 8" setup with 200 watts will do 118db (so says my rat shack spl meter).

Also, your link does nothing to prove what can and can't be done with a single 10", It only says in competition they don't allow people to be in the car durring testing because they don't want to be liable for anyones hearing loss. Many people have systems (and the associated hearing loss) which are more than capable of achieving that level and beyond.

 

no but what it does say is that even competition stereos pushing a lot more than a single 10 or two 8's hit 130.

 

Yes, that is right, SPL measurement is not linear, it's logrithmic, it takes about 10 times the energy to produce 130db than it does to produce 120db. On the other side it only takes about 1 watt of amplifier power to produce over 80db (this is on the low side) with approvximately 3db increase for every doubling in amplifier power. Then add in 8-10db for cabin gain.

So, I think somewhere around 120db (certainly not much higher) is attainable with a single 10" sub.

There is a lot of info out there about the physics of sound reproduction, after you learn how this stuff really works you will be amazed at how little you knew. And I don't mean that as an insult, so don't take it that way.

 

You may be right, i just know that i have heard a 130 decible system and its nuts. Yes i know i dont know alot, i just know how to install and what sounds good, it was just hard for me to believe that a 10 inch sub could do that. I will definitatly read up on it so that i know for sure.

 

Why do you need a class D amp?

Answer....

You don't.


I've got an MTX4500 in a MTX Thunderform box, Planet Audio components in the front, and they sound pretty good IMHO. Plenty bass, and a nice mix of lows/mids/highs....

-Will

 

Just saw this post...

If you're just looking for a lil more bass, that sounds good, doesn't take up alotta space, doesn't weigh alot, and doesn't break the bank....ITs a great choice IMHO.

You said you didn't want crazy loud bass, and all these suggestions for 1000 watt, big, expensive sub, systems is what you're NOT looking for.

-Will

 

I highly recommend a JLW7. I have one 12" in my car. As far as boxes go, mine had to be custom made for the cu. ft. It fits in the t-top storage area.

 

I think the thunderform will be a great choice for what your looking for infact I think it will be more than what your looking for because you said that you want something more middle of the road and the thunder form will give you atleast that if not more and an mtx 4500 10" subwoofer has more than 100 watts it has 225 rms watts 450 peak watts and is reasonably priced unlike JL Audio which makes great products but are way overpriced. I say go with the thunderform or atleast a subwoofer with 200-300 RMS watts, a amp with about 250-350 rms watts and you'll get what your looking for.

 

True. A Class D Amplifier is just more efficient at producing high wattage with out alot of wasted energy (i.e. heat) than Class AB amp. The drawback is that a Class D distorts. This is not noticeable at low frequencies, but makes these amps unusable for full range sound reproduction.

 

Guess I'm nuts because I've done 127.5 (at least thats what the meter on the dash said and it wasn't my meter) with a 10in. 400w max Clarion single voice coil subwoofer in a MTX Thunderform enclosure and a Rockford Fosgate 120.2 amp bridged. The rest of my speakers (Infinity Reference coaxs) at the time were run off the Clarion HU which I really don't think was doing a whole lot for the SPL. This was at last years F-body Gathering in GA. If anyone was there my car was the green one and I placed fourth so other cars were louder than mine. I will be at this years gathering as well if anyone wants to hear my current system which is significantly upgraded from last year. I currently run: Panasonic 9701U HU w/5v preamp outs, CDT CL-6E (doors), CDT CL-6 (sails), 2 stealthboxes (passenger and driver side) loaded with JL Audio 10W3 D2's, Rockford Fosgate 600.5 (bench tested at 780watts@4ohms) runs the entire system subs and all. No idea what it will hit this year but I intend to compete at some soundoffs in the single amp catagory this year. If you wire the system correctly and pay attention to the rms wattage of the speakers vs the rms wattage of the amps you can get alot more from a lot less. Cerwin Vega is making a comeback in car audio, just like Sony is but I'd rather stick with companies that aren't having to make a comeback. About the article...good reading...however the average nightclub puts out sustained levels of 128db on the dancefloor. This is a hugh area of space to fill and sustain that kind of pressure or SPL in an open space. The interior of my car is a substantially smaller to fill with sound therefor is easier to get a higher sound level. Theres a guy on subthump with 2 15in solobarics that puts on 163.8db. So the guys in that article weren't impressing me much.

 

The guy putting up 163.8db is using an old mic. From what I understand, he's not using term labs or audio control for that output. There's about 7 db difference.