A very newbie question.

[jkyxdm9mm]

I'm in the initial stages of purchasing some car audio equipment. I'm going to have to replace everything, deck, speakers, subs, amp, etc.. I don't know much about it, and I've done some research online. It seems like there is a lot of bad information around the net, or so it seems. I have a few questions, and I hope my first post isn't too annoying.

I have a very very modest car, a 2004 Chevy Malibu. If the trunk space matters.

1. Subwoofer - What do I look for, is one bigger sub better than a couple smaller ones? I'm sure the larger sub would produce a lower frequency, but do they have a significant difference in "reaction" time?

2. I'm sure the deck is important, but how important? What should I look for?

3. It sounds shitty when a car goes by and you hear the whole car rattling, I am more concerned with the sound inside, but I wouldn't mind the sound of bass accompanying me driving down the road. Is rattle inevitable? What causes this? How do I prevent/fix it if it happens?

Wow that's a long post, if you're still reading thanks! If you decide to reply and help me answer these questions, thanks in advance.

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[emilimo701 10+ year member]

how do you eat an elephant?

 

[jkyxdm9mm]

how do you eat an elephant?

With plenty of A1 sauce and a sharp knife?

 

[813thumper 10+ year member]

more subs = more cone area which will move more air than just a single sub setup. depending on the box that you build for it will determine the "reaction time". If you choose to go sealed then you will get a much better response and flatter response than that of a ported box. although ported boxes will be louder. the only reason that many people assume that larger subs will give a lower frequency is because it moves more air. Example: 1 12 vs. 1 15 (same in every way except size). the 1 12 is not going to seem to produce the low frequencys as well as the 15 because the 15 is displacing more air than the single 12.

HU's are important. they allow you to control alot in regards to response. look for something that has at least 3V preouts and a good selection of tuning capabilities.

The only way that you will get the rattle out of your car would be to matt it with sound deadener. some of the rattles are just gonna stay though. i would suggest second skin or dynamat extreme for deadener.

 

[jkyxdm9mm]

more subs = more cone area which will move more air than just a single sub setup. depending on the box that you build for it will determine the "reaction time". If you choose to go sealed then you will get a much better response and flatter response than that of a ported box. although ported boxes will be louder. the only reason that many people assume that larger subs will give a lower frequency is because it moves more air. Example: 1 12 vs. 1 15 (same in every way except size). the 1 12 is not going to seem to produce the low frequencys as well as the 15 because the 15 is displacing more air than the single 12.
HU's are important. they allow you to control alot in regards to response. look for something that has at least 3V preouts and a good selection of tuning capabilities.

The only way that you will get the rattle out of your car would be to matt it with sound deadener. some of the rattles are just gonna stay though. i would suggest second skin or dynamat extreme for deadener.

Thanks a lot, very helpful. Now to figure out which brand/size I'm going for, but I know that's all based on my budget.

 

[813thumper 10+ year member]

whats your budget? we can point you in the right direction of equipment

 

[emilimo701 10+ year member]

With plenty of A1 sauce and a sharp knife?

yummm A1 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/drool.gif.b5e863e893038027711d4402f340dad0.gif. answer: one bite at a time. first step would probably be buying a deck and wiring up your car, even if you don't have all the equipment yet. you might be surprised how much time/work even just that will consume.

making your car rattle-free will require sound-deadening material...the stuff isn't cheap and takes patience to install

if you're putting subs in the trunk of a sedan, getting 2 (or more) smaller subs is more practical than one bigger sub, because of size and space limitations. Two 10" subs will have more total cone area than one 12". Same thing for two 12s vs one 15. ALso, generally speaking, two subs will handle twice as much power as one sub of the same line/model.

Wiring the car would be a nice first project. Then when you finally buy your equipment, it will take less time to crank it!

 

[emilimo701 10+ year member]

the only reason that many people assume that larger subs will give a lower frequency is because it moves more air. Example: 1 12 vs. 1 15 (same in every way except size). the 1 12 is not going to seem to produce the low frequencys as well as the 15 because the 15 is displacing more air than the single 12.

mmhm yeah. this is assumed because the two things correlate. but lower frequency extension is not simply a direct result of more cone area

 

[emilimo701 10+ year member]

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