Beginner needs Guidance

[fazio93 10+ year member]

Hey guys,

I'm a junior in high school and I'm getting a car in less than a month. It may sound weird that I'm looking at car audio parts when I don't even have a car yet but I am certain I am getting one very soon. It will most likely be something along a Honda Civic or Accord.

All I'm looking for is to add a sub that will bring out the bass and give a good bump in my car. Nothing fancy or over the top, but nothing cheap and crappy. My budget it around $300-350 for everything. I will be putting the sub and amp in my trunk. I was debating over either 2 10"s or 1 12" and I have had some advice from friends that I'd be better off with 1 12inch. They also said it really depends on the brand and such.

This is what I'm looking for:

Subwoofer: Something simple, but not cheap. I want to order something that is preloaded (I don't want to but the box and woofer separately). I want a decent brand. For example, I've seen Solo X and Alpine are very good brands, but a little too expensive for me. I've been looking at JL Audio and MTX on Woofersetc.com the online car audio super store, the largest selection at the lowest prices! because those are the decent brands that sell pre-loaded boxes and they are decent price for me. I see a lot of people have those on Youtube. Also I want something that is in between SQ and SPL. Average. I want it pretty loud, but not crappy quality. I mostly listen to rap with a lot of bass. My friends said for what I want it for, any brand will most likely do.

Amp: I haven't really learned what all the specs on amps mean yet. For example Ohm, wattage, different number of channels, etc. All I want is an amp that can effectively power my sub. That's it.

Wire Kit: I see all these different gauge types an all. I believe the lower the number the better(?). Like I said with the amp, whatever I can effectively use for my subwoofer. Nothing fancy, just necessary.

Radio: Much like the Amp and Wire Kit, something basic. All I need is for it to support basic functions that all stock radios have plus MP3/Ipod support (which is the main reason I will most likely have to upgrade it; becuase stocks don't usually have that support).

As you can see, I've started to research. I still need some guidance on brand names and such. Any help will be appreciated.

To give you an idea, I just want something simple like this:

SLH-T4512-A - MTX Sledge Hammer 12" 450 Watt 4 Ohm Loaded Sub Box

Thanks

Click to read more...

 

[Jh8909 10+ year member]

don't get a "pre loaded" enclosure. their too small. build the box yourself. you'll also save money there.

and if you wanna go cheap on wiring get this RadioShack.com

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

x2!!!!!!!!

make your own box, its not hard at all, we can help. youll end up with the right box and better gear

MRP-M500 - Alpine Mono 500W subwoofer amplifier

IDQ12V2.D4 - Image Dynamics 12" IDQ Dual 4 Ohm Subwoofer

 

[kr15 5,000+ posts]

build the box yourself. you'll also save money there.

your in Highschool? Do they have a wood shop there? If so, check it out to get familiar with the tools....and maybe even sneak a piece of MDF in there..hah

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

Prefabs make sense if someone doesn't have, want, or need to know how to build a box but still want some beat in their ride.

But that particular loaded box sucks ***. Quite honestly, anything MTX sucks ***. You'd be better off shopping in the classifieds section here. If you want to buy new, this might sound stupid but take a look -

Autotek 1100.2 .... its bridgable to 1000 watts .....and only $98

Walmart.com: Crunch P1100.2 550-Watt 2-Channel Car Power Amplifier: Auto Electronics

Id also just buy a walmart wiring kit, and get the RCA cables there too.....then spend the rest on a nice used sub from the classified section on here.

 

[Deeper_shades 10+ year member]

sub: i would email rusty at "rusty@dcsoundlab.com" and see what he can do for you, you will get a great sub at a great price.....

amp : mbquart discus series is making solid amps at a decent price, they are a big hit on this forum....

box: build your own man..... seriously its alot of fun!

wiring: wall mart...

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

sub: i would email rusty at "rusty@dcsoundlab.com" and see what he can do for you, you will get a great sub at a great price......

lulz, he said his budget is 300-350 for everything! come on now.

 

[LoganSF 10+ year member]

snoopdan do you work for walmart?

 

[fazio93 10+ year member]

Alright, so based on most of your opinions the best bet would be to at least buy the box and woofer separately. I really don't think I could build my own. I live in an apartment so I don't have a place to build anything really. Is it hard to put together a sub and box correctly? Any other materials you need? I really don't want to get a used sub I would really prefer new, but I could get a used box off E-bay or something right? How do you know what box is needed or is appropriate?

I know Alpine is a good brand so would something like this be good:

SWS-1223D - Alpine 12" Type-S 900 Watt Dual 2-Ohm Subwoofer

or would it be worth it to go up to 1500watts

SWR-1242D - Alpine 12" Type-R 1500 Watt Dual 4-Ohm Subwoofer

For the cables, I guess I can just go to Radioshack or something. Like I said, just basic cables I need. But I'm not sure if I could buy everything separately becuase I see how these wire kits have all these items included. Are all these things needed/used? Is it better to just buy a kit or buy them separately?

Now for the amps, I really am blind here. Like is that Walmart amp decent or crappy? And that Alpine Mono 500W subwoofer amp looks too expensive for my budget, but is it worth it for my purpose?

Thanks for all the help so far guys.

 

[outsideshot23 10+ year member]

Wow.. terrible advice... Dude just go to walmart and get you an installation kit... you are better off getting a prefab box if you just beating around town.. You can get them at walmart or ebay really cheap. i would get 1 12" sub.. audiobahn makes some good stuff that will get you a good bang for your buck. i think you can get an eternal on ebay for like 120.. Kicker solobaric 12 would be a good bet.. they are upwards of 175 tho.. Kicker is a tried and true brand.. You are going to get solid bass and a solid prosuct. this is how i would go .. You could get a solobaric or a kicker cvx round sub off the internet... i would advise you to get a sub that is NEW.. then find you a good kicker amp on here for cheap... yous hould be able to get all of this for around 350.. .... as far as ohms goes the lower the ohms the more power it will **** and the more beat youw ill get.. for 350 youw ill be pressed to find an amp that will hold 1ohm stable... probably get a 2 ohm, stable amp... then get a 4ohm voice coil sub and bridge the sub down to 2 ohms... you do this by running a speaker wire from red to red...then run another one from black to black... then run one from each color to amp.. simple as that and you are on a solid 2 ohm load which is what i would recommend... if you have any other questions or need help with installation or finding products cheap just PM me and i will help you out

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

I would go Type-R or Kicker L5 for your budget. Get one Dual 4 ohm subwoofer (i recommend either a 12 or 15) and wire it to present a 2 ohm load to a Kicker 500.1 or something similar.

Or if you stumble across an amp that IS 1 ohm stable, then get a Dual 2 ohm subwoofer and wire it to a 1 ohm load. The Type-R is a pretty reliable budget woofer. The Kicker L5 is also ok.

When it comes to a box, please build your own or have a friend build it. Materials will cost ~20-30 bucks instead of buying a box for alot more. Plus depending on the subwoofer, you will want a certain size and (if you go ported) a certain size port.

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

snoopdan do you work for walmart?

lol, no. They couldn't afford me.

But since this dude has only $350 tops, my advice is pretty good to get him in the 1kw range on a shoestring budget.

 

[Jaredturp 10+ year member]

Junior too here haha... I would get a DC level 4 12" or 2 10" level 3's... Either one will slam and sound great....Or I can sell you my Alpine Type R 12" for CHEAP....

For amp.. I don't know what your budget is, but you could get an audioque 1200d or a hifonics 1210d for pretty cheap.. You could get a Brand X 4 gauge kit for like 30 bucks.

PM me and I can text you about any questions you have...

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

Junior too here haha... I would get a DC level 4 12" or 2 10" level 3's... Either one will slam and sound great....Or I can sell you my Alpine Type R 12" for CHEAP....For amp.. I don't know what your budget is, but you could get an audioque 1200d or a hifonics 1210d for pretty cheap.. You could get a Brand X 4 gauge kit for like 30 bucks.

PM me and I can text you about any questions you have...

He's said once and i've said it twice. He can't afford that shit,....maybe a used R, which is why I suggested what I did.

 

[Jaredturp 10+ year member]

I'll basically give him mine.. It's just collecting dust...