Car Audio Noob

[BEENz 10+ year member]

So, I can't imagine how many threads you guys have seen about people that don't know a thing about purchasing subs/amps, like me. But I figure one more couldn't hurt.

I mainly listen to techno (eurodance to name a specific genre), and rap/hip-hop. I also do listen to some alternative rock occasionally, but the reason I want a sub was mainly to enhance the first 2 genre's.

At this stage, I'm not even sure what I really want, but I do believe that I want to get one 15" sub and perhaps spend as much as $200. I'm not really sure what brand to go for/stay away from, or what something like "Dual 4 Ohm" means. However, I do understand the basics of RMS wattage.

Now, I HAVE been doing research, so don't think I'm just coming here without having done some reading... I just don't understand all that I've read //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Take the following excerpt for an example:

...You will need a box for your sub woofers. I prefer a sealed enclosure for tight bass response, but there is also bandpass boxes available (ported enclosure). Most sub woofers will require 1 cubic foot or more to operate. The more air space you have will get you the deeper the bass. The less air space you have, will get you the harder hitting bass

At this stage, "deep bass" and "tight bass" are just words to me.

Uhh, so yeah. I think I've written all that I could, or that all you probably want to read.

Click to read more...

 

[tEh koRnDog 5,000+ posts]

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=388709

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

what kind of car you have and how much space are you willing to sacrifice?

 

[BEENz 10+ year member]

what kind of car you have and how much space are you willing to sacrifice?

I have a 1988 Mercedes Benz 300E...

I'd be willing to sacrifice as much as I need to do have the best quality.

I can get a picture of the trunk if that would even help.

 

[Drunkship 10+ year member]

Did you get your wiring harness for your deck yet?

 

[BumpinTypeR 10+ year member]

ohm is a measure of resistance. the lower the ohm rating, the easier it is for current to flow. this means that most amps will be able to put out quite a bit more power at 1ohm than 4ohm. a dual 4ohm sub means it has two voice coils. this just gives you more wiring options. a dual 4 ohm sub can be wired at 2ohms or 8ohms. a dual 2ohm sub can be wired at 1ohm or 4ohms. and lets say you get a dual 2 ohm sub that can handle 500 watts rms. you would be looking for an amp that would put out around 500rms of clean power at either 1 ohm or 4ohms...although its much easier/cheaper to find an amp that does 500rms at 1ohm than it is to find one that does 500rms at 4ohms.

a sealed box is afoten associated with sq (sound quality) it provides accurate/tight bass for a well rounded, good sounding, nice daily driver. a ported enclosure/bandpass consists of a box with a port in it. this is like a hole in the box, but alittle more complicated than that. usually ported enclosures make the bass louder, and is often used for spl (sound pressure level)

the larger the enclosure, the less power you need to reach a desired loudness (in most cases) Also, in most cases a larger enclosure will be louder than a smaller one, but you can go too large.

alpine type-r subs are great for the money. a 12" type r is $125 shipped, not sure how much a 15" would be.

other great brands to look at would be fi, aq, dd, and re.

hope this helped

 

[BEENz 10+ year member]

Yeah, thanks a lot. It really does help....

So here is an Alpine type-r 15" I believe: http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=14957

So do the specs seem to fit the price? (this site was recommended to me by a friend, if there are better sites, I'd love to know)

Also, do you know what specs I should look for in a sub when I like techno and rap? Are most people happy with better sq or better spl? Cause one of the reviews of the type-r says that the sq isn't that good, but the spl is.

 

[BumpinTypeR 10+ year member]

its more the enclosure which makes a sub good for a certain genre of music. for techno and rap i would definately recommend ported box. making a custom box would be the best way to go, but if you are not up to that i would try to see if you can pay someone to make it for you.

but yea the enclosure is what makes or breaks the output of a sub.

 

[svarasnj 10+ year member]

ohm is a measure of resistance. the lower the ohm rating, the easier it is for current to flow. this means that most amps will be able to put out quite a bit more power at 1ohm than 4ohm. a dual 4ohm sub means it has two voice coils. this just gives you more wiring options. a dual 4 ohm sub can be wired at 2ohms or 8ohms. a dual 2ohm sub can be wired at 1ohm or 4ohms. and lets say you get a dual 2 ohm sub that can handle 500 watts rms. you would be looking for an amp that would put out around 500rms of clean power at either 1 ohm or 4ohms...although its much easier/cheaper to find an amp that does 500rms at 1ohm than it is to find one that does 500rms at 4ohms.
a sealed box is afoten associated with sq (sound quality) it provides accurate/tight bass for a well rounded, good sounding, nice daily driver. a ported enclosure/bandpass consists of a box with a port in it. this is like a hole in the box, but alittle more complicated than that. usually ported enclosures make the bass louder, and is often used for spl (sound pressure level)

the larger the enclosure, the less power you need to reach a desired loudness (in most cases) Also, in most cases a larger enclosure will be louder than a smaller one, but you can go too large.

alpine type-r subs are great for the money. a 12" type r is $125 shipped, not sure how much a 15" would be.

other great brands to look at would be fi, aq, dd, and re.

hope this helped

thanks for that. Cleared up quite a few things for me too

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

welcome to the biggest gathering spot of car audio nooobs. enjoy your stay.

 

[o. l. t. 10+ year member]

So, I can't imagine how many threads you guys have seen about people that don't know a thing about purchasing subs/amps, like me. But I figure one more couldn't hurt.
I mainly listen to techno (eurodance to name a specific genre), and rap/hip-hop. I also do listen to some alternative rock occasionally, but the reason I want a sub was mainly to enhance the first 2 genre's.

At this stage, I'm not even sure what I really want, but I do believe that I want to get one 15" sub and perhaps spend as much as $200. I'm not really sure what brand to go for/stay away from, or what something like "Dual 4 Ohm" means. However, I do understand the basics of RMS wattage.

Now, I HAVE been doing research, so don't think I'm just coming here without having done some reading... I just don't understand all that I've read //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Take the following excerpt for an example:

At this stage, "deep bass" and "tight bass" are just words to me.

Uhh, so yeah. I think I've written all that I could, or that all you probably want to read.

Sounds to me like you'd rather hear music than equipment. That being the case you need to stick all your money in the head, amp and mids in that order. Don't even worry about subs until you have your front stage done.

Clean sound starts at the source. The question is, how serious are you about wanting to hear the music? $200 doesn't sound very serious. I understand ballin on a budget, but you're just going to get tossed back to the local best buy with 2 bones to spend.

Think you can bump it up to maybe $350?

 

[maddskillzz 10+ year member]

if you are just looking to add some low end to help complete the sound of your system i wouldnt get too elaborate.. what will happen is you will end up with way more equipment and capablility than you need. Type R's are awesome subs but they are probably more than i think you are looking for. For a good sound quality system i would recommend going with a couple of Type E 12's and an amp with about 500Watts rms. Im sure im gonna get some flack for recommending these but i assure you they sound really really good(AND THEY ARE CHEAP!!!!) and if you crank them up they will get really loud in the right enclusure. My fiance' has two of these with a kenwood kac-9103d and they will rattle your head around when they are cranked up but they sound awesome. I use RE SE subs in my system and you will get ALOT of people telling you to go with these but i think they are a little much to do what you want.

 

[BEENz 10+ year member]

Yes, I would like to hear the music, but I also really want a nice loud bass as well.

I'm ready to spend around a grand on everything, including installation.

I figured I would buy the sub first, or pick one out at least so that I could buy an amp to match it. Then I would get some speakers, and then the head unit. I don't know how long I will keep this car for, but I know I will have it for at least 2 more years. I told myself that I wouldn't spend a lot of money on the actual car it self, so I'm not sure if getting a lot of speakers would be a good idea, because the size of the speakers in my car are rather small I think. But I'm fine with spending a normal amount on an amp, sub, and head unit because I can easily swap those into another car.

What I am considering now is getting this: http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=14955

It's an alpine type-r 12" rather than a 15". My car savvy friend said that 12" should be fine.

Also, this might help:

 

[BumpinTypeR 10+ year member]

i got one 12" type r and its loud...my dad said some of the pens/pencils in a jar inside my house were rattling around while i was playing music outside in my driveway. the windows of my house rattle as well...not to mention the roof of my suv flexing and what not.

i got my 12" typr r from ikesound for $125 shipped. however, i have heard mixed reviews about this site with people saying they ordered something that said in stock, but it truly wasnt in stock, and took awhile for them to finally get it. but then there are others, like me, who get thier stuff in a few days.

 

[BEENz 10+ year member]

Alright, so now I need to find an amp to go with the sub (not sure how many channels I will need) and speakers. Again, any brands that are known to be good?