Help with Sub + Amp Choices? Lost n00b.

[Kevlar 10+ year member]

Hey all, I'm appealing to any car audio gurus to help me out with my situation. I know far too much about cars, but only recently have I begun to look into the world of car audio, so I feel like a lost and confused n00b. I have an 07 STi, and I'm sick of the anemic stereo, so it's time for an upgrade. I'm planning on getting the Alpine CDA-9887 when it comes out in a few weeks, using it to drive the factory speakers for now (until I save up for an amp and components), and then picking up a sub and amp as well as building a box to give my system some low end. I listen to a lot of electronic-style music, and I've been on a DnB + Breakbeats stint lately, so I want something that can hit hard. At the same time, I don't want to lean too much towards SPL, as I do enjoy other music like 'piano rock' and some classic rock, so I like crisp bass. Additionally, I don't want to sacrifice too much trunk space, and weight is concern - I didn't spend as much as I have on power mods just to have it completely negated by a heavy sub and amp //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif.

I figure a ~1-1.25 sq ft max enclose should leave me with sufficient trunk space. For these reasons I've been leaning towards a single 10, but I am open to the suggestion of a single 12 if people think it would suit me better. Would ported or sealed be better? I know a sealed box will be more compact, but can I get the SPL i want/need out of it? I plan on spending in the neighborhood of 500 for the sub and amp together. Any recommendations? I was initially looking at a JL 10w6v2 (possibly used), but it sounds like there may be better options out there, especially for the money. From what I've been reading on this board, TC and FI both make some pretty solid amps for good prices. What should I look at? Also, if you suggest a sub, could you recommend an amp that would be well-suited for it? Much thanks in advance.

Oh, also, anyone know if my stock charging system/battery is sufficient to handle such a load? Maybe I should check NASIOC for that, but I figured I would ask here anyway.

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[Sythlord79 10+ year member]

10w6v2 powered by 500/1. ur space seems really limited tho.

should sound great and be really easy on ur vehicles electrical.

I run a 10w7 ported, and 500/1 myself. great SQ with output. Gonna upgrade to 1000/1 soon hopefully.

 

[Kevlar 10+ year member]

Hmm. So should I be looking at building a larger box? Would it be worth it?

 

[Kevlar 10+ year member]

C'mon, nothing? No suggestions?

 

[travolta 10+ year member]

How much are you looking to spend? And as far as sealed or ported goes you could save room with sealed but gain some output with ported, its really up to you.

 

[Kevlar 10+ year member]

I plan on spending in the neighborhood of 500 for the sub and amp together.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[95BlackGA 5,000+ posts]

Ever think of doing a single 8 ported? Can get a SS RL-i 8 and give it 500WRMS and put it in a .70Ft^3 tuned to 33Hz.

 

[95BlackGA 5,000+ posts]

Also, you can get them for ~$200 and a Rockford P5002 and bridge it at 4 ohms and it will power it perfectly, I think you can get them on eBay brand new for around $200.

 

[travolta 10+ year member]

My bad, I'd do something like a 12 in Q and a Hifonics Bxi 1606D to power it.

Amp: http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3804

Sub: https://ssl.perfora.net/www.ficaraudio.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=15469d6b4b07095/shopdata/0020_Q/product_overview.shopscript

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

Plenty of 10"ers on the market that'll shine sealed.

Ignore the JL Audio fanboy.

 

[Kevlar 10+ year member]

Hmmm.. I'm liking the idea of the FI Q-series sub, but I'm not sure if I should get a 10 or 12... They're both rated at 1000 WRMS. I can't find weights for either. FI recommends .2-.6 cu. ft sealed, or .5-1.2 cu. ft ported for the 10, and .8-1.5 cu. ft sealed or 1.8-2.5 cu. ft ported for the 12. I have more than enough room to fit the 10 with a sealed or ported box, but I'd be towards the low side of recommended volume for a sealed box with the 12, and definitely couldn't fit a ported box for it. Which would give me the best SQ while still being able to hit hard? Also, since I'm still kind of a noob with this stuff, would I want the dual 1 or dual 2 ohm version?

As far as amps, Hifonics seem to be pretty popular here, and the BXi 1606D seems well suited for either of the FI subs, but I've also heard good things about Cadence amps. Any suggestions?

Finally, a question about buying a sub off of eBay - from the looks of things, I most likely would lose the factory warranty by buying from eBay. Is that something I should worry about? Granted, nobody expects their amp to fail, but do factory warranties usually even apply?

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[travolta 10+ year member]

If thats the issue I'd port a 10 for sure. As for configurations you'll probably wanna go with a dual 1 ohm sub and wire it to 2 ohms.

From what I hear Cadence is a more reputable brand then Hifonics, I just recommended Hifonics to keep the cost down as they do make great amps for the money, but either would work just fine. Other brands to look at for amps are Rockford, Kicker, Alpine, Zapco, U.S. Amps etc.

If at all possible I would try to buy from a dealer that will let you keep the factory warranty, if you look around you'll find dealers that will. I bought my refurbished Kicker zx750.1 from Sonic Electronics and it still came with a factory warranty, just keep checking you'll find something.

 

[sandbags 10+ year member]

when looking into cadence its important that you disregard the MSRP on the website, they sell direct for much less

 

[Kevlar 10+ year member]

So how do I buy the amp direct? Just give them a call?