Loudest/Bass Audio setup for under $1000.

[shredder1 10+ year member]

I lasted about 12 hours without posting... I have been following this thread since it started... I have just walked away several times and threw my hands in the air in disgust!.. I am reading on another forum about the things that **** them off in the car audio world... one of the most occurring things is people posting "advice" and never have used the item, method or have just heard about it...LOL!.. I will step away again for awhile... (hopefully for more than 12 hours)... but leave you with this thought... A new member PM'd me for advice once and this is how I replied...

Okay... The question is easy to answer... you should open a thread under "Amplifiers" as I will not be seen like others as someone who PM's other members with "special" treatment... I am a member in this forum... but I find that it is best to always answer questions publicly, and give others a chance to weigh in... even after 25 years around this hobby. I still find that someone else has a better way of explaining how to do or even doing the process in question. I've been a member since 2013 and have only started posting advice after a prolonged period of evaluating who is who and what sort of advice I'm likely to get from certain members. I've learned to take some advice and ignore some as well. There are multiple threads already on this subject... "Setting amp gains"... if you would like to just look for them.... I will be looking forward to reading your thread if you cannot find them. I can answer the question however I feel that in a public forum is best.

Someone gave you great advice in the beginning of the thread and it will fit your music tastes... A couple of SPL subs on a bargain PPI amp is not the answer... for about $1100-$1200 you'll get a slammin" system... and that's about $400-$500 less than I spent on mine... you"ll probably make my system sound weak... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsCV_SyyyJQ ... Guess which advice I'm talking about... Good luck!

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

No problem, tell me what your amp choice would be then, how about the CAB 1600 as others have recommended? Nothing is set in stone. I don't have a problem changing it up one bit. But I would like to throw some names around as I'd like to get the ball rolling. Thanks for the honesty.

i was the one the suggested the cab 1600 lol. Its a solid 1600

I had a corolla before as well. Two 12s or a single 15s is the best you can do with that vehicle. That soundqubed bundle is fine as well with two 12s.

Either way you'll need budget for a new head unit or a quality LOC that restores the bass signal and actually gets you a full strong signal to your subs like JL the FIX or kicker Sum8. Anything over 1000 watts will drown out your door speakers too so you will probably want room in the budget for mids and highs.

 

[shauncox26]

Ok long time no see guys. I had a 04 corolla and i dont remember the dimensions but you can fit a 6+cuft enclosure in there with room for amps and battery pissed me off the wife could fit a box i had to build into my accord trunk. This leaves you open to a good bit of subs. The box i had was 6.12 net after two oa12s and 2 4" aeros tuned to 28hz. Slid right the **** in there too. Anyways back to subs you could do one 15 or 2 12s ported. Me personally id go with a 2.5" coiled sub like sa, hds2, fu750, blah blah blah. Along with the mentioned cab1600. If i did the 15 i would move up to something with a 3" coil maybe a used x, icon, ia lethal injection or death row, blah blah blah. Then focus on providing a great electrical base and good tuning with a headunit. Leave factory speakers and get a small 4cg like the alpine powerpack to liven up the factory speakers. If you wanted to go nuts get a great head unit, 4 ch amp coaxials for the doors, 4ch wiring kit, big 3 wiring kit, and deadener. Then do your own install. Wait patiently for a used tc sounds lms ultra 5200 or 5400 18 to come up for sale small enclosure requirments and hella awesome subs. The time spent waiting you can save back up to that 1000 and spend 350-500 on the sub and get a good 2500+ mono to run it with. So my pics 2 12s first, ground up install first while saving for good sub and 18 lms ultra, then if all else falls thru id do a single mid lvl 15 with the cab amp and what ever else you can work in with the left over cash.

 

[Mac1873]

Ok long time no see guys. I had a 04 corolla and i dont remember the dimensions but you can fit a 6+cuft enclosure in there with room for amps and battery pissed me off the wife could fit a box i had to build into my accord trunk. This leaves you open to a good bit of subs. The box i had was 6.12 net after two oa12s and 2 4" aeros tuned to 28hz. Slid right the **** in there too. Anyways back to subs you could do one 15 or 2 12s ported. Me personally id go with a 2.5" coiled sub like sa, hds2, fu750, blah blah blah. Along with the mentioned cab1600. If i did the 15 i would move up to something with a 3" coil maybe a used x, icon, ia lethal injection or death row, blah blah blah. Then focus on providing a great electrical base and good tuning with a headunit. Leave factory speakers and get a small 4cg like the alpine powerpack to liven up the factory speakers. If you wanted to go nuts get a great head unit, 4 ch amp coaxials for the doors, 4ch wiring kit, big 3 wiring kit, and deadener. Then do your own install. Wait patiently for a used tc sounds lms ultra 5200 or 5400 18 to come up for sale small enclosure requirments and hella awesome subs. The time spent waiting you can save back up to that 1000 and spend 350-500 on the sub and get a good 2500+ mono to run it with. So my pics 2 12s first, ground up install first while saving for good sub and 18 lms ultra, then if all else falls thru id do a single mid lvl 15 with the cab amp and what ever else you can work in with the left over cash.

Alright, that actually makes a lot of sense to me. Hopefully others now know I was not exaggerating when I was talking about how big the trunk on this little car really is. To be honest with you, I'd probably just save a little while longer or put more money into it right off the bat rather than having to upgrade in the future from 2 12's to a 15 or so on. Thanks a lot.

 

[Mac1873]

I lasted about 12 hours without posting... I have been following this thread since it started... I have just walked away several times and threw my hands in the air in disgust!.. I am reading on another forum about the things that **** them off in the car audio world... one of the most occurring things is people posting "advice" and never have used the item, method or have just heard about it...LOL!.. I will step away again for awhile... (hopefully for more than 12 hours)... but leave you with this thought... A new member PM'd me for advice once and this is how I replied...Okay... The question is easy to answer... you should open a thread under "Amplifiers" as I will not be seen like others as someone who PM's other members with "special" treatment... I am a member in this forum... but I find that it is best to always answer questions publicly, and give others a chance to weigh in... even after 25 years around this hobby. I still find that someone else has a better way of explaining how to do or even doing the process in question. I've been a member since 2013 and have only started posting advice after a prolonged period of evaluating who is who and what sort of advice I'm likely to get from certain members. I've learned to take some advice and ignore some as well. There are multiple threads already on this subject... "Setting amp gains"... if you would like to just look for them.... I will be looking forward to reading your thread if you cannot find them. I can answer the question however I feel that in a public forum is best.

Someone gave you great advice in the beginning of the thread and it will fit your music tastes... A couple of SPL subs on a bargain PPI amp is not the answer... for about $1100-$1200 you'll get a slammin" system... and that's about $400-$500 less than I spent on mine... you"ll probably make my system sound weak... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsCV_SyyyJQ ... Guess which advice I'm talking about... Good luck!

Thanks for clearing that up. I definitely appreciate it. I've learned a lot in the past few hours alone, got a long way to go. I'll definitely put more money into the amp and shop around for quality stuff. Thanks again.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

[quote name='shauncox26']Ok long time no see guys. I had a 04 corolla and i dont remember the dimensions but you can fit a 6+cuft enclosure in there with room for amps and battery pissed me off the wife could fit a box i had to build into my accord trunk. This leaves you open to a good bit of subs. The box i had was 6.12 net after two oa12s and 2 4" aeros tuned to 28hz. Slid right the **** in there too. Anyways back to subs you could do one 15 or 2 12s ported. Me personally id go with a 2.5" coiled sub like sa, hds2, fu750, blah blah blah. Along with the mentioned cab1600. If i did the 15 i would move up to something with a 3" coil maybe a used x, icon, ia lethal injection or death row, blah blah blah. Then focus on providing a great electrical base and good tuning with a headunit. Leave factory speakers and get a small 4cg like the alpine powerpack to liven up the factory speakers. If you wanted to go nuts get a great head unit, 4 ch amp coaxials for the doors, 4ch wiring kit, big 3 wiring kit, and deadener. Then do your own install. Wait patiently for a used tc sounds lms ultra 5200 or 5400 18 to come up for sale small enclosure requirments and hella awesome subs. The time spent waiting you can save back up to that 1000 and spend 350-500 on the sub and get a good 2500+ mono to run it with. So my pics 2 12s first, ground up install first while saving for good sub and 18 lms ultra, then if all else falls thru id do a single mid lvl 15 with the cab amp and what ever else you can work in with the left over cash.[/QUOTE]

was it really a 6 cube net enclosure or a 6 feet gross?

Mines was a 3.75 cube net box and it took up almost the whole trunk space. I cant see anything more than a 4.5 cube net box fitting through the opening of the trunk.

https://youtu.be/VjYofXcjTRQ?t=7s
@Mac1873 thats what you can expect with a 500 rms 15 in a semi okay box. Thats far from the best design and its on a junk amp as well. A better 15 with a real 1600 rms amp with a box firing to the rear would do much better.


Either way you wont get loud without addressing signal issues aka new head unit or Digital Sound Processor or quality LOC. FYI, No audiocontrol LCI line out convertors are not gonna do anything useful.

 

[Mac1873]

[quote name='Jeffdachef']was it really a 6 cube net enclosure or a 6 feet gross?

Mines was a 3.75 cube net box and it took up almost the whole trunk space. I cant see anything more than a 4.5 cube net box fitting through the opening of the trunk.

https://youtu.be/VjYofXcjTRQ?t=7s
@Mac1873 thats what you can expect with a 500 rms 15 in a semi okay box. Thats far from the best design and its on a junk amp as well. A better 15 with a real 1600 rms amp with a box firing to the rear would do much better.


Either way you wont get loud without addressing signal issues aka new head unit or Digital Sound Processor or quality LOC. FYI, No audiocontrol LCI line out convertors are not gonna do anything useful.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I was planning on a head unit, probably the one the first poster recommended. Nice video, seems great. Yeah with this huge trunk and the access from the rear seat I really doubt there will be an issue getting a rear facing 15'' sub box in there.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Yeah I was planning on a head unit, probably the one the first poster recommended. Nice video, seems great. Yeah with this huge trunk and the access from the rear seat I really doubt there will be an issue getting a rear facing 15'' sub box in there.

that head unit is fine on a low budget but since its a 2014 corolla, A touch screen would liven up the car a bit lol looks wise. The audio features and strong pre out signal is pretty darn good in comparison to the screenless one and the sound quality is a bit better right off the bat. Its your choice on this though just giving you options. Both are similar in tuning and audio options but the touch screen is slightly better in every aspect and makes your car look a bit more fancy.

https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVH-X2800BS-Receiver-Bluetooth-SiriusXM-Ready/dp/B017LKVCIK

info link

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/DVD+Receivers/AVH-X2800BS

Actually that paired with this would be a pretty good setup. If you can build your own box following a design, it'll be a really solid quality setup. The amp in the combo is miles better than the CAB 1600 quality wise. Its built like a tank and in korea (basically the new japan aka high quality) vs china. Meaning better performance, cleaner power, better sounding bass, amp built like a tank, lasting super long etc... The subs themselves get very loud.

The Big Bang

The front speakers and stuff will already benefit from a new head unit since the stock head unit only puts out 5 watts per speaker but still, you will probably need a mids and highs overhaul in the far future.

 

[shauncox26]

Yes @Jeffdachef ; 6 cu net i had to cut down on volume by adding 4x4 blocks of wood as the oas where not liking all the extra space on the power i was giving them. Box was 25-28 deep 36 wide and 16 tall cant remember the exact dimensions as i burnt it along with other spare boxes i had a couple years ago. Lol! Drinking and bonfires dont mix. It was rather large left a couple inches on both sides between box and wheel wells then the open spots behind the wheel wells left room for amps and battery. It was a full trunk no doubt. But it was in there. Now forward faving may have been better as it didnt leave much space between the subs and trunk lid. Building in the trunk i could probably get more in there. It was aero ported though so i highly doubt you can get a 6cu slot port in that trunk. I wouldnt say it if i hadnt done it myself. Useles info and speculation doesnt help and im not one to spread false info. Ill look around and see if i can find the dimensions. It was one of my first enclosures and i messed up on the measurements when making my cut sheet, so it came out way bigger then i wanted and tuned really low. It was just narrow enough and a couple inches shy of to tall to fit in the hole but it slid straight in.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

my bad didnt see that it was aeroported. yeah aero might fit with 6 cubes however i doubt he'll need to take up that much room to get a loud efficient box going.

OP should also be worried about rattle proofing the car.. THAT CAR IS A PAIN IN THE D*CK to find all the rattles. massive pain. Rattles everywhere yuck. Toytotas take too much effort to sound good and get loud... sigh..

 

[shauncox26]

What part of florida are you in? I might can hook you up with a sub, box, and amp for bout 450. Subs built by me from scrap parts check my signature at bottom. The subs based off a DD9500g motor, and the motor itself can get you 200 easy. The amp is a ia 10.1 like new and a ported enclosure for the sub. Just paid 389 for the amp last year. The sub should you want to recone to factory costs 210~ for 15" basket and drop in recone. I can do the work for you at later date after your ground work is done*. After a factory recone the subs resale value is from 450-600 depending on buyer, plus the box is dds spec box design so you already have the perfect box for it. Dd builds their subs around their box design not the other way around. Most companies design a sub to do certain things then test to see which enclosure works best for the intended output.

All this is dependent on your willingness to drive and meet up. Shipping qould be redonkulous so i wont even mention that. But the value is there should you want to make a deal.

*(hu, speakers, rattle control and deadner, wires, alt, 4ch and speakers, and anything else you want to add.)

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

distortion/clipping blows speakers not power., pretty much everyone here has said so., thats y they "over" power speakers and subs..

So put a 500W amp on a Nightshade, BTL, TRF, Evil, etc. and try to break it. The ONLY way you burn coils is by putting in heat (power) faster than it can cool = too much power. Someone around here has a signature line of a quote by Audioholic that says it quite well.

Plenty of folks who may or may not even have a vague understanding of how AC power works, particularly impedance and the dynamic nature of music run a "2000W" amp into a "1000W" rated sub and come up with some theory about why their sub doesn't break (typically involving some magic unicorn tears used by whatever brand sub making it handle so much more power). What's actually happening is that their sub never really sees that much power, or if it does not for long enough to heat the coil more than it can shed that heat.

The big issue I have is suggesting to the rookie that has no clue whatsoever to put himself in a situation where he may well break things. If your logic is "he will want it louder and set the gains too high" if he has an amp that is "too small" why on Earth would you think the same person would not want louder still if he had double that size amp and still set the gains too high, or simply find the right song where the amp actually makes rated power into his speakers for prolonged period of time?

My issue is people who don't really know what's going on giving bad advice to people who definitely haven't the first clue what's going on... though again, if you want to put your money where your mouth is, offer to warranty his equipment if he buys an amp that'll make double the power that his sub can handle.

a general overall satisfaction of output so that people dont overdrive their amps because they arent happy with how loud it gets.

Again why would you assume that someone who is inexperienced enough to over-drive his amp at 500W trying to get louder won't do the same at 1000W? Why do you have 30,000W ? I'm quite confident you didn't just jump in at that power level but wanted more and more (but knew the correct way to go about it)... the point is, we almost all invariably want more and want to feel what that next click on the volume knob would be like.

Wait patiently for a used tc sounds lms ultra 5200 or 5400 18 to come up for sale

Sage advice, but those are drying up fast. I very much regret never owning 5400 when the pre-Audiopulse ones were more readily available.

Toytotas take too much effort to sound good and get loud... sigh..

This is very true, I wouldn't even try to get loud (bass) out of a Toyota trunk; focus on sounding good with strong midbass and highs would be a far easier goal.

What part of florida are you in? I might can hook you up with a sub, box, and amp for bout 450. Subs built by me from scrap parts check my signature at bottom. The subs based off a DD9500g motor, and the motor itself can get you 200 easy. The amp is a ia 10.1 like new and a ported enclosure for the sub. Just paid 389 for the amp last year. The sub should you want to recone to factory costs 210~ for 15" basket and drop in recone. I can do the work for you at later date after your ground work is done*. After a factory recone the subs resale value is from 450-600 depending on buyer, plus the box is dds spec box design so you already have the perfect box for it. Dd builds their subs around their box design not the other way around. Most companies design a sub to do certain things then test to see which enclosure works best for the intended output. All this is dependent on your willingness to drive and meet up. Shipping qould be redonkulous so i wont even mention that. But the value is there should you want to make a deal.

*(hu, speakers, rattle control and deadner, wires, alt, 4ch and speakers, and anything else you want to add.)

DD 95 and IA 10.1 would be really nice (assuming your box will fit in his trunk). This is all miles ahead of the gear anybody else has mentioned in performance, reliability, and resale value AND saving shipping if you guys can meet local.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Id run a pair of HDS310s in 4 cuft@32 htz in that vehicle, give a bit of room for another batt if needed and room to place an amp/1500-2k rms will beat the dog pizz out of that car..XFL 10s will do wonders as well

 

[shredder1 10+ year member]

Is this the trunk in question?... Looks like a pair of 12's will fit easily... someone said 6ft3+ available... looks like it

 

[tymoto21 10+ year member]

I would pick either subs or amp to get something nice and save up for later

So either good amp capable of 4K and a single sub(with intent for two down the road)

Or 2 nice subs and a cheaper amp

Imo 2 Zv3 15's (used around $600 a pair) and a cab1600 or something around $100 and 1000w

Run it for a few months or so and swap out to a 5k once electrical upgrades are done