low wattage, high output?

[SuperSam]

Hi,

I recently got a different car (2007 Honda Accord Ex-L 3.0L v6), and I'm transferring my sound system into it.

I don't have a lot of amperage to play with regarding the stock alternator (130A), so I've been looking into low-watt subwoofers and the possibility of building a quality ported enclosure, which would drastically improve the sub's performance even though it's a low wattage.

The only thing is, I don't want the bass to overpower my front speakers, and I have no way of determining whether that will happen, so I was hoping you guys could help.

I have JBL p660c 6.5 Component Speakers in the front (90 watts RMS each side), stock/no rear speakers (might just disconnect them). The front speakers are powered by a HiFonics Brutus BRX160.2 amplifier.

I was looking at this sub: JL Audio 12WXv2 WXv2 Series 12" 4-ohm subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

To be powered by an amp like this: Sound Ordnance M350-1 Compact mono subwoofer amplifier — 350 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com

Ideally, I want the next level up on the sub: JL Audio 12W0v3-4 W0v3 Series 12" 4-ohm subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

But I only have 52 alt. amps to play with (been told that a car uses 60% of alternator amperage) and I believe that means I only have 702 watts to use up (52 x 13.5). Front Speakers powered by amplifier that uses 320 watts, leaving about 380 watts. Recommended RMS on the amp for the better subs is about 400-450 watts, which exceeds my limit. Maybe I'm doing these calculations wrong, but any thoughts/opinions on any of this would be appreciated.

I guess, in the end, I'm wondering if the first speakers in a ported enclosure will overpower my front speakers, and if not, will it still be a good amount of bass? I've never had a sub before so I'm sure anything will please me but it's worth asking for others' opinions. Thanks!

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[The_Dealer]

Sounds like it might be time to try a t-line. I did one for a Diamond Audio D3 12", and it was stupid efficient. Here's a video playing 27hz-37hz on 270w rms?

[yt]

[/yt]
Sent from my Motorola 2950 Special Edition 3w

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

Hi,I recently got a different car (2007 Honda Accord Ex-L 3.0L v6), and I'm transferring my sound system into it.

I don't have a lot of amperage to play with regarding the stock alternator (130A), so I've been looking into low-watt subwoofers and the possibility of building a quality ported enclosure, which would drastically improve the sub's performance even though it's a low wattage.

The only thing is, I don't want the bass to overpower my front speakers, and I have no way of determining whether that will happen, so I was hoping you guys could help.

I have JBL p660c 6.5 Component Speakers in the front (90 watts RMS each side), stock/no rear speakers (might just disconnect them). The front speakers are powered by a HiFonics Brutus BRX160.2 amplifier.

I was looking at this sub: JL Audio 12WXv2 WXv2 Series 12" 4-ohm subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

To be powered by an amp like this: Sound Ordnance M350-1 Compact mono subwoofer amplifier — 350 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms at Crutchfield.com

Ideally, I want the next level up on the sub: JL Audio 12W0v3-4 W0v3 Series 12" 4-ohm subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

But I only have 52 alt. amps to play with (been told that a car uses 60% of alternator amperage) and I believe that means I only have 702 watts to use up (52 x 13.5). Front Speakers powered by amplifier that uses 320 watts, leaving about 380 watts. Recommended RMS on the amp for the better subs is about 400-450 watts, which exceeds my limit. Maybe I'm doing these calculations wrong, but any thoughts/opinions on any of this would be appreciated.

I guess, in the end, I'm wondering if the first speakers in a ported enclosure will overpower my front speakers, and if not, will it still be a good amount of bass? I've never had a sub before so I'm sure anything will please me but it's worth asking for others' opinions. Thanks!

I think you are looking at this all wrong my friend. So if you are looking to get high output with small power, there are a few ways you can do this. You can try to fit a 15" sub to take advantage of cone area. It's not that much more in price compared to a 12". You can do a big ported box if you want efficiency in power or consider a T-line enclosure as it will give you the best SQ and is fairly loud for very little power. They take up a lot of space though so you would need to go with a smaller sub if you gonna go that route. The only way to get high output from small power is to use up more space in your trunk. Most important is a well designed enclosure because without it, your sub's performance will be lackluster at best. Having too much bass isn't a problem you should be worried about because if that's the case, all you do is turn down the gain until it blends in the way you want.

Every car is different but a 130a alternator can actually handle way more power than a measly 350w. You are taking things way too literal when doing the calculations. You won't truly know what your car is capable of until you try it and test. Chances are with that little power, you will not even notice much voltage drops. It's always better to have more power on tap anyway just in case you need it and so you can keep your gains down most of the time to keep it running cool. Just because it says it does 320w or whatever, it doesn't mean it's constantly ******* that much juice. Music is dynamic and the power could be fluctuating based on many factors. Most of the time it's alot less power than you think unless you are burping one note at full tilt which is meant for competing in SPL. I would look into an amp that does roughly 800-1000w so you can push your setup to it's potential. It's fairly inexpensive these days especially if you buy used. Definitely do the Big 3 upgrade and swap out front battery with an AGM battery if you haven't done so already. Will make a big difference in how your power feeds through.

If you are gonna get anything JL, go with the top end stuff. Not the entry level stuff. The only JL products I would consider is the W6 or W7, and their amps. They are overpriced for what they are and you can get a lot more for your money. You can find plenty of good strong amps for very affordable if you just look around. I would suggest you do some reading on this forum more and ask questions until you come up with a definite plan. What's your overall budget for this? Measure your trunk space and decide how much space you are willing to sacrifice for the box.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

Sounds like it might be time to try a t-line. I did one for a Diamond Audio D3 12", and it was stupid efficient. Here's a video playing 27hz-37hz on 270w rms?[yt]

You got any pics of the T-line box? Would like to see it if you have any. Must be a huge box lol.

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

you need a better sub for high output too.. Id sell that JL its not that good. ssa dcon is killer with that power! its a killer woofer for 150$ it will hit alot harder and sound better. and you should go ported or 6th order BP unless you can go with a tline

 

[mastershake575 10+ year member]

130 amps is actually pretty decent for a stock alt.

You should have no problem running a good quality 500-700RMS subwoofer. They key will be getting a quality sub and getting a custom made ported box to really make the subwoofer shine (both in output and SQ)