Need help choosing Sub Setup

[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

Alright so I have this car of mine which has 4 doors and component space for every door (including tweeter hole). Before getting this car, I had bought a pair of Polk Audio MM651 that I didn't setup yet, they are still brand new in box. They are not components, they have a tweeter INSIDE, so I was wondering what to do with this. Should I get totally different components for the 4 doors and sell these?

Also, my amplifier is a Soundstream TX4.440, obviously 4 channels. 110 RMS Watts per channel. I'm not changing the amplifier. How should I setup what I already have, what components should I get for the back or front doors, depending on where I'll be putting the Polks, and what type of sub should I get for rock/heavy metal music? I was thinking twin 8's from Sundown, the SA-8's. Would that be a good choice? I also need a monoblock amp for the subs.

Thanks for all your suggestions, I'd like to buy them tonight on ebay if I have enough information.

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[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

Eh... Guys?

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

Eh...

Don't fall into the Canadian stereotype bro....

You can hook up a set of components to each channel if you wish; however, I'd recommend the coaxials you already have, to run in the rear. You won't be able to hear the components in the rear anyways, and what you do hear will mess with your sound stage. I'd suggest a good set of components for up front, and the current set of coaxials you have in the rear.

 

[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

That's what I was thinking, good. So do you have any pair of comps that you would recommend for the front stage? Something around... 120$ for the pair? And also subs?

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

Comps I'd have to get to when I have more time and sobriety available. $120 range is good for quality lower-end comps though.

How much power do you have for the subs, how much money are you willing to spend, how much space are you willing to give up, and what sound are you looking for / what music do you listen to?

Are you stuck on buying new only, or are you open to used?

 

[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

Quality lower-end is perfect for me. I don't have a sub amp yet, if you could suggest me one that would not drown out 110 watts RMS per channel x4 it would be appreciated. Space is not an issue, I have a huge trunk that I don't use. I'm looking for a tight, punchy bass for Metal and rock music, very clear, not "hip-hop" boomy type of boom. As in, I don't want to lose some bolts on my car from the vibrations, I just want to FEEL THE KICK behind me, as if the guy was playing drums on my back seat! I'm willing to spend something around 100$ per sub, if you suggest twins. The amp for the sub should be no higher than 140 approximately. I'd prefer buying new, but if you have this OUTRAGEOUS awesome deal for me in the used department, it's more than welcome.

Thanks for your help!

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Just suggestions - Dayton Audio RSS315HO-4 12" Reference HO Subwoofer 4 Ohm 295-466

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Mine as well stick with SS for ur amps - SOUNDSTREAM RUB1.1600D 1600 WATT RMS MONO AMP MONOBLOCK CAR STEREO SUB AMPLIFIER | eBay

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

110w by 4 channels is a strong speaker set-up. I have 300w on my front-stage, and it's not drowned out by my 1200w substage, so I don't think there's a concern there.

Disturbed picked a good amp up there, and the sub even would be great I'm sure. I've always heard good things about the Dayton HO line.

For the punch you're looking for, I'd lean to a pair of those in 10", or 12" if you have the space, for greater cone area. Luckily they don't need a very big enclosure, so you could port them pretty easy. Not sure if they'd offer what you need sealed, but you could talk to a designer about that when the time comes.

I just saw that you had originally considered a pair of the SA-8's, which I also would think a good choice, but it might just be a little small for your goals. Think maybe a pair of 10's. I only say this because I have a single SA-10, and it sounds good, sounds great, rattles the car apart on hip-hop, but when it comes to rock it sounds great and pounds, but not quite the drumming on the back of the seat feeling I know you're talking about. So, I am thinking of going to a pair of 8's myself, just to get a little more cone area. I only suggest the 10's for you because you aren't limited on space like I am.

And, imo, just about anything used is a better deal than new. Most of the stuff on here can be found nearly mint, at a fraction of the new cost.

 

[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

Thanks for all these suggestions... I was about to ask "Why so many watts for the substage?" but then I read what you said about your front-stage not being drowned out by 1200 watts. But do I really NEED that much is the question? The Dayton Audio sub looks nice, but Twin of THESE would be very borderline for my budget. I would have to consider Twin 10's then, something around 110-120 per sub component. I still don't understand the difference between "ported" and "sealed" enclosures, what the main differences are and whatnot, if you can spare the details I'd greatly appreciate, if not I'll try doing some read-up on the subject tomorrow. If you could link a helpful thread that would be great as well.

I understand what you mean with the SA-8, I might take a couple more sub suggestions and pick from that, if other people gave their opinions I would have a more varied choice span (If that even made sense grammatically). Anyhow, thanks for your ideas, and the SS Amp looks awesome but I'll learn more about the wattage I need before buying it, but definitely keeping it in my ideas. Thanks Disturbed!

All other suggestions are more than welcome! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Thanks guys.

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

The substage really doesn't need a lot of bass. But, it's also not going to drown out the front-stage either, so I just wouldn't worry about that. No, you certainly don't need 1600w, but it's nice to have the power on tap and not be pushing your amp to the limits. Also, if you decide to upgrade subs later, you'll already have an amp to push them. Just because you have a 1600w amp, doesn't mean you need to use all 1600w of it. Hell, if you wire it at 2 ohms, it's rated for 1100w, and you can still turn the gain down and have a ton of headroom. Less distortion, less work for the amp.

Sealed VS Ported. Sealed is simple, has an equally distributed output range across the frequencies, and offers the least amount of output. Keeps the enclosure small and simple as well

Ported is more complicated design, and generally requires about twice as big of an enclosure. However, you do get significantly greater output levels, around the tuning frequency of the port. You might not have as wide of a frequency response range, or as level as one that you get with a sealed box. But, designs can be made that you DO get the output of a ported box, with the response range of a sealed box. All you have to sacrifice is space.

That's just some info to get you started, there's a thread on it here: http://www.caraudio.com/forums/enclosure-design-construction-help/68635-sealed-vs-ported-basic-info.html just remember to take everything as a grain of salt, there are so many variables in car audio, everybody's situation is different.

As for subs that will still sound good but trying to back off the price a bit... you can consider these Obsidian Audio 12": Obsidian Car Audio

Or these B-stock Skar Audios: *B-Stock* SKAR inventory for Sale - SSA Car Audio Forum for $130 shipped to your door, that's a pretty unbeatable price. Those are both well-built, quality woofers. They may not be the most SQ oriented of woofers, but unless you're pouring thousands of dollars into your install, they are going to sound just fine //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

And keep in mind the voice coil configurations you need for a desired ohm load, when running 2 speakers together: If you are looking to get a 2ohm load, you'll need a pair of 4 ohm single voice coil drivers. OR 2 ohm Dual voice coil drivers. If you are looking for a 1 ohm load, you'll need a pair of 4 ohm Dual voice coil drivers.

 

[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

Very nice information, thank you veryyyy much for your time. Well appreciated and will not be dumped out the window, this SKAR sub looks REALLY amazing. I love what it looks like, specs are wonderful and price is just perfect. I'll have to gather more information on the box building/buying but thanks for clarifying about Ported and Sealed, I'll read the thread tomorrow at work on off-time and I'll try and understand the most of it. There's still one thing I'm unsure of though, the ohms. What's the difference between the ohms and the voice coils? I'm a total noob at this, and god would I love being knowledgeable. I'll have to read up on that more, I already did but I don't exactly understand perfectly, maybe a more "ohms for dummies" explanation would be more appropriate.

And yes, the amp looks pretty good, but I don't really plan on upgrading, but you never know, only fools don't change their minds. I might just go with that SS amp.

Keep it comin' ! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

Bump!

 

[Sebaslegrand 10+ year member]

Bumppppp. This is what I have in mind right now. What other components should I get?? Dayton Audio RSS315HO-4 12" Reference HO Subwoofer 4 Ohm 295-466

 

[FtheNutHuggers]

If you have TONS of space, consider a pair of Sundown E10's or even E12's. They are inexpensive and are excellent for the goal in mind. Another option would be to use one SA15. Don't fall into the BS that many people throw out there "smaller subs are faster and do kick drums better."

Disclaimer: I'm not saying anyone in this thread said that.......I didn't read every post either.

If you want to stay really inexpensive, you can use one E15 and ANY 2ch amp that is bridgable to 4ohms mono. Get one that can dish out a real 600w or so and you've got the "motor and fuel" to get the job done.......then it just comes down to how good of a "transmission" you put in it.