New To Audio, Please help!

[MetalHead888 10+ year member]

You need:Amplifier

Sub(s)

Wiring - Power, Ground, RCA, Remote, Speaker Wire (All comes in an amplifier wiring kit found at Best Buy/Walmart) Buy size based on power example 1000 RMS - 4 guage, 600 RMS - 8 guage. You can always buy bigger wire (smaller number = bigger wire) so you don't have to rewire if you choose to upgrade to more power.

You will not need a capacitor. They are just a waste of money.

Wiring kit is around $70 depending on guage.

A good amp for you would be Audiopipe AP15001d. $160.00

Amazon.com: AUDIOPIPE AP15001D 1500W MONO D Car Audio Amplifier: Car Electronics

You can get louder and better subs for the same price or cheaper. Some are:

Sundown SA-15 $235.00 each

Audioque HDC315 $279.00 each

Skar vvx 15" $219.00

2 of any of those will be just as loud, if not louder and will sound substantially better.

listen to this man. a ton of people here have sundown amps and subs and thats because they sound great and are reasonably priced... not like that overpriced garbage that youd find at best buy or some other store.

i think i might be the first to say this... but do u really need 2 15 inch subs? i know youve got the trunk space but 2 decent10 inch subs will be plenty loud. you can maybe even consider the sa-10's

for your setup you'll need 3 things, first being wiring which is quoted above, an amp, and subs. besides that the install is very easy. the hardest part is going to be deciding what gear to get. good luck!

 

[MisterDeadeye 10+ year member]

That's why Thomas & Betts invented zipties.

Fixed that for you.

 

[esmokah 10+ year member]

^^ love T&B products. I bet i've used a million snap n seal connectors for catv over the years. "That's why god invented..." is just a saying i use (i'm atheist, so i think it's kind of funny)

 

[gadejfan]

Well, I guess I'll be the first to say it: DO NOT GET THOSE KICKERS. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO.

What is the point of this system? Do you care at all how your subwoofers sound, or are you just trying to make people hear you? If you're just trying to make people hear you, that's perfectly fine; many people here only care about how loud they are. We just need to know either way so we don't recommend the wrong thing. You wouldn't recommend snow tires to someone if they've never seen snow in their life. The same applies here.

What is the model of your head unit? Knowing this is also fairly important. If you end up having 1.5-2kW for subs, you'll probably need to amplify your speakers if you care about hearing your music. Because you'll need to amplify your speakers, you'll have to make sure they will handle the power. Because of this, you might also need to upgrade the speakers themselves. Now that you've got upgraded and amplified speakers, you'll probably need to add some weight to your doors so they don't vibrate back and forth creating unwanted noise(this will distort the way you hear your speakers).

I'm sure other people will go into much more detail about all of this, but if no one has given you a comprehensive idea of what you're looking at in the next few hours, I'll be back.

My main thing is to have a system that everyone stops and talks about how "Hard the speakers hit." Though i really want quality. I want something thats really loud on the outside (and on the inside as well) but i dont want to drowned out my music with just thumps. To tell you the truth i just watched a few videos on youtube and im liking the Sundowns Sa-15. THe more i think about, the more reasonable my mind gets about it too. I just need one tbh, why 2 if it only adds a few decibals?

This is my little "kit" i got for christmas. Nothing special, just something to start off with. Pioneer DXT-2369UB Complete Car Audio Package - Walmart.com

So i guess to completely restart my idea lol, i want to use this "kit" with a sundown sa-15. What size amp do i need and what size/shape/dimension box would be best? What kinda and how many tweeters. What door speakers (like 6's and 6x9's)? what are yall's thoughts?

 

[AmericanBass 10+ year member]

Hey guys! My name is Chris, and i am new to the audio thing. Being mainly a machanics guy, ive never focused any on audio. I am a junior in highschool and i am currently building a 1969 Ford Fairlane. It has been a project for me, my dad, and my papa for a year and almost a half so far. I am looking towards that car to be my muscle car with a kick *** drivetrain. It has a 460 "racing built" engine going in it soon. Since i clearly have my "GO GO GO!!!" street car, so now i need something to save gas and something that i can screw around with. Well i am getting a 1990 Bronco II (yeah i know bronco II = the ***** bronco but oh well). So being a highschool student and all of my friends having nice sound systems, I want this bronco to pretty much be a bad *** lil boombox. I have an idea of two 15" Kicker L7 solo barics just because i know those hit hard as hell. And then the box that they make for them.

Well like i said, i dont know much about audio, so im wondering... what else do i need!? Im starting with nothing except a pioneer stereo system i got for christmas that had a head unit, two 6's, and two 6x9's. Then i am hopefully adding the two kickers. I need to know everything! All the way down to the wire... literally haha. Thanks for any help guys!!!

i'm not really a kicker guy, ive have a kicker l7's and wasnt impressed by them. in my opionon i would say get type r's. i think they are a little cheaper and they sounded so much from the l7's i had. hopefully i helped.

 

---------- Post added at 12:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 AM ----------

 

Hey guys! My name is Chris, and i am new to the audio thing. Being mainly a machanics guy, ive never focused any on audio. I am a junior in highschool and i am currently building a 1969 Ford Fairlane. It has been a project for me, my dad, and my papa for a year and almost a half so far. I am looking towards that car to be my muscle car with a kick *** drivetrain. It has a 460 "racing built" engine going in it soon. Since i clearly have my "GO GO GO!!!" street car, so now i need something to save gas and something that i can screw around with. Well i am getting a 1990 Bronco II (yeah i know bronco II = the ***** bronco but oh well). So being a highschool student and all of my friends having nice sound systems, I want this bronco to pretty much be a bad *** lil boombox. I have an idea of two 15" Kicker L7 solo barics just because i know those hit hard as hell. And then the box that they make for them.

Well like i said, i dont know much about audio, so im wondering... what else do i need!? Im starting with nothing except a pioneer stereo system i got for christmas that had a head unit, two 6's, and two 6x9's. Then i am hopefully adding the two kickers. I need to know everything! All the way down to the wire... literally haha. Thanks for any help guys!!!

i'm not really a kicker guy, ive have a kicker l7's and wasnt impressed by them. in my opionon i would say get type r's. i think they are a little cheaper and they sounded so much better from the l7's i had. hopefully i helped.

 

[MisterDeadeye 10+ year member]

^^ love T&B products. I bet i've used a million snap n seal connectors for catv over the years. "That's why god invented..." is just a saying i use (i'm atheist, so i think it's kind of funny)

That's a relief.

My main thing is to have a system that everyone stops and talks about how "Hard the speakers hit." Though i really want quality. I want something thats really loud on the outside (and on the inside as well) but i dont want to drowned out my music with just thumps. To tell you the truth i just watched a few videos on youtube and im liking the Sundowns Sa-15. THe more i think about, the more reasonable my mind gets about it too. I just need one tbh, why 2 if it only adds a few decibals? This is my little "kit" i got for christmas. Nothing special, just something to start off with. Pioneer DXT-2369UB Complete Car Audio Package - Walmart.com

So i guess to completely restart my idea lol, i want to use this "kit" with a sundown sa-15. What size amp do i need and what size/shape/dimension box would be best? What kinda and how many tweeters. What door speakers (like 6's and 6x9's)? what are yall's thoughts?

Well, if you're going with one Sundown SA-15, then you'll want an amp that will put out 600-1000+(I'm not completely familiar with the SA subwoofers, but I know people run them at double their RMS power rating, which is 600W). Your next decision will be at what impedance do you need that power? Because the Sundown SA-15 is a dual 2 Ohm driver, you'll have to wire it at 4 or 1 Ohms, so look for an amplifier that puts out 600-1200W RMS at 1 Ohm(this depends on a few things; your box being one of them).

If you end up buying a Sundown SA-15, that's $235 at the SSA store with free shipping(links will be at the bottom of the post). If your budget is $1,000, then that leaves you over $760 for an amplifier, box, and wiring. As for the box, you'll want to get a design from somebody, then either build the box yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. Do NOT buy a box off of eBay or the like. Box designs are highly dependent on the driver you're using, so if you want the best performance, go custom made. Wiring will be $60+, and possibly up to $100, depending on the brand, and how high-end you want to go for RCA cables and speaker wire.

As for speakers, the ones in your kit are probably sensitive enough to stay fairly loud with a single SA-15 on 600-800W RMS. If you end up wanting to upgrade, make sure the speakers you purchase are fairly sensitive(the rating you will most likely see will be marked as "SPL"). However, there are different methods of measuring the SPL rating, so you might want to search for the differences. The other important factor about the speakers you get will be the RMS rating. Your head-unit is capable of only pushing a few watts per channel to your speakers. If you buy speakers with a 150W RMS rating per speaker, you might not(probably will not) get the volume you're looking for.

Because of this, if you want to upgrade your speakers, you'll likely need a second amplifier. Based on my Google search of the head unit you have, it only has one pre-amp out(RCA out, on the back of the device). If this is true, your subwoofer amplifier will take up the only set of pre-amp outs you have, which means you'll have to purchase a subwoofer amplifier that has another RCA out(RCAs are the cables that carry your music to the amplifier). Consequently, you will no longer be able to fade your sound to the front or back with the head-unit. To overcome this, you can buy a different head unit with more pre-amp outs. There are other features you're looking for in a head unit, but if you don't care about fading, then don't worry about any of this.

Now, for actual recommendations... I'd say that the Sundown SA-15 is a fine woofer, and will be much better than a Kicker L7. I think it would be a great starter subwoofer, and if you end up getting bored, you can pick up another for fairly cheap(or, you can upgrade to a single woofer with a higher power rating). If this subwoofer seems like the right choice to you, because after all, it's your choice, then I suggest looking at the vendor section of the forum for a design.

I know Buck can give you good, to the point, cheap designs. The other designers might be able to give you a more comprehensive rundown of what's going on with their design(only because they might know more about certain things from an engineering standpoint). However, that's not to say that Buck won't give you a working design. As for the box itself, that's entirely up to you. There are box builders and shippers on this site, or other sites, and I'm sure you would be able to find someone local. If you can build the box yourself, that's obviously the cheapest route.

And as for the speakers, I suggest getting the Sundown, choosing an amplifier(remember, you'll want to decide on what RMS wattage you want to run), getting a design/box, and installing all of it, before worrying about your speakers. At this time, you'll also be able to detect rattles that need to be stopped, so you'll be able to decide if and how much sound deadener you want.

Links:

http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/store/products/Sundown-Audio-SA%252d15.html

http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/store/products/SKAR-Audio-VVX%252d15%22-Sub-Woofer.html

 

[VisceralSound 10+ year member]

Roll in with a couple VVX15's and you'll be set.

 

[MisterDeadeye 10+ year member]

Roll in with a couple VVX15's and you'll be set.

I just edited my post to include my advice, but this advice is also great.

Honestly, OP, there are almost too many subwoofers to choose from. A lot of it comes down to whether you like caramel, or fudge, on your sundae(or something like that).

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Start with supplying power 1st!! A high output alternator should be the 1st thing you get.

as someone mentioned before, use 0 gauge wire and good rca cables.

start off with the basics 1st and you will be set in the future no matter what you drop in.

stick around here for a while and read up on how to build your own box for your vehicle.

His budget is 1000$ If he spends 500$ on 1/0 gauge wire and a HO alternator what could he possibly buy that would need that sort of e;ectrical?

My suggestiong one of the decent budget 1200-1500W amps (audiopipe, maxxonics, etc.) and half a dozen of those cheap hifonics 12's (assuming space isn't an issue) Low power/big cone area will be the way to go on that budget. L7 is decent if you can buy them at the right price IMO they're worth less than half MSRP.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

My main thing is to have a system that everyone stops and talks about how "Hard the speakers hit." Though i really want quality. I want something thats really loud on the outside (and on the inside as well) but i dont want to drowned out my music with just thumps. To tell you the truth i just watched a few videos on youtube and im liking the Sundowns Sa-15. THe more i think about, the more reasonable my mind gets about it too. I just need one tbh, why 2 if it only adds a few decibals? This is my little "kit" i got for christmas. Nothing special, just something to start off with. Pioneer DXT-2369UB Complete Car Audio Package - Walmart.com

So i guess to completely restart my idea lol, i want to use this "kit" with a sundown sa-15. What size amp do i need and what size/shape/dimension box would be best? What kinda and how many tweeters. What door speakers (like 6's and 6x9's)? what are yall's thoughts?

Also, nothing wrong whatsoever with 6X9's. If you like the way they sound, don't mess with it. Most of the stuff in your budget will be all about the same anyway. Add a 50X4 amp if you need a little more on the mids and highs.

Sundown SA is good stuff. You can often find B-Stock on SSA forum for short money.

 

[sam_b03 10+ year member]

MB Quart ONYX 1500.1 is a good proven amp that can be had in the $150ish range.

Sundown speakers like a ported enclosure. Ported boxes as a rule make more volume so this should be the way for you to go. They are more complicated to build and design than a regular sealed box. This is why people are recommending you purchase a design. There are many aspects of the box to you have to take into acount. Port length, port diameter, and over all air space. Ported are also larger than sealed but in Bronco this should be a non-issue.

As stated above, there are some great seller offering good deals on used stuff here. I have bought an $800 component set of speakers for $250, and a replaced the amp I had powering them from here. Amps don't really have moving parts that wear out. If they are taken care of they can last for years. A couple scratches on the surface doesn't really affect they way they operate.

 

[gadejfan]

That's a relief.



Well, if you're going with one Sundown SA-15, then you'll want an amp that will put out 600-1000+(I'm not completely familiar with the SA subwoofers, but I know people run them at double their RMS power rating, which is 600W). Your next decision will be at what impedance do you need that power? Because the Sundown SA-15 is a dual 2 Ohm driver, you'll have to wire it at 4 or 1 Ohms, so look for an amplifier that puts out 600-1200W RMS at 1 Ohm(this depends on a few things; your box being one of them).

If you end up buying a Sundown SA-15, that's $235 at the SSA store with free shipping(links will be at the bottom of the post). If your budget is $1,000, then that leaves you over $760 for an amplifier, box, and wiring. As for the box, you'll want to get a design from somebody, then either build the box yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. Do NOT buy a box off of eBay or the like. Box designs are highly dependent on the driver you're using, so if you want the best performance, go custom made. Wiring will be $60+, and possibly up to $100, depending on the brand, and how high-end you want to go for RCA cables and speaker wire.

As for speakers, the ones in your kit are probably sensitive enough to stay fairly loud with a single SA-15 on 600-800W RMS. If you end up wanting to upgrade, make sure the speakers you purchase are fairly sensitive(the rating you will most likely see will be marked as "SPL"). However, there are different methods of measuring the SPL rating, so you might want to search for the differences. The other important factor about the speakers you get will be the RMS rating. Your head-unit is capable of only pushing a few watts per channel to your speakers. If you buy speakers with a 150W RMS rating per speaker, you might not(probably will not) get the volume you're looking for.

Because of this, if you want to upgrade your speakers, you'll likely need a second amplifier. Based on my Google search of the head unit you have, it only has one pre-amp out(RCA out, on the back of the device). If this is true, your subwoofer amplifier will take up the only set of pre-amp outs you have, which means you'll have to purchase a subwoofer amplifier that has another RCA out(RCAs are the cables that carry your music to the amplifier). Consequently, you will no longer be able to fade your sound to the front or back with the head-unit. To overcome this, you can buy a different head unit with more pre-amp outs. There are other features you're looking for in a head unit, but if you don't care about fading, then don't worry about any of this.

Now, for actual recommendations... I'd say that the Sundown SA-15 is a fine woofer, and will be much better than a Kicker L7. I think it would be a great starter subwoofer, and if you end up getting bored, you can pick up another for fairly cheap(or, you can upgrade to a single woofer with a higher power rating). If this subwoofer seems like the right choice to you, because after all, it's your choice, then I suggest looking at the vendor section of the forum for a design.

I know Buck can give you good, to the point, cheap designs. The other designers might be able to give you a more comprehensive rundown of what's going on with their design(only because they might know more about certain things from an engineering standpoint). However, that's not to say that Buck won't give you a working design. As for the box itself, that's entirely up to you. There are box builders and shippers on this site, or other sites, and I'm sure you would be able to find someone local. If you can build the box yourself, that's obviously the cheapest route.

And as for the speakers, I suggest getting the Sundown, choosing an amplifier(remember, you'll want to decide on what RMS wattage you want to run), getting a design/box, and installing all of it, before worrying about your speakers. At this time, you'll also be able to detect rattles that need to be stopped, so you'll be able to decide if and how much sound deadener you want.

Links:

Sundown Audio SA-12 600 watt sub woofer

SSA Store - SKAR Audio VVX Sub woofer

Say i wanted to go with the Audiopipe brand amplifier. i found a few amps, but im not sure which one would be best if in running that head unit, two 6's, two 6x9's, and a Sundown SA-15 sub. Basically, can you tell me the amp that would be "perfect" from audiopipe? Im not good with this kind of stuff man lol

 

[gadejfan]

MB Quart ONYX 1500.1 is a good proven amp that can be had in the $150ish range.

Well this is what i have decided on. And there is a guy at our local flea market that build ported boxes and i have heard nothing but good stuff about him. So i think i have my idea set up. Thanks for all of the help guys! Is this all i should need? The head unit, 0 gauge wire, the sub, a ported box, and the amp?