Newbie looking for some help!

[xshlomox 10+ year member]

So I am completely new at all of this car audio stuff. I have a 2003 Toyota Highlander with a Pioneer AVIC-Z1 head unit. Also, the speakers in my car are JBL, if that matters. I'm interested in buying some subs and an amp for the back of my car. I've heard Alpine Type-R's are good? I listen to all types of music but mostly hip hop. I am open to any and all suggestions so don't be afraid to type what you think. My budget is $500 but I'm not afraid to go over a hundred dollars or so if it will make my car sound better. I also would rather have a setup that gives me better sound quality than over-the-top bass.Thanks all!

Click to read more...

 

[grandam888 10+ year member]

personally, i would go with some 12's or 10's. type R's are okay, and unless your looking to spend another 500 on power system upgrades i wouldn't go above 800-1000 watts.

if your looking for "loud" bass go for a ported box, if your looking for decently loud bass and sound quality go for a sealed box. also you will not only save money by building the box yourself, you will also be able to build it sub woofer specific, and size it to your hatch/truck space.

i would recommend something along the lines of a Fi SSD 12" sub woofer in a sealed box built to FI specs. if you decide you want more spl in the future build a larger ported box.

amplifier wise, you can go a tad cheaper on an amp, the SSD take 1000 watts rms. i would go with a rockford or kicker amp if buying used, or a hifonics Hfi series or Brutus series if buying new. just be sure to ONLY look @ rms ratings when shopping for hifonics equipment.

it would be a great idea to shop the classifieds here on caraudio.com, or check out caraudioclassifieds.com.

depending on the size of your current alternator, you may or may not need a second battery in the trunk, and do the big three upgrade before you install any of the new equipment.

 

[xshlomox 10+ year member]

Wow, thanks!! After reading your post, I have a couple of questions...

Any idea on how I find out the size of the alternator in my car?

What is the big three upgrade?

What does SPL and RMS stand for?

Can you push me in the right direction for buying a new amp?

I was looking at the Fi SSD 12" and there a couple options that I don't quite understand, maybe you can help me out: Ohm (dual 1 vs. dual 2) and cooling.

Thanks so much!

 

[grandam888 10+ year member]

spl stands for sound pressure level(loudness in DB), and rms is basically the maximum wattage the amp can put out before producing a clipped signal. rms is really the only usable power from an amplifier. so ignore ALL max wattage ratings as if they do not exist. they are marketing gimmicks

as far as the ssd 12 the dual 1 and 2 are voice coils options referring to the impedance of the voice coils. this is important as you want to be sure your amp can run the desired wattage @ the impedance of the sub.(like a dual 2 can be ran @ 4 ohms, and 1 ohm, so you would buy an amp that puts out the desired power @ 1 ohm or 4) and cooling option allow for better cooling of the voice coils and is considered an upgrade. with the cooling options you can run higher rms wattage to the sub as the voice will run cooler.this option isn't "needed" but is def. recommended.

as far as the amperage of the stock alternator, i generally use auto zone.com to find the stock replacement, and it usually says what amperage it is. yours a 100 amp alternator which is decent, but you be pulling near that amperage @ 1000 watts. you may be fine with big three and extra battery.

big three is upgrading the wires running from alternator to battery, battery to ground, and engine black to battery. do this in 0 gauge or larger wire. most cars come with 4 gauge or smaller wiring in those areas(some rigged my jeep with a 12 gauge wire as the ground). personally i ran 3/0 wire on mine as i got it for free, but 0 gauge will be fine.