Newbie to the Car Audio Scene; I Have Some Questions

[NikoM 10+ year member]

Background Info:

I'm currently 16 years old right now from Ohio, just got my drivers license. I do not have a car yet, but am working right now and will be closing in on 2500$ soon. I'll be looking for something along the lines of a Hondo Civic, or a Chevy Cavelier, Dodge Neon, a Grand Am, the common cars you see teen drivers like me cruise around in.

Anyways, I want to bump when I ride. I'm really into music and love it, but know next to nothing about amplifiers, subwoofers, all the setups and systems that people have.

My friend recommended me to get a 15" Subwoofer. Thats all he said.

---------------------------------

Question:

So what would be the best type of 15" subwoofer to buy (brand) and what kind of amplifier/how much wattage would I need to power it so it doesn't blow?

Cheap, but effective is what I'm looking for. I don't want to start car alarms when I drive by, but I want kids to like to ride with me because of the free back massage my system will give them.

Thanks in advance

Click to read more...

 

[EvilSquirrel 10+ year member]

Please don't get a civic, 1. Your insurance will be ridiculous, 2. Everyone will think your another ricer if you do ANYTHING to it, and 3. Cops LOVE young people in Hondas, they'll bust you for anything they can fathom. There's too many idiots. For the price that they are going for, the performance your getting, and the relatively low insurance, I have said this before, I would go for a Mk2 VW. For the same condition you can get them for cheaper than the Hondas, have more performance in the motor/handling/safty department, and insurance is much cheaper. Racing around town in a honda you get looks like your stupid and flipped off, doing the same thing in a Volkswagen you get lots of thumbs ups, hang loose signs, and smiles. EVERYONE loves VWs (except other honda people...)

Im pretty noobish to car audio, but i know one thing, a nice 12" with good box will sound better then the other kids at your school with the 2 12"s and all that pimp shit in a prefab box.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

seriously, that is your advice? The Civic is the only vehicle on that list that is worth owning. Honda vehicles are great in every aspect. You couldn't get me to drive the others if you paid me.

we'll need a budget to give you recommendations. But i will tell you that you need to expect about $500 for the sub, the amp, the wiring, the box, and the installation. you'll want to pay someone to install this for you. you can ask them to show you what they are doing, but for the first time you want it done by a professional. read - professional, not your friends with systems.

if you want to DIY - you have a lot of studying to do, and you risk damaging your new equipment. we all learn somehow, but education and a knowledge of electronics (starting with ohms law and a DMM) is necessary to be safe.

your budget will dictate what you can afford. the year Civic and the OEM head unit will determine what interface you need.

If you can swing it, I vote JL Audio. A JL 15W0v2 and a JL 500/1 would be great. Not only is it a "premier" brand that you can show off, but it is quality that will perform for years if taken care of. Have a box made for your trunk out of 3/4" MDF with a double thick front baffle - to the specs. Note that it will pretty much take up your whole trunk.

If you can't sacrifice your trunk space, a Kicker SoloClassic 15 4ohmDVC and a Kicker KX750.1 would be a bit louder in a smaller footprint

You'll need a 4awg amp wiring kit from a good brand - like streetwires, rockford fosgate, even knu konceptz

 

[nateberrier 10+ year member]

Since you dont have a car you have plenty of time to read up on everything. Ask whatever questions you want and someone will help. dont ask stupid questions that google will solve though. when you do get your car hit me up and i will help you with whatever. Depending on where you are you may want to come and check out the install I am doing next week.

There is more to car audio than tossing some subs and an amp in the trunk. a "System" is defined as "A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole." so from the car audio perspective this would suggest more than just bass. Dont do what every other ******* does and buy an amp and sub and a shitty hu with preouts.

Read READ READ ask ask ask. then read some more. Start with a good radio, then move to some good front speakers or components. Then work on your subs. you will thank yourself later and you will be able to hear the highs and mids nice and clean while jeezy is massaging your back.

you arent going to get the answers you want out of this thread unfortunately. Also get a civic if you can but dont paint it with primer and put a fart can on it or i will cease helping you. cavs are girl cars, grand ams are crap. newer neons are acceptable. dont get a focus, ever. i would suggest a late 90s camery or something that wont kill you when you wreck it.

also keep hope alive is a good guy and knows his stuff.

 

[Blasphemy 10+ year member]

Dont do what every other ******* does and buy an amp and sub and a shitty hu with preouts. Read READ READ ask ask ask. then read some more. Start with a good radio, then move to some good front speakers or components. Then work on your subs. you will thank yourself later and you will be able to hear the highs and mids nice and clean while jeezy is massaging your back.

This x9324873829847.

 

[EvilSquirrel 10+ year member]

seriously, that is your advice? The Civic is the only vehicle on that list that is worth owning. Honda vehicles are great in every aspect. You couldn't get me to drive the others if you paid me.
we'll need a budget to give you recommendations. But i will tell you that you need to expect about $500 for the sub, the amp, the wiring, the box, and the installation. you'll want to pay someone to install this for you. you can ask them to show you what they are doing, but for the first time you want it done by a professional. read - professional, not your friends with systems.

if you want to DIY - you have a lot of studying to do, and you risk damaging your new equipment. we all learn somehow, but education and a knowledge of electronics (starting with ohms law and a DMM) is necessary to be safe.

your budget will dictate what you can afford. the year Civic and the OEM head unit will determine what interface you need.

If you can swing it, I vote JL Audio. A JL 15W0v2 and a JL 500/1 would be great. Not only is it a "premier" brand that you can show off, but it is quality that will perform for years if taken care of. Have a box made for your trunk out of 3/4" MDF with a double thick front baffle - to the specs. Note that it will pretty much take up your whole trunk.

If you can't sacrifice your trunk space, a Kicker SoloClassic 15 4ohmDVC and a Kicker KX750.1 would be a bit louder in a smaller footprint

You'll need a 4awg amp wiring kit from a good brand - like streetwires, rockford fosgate, even knu konceptz

lul hondas daze da best, but yous gotta runs the JL and Kickers too or you haz the suxorz. lol

 

[burzendowski 10+ year member]

NUFF SAID:wow:

 

[O.G. D-Wet 10+ year member]

lmao

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

To be honest I see more old people driving Hondas than any other demographics. You gonna call a grandma ricer because she owns a Honda now? Get outta here.

 

[I Like Waffle]

Get an old chevrolet like a caprice. Good starter cars and can be had cheap.

 

[EvilSquirrel 10+ year member]

aren't there only old people in Wisconsin??? jk

Im sure you dont have the huge street racing fast and the furious hondafag 4 different wheels painted black so they look the same cut springs gay bodykit huge exhaust on stock motor to sound fast primer huge wing with they're kickers so they can be like "I gotz dem kickaz in ma trunk" while they listen to their Bassnectar and a flat black hood so it looks racy like carbon fiber but they cant afford a carbon fiber hood..... like we do here

 

[O.G. D-Wet 10+ year member]

Get an old chevrolet like a caprice. Good starter cars and can be had cheap.

shit ur always talkin about caprices. I wouldnt recommend them for first car... gas guzzler fo sho. Just get somethin small, reliable and good on gas. That way, it saves u money while ur busy becoming an adult lol and it will get louder w/ less power/moniezzz

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Read READ READ ask ask ask. then read some more. Start with a good radio, then move to some good front speakers or components. Then work on your subs. you will thank yourself later and you will be able to hear the highs and mids nice and clean while jeezy is massaging your back.

x1000

i completely agree that speakers and a nice HU and speakers should come before subs. i also think you should just remove rear speakers in the cars you've chosen. the process of adding a new system should go like this:

1. Buy and install a new Head Unit

2. Buy and install the nicest component set you can afford at that time and install it with new speaker wire to the head unit. Take your time on the install.

3. Buy an appropriate amplifier for the component set, get a 4 channel amp and amplifier kit sized for future.

4. Buy a subwoofer and sub amp.

bass should always be the last thing you add... because it makes up so little of what you hear. Be the guy who impresses people with both sound quality and output, not the guy with the distorted music, rattling trunk, bass only system that only ignorant teenagers are impressed with.

make sound quality and music your focus and goal, and everything else will fall into place. your ears, your friends, and the internet will thank you. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[NikoM 10+ year member]

Wow, didn't expect this many replies this quick. Thanks fellas. Although in some posts I don't know about any of the things you referred to (or have heard of them) I will take it into consideration.

And I was planning to spend 500-600 bucks. Im not looking to make it all advanced and suitted up to impress guys that know what they are doing (you fellas). I just want something very basic.

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

take the money you save on car audio and put it towards a nicer car