i don't know much about car audio but i was just wondering if it was possible to hook up two 12" subs, two 10" subs and two components to one head deck and would it drain my battery faster?
Replies (56)
cplkittle on 03/4/2007 22:24:50
No.
The subs would need an amplifier. Back in the old days you could connect a pair of 8s or 10s to the rear channels of a head unit but not anymore. The car audio industry has grown in the direction of more power more power more power. Even the components will probably require more power than the HU will put out.
There are a few things we need to sort out here first.
If you can give us some model numbers that will help out tremendously. Also, mixing sub sizes can sometimes be more harmful than helpful. There are certain ways you can set them up, but just putting them in a box in the trunk is not exactly going to work.
As far as battery drain, that will all be decided once we know what kind of equiptment you are planning on using.
Welcome to the forum. By the way, where are you from? The Nissan Bluebird is not a vehicle I have seen here in the US.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/4/2007 23:15:41
The Bluebird is pretty much he JDM version of the Datsun 510, with of course some huge dofferences in the two nation's versions. Dude, where in the hell did you get this car at? I bet it's worth hella cash!
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/5/2007 04:22:57
Wow, I'm a moron sometimes! I thought for sure that said 64! Guess I'm not as up to date as I once thought. Is this pretty much the same gig as a Sentra ore something?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/5/2007 04:37:06
Got pretty curious on the topic and did a little research on what the car is/ looks like. Definetly very deiifernt from where Nissan was going in the states at the time, I personally thinks it looks like the maternal product of an Altima and an Infinity J30, but still with its own style.
http://www.bluebirdcarclub.co.nz/album/index.php?cat=10016
Lots of pics here
Definitly a pretty cool car.
loudazzblubird on 03/6/2007 23:19:36
Im from New Zealand. Sorry i don't know what a model number is but if your talking about the brand of subs and components im going to use i was thinking about using sony xpoldes. I thought the bluebird would be as common over there as it is over here.
cplkittle on 03/7/2007 03:52:02
Have you purchased any subs, amps or components yet?
Are you planning on buying from a local store or online?
If you can give us a little more information we can help you better.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/7/2007 04:38:45
Right on! Welcome to CK. No bluebirds up here man. What kind of engine does this thing run? I am a huge Nissan fan, having owned 2 Sentra models before. Do you guys have Nissan Sentras out there?
loudazzblubird on 03/8/2007 02:07:38
Haven't bought any yet. Just want to get info first before i get into doing it. Im building the layout out of wood. I've got the design part sussed out its just technical stuff. I was planning to look around for deals or any place that sell them. Plus the sony xplodes are the colour im looking for unless you know of a brand that has red, white and black colours?
loudazzblubird on 03/8/2007 02:14:28
yeah man we got those but they are rare. The bluebird comes in diffrent models. The one i got is basically a family car. It only has a 1.8ltr engine so it ain't worth thrashing. Its only for looks. There are others that come in 2.0ltr turbos but these are rare and worth a heck of alot of dosh since there aren't that many that come in turbo. But personally im a skyline R34 GTR fan but settled for this.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/8/2007 06:29:35
Alright man, I dont meen to hate, but choosing a brand, Expecially Sony, based on looks is a really poor decision to make. Mind you, Sony makes some awesome electronics in general, but their car audio division is leaving a lot do be desired.
If you must have the red, white and black. check out the Rocford Fosgate Punch 1. Deifintely in tha same price bracket, and in my disputable opinion quality bracket too. The primary color scheme is different of course, but I seriously can't think of anything else with the exact same colors.
Rockford Punch Stage 1
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pjLMykXJwJ4/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=575P110S4
Crutchfield is a great resource for audio gear online, but they can be a bit pricey. You do pay for convience. Another reccomendation is PartsExpress.com. I plan to order a fair amount of stuff from them in the near future.
You WILL need an amp. I have run ampless systems in the past, but they were ghetto to the maximum. What kind of audio project are we looking at here? It seems like the way you say "it's only for looks" applies here, but I could be mistaken. If this is the case, and you are building a show car, do it up with the deck and X-plodes, but the sound will like be extermemly distorted or quiet. In my expeirence, thats the only real result it gets. If properly faded, and the subs close enough to the listener, and good front speakers are used, it can sound like a great system stuck at low volume. A compromise I have made, but still a compromise.
Man it must be great to see a Skyline on the road. I get to admire them through pictures of cars thousands of miles away. I'm a little more partial to the R34 GTS myself, as AWD is not really for me. Drifting is sweet. But man I wish I could hear a sick R34 GTR with a huge turbo and blow off valve and exhuast scream by me on the freeway. Were stuck with mostly tastless Civics and Eclipses here in Colledge-town Colorado, and I'm getting sick of looking at them sometimes. Stupid left hand drive! I hear Aussie/NZ car culture is pretty cool, with acess to vehicles from all over. I bet the heat could kill an engine though.
loudazzblubird on 03/8/2007 21:29:49
yeah since you put it that way i want looks and sounds. That rocford fosgate looks better than the sony and i've heard they sound better too. I was just listeneing to my friends one and he has rocford fosgate and they sound nice. But he has a pretty crapy amp to run them so i don't think they are running to full potential. But even tho they still sound nice. I might start looking for them now. The colour looks pretty sweet as well. But one i get all the subs, components, and amps would i need anything else because it sounds like this could drain my battery real fast.
Skylines are pretty common over here. All types from the old school R30 to the R34 GTR Over here that's all you hear roaring up and down the streets but mostly the R32 "Godzillas".
Yeah Aussie/NZ soup up any car they get their hands on. I don't know if you have the honda oddessy but it looks like a soccer mom car, they would do that up in an instant. But i'd really want to see a escalade. Those are nice. There's only one in NZ but it belongs to coca cola so it doesnt look nice with their logo all over it. Man i thought you guys would have the skyline all over the place. But my only basis for this thought was from watching 2 fast 2 furious.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/8/2007 23:34:26
As far as needing anything additional, it all depends on the current draw of all the amps and your head unit at usual playing volume. In this case, a charging system cable upgrade (Big 3) and an upgraded battery would be a good call. But you might not really need it, it all depends on how much amperage you will pull when everything is hooked up.
The Fosgate was a suggestion based on color scheme alone. I personally have ran a Punch 1 and was highly dissapointed by its overall performance and construction. The Punch series has a very brittle speaker cone, and actually will spiderweb like glass over some slight impacts. It had punch, but deep boomy bass was completely absent.
I think a better suggestion would be the Alpine Type E or the Infinity Reference. Here are links for both of those.
Alpine Type E
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-tIu13n5hNMV/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=500SWE1242
Infinity Reference
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-tIu13n5hNMV/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=1081250W
Both of these subs both in pretty close in the price range as well. Let us know how many subs you plan to run, and we'll give you a good amp suggestion. I am personnally a huge fan of both these subs.
Don't let the movies fool you.....Skylines are rarely imported, mainly due to strict road laws, any right hand drive vehicle is difficult to have imported. And since there is no left hand drive Skylines, were pretty much screwed. MotoRex.com is the only place I have ever heard of that does it, and it costed around 80-90,000 US Dollars to get your hands on a nice used R34 GTR V Spec. I'm sure you could see one in a different state like California, but nothing around my area. Closest I have ever seen is some Hondas with the tailight conversions and R33 Body kits.
The Honda oddessy is one thing we definitely have in common. In our little mountain/ yuppie communities, it is a popular choice for......soccer moms. I have never seen one customized, and I probably woundn't care to.
kirchatndftbl on 03/9/2007 13:30:46
the kicker cvr subs have red and silver but not white way better than the xplodes and look good when you open the trunk
(subs) http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_8362.html
(amp) http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_8518.html
loudazzblubird on 03/9/2007 15:29:57
Cheers guys. I was wondering if i could mix the subs up like have 12" Alpine and 10" Kicker cvrs or vice versa or would it just be stupid? They both look pretty good. And sound wise, which one pumps more if i was blasting say any lil jon or just hip hop in general with that deep bass?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/9/2007 18:26:27
Soundwise, I coudn't tell you, as I have never heard the Kicker sub in action. I think the Kicker is good for a putting in a ported box, as the Alpine is sealed/bandpass only .You could mix them, but you would want to have them running different frequencies due to cancellations. The way a 10" sub moves, and the way a 12' moves, is very different, and differences in excursion could cause problems.
I am a HUGE Lil Jon fan, and a pair of 12" type E's In a CUSTOM BUILT bandpass enclosure would do you some great justice here. It would have some great boom, but the type E is great for accuracy too, so It would do well whether you was listening to "Get CrunK" or "Da Blow". In a sealed setup, it would have awsome punchy bass, but that deep boom you are probably looking for would be a bit lacking.
Man, only one Escalade? We have so many of them I could deal never seeing another one. If I see any sick ones though, I can bust out the camera and take some pics if you would like. Do you have any form of chat/isntant messenger? We could hop on there and hammer out some details, and chat it up on the differences in our car cultures. I am pretty interested in the rides over there.
But, if we were to make a Dual chambered setup, we could use a 10" kicker, crossed over as not to get below, say 45hz, and use a Bandpass Type E to slam out that super deep bass. What is your expeirence with enclosure building? You will want to build to manufacturer specs here, as the performance is waaay better than the off the shelf crap that is available.
cplkittle on 03/9/2007 22:01:36
It is not recommended. Especially in a trunk. If you mix sub sizes, they need to be crossed over so that the two different sizes don't play the same frequencies.
loudazzblubird on 03/10/2007 17:40:11
Sweet. I'll stick with four 12", components and tweeters now. As for building the enclosure i read some where you have to get it exactly right and put some of that cotton or whatever it is that come in those. But im not to worried about the building bit because i like to build stuff to the exact specs.
And my experience with computers is as much as what i know about car audio. Im using that windows messenger thing at the moment, Yeah the closest thing i'll come to seeing a souped up escalade is playing midnight club on the playstation.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/10/2007 23:14:45
Hvae you made a decision towards product choice yet? This will be important for determining the current draw (amps) of the whole steup. With the Rockford units we would need 5-700 watts RMS, the Alpines would need 900-1100 RMS, the Infinity's would need 1100-1300 RMS and the Kicker's needing a hefty 1500-1700 RMS.
This WILL put a severe strain on a stock Nissan charging system unless some sort of upgrade is used. I have killed a Nissan Alternator with 250 watts RMS. Other models have stouter gear, but lower end econoboxes like my old Sentras and probably your Bluebird are pretty cheaply built in those departments. By pictures alone, I can tell many of the same components are used, especially interior parts. Many Nissans and their products (say Infiniti) are the same platforms, with slightly modified exteriors, and a vareity of engines.
An upgraded battery, Big 3, and possibly can combat this, but especially with the head unit and component amp factored in, you are asking a little car to do a big job here. Consider scaling down a sub or two unless you want quite a hefty project on your hands.
As Kit said, it isn't good to run different sizes of subs at the same frequency, unless properly crossed over. Kit, kick us some knowledge up in this club, and let us know how you did this in your Sportage.
cplkittle on 03/11/2007 00:52:50
I have changed it up a bit as far as crossover frequencies go.
From the HU, I have the low pass filter at 125.
The 300.2 that powers the single 10" sub in a sealed box is set at 70Hz on a high pass filter. That way the 10 gets all frequencies between 70 and 125.
The 12's are running off a 1200.1 set at 60Hz low pass with a subsonic filter at 25Hz.
in other words:
the 12" subs take care of 25-60Hz
& the 10" sub takes care of 70-125Hz
The crossovers are 12dB/Oct, so the gap of 60-70 is filled without much overlapping. I don't have a meter, I would love to see it on an RTA. Tuning it by ear took almost 4 hours. I listened to a sine sweep of 200Hz to 20Hz probably 1000 times over and over and over.... I am really happy with the sound though.
loudazzblubird on 03/11/2007 01:10:11
so your pretty much saying in terms of my car i should stick with something that wouldn't put alot of strain on my car. What would you guys suggest? I mean i didn't even know this would involve my alternator. Plus i ain't gonna put it on full blast all the time. I will probably run it at maybe 50-70% sometimes. But mostly lower than that. Oh and what do you mean about tuning it? I thought once you hook it up then your all sweet.
cplkittle on 03/11/2007 22:24:50
If you go with a sealed box, it is pretty much hook it up and go.
There is a little more to it if you want to do it right. It will take a little more time (maybe a day) to discuss the proper way to set everything up. It will be a step by step process from buying to installing. It is fun and easy to learn and you will end up with a setup that you can enjoy and will enjoy the fact that you know how to do it right. Before long you will be hooking up your friends for a little extra cash.
Getting down to business...
The first thing we need to do is put together a package of subs, amp, and anything else you need that will fit into your budget.
I have seen some mention of alpine and kicker subs. Your first mention of what you wanted dealt strictly with color. Not exactly a wise way of approaching this, but we can work with that. Matter of fact, you can paint subs any color you want as long as you only paint the cone and it is not too thick. The weight of the paint will only minimally affect the perormance of the sub as long as you keep it thin.
Let's start with the type of music you listen to and what kind of bass are you looking for?
tight accurate bass for rock and country
deep low end for rap and hip hop
any mixture (60/40, 25/75, 50/50)
We will then look at different size subs and the power they require.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/11/2007 23:16:47
Alright, if your not pounding it all the time, you should be good to go, but I still would reccommend at least a batterey upgrade. Plus, they just look sweet too. And on top of all of that, it shouldn't be hard to find a red/black one too.
Thanks bro. I had no Idea you could paint subs, good to know! I will note that you said thin layers though. Thanks again for the info on your car too. Thought you were running it around 40hz, but we did talk about your car a while back. Athough not my vehicke of choice, you are running my dream system. II love Diamond stuff! I can also see I am not the only person who spends 4 hours at a time tuning by ear. You obsessive compulsive too?
loudazzblubird on 03/12/2007 04:53:11
i like alot of hip hop but will play the occasional old school song like dr hook and sometimes techno. So yeah any type of bass will do that will show off all types of music. The colour isn't a big deal any more because i want something to acually live up to my user name. The only thing loud is the exhaust i have. Oh and by battery upgrade do you mean chuck another battery in the trunk?
You guys rule. Are all you guys pro installers or just do this as a hobby?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/12/2007 08:54:25
Thanks man! CK is usually the place to be at to learn car audio, other than actuall hands on work. These guys have taught me a lot, and personnally I am just an amatuer. I just spend 23 out of 24 hours thinking stereos. Good place for me.
As far as a battery upgrade, I was thinking along the lines of a single upgraded battery with a nice CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) rating. Personally I am not too familiar on battery upgrades, I just know the one I personally want to buy is available at NAPA auto parts. I'm sure one of our in house pro's of the trade could give us a push in the right direction.
With the music you have listed, I think a pair of 12's would do you justice. A single one, properly powered, could even do the job. I'm not too familiar with Dr. Hook, but most techno, and pretty much all hip hop is dependant on deeper bass. If you really need tighter bass, a pair of 8's crossed over for higher bass notes like Kit's rig would probably do fine.
Ported would probably be good to free up some SPL, and maintain some accurracy, but that would rule out use of the Type E, as it is for sealed or bandpass applications only. Weigh your options, maybe shop around a little more, and let us know what you think in terms of sub selection, then we gan get into the nitty gritty of amping and enclosures. Also, give us an estimate of total system budget, it helps us to know what range of equipment to suggest.
cplkittle on 03/12/2007 22:21:33
There is a good mix of seasoned installers, veterans, and enthusiasts here. The gold medal beside some names indicates that person has donated alot of time and knowledge to the forum and while opinions may differ, we all have a well rounded knowledge of car audio and 12 volt systems.
Those that are just learning keep us on our toes with new perspectives and ideas. We all do this because we enjoy it.
ok, so loud is what you want...
Are all bluebirds trunk style cars, or are there hatchback models?
I have only been able to find trunk style pictures on the internet.
If you have a trunk, how much trunkspace are you willing to give up?
Also, like SMBC said, we need to get an idea of how much you are willing to spend. After that, we will start throwing around some ideas about what kind, how many, etc.
loudazzblubird on 03/13/2007 00:11:35
Budget wise i wouldn't be able to tell you since our dollars are so different. I mean over here you could get a decent pair of 12", amp all hooked up for NZ$300. They sound good too but compared to your standards i wouldn't have a clue. I'm willing to spend about $800 on the subs and amps and whatever else you need to hook them up. I have easy access to the materials to build the enclosures. The bluebird doesn't come in hatchback. Im willing to use up all the space since this will just be a cruising car for a lazy saturday or sunday drive and sometimes during the week. Oh and i recently saw an episode of pimp my ride and they used a capacitor or something. Is that suppose to save battery or something?
swez on 03/13/2007 20:51:42
Do your rear seats flip down for extra cargo stowage?
Caps.... they do work to a small degree on minor light dimming issues. However, if we are using large amps that consume high current (60-80 amperes or more, at general listening levels, no Cap can manage that load when coupled with a 75A ALT and a small battery. Major light dimming will be your clue that the electricals are not able to keep up the flow.
Swez
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/14/2007 10:35:33
First things first, Pimp My Ride is the perfect example of how car audio can be screwed up in so many ways. I advise STRONGLY to you and any other readers to look at what they do, and set it as the definition of what not to do. Seen the car with the MTX Jackhammer? 5 amps to drive one sub, and crappy coaxials without anything but H/U power to drive them. I drive the same model of car, and have never seen a ghetto hoopty bucket put to such shame. Not to mention the everpresent usage of excessive numbers of trash gear. I just cannot ever be convinced that 4 coxial 6.5s mounted in each door can ever sound or even look better than componet 6.5 that cost the same amount of money as 4 pairs of speakers. I will shut up now because I can go on for years on Pimp My Ride screwups. Now don't get me started on Unique Whips!
That being said, I swear against caps. I find them to be the most useless piece of car audio gear I personnally have used. In my expierence, your car's lights will either dim or they wont. For example: I have owned one vehicle that had no dimming problems. an Oldsmobile Delta 88. Had one hella stout charging system though. Made it 50 miles with no alternator belt, and still started the next time I needed it. While bumping. Put the same system in my next car, an 87 Toyota Cressida. Light were flashing like crazy. Added a 1 farad cap and lights were still flashing like crazy. Replaced battery and alternator, still flashing like crazy. My brothers bimmer, dims pertty nasty. After 2 1.5 farad caps, it still dims almost as much. Barely noticable though. I have never seen a cap truly do what say they do. I am on my seventh car now, and all of them besides the Oldsmobucket had the same issues, but to varying degrees.
I ran a money conversion program, and it comes out to be roughly $550USD. Pretty stiff budget to purchase 4 subs, components, rear fill, the neccassary amping and a head unit , and when you factor in MDF for sub enclosures, wires, RCA cables, connectors, wiring clip, dash kit and possibly charging system mods. This all sounds like a tough operating budget unless all the gear was trash. Mind you I have put several systems together on this kind of budget, but I also have several connections in pawn shops and in a stereo shop who make my life much easier, and without them I would't have had as much luck.
I am really tired right now, so I will do some research later to see if we can't squeeze all of this in.
cplkittle on 03/14/2007 17:40:31
what was the SPL they got from that jackhammer? If I remember correctly it was only in the 120's.
My first 4th order box with a single 10 was in the mid 130's and that was at 30-32Hz.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/14/2007 22:39:43
I don't rember exactly, but that means the number obviously wasn't very memeroble, and I remember they had a light that lit up at above 100db. Kit, where do you get a decent SPL meter at? I need one.....
cplkittle on 03/15/2007 01:50:14
audio control makes one
http://cgi.ebay.com/Audio-Control-SA-3055-Competition-Analyzer-SPL-Meter_W0QQitemZ120096375371QQcategoryZ14932QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
the bid is $500, I wouldn't be surprised if it hit $1500
term labs is another big brand, and even more expensive.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/15/2007 14:34:06
Holy ****! That mutha be expeeeennnsivvve! I am definitely thinking quality over a $20 walmart unit that only goes up to 130DB is an issue. Died laughing twice today, at the fact that the package on that unit said 6 12" with 3400 watts are neccassary to hit the 140's, and going into a pawnshop to see a used Fosgate Punch 2 going for $160.00! HAHAHAHA
I think it goes without saying how soon I wil be getting an SPL tester.............
Anyway, with this being said, where do you wanna go with this Loudazz? I see enough budget to build a very solid bass engine, with little room for much else. I will do some more research, but this is pretty tight...............Now that it has been mentioned on another post, the Diamond audio D3 series comes to mind. But this rig would pretty much take up the whole budget, but still IMO be worth it's weight in gold.
cplkittle on 03/15/2007 14:47:18
I would look at Powerbass also. I will look around and see what else I can find.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/15/2007 14:51:43
Forgot about Powerbass. Just not a brand that rapidly comes to mind here.
loudazzblubird on 03/15/2007 15:44:31
Yeah i heard things are expensive in the states. NZ$800 can go along way over here. Plus i already have a head deck so that ain't going to be included in the budget. It's a jvc one.
http://www.mp3-player.de/images/jvc_kd-avx1_.jpg
Everything here is genuine and if you know the right people you can get stuff for half price but man there are alot of brands to choose from. I have a big decision to make. All these sound good but which one would stand out from the rest without putting alot of strain to the car?
And i went to a car audio place not so long ago and there's a sub called "earthquake"?
http://www.lightav.com/car/earth/subzero2.gif
http://www.lightav.com/car/earth/subzero1.gif
I personally don't one since they are too huge, but just wondering how good they were?
loudazzblubird on 03/15/2007 15:46:18
Oh and my back seat flips down but theres like a steel frame that separates the trunk from the back seat.
Cheerz...
cplkittle on 03/16/2007 17:30:08
I am not familiar with the earthquake sub. I have seen their advertisements in magazines, but never have personally heard one or heard from anyone that has.
You have to keep in mind as you shop around that the bigger subs need a bigger amp which needs a bigger wire, maybe a bigger battery or bigger alternator.. which means a bigger wallet. Bigger is not always louder.
Is the steel frame solid behind the seat?
loudazzblubird on 03/16/2007 20:37:20
Kinda with little slots here and there. Its pretty annoying because its the only car i know that has that and i have a feeling it may alter the sound of the subs and stuff.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/19/2007 10:03:08
Alright man, I think the ideal setup for you would be a pair of ported 12s. I think the Infinity Reference would probably be the way to fly on this one too, paired up with the Alpine MRD-M605 amp. Wired with single 4 ohm Infinitys it would pump out a nice 600rms. Definitely enough to get the job done. Here are links for both:
Alpine MRD M650
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-iPVs56VrsgF/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=120&I=500MRDM605
Infinity Reference1250w
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-iPVs56VrsgF/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=1081250W
This will call for 2.0 cubic ft enclosures each, which will take of probably most of your trunk. I really don't think the slots and the like of your trunk will hurt anything, probably actually assist air movement into the cabin.
This will call for 60 amps current draw at full power, but if used as you say will you will use it, and driven as infrequently, this shouldn't be too much for the charging system to handle. A good 4 channel amp would use about half this much, so I'm sure you could come out fine here. A good battery wouldn't hurt anything at all either, I would definitly consider that upgrade with this system.
If 800NZ will go as far as you say it does, this can be pretty budget concious as well. Let us know if you like our options, and where you want to go from here.
Also, I have seen an Earthquake sub before. It was uninstalled, so I never got to hear it, but it was nonetheless one meaty lookin mutha. It was an older model 12" and looked nothing like that, just shared the same brand.
loudazzblubird on 03/22/2007 22:50:57
That's a pretty good suggestion. I got a friend who found two infinity subs and infinity components and tweeters. I like the two 12" set up in the trunk but was thinking if maybe i could chuck something else in there like more components or 6x9s or something to make the trunk look full with sounds. Oh and what do you think of neons in the trunk. I just got that idea from a car magazine.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/24/2007 07:05:10
The comps. or 6x9 in the trunk is definitely not in my opinion really good at all. Basically, unless you are parked and the trunk is open all the time, they are totally useless and definitely in my opinion tasteless. They will require more amping, more current draw, and more cost and be totally useless while driving, unless your a gangsta or mob boss who likes to keep victims entertained, or kill them with sound or something. if this is the plan, definitely install grilles.
As opposed to something like that, possibly consider more useful options for improving your stereo that would look great and be fuctional. I do definitely get the Idea of wanting a sound filled looking trunk, so I will list as many as I can think of.
Spare battery
Bigger, flashier, but still quality amps (will require more current draw)
some sort of amp cooling system
A third or forth sub, (but this still need more power)
Mounting active or passive crossovers in the trunk
A preamp or line driver
Bigger subs (but i'm not sure how well anything bigger would fit in your car)
A flashy capacitor can work for looks
Neon is always cool
Adding a CD changer, PS2/Xbox, or other forms of Auxiallry inputs that would still function well in the trunk, possibly a screen to go with that nice JVC unit you have there
Some sort of visible port into the cabin
Bandpass boxes look awesome, and will produce more SPL, at the cost of space and accurracy
A pair of smaller, properly crossed over subs for the upper bass frequencies
The rear of some meaty speakers mounded in the rear deck
Showing off install parts like Distribution blocks, fuse blocks, component crossovers safely under plexiglass
Overall artisticness of the install, such as custom boxes, ampracks ect.
If you can get me some pictures of your trunk and some good measurements, I would be more than happy to help you design a trunk that will look sick, have some great functional add ons for that sound filled look. But to really help here I would need really good measurments, and to totally finilaze sub choices so box size could give us an idea of how much space is left where when needed space is finished being addressed. I could probably use photoshop or microsoft paint to give a slight idea of what it could look like
What you think man?
loudazzblubird on 03/25/2007 03:58:11
Yeah man that sounds cool. I'll try get a couple of pics for you. Cheers man.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/25/2007 09:58:55
Cool man. I like the Idea of a sound filled trunk, and definitely want a crazy full blown custom trunk, but all that filler is expensive!
I tried to think of as big a list as possible Let me know what all ideas you like out of there. But remember, this is your car, and if speakers in the trunk is the way YOU want to go with YOUR car, that's YOUR decision man. And I'm not really the type to knock somebody else's style, this is all personal opinion.
I am all about neon parts though, nut in my state they are pretty much outlawed for street use, and not alot of show car action around here. Cops and lawmakers stopped taking too nicely to colored light in vehicles after a few women were assualted in Denver by a police impersonator a few years back. Pretty much one person person ruined it for everybody.
loudazzblubird on 03/29/2007 03:15:27
Holy heck. That sucks about the neon thing. They are trying to do that here but only settled with no blinking neons. Normal ones are good as long as they aren't flashing as they would distract other drivers or so the government reckons. Hey i don't know how put my pictures of the trunk on here. You don't have a e-mail thing or something by any chance?? I ain't up to date with computers.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/29/2007 04:17:31
Hey, at least you can still glow. That law seemed to pass overnight too. Totally sucks.
There is a couple of way to post up the pics, make a photobucket album, (Photobucket.com), or you can email them to me personally at shanksta187420@aol.com. I reccommend the photobucket option though, so as others can learn from this post too.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/2/2007 10:43:41
Bump
Where you at man?
HPRacing on 04/5/2007 11:36:16
You want to make sure your +12 dont die on you, jus use a caps. I hope no one said that already lol.
loudazzblubird on 04/6/2007 02:43:08
Shux sorry for ain't posting in a while. Things been hectic at work. Anyways enough of that i got the infinity subs and alpine amp. I just made an account on that photobucket but just waiting for something to happen because i can't log in or use it yet.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/6/2007 09:29:17
Word man! My job is always hectic, so I took last night off. Firts time I have caled in in a long time.
Have they sent your confirmation email yet?
loudazzblubird on 04/6/2007 20:40:36
No. I made my account like 3 times but it kept going back to the home page so i just decided to wait and see if they email otherwise i'll just send one to your email.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/6/2007 22:36:46
Just Email them to me, My Email is Shanksta187420@aol.com
loudazzblubird on 04/14/2007 23:14:07
did you get my email?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/14/2007 23:44:07
Yeah I got it, hit me up with some shots without the subs in, and hook me up with some measurements, and we'll get the ball rolling on this. I get you have a busy schedule, so feel free to take your time and worry about your priorities. We'll get you hooked up when you got tme.
loudazzblubird on 04/27/2007 01:06:09
hey bro. Forget about the bluebird. I'll do that up in the up coming months or years. I've found a car that'll look really good with the infinity subs. It's a nissan stagea. I don't know if you have them but they look real nice when souped up. I'll still ask for help for the bluebird if thats ok. Oh and i have a question my mate was asking. Can you run two speakers off one wire? Like the one from the head unit running only one speaker?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/27/2007 10:00:05
No Nissan Stagea here. I haven't even heard of that one. I'll bust some research and find some pics when I have more energy. What's up with the Bluebird? Lose interest?? More questions are always great, there are plenty of folk more than happy to answer them.
Two speakers off of one wire set (there is two per speaker of course) is ok if no stereo imaging is necassary, and you are dealing with something that can handle running two speakers at once. If they are 8 ohm, its all good, but any head unit will have problems running two speakers per channel off of internal power.
Before we get all dirty style on the Stagea, start us up a new post. This one is getting hard to read, and its always good so maybe more of the experts (swez, Kit, Ttoccs, the boys..) may want to get more involved.
Wait, is the Stagea like a High performance Skyling looking wagon? I think I have heard of it before thinking back to my Gran Turismo nerd days!
loudazzblubird on 04/28/2007 22:00:19
The bluebird is still around but having a few mechanical problems at the moment so in the mean time i might as well start another so called 'project' car mainly for cruising.
Replies (56)
cplkittle on 03/4/2007 22:24:50
No.
The subs would need an amplifier. Back in the old days you could connect a pair of 8s or 10s to the rear channels of a head unit but not anymore. The car audio industry has grown in the direction of more power more power more power. Even the components will probably require more power than the HU will put out.
There are a few things we need to sort out here first.
If you can give us some model numbers that will help out tremendously. Also, mixing sub sizes can sometimes be more harmful than helpful. There are certain ways you can set them up, but just putting them in a box in the trunk is not exactly going to work.
As far as battery drain, that will all be decided once we know what kind of equiptment you are planning on using.
Welcome to the forum. By the way, where are you from? The Nissan Bluebird is not a vehicle I have seen here in the US.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/4/2007 23:15:41
The Bluebird is pretty much he JDM version of the Datsun 510, with of course some huge dofferences in the two nation's versions. Dude, where in the hell did you get this car at? I bet it's worth hella cash!
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/5/2007 04:22:57
Wow, I'm a moron sometimes! I thought for sure that said 64! Guess I'm not as up to date as I once thought. Is this pretty much the same gig as a Sentra ore something?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/5/2007 04:37:06
Got pretty curious on the topic and did a little research on what the car is/ looks like. Definetly very deiifernt from where Nissan was going in the states at the time, I personally thinks it looks like the maternal product of an Altima and an Infinity J30, but still with its own style.
http://www.bluebirdcarclub.co.nz/album/index.php?cat=10016
Lots of pics here
Definitly a pretty cool car.
loudazzblubird on 03/6/2007 23:19:36
Im from New Zealand. Sorry i don't know what a model number is but if your talking about the brand of subs and components im going to use i was thinking about using sony xpoldes. I thought the bluebird would be as common over there as it is over here.
cplkittle on 03/7/2007 03:52:02
Have you purchased any subs, amps or components yet?
Are you planning on buying from a local store or online?
If you can give us a little more information we can help you better.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/7/2007 04:38:45
Right on! Welcome to CK. No bluebirds up here man. What kind of engine does this thing run? I am a huge Nissan fan, having owned 2 Sentra models before. Do you guys have Nissan Sentras out there?
loudazzblubird on 03/8/2007 02:07:38
Haven't bought any yet. Just want to get info first before i get into doing it. Im building the layout out of wood. I've got the design part sussed out its just technical stuff. I was planning to look around for deals or any place that sell them. Plus the sony xplodes are the colour im looking for unless you know of a brand that has red, white and black colours?
loudazzblubird on 03/8/2007 02:14:28
yeah man we got those but they are rare. The bluebird comes in diffrent models. The one i got is basically a family car. It only has a 1.8ltr engine so it ain't worth thrashing. Its only for looks. There are others that come in 2.0ltr turbos but these are rare and worth a heck of alot of dosh since there aren't that many that come in turbo. But personally im a skyline R34 GTR fan but settled for this.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/8/2007 06:29:35
Alright man, I dont meen to hate, but choosing a brand, Expecially Sony, based on looks is a really poor decision to make. Mind you, Sony makes some awesome electronics in general, but their car audio division is leaving a lot do be desired.
If you must have the red, white and black. check out the Rocford Fosgate Punch 1. Deifintely in tha same price bracket, and in my disputable opinion quality bracket too. The primary color scheme is different of course, but I seriously can't think of anything else with the exact same colors.
Rockford Punch Stage 1
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-pjLMykXJwJ4/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=575P110S4
Crutchfield is a great resource for audio gear online, but they can be a bit pricey. You do pay for convience. Another reccomendation is PartsExpress.com. I plan to order a fair amount of stuff from them in the near future.
You WILL need an amp. I have run ampless systems in the past, but they were ghetto to the maximum. What kind of audio project are we looking at here? It seems like the way you say "it's only for looks" applies here, but I could be mistaken. If this is the case, and you are building a show car, do it up with the deck and X-plodes, but the sound will like be extermemly distorted or quiet. In my expeirence, thats the only real result it gets. If properly faded, and the subs close enough to the listener, and good front speakers are used, it can sound like a great system stuck at low volume. A compromise I have made, but still a compromise.
Man it must be great to see a Skyline on the road. I get to admire them through pictures of cars thousands of miles away. I'm a little more partial to the R34 GTS myself, as AWD is not really for me. Drifting is sweet. But man I wish I could hear a sick R34 GTR with a huge turbo and blow off valve and exhuast scream by me on the freeway. Were stuck with mostly tastless Civics and Eclipses here in Colledge-town Colorado, and I'm getting sick of looking at them sometimes. Stupid left hand drive! I hear Aussie/NZ car culture is pretty cool, with acess to vehicles from all over. I bet the heat could kill an engine though.
loudazzblubird on 03/8/2007 21:29:49
yeah since you put it that way i want looks and sounds. That rocford fosgate looks better than the sony and i've heard they sound better too. I was just listeneing to my friends one and he has rocford fosgate and they sound nice. But he has a pretty crapy amp to run them so i don't think they are running to full potential. But even tho they still sound nice. I might start looking for them now. The colour looks pretty sweet as well. But one i get all the subs, components, and amps would i need anything else because it sounds like this could drain my battery real fast.
Skylines are pretty common over here. All types from the old school R30 to the R34 GTR Over here that's all you hear roaring up and down the streets but mostly the R32 "Godzillas".
Yeah Aussie/NZ soup up any car they get their hands on. I don't know if you have the honda oddessy but it looks like a soccer mom car, they would do that up in an instant. But i'd really want to see a escalade. Those are nice. There's only one in NZ but it belongs to coca cola so it doesnt look nice with their logo all over it. Man i thought you guys would have the skyline all over the place. But my only basis for this thought was from watching 2 fast 2 furious.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/8/2007 23:34:26
As far as needing anything additional, it all depends on the current draw of all the amps and your head unit at usual playing volume. In this case, a charging system cable upgrade (Big 3) and an upgraded battery would be a good call. But you might not really need it, it all depends on how much amperage you will pull when everything is hooked up.
The Fosgate was a suggestion based on color scheme alone. I personally have ran a Punch 1 and was highly dissapointed by its overall performance and construction. The Punch series has a very brittle speaker cone, and actually will spiderweb like glass over some slight impacts. It had punch, but deep boomy bass was completely absent.
I think a better suggestion would be the Alpine Type E or the Infinity Reference. Here are links for both of those.
Alpine Type E
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-tIu13n5hNMV/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=500SWE1242
Infinity Reference
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-tIu13n5hNMV/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=1081250W
Both of these subs both in pretty close in the price range as well. Let us know how many subs you plan to run, and we'll give you a good amp suggestion. I am personnally a huge fan of both these subs.
Don't let the movies fool you.....Skylines are rarely imported, mainly due to strict road laws, any right hand drive vehicle is difficult to have imported. And since there is no left hand drive Skylines, were pretty much screwed. MotoRex.com is the only place I have ever heard of that does it, and it costed around 80-90,000 US Dollars to get your hands on a nice used R34 GTR V Spec. I'm sure you could see one in a different state like California, but nothing around my area. Closest I have ever seen is some Hondas with the tailight conversions and R33 Body kits.
The Honda oddessy is one thing we definitely have in common. In our little mountain/ yuppie communities, it is a popular choice for......soccer moms. I have never seen one customized, and I probably woundn't care to.
kirchatndftbl on 03/9/2007 13:30:46
the kicker cvr subs have red and silver but not white way better than the xplodes and look good when you open the trunk
(subs) http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_8362.html
(amp) http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_8518.html
loudazzblubird on 03/9/2007 15:29:57
Cheers guys. I was wondering if i could mix the subs up like have 12" Alpine and 10" Kicker cvrs or vice versa or would it just be stupid? They both look pretty good. And sound wise, which one pumps more if i was blasting say any lil jon or just hip hop in general with that deep bass?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/9/2007 18:26:27
Soundwise, I coudn't tell you, as I have never heard the Kicker sub in action. I think the Kicker is good for a putting in a ported box, as the Alpine is sealed/bandpass only .You could mix them, but you would want to have them running different frequencies due to cancellations. The way a 10" sub moves, and the way a 12' moves, is very different, and differences in excursion could cause problems.
I am a HUGE Lil Jon fan, and a pair of 12" type E's In a CUSTOM BUILT bandpass enclosure would do you some great justice here. It would have some great boom, but the type E is great for accuracy too, so It would do well whether you was listening to "Get CrunK" or "Da Blow". In a sealed setup, it would have awsome punchy bass, but that deep boom you are probably looking for would be a bit lacking.
Man, only one Escalade? We have so many of them I could deal never seeing another one. If I see any sick ones though, I can bust out the camera and take some pics if you would like. Do you have any form of chat/isntant messenger? We could hop on there and hammer out some details, and chat it up on the differences in our car cultures. I am pretty interested in the rides over there.
But, if we were to make a Dual chambered setup, we could use a 10" kicker, crossed over as not to get below, say 45hz, and use a Bandpass Type E to slam out that super deep bass. What is your expeirence with enclosure building? You will want to build to manufacturer specs here, as the performance is waaay better than the off the shelf crap that is available.
cplkittle on 03/9/2007 22:01:36
It is not recommended. Especially in a trunk. If you mix sub sizes, they need to be crossed over so that the two different sizes don't play the same frequencies.
loudazzblubird on 03/10/2007 17:40:11
Sweet. I'll stick with four 12", components and tweeters now. As for building the enclosure i read some where you have to get it exactly right and put some of that cotton or whatever it is that come in those. But im not to worried about the building bit because i like to build stuff to the exact specs.
And my experience with computers is as much as what i know about car audio. Im using that windows messenger thing at the moment, Yeah the closest thing i'll come to seeing a souped up escalade is playing midnight club on the playstation.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/10/2007 23:14:45
Hvae you made a decision towards product choice yet? This will be important for determining the current draw (amps) of the whole steup. With the Rockford units we would need 5-700 watts RMS, the Alpines would need 900-1100 RMS, the Infinity's would need 1100-1300 RMS and the Kicker's needing a hefty 1500-1700 RMS.
This WILL put a severe strain on a stock Nissan charging system unless some sort of upgrade is used. I have killed a Nissan Alternator with 250 watts RMS. Other models have stouter gear, but lower end econoboxes like my old Sentras and probably your Bluebird are pretty cheaply built in those departments. By pictures alone, I can tell many of the same components are used, especially interior parts. Many Nissans and their products (say Infiniti) are the same platforms, with slightly modified exteriors, and a vareity of engines.
An upgraded battery, Big 3, and possibly can combat this, but especially with the head unit and component amp factored in, you are asking a little car to do a big job here. Consider scaling down a sub or two unless you want quite a hefty project on your hands.
As Kit said, it isn't good to run different sizes of subs at the same frequency, unless properly crossed over. Kit, kick us some knowledge up in this club, and let us know how you did this in your Sportage.
cplkittle on 03/11/2007 00:52:50
I have changed it up a bit as far as crossover frequencies go.
From the HU, I have the low pass filter at 125.
The 300.2 that powers the single 10" sub in a sealed box is set at 70Hz on a high pass filter. That way the 10 gets all frequencies between 70 and 125.
The 12's are running off a 1200.1 set at 60Hz low pass with a subsonic filter at 25Hz.
in other words:
the 12" subs take care of 25-60Hz
& the 10" sub takes care of 70-125Hz
The crossovers are 12dB/Oct, so the gap of 60-70 is filled without much overlapping. I don't have a meter, I would love to see it on an RTA. Tuning it by ear took almost 4 hours. I listened to a sine sweep of 200Hz to 20Hz probably 1000 times over and over and over.... I am really happy with the sound though.
loudazzblubird on 03/11/2007 01:10:11
so your pretty much saying in terms of my car i should stick with something that wouldn't put alot of strain on my car. What would you guys suggest? I mean i didn't even know this would involve my alternator. Plus i ain't gonna put it on full blast all the time. I will probably run it at maybe 50-70% sometimes. But mostly lower than that. Oh and what do you mean about tuning it? I thought once you hook it up then your all sweet.
cplkittle on 03/11/2007 22:24:50
If you go with a sealed box, it is pretty much hook it up and go.
There is a little more to it if you want to do it right. It will take a little more time (maybe a day) to discuss the proper way to set everything up. It will be a step by step process from buying to installing. It is fun and easy to learn and you will end up with a setup that you can enjoy and will enjoy the fact that you know how to do it right. Before long you will be hooking up your friends for a little extra cash.
Getting down to business...
The first thing we need to do is put together a package of subs, amp, and anything else you need that will fit into your budget.
I have seen some mention of alpine and kicker subs. Your first mention of what you wanted dealt strictly with color. Not exactly a wise way of approaching this, but we can work with that. Matter of fact, you can paint subs any color you want as long as you only paint the cone and it is not too thick. The weight of the paint will only minimally affect the perormance of the sub as long as you keep it thin.
Let's start with the type of music you listen to and what kind of bass are you looking for?
tight accurate bass for rock and country
deep low end for rap and hip hop
any mixture (60/40, 25/75, 50/50)
We will then look at different size subs and the power they require.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/11/2007 23:16:47
Alright, if your not pounding it all the time, you should be good to go, but I still would reccommend at least a batterey upgrade. Plus, they just look sweet too. And on top of all of that, it shouldn't be hard to find a red/black one too.
Thanks bro. I had no Idea you could paint subs, good to know! I will note that you said thin layers though. Thanks again for the info on your car too. Thought you were running it around 40hz, but we did talk about your car a while back. Athough not my vehicke of choice, you are running my dream system. II love Diamond stuff! I can also see I am not the only person who spends 4 hours at a time tuning by ear. You obsessive compulsive too?
loudazzblubird on 03/12/2007 04:53:11
i like alot of hip hop but will play the occasional old school song like dr hook and sometimes techno. So yeah any type of bass will do that will show off all types of music. The colour isn't a big deal any more because i want something to acually live up to my user name. The only thing loud is the exhaust i have. Oh and by battery upgrade do you mean chuck another battery in the trunk?
You guys rule. Are all you guys pro installers or just do this as a hobby?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/12/2007 08:54:25
Thanks man! CK is usually the place to be at to learn car audio, other than actuall hands on work. These guys have taught me a lot, and personnally I am just an amatuer. I just spend 23 out of 24 hours thinking stereos. Good place for me.
As far as a battery upgrade, I was thinking along the lines of a single upgraded battery with a nice CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) rating. Personally I am not too familiar on battery upgrades, I just know the one I personally want to buy is available at NAPA auto parts. I'm sure one of our in house pro's of the trade could give us a push in the right direction.
With the music you have listed, I think a pair of 12's would do you justice. A single one, properly powered, could even do the job. I'm not too familiar with Dr. Hook, but most techno, and pretty much all hip hop is dependant on deeper bass. If you really need tighter bass, a pair of 8's crossed over for higher bass notes like Kit's rig would probably do fine.
Ported would probably be good to free up some SPL, and maintain some accurracy, but that would rule out use of the Type E, as it is for sealed or bandpass applications only. Weigh your options, maybe shop around a little more, and let us know what you think in terms of sub selection, then we gan get into the nitty gritty of amping and enclosures. Also, give us an estimate of total system budget, it helps us to know what range of equipment to suggest.
cplkittle on 03/12/2007 22:21:33
There is a good mix of seasoned installers, veterans, and enthusiasts here. The gold medal beside some names indicates that person has donated alot of time and knowledge to the forum and while opinions may differ, we all have a well rounded knowledge of car audio and 12 volt systems.
Those that are just learning keep us on our toes with new perspectives and ideas. We all do this because we enjoy it.
ok, so loud is what you want...
Are all bluebirds trunk style cars, or are there hatchback models?
I have only been able to find trunk style pictures on the internet.
If you have a trunk, how much trunkspace are you willing to give up?
Also, like SMBC said, we need to get an idea of how much you are willing to spend. After that, we will start throwing around some ideas about what kind, how many, etc.
loudazzblubird on 03/13/2007 00:11:35
Budget wise i wouldn't be able to tell you since our dollars are so different. I mean over here you could get a decent pair of 12", amp all hooked up for NZ$300. They sound good too but compared to your standards i wouldn't have a clue. I'm willing to spend about $800 on the subs and amps and whatever else you need to hook them up. I have easy access to the materials to build the enclosures. The bluebird doesn't come in hatchback. Im willing to use up all the space since this will just be a cruising car for a lazy saturday or sunday drive and sometimes during the week. Oh and i recently saw an episode of pimp my ride and they used a capacitor or something. Is that suppose to save battery or something?
swez on 03/13/2007 20:51:42
Do your rear seats flip down for extra cargo stowage?
Caps.... they do work to a small degree on minor light dimming issues. However, if we are using large amps that consume high current (60-80 amperes or more, at general listening levels, no Cap can manage that load when coupled with a 75A ALT and a small battery. Major light dimming will be your clue that the electricals are not able to keep up the flow.
Swez
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/14/2007 10:35:33
First things first, Pimp My Ride is the perfect example of how car audio can be screwed up in so many ways. I advise STRONGLY to you and any other readers to look at what they do, and set it as the definition of what not to do. Seen the car with the MTX Jackhammer? 5 amps to drive one sub, and crappy coaxials without anything but H/U power to drive them. I drive the same model of car, and have never seen a ghetto hoopty bucket put to such shame. Not to mention the everpresent usage of excessive numbers of trash gear. I just cannot ever be convinced that 4 coxial 6.5s mounted in each door can ever sound or even look better than componet 6.5 that cost the same amount of money as 4 pairs of speakers. I will shut up now because I can go on for years on Pimp My Ride screwups. Now don't get me started on Unique Whips!
That being said, I swear against caps. I find them to be the most useless piece of car audio gear I personnally have used. In my expierence, your car's lights will either dim or they wont. For example: I have owned one vehicle that had no dimming problems. an Oldsmobile Delta 88. Had one hella stout charging system though. Made it 50 miles with no alternator belt, and still started the next time I needed it. While bumping. Put the same system in my next car, an 87 Toyota Cressida. Light were flashing like crazy. Added a 1 farad cap and lights were still flashing like crazy. Replaced battery and alternator, still flashing like crazy. My brothers bimmer, dims pertty nasty. After 2 1.5 farad caps, it still dims almost as much. Barely noticable though. I have never seen a cap truly do what say they do. I am on my seventh car now, and all of them besides the Oldsmobucket had the same issues, but to varying degrees.
I ran a money conversion program, and it comes out to be roughly $550USD. Pretty stiff budget to purchase 4 subs, components, rear fill, the neccassary amping and a head unit , and when you factor in MDF for sub enclosures, wires, RCA cables, connectors, wiring clip, dash kit and possibly charging system mods. This all sounds like a tough operating budget unless all the gear was trash. Mind you I have put several systems together on this kind of budget, but I also have several connections in pawn shops and in a stereo shop who make my life much easier, and without them I would't have had as much luck.
I am really tired right now, so I will do some research later to see if we can't squeeze all of this in.
cplkittle on 03/14/2007 17:40:31
what was the SPL they got from that jackhammer? If I remember correctly it was only in the 120's.
My first 4th order box with a single 10 was in the mid 130's and that was at 30-32Hz.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/14/2007 22:39:43
I don't rember exactly, but that means the number obviously wasn't very memeroble, and I remember they had a light that lit up at above 100db. Kit, where do you get a decent SPL meter at? I need one.....
cplkittle on 03/15/2007 01:50:14
audio control makes one
http://cgi.ebay.com/Audio-Control-SA-3055-Competition-Analyzer-SPL-Meter_W0QQitemZ120096375371QQcategoryZ14932QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
the bid is $500, I wouldn't be surprised if it hit $1500
term labs is another big brand, and even more expensive.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/15/2007 14:34:06
Holy ****! That mutha be expeeeennnsivvve! I am definitely thinking quality over a $20 walmart unit that only goes up to 130DB is an issue. Died laughing twice today, at the fact that the package on that unit said 6 12" with 3400 watts are neccassary to hit the 140's, and going into a pawnshop to see a used Fosgate Punch 2 going for $160.00! HAHAHAHA
I think it goes without saying how soon I wil be getting an SPL tester.............
Anyway, with this being said, where do you wanna go with this Loudazz? I see enough budget to build a very solid bass engine, with little room for much else. I will do some more research, but this is pretty tight...............Now that it has been mentioned on another post, the Diamond audio D3 series comes to mind. But this rig would pretty much take up the whole budget, but still IMO be worth it's weight in gold.
cplkittle on 03/15/2007 14:47:18
I would look at Powerbass also. I will look around and see what else I can find.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/15/2007 14:51:43
Forgot about Powerbass. Just not a brand that rapidly comes to mind here.
loudazzblubird on 03/15/2007 15:44:31
Yeah i heard things are expensive in the states. NZ$800 can go along way over here. Plus i already have a head deck so that ain't going to be included in the budget. It's a jvc one.
http://www.mp3-player.de/images/jvc_kd-avx1_.jpg
Everything here is genuine and if you know the right people you can get stuff for half price but man there are alot of brands to choose from. I have a big decision to make. All these sound good but which one would stand out from the rest without putting alot of strain to the car?
And i went to a car audio place not so long ago and there's a sub called "earthquake"?
http://www.lightav.com/car/earth/subzero2.gif
http://www.lightav.com/car/earth/subzero1.gif
I personally don't one since they are too huge, but just wondering how good they were?
loudazzblubird on 03/15/2007 15:46:18
Oh and my back seat flips down but theres like a steel frame that separates the trunk from the back seat.
Cheerz...
cplkittle on 03/16/2007 17:30:08
I am not familiar with the earthquake sub. I have seen their advertisements in magazines, but never have personally heard one or heard from anyone that has.
You have to keep in mind as you shop around that the bigger subs need a bigger amp which needs a bigger wire, maybe a bigger battery or bigger alternator.. which means a bigger wallet. Bigger is not always louder.
Is the steel frame solid behind the seat?
loudazzblubird on 03/16/2007 20:37:20
Kinda with little slots here and there. Its pretty annoying because its the only car i know that has that and i have a feeling it may alter the sound of the subs and stuff.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/19/2007 10:03:08
Alright man, I think the ideal setup for you would be a pair of ported 12s. I think the Infinity Reference would probably be the way to fly on this one too, paired up with the Alpine MRD-M605 amp. Wired with single 4 ohm Infinitys it would pump out a nice 600rms. Definitely enough to get the job done. Here are links for both:
Alpine MRD M650
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-iPVs56VrsgF/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=120&I=500MRDM605
Infinity Reference1250w
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-iPVs56VrsgF/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=520&I=1081250W
This will call for 2.0 cubic ft enclosures each, which will take of probably most of your trunk. I really don't think the slots and the like of your trunk will hurt anything, probably actually assist air movement into the cabin.
This will call for 60 amps current draw at full power, but if used as you say will you will use it, and driven as infrequently, this shouldn't be too much for the charging system to handle. A good 4 channel amp would use about half this much, so I'm sure you could come out fine here. A good battery wouldn't hurt anything at all either, I would definitly consider that upgrade with this system.
If 800NZ will go as far as you say it does, this can be pretty budget concious as well. Let us know if you like our options, and where you want to go from here.
Also, I have seen an Earthquake sub before. It was uninstalled, so I never got to hear it, but it was nonetheless one meaty lookin mutha. It was an older model 12" and looked nothing like that, just shared the same brand.
loudazzblubird on 03/22/2007 22:50:57
That's a pretty good suggestion. I got a friend who found two infinity subs and infinity components and tweeters. I like the two 12" set up in the trunk but was thinking if maybe i could chuck something else in there like more components or 6x9s or something to make the trunk look full with sounds. Oh and what do you think of neons in the trunk. I just got that idea from a car magazine.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/24/2007 07:05:10
The comps. or 6x9 in the trunk is definitely not in my opinion really good at all. Basically, unless you are parked and the trunk is open all the time, they are totally useless and definitely in my opinion tasteless. They will require more amping, more current draw, and more cost and be totally useless while driving, unless your a gangsta or mob boss who likes to keep victims entertained, or kill them with sound or something. if this is the plan, definitely install grilles.
As opposed to something like that, possibly consider more useful options for improving your stereo that would look great and be fuctional. I do definitely get the Idea of wanting a sound filled looking trunk, so I will list as many as I can think of.
Spare battery
Bigger, flashier, but still quality amps (will require more current draw)
some sort of amp cooling system
A third or forth sub, (but this still need more power)
Mounting active or passive crossovers in the trunk
A preamp or line driver
Bigger subs (but i'm not sure how well anything bigger would fit in your car)
A flashy capacitor can work for looks
Neon is always cool
Adding a CD changer, PS2/Xbox, or other forms of Auxiallry inputs that would still function well in the trunk, possibly a screen to go with that nice JVC unit you have there
Some sort of visible port into the cabin
Bandpass boxes look awesome, and will produce more SPL, at the cost of space and accurracy
A pair of smaller, properly crossed over subs for the upper bass frequencies
The rear of some meaty speakers mounded in the rear deck
Showing off install parts like Distribution blocks, fuse blocks, component crossovers safely under plexiglass
Overall artisticness of the install, such as custom boxes, ampracks ect.
If you can get me some pictures of your trunk and some good measurements, I would be more than happy to help you design a trunk that will look sick, have some great functional add ons for that sound filled look. But to really help here I would need really good measurments, and to totally finilaze sub choices so box size could give us an idea of how much space is left where when needed space is finished being addressed. I could probably use photoshop or microsoft paint to give a slight idea of what it could look like
What you think man?
loudazzblubird on 03/25/2007 03:58:11
Yeah man that sounds cool. I'll try get a couple of pics for you. Cheers man.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/25/2007 09:58:55
Cool man. I like the Idea of a sound filled trunk, and definitely want a crazy full blown custom trunk, but all that filler is expensive!
I tried to think of as big a list as possible Let me know what all ideas you like out of there. But remember, this is your car, and if speakers in the trunk is the way YOU want to go with YOUR car, that's YOUR decision man. And I'm not really the type to knock somebody else's style, this is all personal opinion.
I am all about neon parts though, nut in my state they are pretty much outlawed for street use, and not alot of show car action around here. Cops and lawmakers stopped taking too nicely to colored light in vehicles after a few women were assualted in Denver by a police impersonator a few years back. Pretty much one person person ruined it for everybody.
loudazzblubird on 03/29/2007 03:15:27
Holy heck. That sucks about the neon thing. They are trying to do that here but only settled with no blinking neons. Normal ones are good as long as they aren't flashing as they would distract other drivers or so the government reckons. Hey i don't know how put my pictures of the trunk on here. You don't have a e-mail thing or something by any chance?? I ain't up to date with computers.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 03/29/2007 04:17:31
Hey, at least you can still glow. That law seemed to pass overnight too. Totally sucks.
There is a couple of way to post up the pics, make a photobucket album, (Photobucket.com), or you can email them to me personally at shanksta187420@aol.com. I reccommend the photobucket option though, so as others can learn from this post too.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/2/2007 10:43:41
Bump
Where you at man?
HPRacing on 04/5/2007 11:36:16
You want to make sure your +12 dont die on you, jus use a caps. I hope no one said that already lol.
loudazzblubird on 04/6/2007 02:43:08
Shux sorry for ain't posting in a while. Things been hectic at work. Anyways enough of that i got the infinity subs and alpine amp. I just made an account on that photobucket but just waiting for something to happen because i can't log in or use it yet.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/6/2007 09:29:17
Word man! My job is always hectic, so I took last night off. Firts time I have caled in in a long time.
Have they sent your confirmation email yet?
loudazzblubird on 04/6/2007 20:40:36
No. I made my account like 3 times but it kept going back to the home page so i just decided to wait and see if they email otherwise i'll just send one to your email.
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/6/2007 22:36:46
Just Email them to me, My Email is Shanksta187420@aol.com
loudazzblubird on 04/14/2007 23:14:07
did you get my email?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/14/2007 23:44:07
Yeah I got it, hit me up with some shots without the subs in, and hook me up with some measurements, and we'll get the ball rolling on this. I get you have a busy schedule, so feel free to take your time and worry about your priorities. We'll get you hooked up when you got tme.
loudazzblubird on 04/27/2007 01:06:09
hey bro. Forget about the bluebird. I'll do that up in the up coming months or years. I've found a car that'll look really good with the infinity subs. It's a nissan stagea. I don't know if you have them but they look real nice when souped up. I'll still ask for help for the bluebird if thats ok. Oh and i have a question my mate was asking. Can you run two speakers off one wire? Like the one from the head unit running only one speaker?
ShootuhMcBustaCap on 04/27/2007 10:00:05
No Nissan Stagea here. I haven't even heard of that one. I'll bust some research and find some pics when I have more energy. What's up with the Bluebird? Lose interest?? More questions are always great, there are plenty of folk more than happy to answer them.
Two speakers off of one wire set (there is two per speaker of course) is ok if no stereo imaging is necassary, and you are dealing with something that can handle running two speakers at once. If they are 8 ohm, its all good, but any head unit will have problems running two speakers per channel off of internal power.
Before we get all dirty style on the Stagea, start us up a new post. This one is getting hard to read, and its always good so maybe more of the experts (swez, Kit, Ttoccs, the boys..) may want to get more involved.
Wait, is the Stagea like a High performance Skyling looking wagon? I think I have heard of it before thinking back to my Gran Turismo nerd days!
loudazzblubird on 04/28/2007 22:00:19
The bluebird is still around but having a few mechanical problems at the moment so in the mean time i might as well start another so called 'project' car mainly for cruising.
Copyright ClubKnowledge 2009 * All Rights Reserved
