Kinda new at this...just bought a Jensen 200w HU for my 93' bmw 525i and want to ad 1 or 2 subwoofers to get some bass enhancement. I like all types of music but not a lot of hip hop, so I don't care to rock the neighborhood w/ booming bass...I just want a good bass enhancement.
QUESTION 1]
My HU has 2 RCA output connectors for an amp (one red & one whte...L&R). I have a friend that has 2 Visonic enclosed self amplified 200W 10" subwoofers. They are each in their own enclosed box with their own 200W amp and self powered. I know that I would plug one of them to these 2 RCA jacks coming out of my HU. If I decided to put both of the subwoofers in my car, how would I connect both of them with only the 2 rca jacks coning out of my HU? Do they make a converter cable with 2 rca leads on one that splits into 4 rca leads on the other end that could go to these 2 separate subwoofers? Seeing that each of these subwofers are self powered with their own separate amp , I would think that if I could find a cable like this it should work seeing the subwoofers would only need to get a bass signal from the HU rca jack to trigger them to work....or I could be overlooking something here, I know there is a better way to set up a subwoofer system but I'm on a very ltd. budget and can get these pretty cheap.
QUESTION 2]
The reason I'm considering 2 vs. one... a stereo installer told me there was a lot of metal and material between the trunk and inside my car and I wouldn't probably get the bass I would like with only one 10" subwoofer? Was he correct or was he just trying to upsale me? Would one be sufficient?..I'm not trying to rattle the neighborhood.
QUESTION 3] If there is a way to make both of them work, could I split one power wire coming into the trunk to tie in and power both of them. What guage wire would I need for this?...6 guage? Which wire is better ?...stranded or solid....and aluminum or copper...or does it make a difference? I'm assuming they could both be grounded on the same wire...10 or 12 guage.
If I only went with with one speaker...what guage for the power wire?
Question 4] For the kind of bass I'm looking for would the subs mention above be best or would I get better sound from a bazooka type tube subwoofer with an 8" speaker.
Thx a million for your help...I'm short on experience with different speakers and obviously knowledge.
Replies (6)
trunkisloud on 01/6/2008 10:05:27
i believe that the installer was correct in the blockage from the trunk to the cab of the car...there is a metal panel seperating the trunk from the cab behind the back seat..and it does cause issues with sound travel...there is a splitter that you can buy .youre gonna need to of them....one for each lead from the hu....since its only a 2 way splitter...you can get them cheap at most car audio shops or even radio shack...i dont think an 8" sub would do much justice considering the sound travel problem...
swez on 01/6/2008 12:07:07
Lack of knowledge can be cured with asking good questions... you are doing well with the questions.
As Trunk said, there are "Y" splitters available for the situation you mentioned. In this case, use a long RCA cable set from the HU to the trunk. (Male to male plugs) The splitters you will need are 2 female and 1 male and a pair of them are needed. Then, another pair of short RCA cables between the two amplified subs will do the trick. (3-4 feet long)
Yes, a single power cable would suffice and we use a Power Distribution Block to feed multiple amps. In this case, #8 gage wire is sufficient for up to 50 A's current draw. A pair of grounding cables are also needed and keep them #8 as well and under 3 feet in length per unit. You'll also need a remote turn on wire for these amps. Most Aftermarket HU's have that feature and all you need here is the proper length of wire. (#16-18 gage wire is fine)
FYI: Frankly, one well powered 10" -12" sub with a solid 250-300 watts RMS power would be sufficient. That would make things very compact and not a budget buster either. The more efficient the sub and enclosure are, the less amping power required to add some nice bump to a sedan like this BMW. This method is generally superior to the low budget, self-powered sub systems out there. If you wish to explore this option a bit deeper, just toss out a budget number and we'll try to find some gear that meets this criteria and budget too.
Yes, trunk mounted sub performance does take a hit in sealed truck sedans. We often loose the upper bass punch unless the rear deck speakers are able to handle bass above 80 Hz well. Most good aftermarket 5.25" speakers, (or larger formats) can deliver that when amped adequately.
Swez
cplkittle on 01/6/2008 21:15:57
just to add a little more info. Use high quality high strand copper wire for 12 volt applications. tin coated oxygen free is a common option.
yes, 8ga is fine for both amps
for speaker wire, 14ga is more than enough. (unless you are running more than 10 feet)
ttocs on 01/6/2008 22:35:59
get yerself a descent 10 or 12 for the trunk and you will be fine. what are you looking to spend and we will get something better the visonic probably for less.
hraustin on 01/7/2008 00:23:23
$40 for the Visonic or $45 for a bazooka type 8" sub
swez on 01/7/2008 19:03:53
Got a link to those Visonic or Bazooka powered subs? (A model number would help as well)
Swez
QUESTION 1]
My HU has 2 RCA output connectors for an amp (one red & one whte...L&R). I have a friend that has 2 Visonic enclosed self amplified 200W 10" subwoofers. They are each in their own enclosed box with their own 200W amp and self powered. I know that I would plug one of them to these 2 RCA jacks coming out of my HU. If I decided to put both of the subwoofers in my car, how would I connect both of them with only the 2 rca jacks coning out of my HU? Do they make a converter cable with 2 rca leads on one that splits into 4 rca leads on the other end that could go to these 2 separate subwoofers? Seeing that each of these subwofers are self powered with their own separate amp , I would think that if I could find a cable like this it should work seeing the subwoofers would only need to get a bass signal from the HU rca jack to trigger them to work....or I could be overlooking something here, I know there is a better way to set up a subwoofer system but I'm on a very ltd. budget and can get these pretty cheap.
QUESTION 2]
The reason I'm considering 2 vs. one... a stereo installer told me there was a lot of metal and material between the trunk and inside my car and I wouldn't probably get the bass I would like with only one 10" subwoofer? Was he correct or was he just trying to upsale me? Would one be sufficient?..I'm not trying to rattle the neighborhood.
QUESTION 3] If there is a way to make both of them work, could I split one power wire coming into the trunk to tie in and power both of them. What guage wire would I need for this?...6 guage? Which wire is better ?...stranded or solid....and aluminum or copper...or does it make a difference? I'm assuming they could both be grounded on the same wire...10 or 12 guage.
If I only went with with one speaker...what guage for the power wire?
Question 4] For the kind of bass I'm looking for would the subs mention above be best or would I get better sound from a bazooka type tube subwoofer with an 8" speaker.
Thx a million for your help...I'm short on experience with different speakers and obviously knowledge.
Replies (6)
trunkisloud on 01/6/2008 10:05:27
i believe that the installer was correct in the blockage from the trunk to the cab of the car...there is a metal panel seperating the trunk from the cab behind the back seat..and it does cause issues with sound travel...there is a splitter that you can buy .youre gonna need to of them....one for each lead from the hu....since its only a 2 way splitter...you can get them cheap at most car audio shops or even radio shack...i dont think an 8" sub would do much justice considering the sound travel problem...
swez on 01/6/2008 12:07:07
Lack of knowledge can be cured with asking good questions... you are doing well with the questions.
As Trunk said, there are "Y" splitters available for the situation you mentioned. In this case, use a long RCA cable set from the HU to the trunk. (Male to male plugs) The splitters you will need are 2 female and 1 male and a pair of them are needed. Then, another pair of short RCA cables between the two amplified subs will do the trick. (3-4 feet long)
Yes, a single power cable would suffice and we use a Power Distribution Block to feed multiple amps. In this case, #8 gage wire is sufficient for up to 50 A's current draw. A pair of grounding cables are also needed and keep them #8 as well and under 3 feet in length per unit. You'll also need a remote turn on wire for these amps. Most Aftermarket HU's have that feature and all you need here is the proper length of wire. (#16-18 gage wire is fine)
FYI: Frankly, one well powered 10" -12" sub with a solid 250-300 watts RMS power would be sufficient. That would make things very compact and not a budget buster either. The more efficient the sub and enclosure are, the less amping power required to add some nice bump to a sedan like this BMW. This method is generally superior to the low budget, self-powered sub systems out there. If you wish to explore this option a bit deeper, just toss out a budget number and we'll try to find some gear that meets this criteria and budget too.
Yes, trunk mounted sub performance does take a hit in sealed truck sedans. We often loose the upper bass punch unless the rear deck speakers are able to handle bass above 80 Hz well. Most good aftermarket 5.25" speakers, (or larger formats) can deliver that when amped adequately.
Swez
cplkittle on 01/6/2008 21:15:57
just to add a little more info. Use high quality high strand copper wire for 12 volt applications. tin coated oxygen free is a common option.
yes, 8ga is fine for both amps
for speaker wire, 14ga is more than enough. (unless you are running more than 10 feet)
ttocs on 01/6/2008 22:35:59
get yerself a descent 10 or 12 for the trunk and you will be fine. what are you looking to spend and we will get something better the visonic probably for less.
hraustin on 01/7/2008 00:23:23
$40 for the Visonic or $45 for a bazooka type 8" sub
swez on 01/7/2008 19:03:53
Got a link to those Visonic or Bazooka powered subs? (A model number would help as well)
Swez
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