Help me pick out a subwoofer for this amp...
 

Buddy of mine checked out my cheap $100 subwoofer, and instantly asked me for me to help him out.

Handed over a cheap subwoofer (cracked it open and it's all molded and rusted out), with a cheap amp.

Tested everything out, cheap amp seems to work fine, but the specs are very sketchy.

I'm calling out Harold here (I think he helped me last time? surprisingly? :intello:)

What are the suggestions!?

Budget is $350 for 4 speakers and sub and amp.
Vehicle is Ford Mustang 2004 model, coupe.
Very open to powered subs again since they're dead easy to work with, but can't find many.

Specs of amp: *A cheeeaaap amp, so I would definitely not expect these actual numbers*
XM-7676 C/W
2 CHANNEL POWER CHROME/WHITE AMPLIFIER
MAX OUTPUT POWER (4OHM): 300W x 2 = 600W
POWER OUTPUT: 130W X 2 @2 OHM (260W) LESS THAN 0.5% THD
80W X 2 @4 OHM (160W) LESS THAN 0.3% THD
BRIDGED 260W X 1CH @4 OHM
MOSFET DC-DC SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY
VARIABLE LOW PASS FILTER
VARIABLE HIGH PASS FILTER

Cadence amps are good. Or at least they were way back in the day when I was into car audio

That amp might be ok to run a set of seperates in the front. Get some coaxials in the back, or just run the stockers for rear fill. Your sound should come from up front, rears are not that big of a deal. If your head unit has a crossover, set it to only allow 400hz and above to rear speakers, and probably 120-180 hz and up to the front.

As far as subs and sub amps, I like kicker l7 or the stamped basket l5 if you have a budget constraint. Box style will depend on what you listen to. I like to turn up metal, rock and techno, so I always went sealed, but did do a big bandpass for a while, that thing loved New Orleans rap. Class D sub amp is a must, as is a farad or 2 cap. A good box is also needed. Make your own, 3/4 mdf min, with braces and lots of liquid nails. I even glassed the inside of one box, made it really tight.

Wasting money on cheap gear is a sin, and God will smite you. Check out the local classifieds and craigslist for some hi end used gear.

I was going to simply replace the speakers with some better, nicer ones.
and dedicate the amp to just the subwoofer for the extreme lows.
Not a good idea I presume?

Are you using the stock head unit?

Do you want a subwoofer and a box, or will you make your own box?

How much bass does he want?

How much trunk room is he willing to sacrifice?

What's the budget?

No, he has an aftermarket stereo head unit.

I'd rather have a subwoofer and a box, less work for me.

As much as possible, but money is a bigger issue.

I was thinking maybe a shallow box, which I could press right against his back seat.

$350 budget for speakers, subwoofer.
I'm probably going to dedicate about $150-200 for the speaker, and about $100-150 for the subwoofer.
The sub is probably the bigger elephant in the room, once I get the sub I can work and get speakers.

A 2004 will have decent stock speakers. I recommend leaving the stock speakers.

I need to know if you're using the stock or aftermarket head unit....

Okay, leave the stock speakers and use the high pass filter on the deck to cut all bass from the stockers, and they will get plenty loud.

Here is a killer loud setup that would work with his amp, you just need to look at the measurements and make sure it will fit in his trunk. It should.

I really recommend holding off on changing stock speakers until you hear it with the stockers high-passed and the sub working.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAR-AUDIO-SI...049f97&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300882396947...84.m1423.l2649

Shweet!
Are you sure that would work well with a cheap amp?
I'm a tad bit scared that they are (definitely) overrating their specs (kinda like...that one battery company..)

Then again, I suppose that the sub might be the same deal.

EDIT: Won't fit his vehicle.
The trunk of his Mustang has a height of 15"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Boston-A...item3a7f66b296

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SINGLE-12-IN...dcbc51&vxp=mtr

Seeing as both are about $70, anything a little more spec'd out?
You know, just trying to make most of his budget :oops:

But thank you buddy ol' pal!

That's a boston acoustics sub. The only reason it is cheap is because it's discontinued overstock. Boston acoustics is a well known hi end manufacturer.

Other subs are hobby king quality, boston is tekin quality.

A more expensive sub will just require more power and won't be as loud with your cheap amp.

If you want to leave the stock speakers I could probably find a box, a better amp and 2 12" subs for $350 and then you'd really be bumping.

Glad to chime in on this as I have done many various stereos in my 01 bullitt mustang. From mild a sundown sa-8 on 500w to two dc lvl 4 12s on 3k. Now its a street/strip car so no more bang but there are some critical details to doing a mustang system. The trunk opening awkward and the trunk height is around 14-16inches at the highest point, and if he still has the mach 460 like a lot of the mustangs the height is a meer 11" behind the seats. my favorite setup was 2 skar audio 10s on 1500, but anyways. I would definitely go with an audiopipe 1000 monoblock. They are decent amps for the money and I have owned 7 of the 1500s. Check out the big 3 upgrade for a little more input juice as well. It cost about $20 if you order standard 4ga wire and can really help. I just checked ebay and the 1500s are going for $125 now so you might as well just get the 1500 and run it at 2ohm for a little less power and room to upgrade down the road. To go along with it I would either go with a skar audio vvx series either 10 or 12. In a ported box you would be amazed at the performance of them. Do not for a second think that 1 10 wont be enough. It will sound better and have more output than most 2 12 setups that all the kids run in their hondas. with a 10 you can build a box that will fit under the shaker setup and have the port and sub facing forward. I had great results with that setup.

like others have stated the stock speakers are pretty good when you run a high pass filter on them.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...0/IMAG0471.jpg

Figuring out the budget... we have roughly $100 for just the sub and box.
Could we put together a combo for $150-175 budget for the sub and box?
Then a the big combo for $250-300 budget for the sub box and amp?
Trying to put together a list for him to choose from.
Thanks again for everything, and sorry to be a pain! :oops:

EDIT: Just talked to him now; I'm gonna grab the two you suggested, paralyzed; and we'll go from there.
Going to try the HiPass Filter trick and see how he likes it before we pop in new speakers

You really need an efficient sub to go along with that am. Something with over 90db sensitivity rating.

And you can certainly leave the stock rear speaks and just upgrade the front. Reas are just for fill, and do need to be crossed over pretty high. You can also trim off the top end frequency of the rears (10k and up is a good start) so you just have a midrange sound coming from behind you.

Like the one I linked to with 91db sensitivity?

Gotta be careful though. High efficiency doesn't necessarily mean hi-quality. Too-high numbers generally means poor suspension control which produces loose muddy bass.

I wouldn't quibble about sensitivity numbers, just make sure whatever driver you choose is in the proper size box. Proper box is the key! I personally prefer ported when done right; has more output at lower frequencies but response drops off fast (24db/oct) for tones lower than the port frequency. Subsonic eq is recommended. I've heard what people think of as crappy drivers sound very good. I've always pushed much more power than a sub is rated (usually around double) as long as it is clean (no clipping) and not listening to something like 20Hz tones all day.

It's a boston acoustics. I wouldn't recommend crap! And I linked him to a ported box. It seems we are on the same page BrianG!:yes:

All I see is blabber blabber blabber.
I guess if I want to start doing car audio it's time to start researching huh? :whip:

For now, all of your minds put together should be spectacular :yipi:

Thanks again!
I'll let you know what the buddy thinks and where we go from there

I guess it is just personal preference as I have always liked how a small sealed box sounds. A box like that does require a very good sub that is small box optimized, and plenty of power. When I did the box for m last audio car I ran 3 kicker l7 12
" square subs, and the box was built so that each sub had an individual enclosure that was exactly the same size as the speaker footprint and had around .8 cubic foot airspace. I angled the front wall to break up standing waves as well. The speaker response was very good, fast beats did not get muddy and the output was really good, with plenty of low extension. I did make a tubular mteal cage to mount the box, that helped to strengthen the box. My first design was made with thinner mdf, and the front wall blew off. Thicker material, construction adhesive and longer screws cured that problem with the 2nd design, plus I did a double front wall for mounting strength.

Heyyyy rawfuls- did your buddy get hooked up? I just realized the mustang uses 5x7 speakers. I just so happen to have 4 5x7 infinity speakers sitting here that I don't use, i'd let them go for $100 shipped...

Hey did get hooked up.
I wish you had told me earlier.

He wanted some speakers still, so he brought me Pioneer TSD6802R's to put in all around.
Ended with 4 Pioneers, and the Boston sub.

He loves it.
It was my first time really playing with an external amp (I have a powered sub for those who don't know), so it was really difficult trying to tune it; but I think I got it sounding great.

Thanks guys for all the help; when I get a new car, expect some more questions! :)

Cool man. Car audio is a fun hobby. You can really go crazy and spend tons of money on expensive equipment. I hope that I've helped you see if you do a little research you can get really loud without spending too much money.

I'm into home audio too, and just checked out Focal's Utopia speakers. $270,000 a pair. That's not a typo.

Honestly, if most people were blindfolded and listened to some high end speakers and some inexpensive speakers, they couldn't tell the difference. There are crappy sounding speakers out there, but most do a damn good job. It's just like name brand clothing- pants are pants.

I'm glad you got it in and pounding. There are tons of good tutorials on youtube if you want to learn more stuff, and I never mind answering questions. Keep on building man!:yes:

Focal speakers are no joke but worth the money if you can afford and insist on the quality. Few years ago I spent $1,100 on (4) 5.5" door speakers for my Jeep and I got the cheaper ones !

I've been thinking about dropping some more money into my shitty little Kia Sportage, but still think I'm going to hold off since I (hopefully) will be upgrading cars sooner rather than later.

My parents had expected me to wreck my first car by now (2 years and about 2 months of driving thus far; 0 tickets, 0 accidents; knock on wood).

Being 18 (almost 19), with the same car as the one I took with my permit test, my brothers had already gone through two cars by this time.

I guess my reward for good driving is the same ghetto car :sarcastic:

http://www.SonicElectronix.com usually have some kick ass combos.
I am running 4000 Watts RMS on the subs and about 2400W RMS with speakers.

4000w rms??? That must be some battery/charging system you have! Even assuming 90% efficient class-D amps, that's around 370A @ 12v - assuming the battery will hold at 12v when that level of current is being pulled. I hope those systems come with a complimentary set of earplugs. :)

Double layered 1 1/2" sub box, insulated and wrapped in vinyl, Class D Amps, 220A Alternator, 30Farad CAPS(2), extra - Kinetik HC3800 Battery, 1/0 Gauge wires all around, Crossfire C51700D Amp (2), RE Audio XXX 12" (2).


There are a few value amps and subs available on their special deals which come once every week/month or so.