I have a 2011 Scion Tc with the standard Pioneer head unit. I'm looking to get a sub, and I think I've settled on the Alpine SWR-1243D. As this is the first time I've ever dabbled into car audio, or speakers of any sort, I have a few questions on the rest of the components I should get.

I think I'm going to get the Sound Ordnance M-1500 from Crutchfield. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_777M150...ce-M-1500.html
Is this a suitable amp for this sub?

I love to listen to Techno, Electronic, Dubstep, all sorts of bass heavy music. My iPod is full of Armin Van Burren and the sorts. I love feeling my bass as much as I love hearing it, but I also want it to sound crisp and good. That being said, what is the best style of box that I should get? Will this also affect the type of amp I need?

Thanks for any help

 

Sealed boxes are generally more accurate and sound quality oriented. Think rock n roll and jazz.
Ported boxes will provide more amplifier efficiency with a boomier sound. Think hip hop and dubstep.

That's just a general rule, and for someone new into car audio, I think its a good rule. There are exceptions and variables like driver choice and enclosure design.

The amp you have picked out is a good match for the sub, combined with a pre-fab ported box I think you'll be in good shape.

You're also going to need an amplifier wiring kit, patch cables, @ 2' of speaker wire and while not required I would grab some velcro to stick on the bottom of the box to keep it from sliding around.

 

Would a ported box also work for the occasional rock and roll listening? I do like to throw on some AC/DC and ZZ Top occasionally, and I assume that a ported box wouldn't totally butcher the music, it just isn't the 100% best for that type. Do you recommend any quick, on the fly adjustments that could be made if I was in a rock n roll mood?

I was planning on getting a bungie cord or something along those lines and strapping it to the metal loop on the side of the car. Would velcro efficiently hold a huge woofer box?

 

A perfect ported box with hit as clean as in a sealed one and be about 3 octaves louder. Just build one yourself to spec. And wire that woofer down to 2ohms and run a clean 1000 watts too it. Honestly overpowering a type r does it better, it'll blow if under powered. So for an amp I'd go with an mrx100. 4 gauge wire and RCAs is all you'll need for that amp.

 

Whoa that's one helluva amp. I bet its better to spend the extra money on a nice amp than wish you had later on. Looks like I may get that one instead :D

I've heard people say that you can mount the amp to the woofer box without damaging it. Other than the obvious theft risk, is this true? I don't really have an idea yet where I want to put it.

The box I was looking at getting was this: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_777BB12150/Sound-Ordnance-Bass-Bunker.html.
It's a slight bit bigger than the speakers recommended ported box volume, and its tuned to 34Hz (dunno what that means, I know the Type-R can hit 24Hz, but I've also seen people say 32-35Hz is a good tuning frequency). I have next to no experience building a custom box, but would getting a custom one built cost around the same as this box, or as a beginner would I be better off buying the Bass Bunker?

Thanks for fielding my questions. I have a lot of them it seems

 

The Sound Ordnance boxes from Crutchfield are tuned low. 33-34hz I believe. Those will perform nicely for a wide range of music.

I'm a big fan of velcro because it provides a cleaner look, vs having a cord or rope around your box. Just grab the hard plastic side, not the felt side, and secure it to the bottom perimeter of the box with some small wood staples. Provided you're not hitting corners at 60mph it should be adequate to hold it still on the carpet. If you're a spirited driver and still find it moving, throw the cord on. Either option is only a few dollars anyways.

 

Totally untrue. The reason people damage their drivers with "under powered" amps is because they treat the gain like a volume ****. The gain is there to match correct voltage between the source and amp. So most people when using a lower power amp, will increase the gain past what its supposed to be creating a clipped wave, to make it "louder" causing damage over time.

The correct way to set gains is to do it with a good quality osciliscope, which most reputable sound shops will have. There are other ways of doing it as well, such as with a volt meter or the SMD DD-1.

 

Would using the MRX-M100 affect the sub at all? I don't know if having a 1000 watt amp hooked up to a 600 watt sub will blow the sub, or if its safer to go with the 500 watt amp I linked earlier. While I do like the MRX-M100, its also over 2x more expensive :/

 

Increasing wattage past what is stated by the manufacturer, can cause the driver to "bottom out" when played at high levels. Bottoming out is when the driver reaches its physical limits of extension or excursion. This causes damage to the motor, surround and potentially tinsel leads.

Combining a 600w MAX RMS driver in a ported box, with an amp that's +400 watts is trouble waiting to happen in my opinion. While the Peak power handling may be 1800 watts, this is only used for short controlled burps generally during SPL competitions. RMS is the number you want to pay attention to for daily extended listening.

There are cases where people over watt a sub without incedent, but unless you change the driver frequently I would stay at or just below what the manufacturer suggests.

 

Guess the Sound Ordnance M1500 is the best bet then :D

As for mounting the amp on the box, is that a good idea? I'm thinking of doing that more for convenience, so if I wanna pull the system out for any reason (hauling, or selling the car) I don't have to pull up seats and all that jazz.

And for mounting stuff on the box in general, is it fine to be screwing stuff into it? I may add a handle or two to the box and a speaker grille (I guess crutchfield wouldn't sell sub box handles or grilles if it wasn't ok), and I was wondering if I needed to do anything special to not degrade its performance, of if it's fine to just grab a screwdriver and have at it.

I do like the term "spirited driver"... may have to start using that now on

 

I don't personally mount amps on boxes, but I know a great many people that do without issue. If for any reason I have to remove the box, I find it easier to just disconnect the speaker leads vs the amps power/ground. Mounting accessories on it is fine too. Obviously if you move them again and again creating more holes it will eventually become an issue.

 

That's the point I was getting at about the under powered woofer people just tune there amps by the sound they hear and more than likely messes up the set up and if you tuned you amp to where it is supposed to be you could easily 1000 watts to it. Type r's are animals for the price and personally I've ran 2 on an mrpm2000 without a problem. It's all about tuning

 

I think I will stick with the Sound Ordnance M-1500 and get their ported Bass Bunker for my setup. I will probably have the system professionally installed and tuned so I don't try to overpower or underpower the sub. It sounds dangerous to mess with the gain when I have no clue what I'm doing, so I'll let professionals set that up and I'll just worry about the volume **** ;)

 

i hope you dont mean best buy lol

 

If I did that I give you express permission to kill me however you wish. I wouldn't trust Best Buy with a yardstick and a gardenhose.

TBH, I don't really know where I'll go. I know a friend who's installed amps and subs before, but no tuning. I'll probably find a local shop unless anyone knows any good chains that are likely to be around Texas A&M.

*prepares for aggie jokes*

 

I've been running a type-r 12 for about 5 years. I have only replaced it once (only because it was not performing at 100%) in that time, and it was more of a choice than need.

I run it on an alpine mrp-m850 @ 2ohm in a 1.6cu vented box I built for it, I believe it is tuned @ 32hz. That sucker knocks! Roof flexing bass. You will not be disappointed with that setup as long as you put it in a proper box. As long as you aren't hammering on the sub 24/7 you should be fine running it with higher power. It is better to overpower than under power.

I usually listen to mine at moderate volume unless I am demo'ing it for a customer.

You got a problem with best buy there buddy?

 

What danger is there by slightly underpowering the subwoofer vs overpowering?

 

slightly underpowering or overpowering is not a big deal.

If you underpower a sub though you usually turn it up louder than you should to compensate for the lack of power, in doing so you are most likely sending a clipped signal to the sub causing it to over exert.

If you overpower it you have the necessary power to play the sub at all volumes + some extra for those long n low bass notes.

Long story short, try to match up to rms as close as you can without going under. Like I said in my previous post, I am running a alpine type-r, it is an older one and the rms on it is 500w, I am running it on a 800rms-ish amp, sounds amazing at any volume.

 

Well, I didn't see anything in the forum rules about resurrecting topics, and I didn't want to start a whole other thread about what I wanted to do, so I decided to update this thread

This week I will be ordering parts for my sub. I am getting the Alpine Type-R SWR-1243D, along with a Sony Xplod ZZR 600W 2ohm amp, a ported box from Crutchfield (they have the only style I like), and the 8 gauge from Rockford Fosgate.

I will probably run my power wire through the grommet behind the glove box because I would rather not punch any holes in my somewhat new car. All the wires will run down the passenger side to the back where my box will be. Ground will probably be somewhere on the spare or something. I will mount the amp to the side of the box, and add a capacitor if I end up needing one. I'm unsure of where the remote wire will need to be hooked up; I've seen guides that say use the 12v outlet under the HVAC controls, but again I'm not sure.

I think I still need speaker wires from my sub to my amp, so I may get some 16 gauge from Crutchfield and ship those along with my box.

Am I missing anything? Should I do anything better? Do y'all have better box/wiring kits/amp suggestions? I will install this myself reading all the DIY guides on the forum, so I will end up copying what others have done anyway.

Thanks for all the help guys

 

I have that exact setup with the exception of the Amp. I kept it all Alpine.

I love it though, the sub really hits hard. I listen to the same kind of music as the OP and that was my big concern and I love it.

Good Luck you are going to love it!