yhsu1

Hi, all:
I am thinking about getting a sub after I get my tC. my priority is price, and space saving without sacrifice sound quality. so far these are my candidates:

Bazooka EL8A
Infinity Basslink
Kenwood WooX

what are your thoughts on these subs? and I never install a car stereo before (heck, I don't even have a car to begin with) how hard is it to install a sub like those I mentioned? I am particularly worried about complicated wiring and messing with any factory parts that I shouldn't mess with.

Thanks!

iki4life

thas pretty nice but if i were u id consider another 2...one is u should jus get 1 15' kicker..and the other is the ones i have..i got 2 12's and a 1000watt amp. theyre called volfenhag..a german concept..some pretttty hard bangin woofers and they actually have a very nice finishing touch which would look nice on the flint mica or black sand tc.

KAuss

Anything in that matter for someone that isn't sure what car audio really is would be over kill...

Maybe you missed out the part about saving space...

I say get the Bazooka... I never heard the Kenwood WooX, is that a preamped sub? As far as Bazookas go, they got some kick although pricey it's probably your better choice if you cared about performance... Infinity I've heard and they don't impress me at all...

As far as price goes, these preamped subs are probably more expensive than seperates, but it sure is a lot easier to put in and get working... Not having to buy a box or build one is also a plus... But if you ask me, time is what you have... So maybe getting a small 10" with a decently powered amp would be better in the long run...

TheBigGuyRy

Yeah I'm pretty sure the idea here was for an uncomplicated bass set up that anyone could install... which is why all three of these powered subs make a good choice.

However, Kauss is right, go with the Bazooka tube. It sticks out the most out of the three but it will by far provide you with the most bang for your buck.

The Basslink and the WooX are designed with a space saving mentality in mind, and you can squeeze these suckers into corners or under seats and not even know they are there. You shouldn't expect heavy bass out of either of these, they are less powerful subs designed to just compliment a sound system and fill out it's lower end.... nothing more, nothing less..

Still if you want something that's easilly hidable AND powerful, then I guess the basslink would be the best choice... it's quite a bit more powerful then the Kenwood.

yhsu1

thanks for the inputs guys!! Although it's a bit early, but I am doing research for the small quality sub...

Is the wiring job complicated for those subs? and what do I need to know and what to buy in addition to those subs? for example, RCA cables? Splices? I intend to use the stock pioneer unit for a while. Not sure what to do in terms of wiring.

And do I need to tear apart the interior trims to complete the wiring?

By the way, if you guys geting a sub system for your tC. what would be your set-up?

ThX!

DoNuT

If you buy your stereo stuff from like Best Buy or Circuit City, they usually install for free.

I don't plan on owning a tC, but as for what setup I would do? I'm very pleased with the sub setup in my Chevelle, even though it takes up quite a bit of space.

Audiobahn 12" Subwoofer in a ported box
JL Audio 500watt single channel Amplifier

It slams HARD too, maybe a little too hard, either that or I need more dynamat =P

LoewWinkum

I once had a 8 inch bazooka in my honda civic sedan and it sounded great. But considering that the tc is a hatchback, i don't know how it will effect the overall feel and depth of the bass as i think it doesn't hit as much.

Go for a ten inch bazooka. they go for 200 bucks i think and are really easy to install and last forever.

KAuss

Why is it whenever an audio thread pops up everyone and their mom have to post what THEY would put or have in their cars??

That dosen't help the poster at all...

As for the wiring... You'll need a ground wire, (assuming 8 gauge would do) a power (same 8 gauge) an inline fuse block (the instruction on the preamped sub should tell you the fuse to use for the front fuse block) a remote wire, (very thin wire would do just like the ones you find behind your deck) A single 2 ch RCA to connect the subout ch, maybe regular speaker wires for high lvl input (this is to replace the RCA if you use the stock deck with no preouts, this is an inferior signal vs RCA) Thats generally all you need for a preamped sub...

Note this is exactly the same for any single amplifier...

The only difference from the seperates would mean you need to run speaker wires to your sub...


As for splicing, usually you would have to hack the remote up... If you have the stock deck however... Power should be ran to the battery, and ground should be witin a foot of the amp's ground out... The fuse block should be place as close to the battery as possible... No longer than a foot... RCA into preout if you have a deck that provides them, and if you don't, I think the Bazooka tubes come with high level input which uses a signal from your deck's channel (whatever channel you decide to take out FR FL RR RL) This method is not advised if you have RCA outs since distortion is really high on high lvl input...

Hope this helps... You can find a MASS of help under beats and bump section of this forum...

You should be plenty happy if you went with the Bazooka, but if you HAVE a chance, audition the subs before you buy them!!

KAuss

This statement actually helped since it's an experience post with an on topic item...

But from the looks of it, saying the truck helps subs you most likely have zero experience in audio :D A hatch back would yeild you more dB than upping your amp in your sedan... The ONLY reason why I love cars like WRX wagon, Matrix XRS, tC, Civic Si are because they're hatch...

This, is definately not a loud setup... My 5.1 at my house can drown that :D

Did I mention to the new folk that I only buy cars to put audio in them...

TheBigGuyRy

Yep. Kauss is right again.

Hatch's are the best thing for audio set ups, especially subs, because if you angle the sub up towards the hatch, the sound tends to bounce off of it and fill the car.

At least, I think... am I right in this Kauss?

Oh and if you like the Civic Si so bad, come buy mine, i'm selling it

v0lc0m85

now i have 2 pioneer 12"s and a 500w bazooka mono amp im my civic. i just plan on dropping the same set up into my tC when i get it, and b/c its a hatch it'll be so much louder inside the car insted of haveing the 2 12"S rattle my trunk of. my pioneer 12"s are really nice. the bazooka amp is ok, its not enough to power the 12"s tho, they are both 500w each. the problem i have been having is the bazooka amp gets way too hot and shuts its self down, it probly doest happen untill like 45minutes to an hour after hitting pretty hard the whole time, its the only beef i have with the bazooka. but it shutting down is probly better than catching on fire

djimpak

yeah, subs in a hatchback will sound louder or better then the ones in the trunk. since there is no rear upper deck in a hatch, the sound will flow through and bounce around in the car, i think, and in a trunk, the sound bounces around in the trunk.

KAuss

There is no way in the world where you can calculate the way the sounds will bounce off a round car's roof... There are just too many variables to even start... The best way to figure out what works best for you would be to place the woofer in all the possible positions and see which angle gives you the best feedback... Seriously tho, bass has no direction... The frequency is so low you probably won't notice much sound difference unless you're running small subs 8" 10"... Those subs will tend to have a lower bottom end and would start to baffle on low notes... Usually I point boxes towards the rear just so I don't hear the initial hit and get the reverb bass... If you ever stood in front of an open trunk woofer, you'll probably see what I mean... It don't sound as good as if you sat in the car... If you turn the woofer towards the front you lose the reverb and end up getting less volume... This mnight not be true for all setups, but this is how it worked most of the time when I went through my many subs...

Give me the model number or post a link to your setup... I think your amp probably don't like having low impedence setups... Tell me how you got your wiring done too... Parallel or Series? It's not the equiptment that makes the car sound good it's the install...

300 watts RMS is 300 watts RMS, there is no difference... Just that sometimes companies underrate their items to be legal in certian competitions, but if you actually measure the watts and end up the same, you most likely won't tell the difference between two amps...

I don't think I'll ever buy anything but hatched cars... I also don't think I'll have good ears by time I'm 45...

As for your Civic Si, you would love it if I bought it huh? I'll take it for 3K :D :D :D It's only fair since I'll have to put up with people mocking me for driving a Civic :D Definately tho from what you're saying about the trunk space... I'm gonna have to rip out the back seats to accomodate my needs

SUPRCHARGDTC

KAuss: what do you of solobaric subs? you seem to know alot about car audio, i was just wondering what your opinion of them was?

KAuss

I currently use a S15L7 for my 5.1 sub... It was in my WRX and it was alright... I'm planning to put 2 S15L7s in the tC...

Not too many people like them, but they probably never put them in the specified box configurations... I use the 4.7 cu ft slot ported box specified by Kicker built with 3/4" MDF...

As for how YOU might like it, I would suggest you try a 12" at your local audio shop or something (I don't think too many shops have 15"s for testing...)

Still, you need juice to pump these bad boys... I had about 700 watts from a Rubicon running it at 4 ohms... If you plan on putting it in the tC... Lets just say with enough power you'll be setting off car alarms...

I literally can set off car alarms from about a few cars away back when I had my WRX... During the i-club meet, I set off a few car's alarms while we're atop Mt. Hamilton from a few cars away... This means very thin air and such but still it had enough umph to do it...

I don't take pride on doing things like that, but I just love bass... I bought the WRX just so I can house my 15" in it... Also to make sure I can move while it's in there :D

It depends mostly on what your setup is going to be in the end and how it's installed, but still overall... The Kicker is the best sub I've came across (I didn't get too many high quality 15"s since I don't have the money to own so many) I'm sure there are tons of people that'll have other optionss for you...

I know only as much as I've tried... Installers are probably better to answer anything REALLY technical...

On a side note, my friend owns a 15" Power DVC... These are old school but they're most likely the same... I am DEFINATELY never going to buy Rockford DVC subs... That thing is crap... They built a small sealed box for it and it sounds like crap in my friend's 03 Corolla...

ride

So are there any pre-outs on the stock decks in the Scions, I know no one knows about the Tc, but what about in the Xb and Xa. It's a perfectly acceptable head end in terms of sound quality, it would suck to have to rip it out just to get pre-outs (the replacement for me would probably be the comparable CD/MP3 deck from pioneer, but w/preouts). I know you can do speaker level inputs on anything BTW, but I want tight, punchy bass, not boomy static.

SUPRCHARGDTC

well i was planning on going with the S12L7 im not sure wether i wanna go with one or two, jsut cuz i wanna still be able to put things in the back. i was also wondering if u think a slotted box is better for those than a sealed box, cuz i think the new design for '04 would look sweet in the tc

DoNuT

Well comparing home audio to car audio is like comparing apples to oranges...

I know it's not loud compared to whats out there, but the trunk of my Chevelle is bare metal, as well as most of the rest of the car, so it just rattles like no other even with setup. It does the job for me, and that is all that matters.

KAuss

5.1 isn't made to go loud thats why I chose it :D Still it's whacked how everyone has to say whay "they" would perfer and "has" in their car one time or another when it's totally not called for... This is how it is on ALL audio forums I've been too... It really gets old for me...

Anywho, as for the sloted vs the sealed..

There is a frequency response graph for all Kicker's subs on their website...

http://kicker.com/ShowPage.cfm?filen...enu=SUBWOOFERS

The two PDF files are on the bottom...

If you aren't too technical... You will know that the slotted port boxes are usually BIGGER in size... Bigger usually means better in the world of audio... The frequency response is a lot wider with a slot port box... The bass definition is a lot more accureate and less boomy with the sealed..

I like my bass boomy and I don't like baffle sounds... So I got the slot port box so it can go low and go loud... Nothing compares to a drive down the street and getting a full massage from the seat...

If you are however going with the 12" I think Kicker has custom prefabed boxes made of I have no idea what they are but it's not plastic... I've seen them at Fry's Electronics... They're good looking and stands out from the regular carpted MDF setup... I haven't heard that box in action tho... There are prefabed boxes for the Solo Barics all over eBay though...

If you plan on going with two woofers, you can kiss the trunk goodbye... I think putting two 15"s will be possible but I'm gonna have to pay someone a hefty dollar to do a custom trunk... Also the box size / sub will be a lot less than if you had only one so you'll sacrafice some frequency response for overall volume...

Since I'm getting 15"s, they'll be able to handle most lows anyways... Mine has not baffled on me once... Nothing but pure bass... (well and sheet metal dancing)

Gunner1

If the tC sells well, I'm sure someone will put out a pre-made custom box, like a stealth box w/ a nice JL in it. That might be the better way to go if you want something that blends well made by people that think about the way it's gonna sound.

But if you're into flash, every stereo shop on the corner will want to attack your trunk with fiberglass and paint for a custom show car look.