unity303

JEEBUS.

*droool*

CarbonXe

iTrader: (1)

I have that Kenwood, got it for the same reason. At higher volumes it tends to start sounding a little crappy, but that's expected from something so small. The only problem I have with it, is that you have to adjust the bass for almost every different song. I used to keep the subs maxed out and adjust it with my HU, but now I keep the HU maxed out and adjust with the woofer remote. It's definitely worth the money if you don't want to do an elaborate setup.

Hyghgynx

^^Sorry to hear about your experience with the Blaupunkts. I wasn't trying to be an **** when I said people rated it high on Crutchfields. I was just curious why you disliked it so much. Just chalk this one up under 'Live and Learn'.

Matrixv01- Wow!! I see dampening in your future...

Matrixv01

That's the idea

rockthebeef

I just installed the Blaupunkt THB 200 A under the front passenger seat this morning. This is the smaller version of the one unity303 had installed and removed. I think he must have gotten a defective unit because mine works as it should. Of course the smaller one is sealed and the larger one is ported. So maybe he had some issues with port noise. The other thing is that the passenger seat loses some of its front-back movement wit the larger of the 2 subs.

I just did the installation and headed to work, so I haven't really tuned it yet. This sub is actually quite punchy but might be too punchy for certain songs. If the song was recorded well, however, it sounds excellent.

With the SNS and my Polk db6501 and db651 speakers, it aleady sounded quite good and the bass was pretty impressive when I set the EQ at 63Hz all the way up. Now with the sub I have the EQ set flat and the sub crossed over at 70Hz. I'm getting a little bit more of the really low frequencies now but it may have too much of a spike around the crossover point (70Hz). I've probably got some coupling going on between the main speakers and the sub.

I think I can get the full sound I've been looking for if I set the crossover really low (maybe at 50Hz) and let it handle only the lowest of the lows. The main speakers do just fine handling most of the bass. This should round out the bass nicely but I'll have to wait until I can get the chance to do some fine tuning. I've had a few big systems in the past and I know I'm defying convention here. But I've got to do what sounds best in this car with the given equipment. So far I feel pretty good about going ampless...

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

Have you had enough tuning/listening time yet to offer a verdict on the THB200A?

rockthebeef

Well, it's been less than 24 hours... I immediately started tuning when I got home last night. I got the crossover at about 50Hz and it seems to be doing what I want to do (let the main speakers handle all the frequencies they're capable of and let the sub take over where the speakers leave off). I need to listen with several more songs and I'll report back. I would've gotten more testing done but my GF was complaining that I had been outside for an hour.

So far I'm relatively impressed. What would a second unit sound like under the other seat??? In my experience, 2 subs are greater than the sum of their parts (if that makes sense).

rockthebeef

Alright. I've been living with this sub for a few days now and I think I have it tuned as best as I can get it. With the crossover set at about 70Hz and the EQ set flat it sounds best. I am running a line out converter tapped into the rear speakers and running RCAs to the sub. I could have just run hi-level wires from the speakers but I wanted to have RCAs in case I decide to get a "real" amp in the future. The converter has its outputs set at the max and I have the amp's gain at the very minimum.

I played some sine waves to see where the bass was rolling off and I can say that the sub drops off a little at 60Hz. 50Hz drops off more and the same for 40Hz. You can hear sound at 30Hz, 20Hz, and even 10Hz but the sub is pretty useless at these frequencies. I would say the Blaupunkt THB200A is good down to 50Hz. It's not exactly sub-bass but it does add lower, cleaner bass than the main speakers by themselves.

The verdict? I want real bass! This little sub does what it's supposed to do but don't expect it to defy the laws of phyisics. To add a cliche, it is what it is.

I like what SL member nikbrewer is doing with sub enclosures that fit in the spare tire (when flipped over). I'm really hoping that those work out for the xB2. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, rockthebeef. I really needed to hear that. I've been overly stubborn about c-pillar subs and underseat subs but all along I kind of knew that you just can't get good deep bass from small drivers in small enclosures. At best you can get "wow that sounds good considering how small it is" bass.

Having pretty much given up on the c-pillars and underseat ideas, I too want a spare tire sub enclosure. I hope nikbrewer found a XB2 spare wheel to mold.

FWIW, I chatted with eD tech today and he told me that he would look into making a new enclosure that fit with a flipped spare tire the next time he could get a XB2 loaner.

Matrixv01

Thanks for the report. This seems to be the consensus on all the powered subwoofers, that they're good for what they are and they're size limitations, meaning they don't really hold up next to component systems. I just got my 200W Punch Stage 2 12" Rockford Fosgate Sub Enclosure and 400W Clarion amp installed and it's friggin AWESOME. I couldn't be happier. The reason i wanted a powered sub in the first place was to not lose any cargo area. I only lost a little cargo area and the sub is easily moveable when needed.

uberspeed

That would be cool, I'd say(HOPE) they can fit a 12 or 10, 12 preferably.

Hyghgynx

Yeah, you guys hit the nail on the head with your comments. Powered Subs are not widow shakers. They just produce nice clean bass to fill in the low end. I guess it all depends on your bass needs.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

I couldn't wait any longer so I ordered a down-firing .3cf under-seat box from ebay and a SQ10 to go under my passenger seat. I'll have to relocate some electrical stuff under the seat for clearance but it doesn't look to be too much trouble. I plan to stuff the box with poly-fill and feed the 2 ohm SQ10 with 160wrms from a Kenwood mono-amp.

I'm hoping for the best but I'll try to give an objective evaluation in a week or so after I get this stuff installed. It only cost me $116 total so I haven't got much to lose if it doesn't please. I promise to post some decent DIY pics this time.

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-UNDER-SEAT-DO...QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.edesignaudio.com/edv2/pro...roducts_id=106

rockthebeef

ScionFred,

I took measurements under the passenger seat a while back and it looks like the box you got will theoretically fit if you relocate those two wiring harnesses under the seat. You should be OK for height and width (barely OK for height). My concern is with the front-back dimension. I suppose you'd orient the box so that the 12" side goes from the front to the back of the car. I really hope that works! The dimensions are so tight that you really just have to do a test-fit. Good luck!

rockthebeef

I bet this will fit. Pioneer makes this box for their shallow 8" sub. Why didin't I see this sooner? Hmm... Now to look for a small 200-300 watt amp. I'm thinking Alpine PDX or even the smallest Premier amp.

Here's a cropped image from the .pdf file on Pioneer's website.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

The worst thing is that I already mounted my amp under the pass seat and now I have to move it to the driver side. I think the box will fit with some seat mods but like you say, it's gonna be a tight fit. The 12" depth will extend over the rear floor beam but not beyond the back of the seat when it's fully back.

I saw that Pioneer box and passed due to the high price and small size. I may end up getting one if this 10" doesn't fit. It should be a perfect fit between the seat rails and floor beams. I've only seen 2 drivers that fit. The Pioneer TSSW841D (of course) and the Earthquake SWS8.

Have you seen this yet?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ocusZbsQQfviZ1

rockthebeef

Hot damn! Just a little pricey though. I do have 4 woofers to choose from sitting at home which should cut costs down a bit. The pioneer enclosure and 8" woofer will set me back a little less than $200 so that isn't too bad. I should really wait until after the holidays, I've been spoiling myself too much lately and I need to start giving. But wow! I like that box.

I too mounted my current powered sub under the passenger seat. It was the easiest side to run the power cable. If I have to move a new amp to the driver's side I have plenty of power cable left to run it there. The RCAs won't come near the power cable either. But if I have to cross the two, then I'll run them perpendicular to avoid noise.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

I'm glad to see more custom box choices for our cars but I'm not really digging that one. It doesn't blend with the panel contours as well as I'd like. Still, it's pretty sweet to fit a full size 10" sub in back without losing much cargo space and still keep the spare tire.

$200 for the Pioneer 8" under-seat setup isn't bad but I'm a little skeptical about a shallow 8" driver in such a tiny enclosure. It's only rated for 120wrms and while it should sound much better than the TBH200A, will it be enough? I really don't know. It might sound great.

Unfortunately I cut my power wire too short to reach the DS and will have to add to it. Do you know of any good crimp connectors for this or will I have to solder it? I guess I'll run RCA cables when I move the amp. I can see a new HU in the not-so-distant future. BTW, good tip on the RCA cables/power wire routing.

rockthebeef

I'm not sure if they make butt connectors that big. Plus I'd be scared of it coming undone and causing a short. At the very least I'd solder it and shrink wrap it. If you go somewhere that charges by the foot you could buy a new cable for not too much money and just replace the whole thing. It wuld be a pain to re-run the cable, but at least it would be done 100% the right way.

I'm actually not feeling that 10" enclosure too much either. It's nice and is probably the best sounding one out there but I like having the sub up in the front of the car now. Having the sub in the back makes it too loud for rear passengers. I agree about the looks. I'd probably get the Scion cargo cover to hide it as well, which is another $100+.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

I think I'll just solder-splice it. My power wire and amp are fused at 25A and rated draw is only 15A. I really should have ran 4ga to a distro block behind the glove box. I'll re-do it right if I ever add another amp or upgrade this one.

For almost $300 with shipping, I'd expect a better fitting/looking enclosure. I've never had a sub up front but I'm hoping that I like it better. My current setup is okay but a cheap Pioneer 10" in a .66cf sealed box in back with only 120wrms is barely adequate.