Questions about Subwoofers and Amps

[Lizardmen3477]

What size amp should i put on the back of a box with 2 ,10inch 1100watt each subs so 2200watt total? to make it push a lot of and still sound good. Thanks for all help

[Lizardmen3477]

Too add to that what is a good brand of amp and woofers from those who have had experience? is sony xplod any good?

[PHO2GR4]

Xplod is good. CDT Audio and JL Audio also make great subs. I've got a CDT Audio 10" sub mounted in the rear-door spare tire space, in an enclosure custom-built for me by Shawn from this forum (username = psychos2). I love it!

I bought a 400 watt Blaupunkt subwoofer amp from Fry's, on sale, and I'm completely happy with the sound. I didn't change my stock speakers; just added the amp and the subwoofer. The system sounds a million times better now.

[psychos2]

I have 1 JLaudio 12w6 with a USAMPS 400X. What subs are you using? shawn

[etlsport]

i dont care for sony mobile audio... for subs it should be okay though... you need to give better specs on the subs to get a good recomendation.. im guessing yours subs arent 1100 watts rms.. u need to find out if they are recommended for 2 ohms or 4 ohms and what the rms at those resistances are.. then you can match up an amp to similar numbers... the best way to get good sound from subs is a good box.. wiring is also important to make sure you are getting the most power to your subs

[MZ-N10]

uh....stay away from sony car audio.....

[psychos2]

uh....stay away from sony car audio.....

I have had many sony car stereos and have had no problems. The speakers sound better than stock. But I would use a sub of better quality. shawn

[VXIRONwoMAN]

uh....stay away from sony car audio.....


Yeah...I agree...I have nothing but trouble with sony...And many of my buddies have made the mistake of purchasing the Xplod system which happened to do just that...Explode! All over the place. IMO...sony is the Ford of the Audio industry.

Take a looky at this...it's the 4th link down due to censorship.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=sony_bull****

[psychos2]

Yeah...I agree...I have nothing but trouble with sony...And many of my buddies have made the mistake of purchasing the Xplod system which happened to do just that...Explode! All over the place. IMO...sony is the Ford of the Audio industry.

Take a looky at this...it's the 4th link down due to censorship.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=sony_bull****

What does that have to do with car stereos?????? Laptops and psp's??? Does not sound like car stereos to me. shawn

[VXIRONwoMAN]

What does that have to do with car stereos?????? Laptops and psp's??? Does not sound like car stereos to me. shawn


It has to do with sony products being poorly made. I have had first hand experience myself, along with some of my friends. For those who have had bad experiences with sony would find the link humorous...

[WormGod]

Surprisingly true. I used to swear by Sony, but it seems since their success with the PS2, they let their other products go to hell. Maybe since the PS3 is a joke, they will go back to their roots, heh.

JLAudio FTW!!! My VX system is all JL, Alpine, and Rockford Fosgate. Looking to dump the Rockford gear since its almost all blown. They simply couldnt hang with the JLs in there.

[Lizardmen3477]

Ok since there is speculation bout sony. For those who have or had xplod woofers how do they do. And for those else which sub and amp do you recommmend that will bump good....?

[etlsport]

i have rockford fosgate 8" subs in a custom made enclosure perfectly to manufacturers specs and they hit hard people have a hard time believing they are only 8"s.. of course they dont shake the neighborhood.. but you definately feel it in your chest and im only running 120 watts RMS to each...

ive also run infinity subs with nice results, not in my VX though..


other brands i would coonsider for subs... JL (although they are overpriced imho) MTX, and JBL.. im sure there is stuff better than that but those are the brands ive had experience with and have been pleased with

brands i havent had good subwoofer luck with/havent heard good things... visionik.. sony.. legacy.. audiobahn

[Lizardmen3477]

i have visonik now 2 10's there pretty good but i want more power and bump so they will be hitting the market soon for sale.

[Hotsauce]

Hard to make a recommendation without a budget.

It sounds like you want spl over sq.

John C.

[Lizardmen3477]

what is spl over sq?

[etlsport]

sound pressure level vs sound quality... i built my system for sound quality.. which is why i went with smaller subs that have tighter bass... the bigger your subs are, usually the sloppier the bass will be (although high quality large subs still produce very tight bass) cars you see with walls of speakers (like rickster's) are built for sound pressure level... biju is building his system for sound quality.. speakers aimed, boxes tuned, equalizers, etc.. generally sound quality systems dont get as loud... but they are crystal clear (although i think biju's will blow out eardrums with crystal clear sound..)

[WormGod]

Agreed. Sound quality is PLUS anyday. My system was built and tuned this way YEARS ago, but over the years, blown speakers, rattles, and other non stereo loving issues have surfaced. It still sounds great, minus the passenger side door speakers working at all (snips them wires after they blew), heh. I simply dont drive it enough now to care to update the system. Perhaps one day though.

Basically, it's pushing a single 12" JLAudio sub through Shawn's tailgate sub enclosure.

Rockford Fosgate tweets, mids, and woofers in front doors and mid compartment.

Alpine cd/MP3/XM headunit (this thing is a fossil to todays standards, but the built-in and very extensive crossover unit is genius)

JLAudio amps (dont recall the sizes)

And of course, Dynamatting and 100% StreetWires.

In all, the system is so dated that I cant even remember ANY of the actual specs of any of it. I dont think it matters though, cause what still works, is well broken in and sounds great, heh.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY!!!!!!!!!

[Dino]

I used to install car electronics. I've designed and installed plenty of highend systems.

...that said, here's some advice.


The VX already has great speaker locations and adding a sub in the back should make it sound richer with more of a foundation. I like to build speaker enclosures based on the speakers individual specs. That way, you get the optimum sound quantity and quality from a sub.

As far as watts go, most speakers that even boast high wattage are doing so only to make a sale. What matters is ohms voice coil diameter. Lower the ohms and the amp can drive the speaker harder but everything runs much hotter, including teh speaker voice coil itself! That heat buildup is what can "blow" a speaker. A larger voice coil can help turn more of the signal into energy rather than waste it on heat. Remember a speaker is really a linear electric motor.

A good 600 watt RMS amp should knock your socks off. Make sure you pay attention to the RMS rating. It's the true rating of watts. Peak watts doesn't matter much. RMS (root mean squared) is where it's at!

Stay away from Sony products. I used to love them in the 70's now it's crap.

...and there's my advice. ;)

[psychos2]

One other thing to watch out for when picking an amp is what voltage they are rated at. what you are intrested in is what the watts are around 12 volts. If they say the amp is 600 watts at 12.5 volts then you will get 600 watts out of it. If they say the amp is 600 watts at 14.5 volts your not getting a 600 watt amp because the amp will more than likely never see 14.5 volts. The rating at 12.5 could be 400 watts. JLaudio has amps that have the same output from 11-14.5 volts and also the sub can be 1.5-4 ohms.here is an example of the 500/1. Rated Power: 500 W RMS @ 1.5 ohm - 4 ohm (11V-14.5V) . I would use jlaudio for the sub and amp. I use the old US amps. The new amps have changed and I do not know if they have changed the internals or not. The old style amps kicked ***. You can still find them on ebay. shawn

[Lizardmen3477]

So what would happen if i put a 1200 watt sony xplod amp on the back of 2 10" 1100watt each sony xplod subs(2200watt total) would it sound good? or overkill or what nobody is quiet answerin the question i am lookinf for simple answers lol. I am just curious as to what i should get amp/sub wise to make a nice loud clear bump.

[etlsport]

the reason you arent getting the answers you want is because the information about your equipment is too general.. sure your subs are 1100 watts each... but is that RMS or Peak? is it at 4 ohms or 2 ohms? is the amp 1200 watts at 2 ohms or 4... is 1200 watts peak or RMS how many channels etc.. model numbers on your equipment would be ideal if you want real answers, if you give a price range im sure we could help you build the best system for your money

[MZ-N10]

generally speaking, the smaller the subwoofer the tighter the bass will sound, BUT since theyre smaller they will push less air. so if ur looking for rattling ur eyes out of their sockets then u might want a bigger subwoofer.

[WormGod]

generally speaking, the smaller the subwoofer the tighter the bass will sound, BUT since theyre smaller they will push less air. so if ur looking for rattling ur eyes out of their sockets then u might want a bigger subwoofer.

2 18" subs in gunite enclosures... SON! :p

Hard to laugh when I actually say "4" 18's in custom gunite enclosures in the back of a Caprice wagon some years back. Absolutely appauling.

[Dino]

So what would happen if i put a 1200 watt sony xplod amp on the back of 2 10" 1100watt each sony xplod subs(2200watt total) would it sound good? or overkill or what nobody is quiet answerin the question i am lookinf for simple answers lol. I am just curious as to what i should get amp/sub wise to make a nice loud clear bump.

Run it two channel NOT mono. Cross it over at about 80 hz. Just build a big ol' sealed enclosure and shove em in there!! It'll go boom boom and you'll be stoked!!! Seriously.

That setup will please your ears just fine! :rolleyes: :p

[MZ-N10]

2 18" subs in gunite enclosures... SON! :p

Hard to laugh when I actually say "4" 18's in custom gunite enclosures in the back of a Caprice wagon some years back. Absolutely appauling.

hehehehehe, u have me beat i only have 1 15"

[Navigator]

Too add to that what is a good brand of amp and woofers from those who have had experience? is sony xplod any good?

Majority of my VX sound system is 1999 Sony Xplod products. Never had a problem, and I pump clear bass hard and loud from a single 10, with Xplod 3ways in the doors and side panels. Get high end wires and don't run power anywhere near your signal wires and you should be fine.

I think the issues with Sony products is poor installation. Install it right and you will be fine.