I need help deciding on a subwoofer, and also I have questions on subwoofers....?

Question

I have a Alpine CDA-9851 deck, Alpine 12" Type R SWR, and an alpine v power amp, but I cant remember what it is. (It was about $250 last august)

I have no idea about anything on subwoofers. I found a few online but I dont know what the stats mean. Ive seen ones...22hz-500hz, 20 - 200hz...and 100watt - 2000watt. I want something that my stereo and amp will push, and I want super deep bassa s well as alot of it. But I dont know which one to get. Though I know I want a 15" sub, single preferably. But 2 is better, I just dont have the trunk space because of work stuff. So which sub is good? Rockford Fosgate 15" STAGE 3 P315D4, or, Alpine 15" R series? Or something else like sony? And what is better, high db or lower?

Whats the difference between a subwoofer and a kicker?

Whats a capa perfect? I cant find it online...

Oh yeah, whats better, dual 12 or single 15?

Well, I dont really have a limit, just what I have right now. Id have to buy things one at a time. I have about $700 right now. All I really need is an amp and sub, or kicker. And thanks for the information, that helps massively.

Another question I have, what about my alternator? Its stock, so would I need to buy a more powerful one to accomidate a more powerful amp? And is this one a good amp? KICKER SX900.2 900w 2ch

Answer 1

The best way to shop for Subwoofers is to buy the MOST POWER FOR THE BEST PRICE.

I'm not going to give you an overly pedantic, confusing explanation but I'm just going to show you how I SHOP for SUBS and systems.
If you wanna see my system which I installed myself...look here
http://members.blackplanet.com/gracefulcobra/
It took me two weeks to install everything.


#1 The diameter of the woofer will effect how much air it can move.
A 10" sub will sound lower than a 12" sub...obviously.

#2 The amount of RMS the sub can handle will give you an idea how loud and powerful it will be.
A 12" subwoofer that is pushing 500 RMS will be much louder than a 12" subwoofer pushing 100RMS

When you shop for subs, you will see signs on them that say something like:
500 RMS @ 2ohms
1000RMS@1 ohm
MAX power = 1200 RMS
This means that if you wire your amplifier to a resistance load of 2 OHMS, your Sub will be pushing 500RMS, but, if you wire your amp to the sub at a 1ohm load, you will get 1000 RMS.

#3 The higher the Db, the louder your system will be.


#4 a DUAL voice coil 12" can move twice as hard as a single 15". Dual Voice Coils are used for very heavy magnet motors that couldn't be moved with just one coil. (i.e. THE KICKER L7 which I will talk about later).
Keep in mind that the larger the diameter of a subwoofer, the more effort is required to move it. Therefore, a 15" woofer will tend to be slower and sound a little sloppier when the music moves very quickly since the magnet can't keep up.
A DUAL Voice Coil 15 however probably will not have that problem though.



MAX POWER means that operation higher than 1200RMS will damage the woofer.

If you see a sign saying "recommended RMS = 400" you should not stray below 400. You need to get the proper amplifier for the right woofer. There are lots of ways to mix and match subs and amps (by wiring them differently).

When you see "22hz-500hz"...
to make it very simple for you;
BASS operates in the lowest numbers of the hertz scale and the tweeter speakers operate on the highest levels of the scale.
A speaker that says "22hz-500hz" will be able to give you a minimum of 22hz of BASS - LOW FREQUENCY SOUND - and a maximum of 500Hz - HIGH FREQUENCY SOUND - if you tune your amplifier to output at those levels.

Since you want your bass deep deep deep, You would turn the "frequency knob" your amplifier for the subs down as far as it will go.

ALL SUBWOOFERS are designed for LOW FREQUENCY SOUND. You will allways see frequency levels in the 20's and upwards on a SUB.



When I hooked my amplifier up, I wanted my sound seperated so I turned my subwoofers down, to 23 Hrtz and only the Bose speakers in my car operate on the higher levels. This way I get BASS out the back and mid and high level sound out the rest of the speakers.

I have 3 woofers (in the picture). When I drive my truck, it sounds like there is a monster in the trunk trying to knock his way out !!!


If I were you, I'd look at how much you want to budget on your subwoofer system first.
ALPINE TYPE R's are fantastic woofers but, they cost alot of money on the street. Each one can be upwards of $250.
ALPINE TYPE R's handle in between 500Rms and 1500RMS.
Yes they are powerful, but their bass is not "deep deep" if you know what I mean.



Keep in mind that if you get a woofer that has a recommended RMS of 1000 , you will need an amplifier that provides you 1000 Watts at the ohm load the woofer is good for. This can be REALLY EXPENSIVE since the amplifier, wiring kit and subwoofer box can run you over $1000 for everything + installation.


If I were you, I'd go for KICKER L7 12" woofers.
http://shopping.yahoo.com/search?p=kicker%20l7
L7's have been on the market a while and they are getting cheaper. I saw a guy selling them on Canal Street for only $175 each

These things are DEEP and POWERFUL. If you buy two of them and a powerful amplifier, you will be able to literally rape peoples eardrums when you pass by. They won't be able to hear ANYTHING but your car.
KICKERS handle between 750 and 1500rms if you buy the 12" L7. Notice that the Kickers are designed for 250 RMS more than the ALPINE TYPE R.

Since the KICKER L7 uses a dual voice coil, it requires a littl emore attention when you wire it to the amplifier so you may want to have it done by a shop. However, it will make you HAPPY everytime you turn it on and the women are staring at your ride. Believe me, I know :-)

A Kicker L7 will beat deeper by default.

Rockford Fosgates are OK for small cars but only if you spend alot of money on the system will you get SERIOUS power from them.

SONY P5's are excellent woofers but they are designed for BUDGET users. You can buy 6 Sony 12" P5's for the price of
just 2 Kicker L7's.

Trust me, If you got the money go with the L7's.


If you need an amplifier, I recommend any amplifier made by Alpine, Kicker, Rockford Fosgate, Pioneer or AUDIOBAHNN that provides you with over 900 RMS @ 2ohms or better.


LASTLY, keep in mind that the subwoofer box is extremely important when you do your install. If you get a box custom made for your car's interior, which may cost $300 or more, you will have extremely superior sound quality than if you just pay $80 for a cheap wood box.
You need to make sure you get the proper AMP, the proper BOX and the proper guage wire and a capacitor. If not your system will sound weak or worse, set your trunk on fire.

I custom made my box for my EXT's 3 JL Audio subs.

I'm going to buy a 2007 Ext and change my system to three 12"Kicker L7's and 1 Rockford Fosgate T3001 bd amplifier.

Answer 2

Hz = cycles per second, the lower Hz = bass

Always look at RMS (Root Mean Square) watts as this nominal, continuous or average power, some amps will show peak (MAX) watts, however, rarely does an amp hit peak.

Example, 200 watts RMS is more power than 200 watts MAX.

200 watts max = 75 watts RMS (roughly)

Your subs should match (or be a little higher) the RMS rating of the amp.

Resistance is also a factor. Subs have coils of wire. These coils have resistance (or ohms or impedance). The lower the ohms the more power, but you can only go as low as your amp can handle per channel or bridged.

The higher the dB, the louder.

No matter what sub you go with, the box they go in is probably THE most important aspect of the sound experience.

I can put the "best" subs in a crappy box and they will sound horrid. However, I can put the worst subs in a well designed box and they sound like $800 subs even though they were only $60.

Here is a link to a really good site on the matter:

http://spkrbox1.spaces.msn.com

___________

To dslcobra,

"If you see a sign saying "recommended RMS = 400" you should not stray below 400." is a false statement.

You should actually have your subs just a little higher in watts RMS than your amp. This way if your amp starts to go into "clipping" it won't damage them as much as if the RMS watts were the same.

It doesn't hurt to "underpower" your subs as you will see countless statements saying it does.

I can prove it...if I turn my volume down and keep it down, I'm actually "underpowering" the subs. This does NOT hurt them in any way.

People get confused with "underpowering" and "clipping".

Clipping occurs when you put too much input signal into an amplifier stage, resulting in the peaks of the output waveform being "clipped" off, resulting in a square-wave output. Clipping can also occur if the gain control isn't set to match the input signal voltage from the HU.

Not all HUs have the same maximum preamp output voltage. Some HUs are capable of producing 9 vrms out while others are only capable of 1.5 vrms out.

Please note that a HU will reach its maximum output level (clipping) well before the volume control reaches the upper end of its range (usually at a point of 85-90% of its maximum range).

Answer 3

Kicker is just a brand. I cannot tell you what is better, because what I like, you may not. I would suggest going to car audio dealers and listening to a few different subs, and seeing which ones you like. Personally I like dual 10's better than the bigger subs. The reason you can't find the cappa perfect is because it is spelled kappa, with a k. The JL W7 is arguably the best sounding sub on the market, but as with anything when you buy a premium product you pay a premium price. Look the the JL W6's, Kickers, Eclipse, or Rockford.

I would also disregard everything that dslcobra said. He is wrong on nearly every count. I don't want you misinformed by someone like him.

Answer 4

Dude, you already have a VERY capable subwoofer. Find out what kind of power your amp is delivering to it, and if it's too low (compared to the RMS rating of the subwoofer), replace the amp.

But, your biggest improvement will come from the enclosure and possibly power delivery to the amp. No, you probably do not need an upgraded alternator. Most stock alternators are good to over 1000 Watts.

Answer 5

Actually Odin, your the newb, and an idiot. Learn to read while your at it. Not to mention lack of advice, very poor attitude, shows a lack of knowledge or common sense. With the gain set so high on your friends amp, your friend needs to know that the gain is not a volume control, that should be set to the exact voltage as the pre amp outs are. Which means his amp is set improperly. The difference between the boxes is that the ported box will give you a boomy type bass, holds the bass notes a little better. The sealed box will be more of a punchy type bass. Tighter and usually more responsive. Tell your friend to learn what the gain is and does, because it is not a volume control, all it does is adjust the voltage is all.

Answer 6

best all around subs are the JL Audio W6. great for variety of music types. you want thumping deep bass go with either cerwin vegas or kickers. if you have the space go with dual 12' subs. if not then get a single 15' JL audio

Answer 7

Sounds to me you need a capa perfect. It will play loud and low, like they made it just for your set up. Higher the db the louder.

Answer 8

Go check the BOSE website...they should have what you want...for the right price....expensive but worth it!