6 comments to “Calling all car audio system experts?”

1. texasfourplay wrote:
   16. October 2008 at 7:09 pm :

   you can get a 10″ sub and around a 200 to 400 watt amp and it will have some thump but not generate enough to wake the neibhors. good brands are orion , sony, jl audio, kenwood, pioneer, alpine, and memphis.

2. Brianmt wrote:
   18. October 2008 at 4:29 pm :

   One sub-woofer is enough, put it behind you if you want a back massage
   Anyways yeah 600 would probably be fine.

3. ct_thebull wrote:
   20. October 2008 at 1:04 pm :

   if you are gonna want something that will shake the car a little, then get a 12 or 15″. one would probably do the job if it’s a decent one. i wouldnt go higher than 1000 watts tho or you’ll have to add and replace a few things for it to work without killing your alternator and such. and those are good brands to go by. especially rockford, alpine, and memphis.

4. isu2011 wrote:
   23. October 2008 at 12:33 am :

   An RMS of 1000 watts is pretty good. For being able to hear it/feel it outside the car two would be recommended. The size does change certain factors, like a 10′ sub has tighter bass but the 12′ is louder. They do drain it a little bit faster as they are connected directly to the battery and not the alternator but as the battery will get charged back up it shouldn’t make too much of a difference. Some good brands; JL Audio, Rockford Fostage, Audiobahn, Pioneer, Kenwood, MB Quart, Alpine

   BAD brands; Sony, Bose, Infinity, Momo, Kicker, Dual, Anything from Walmart.

   Also, I do not recommend you put the system in yourself, go to an authorized installer.

   A). The alternator is connected to the battery, duh. But, the engine turns the alternator which in turn charges the battery, when you have an audio system put in you don’t connect the amp power line to the alternator, you connect it directly to the battery with a fuse and capacitor in between to control the flow of power. You may want to replace the battery, but that has to be done either ways every couple of years. Replacing the alternator is a complete waste of money.

   B) Why do you think Kicker’s having a deal? Cause it’s not that great.

   If you don’t believe me at least don’t just listen to some unsound advice, go over to your local install shop and ask them these questions.

5. sparky3489 wrote:
   26. October 2008 at 7:56 am :

   WOW! The guy above stated, “They do drain it a little bit faster as they are connected directy to the battery and not the alternator but as the battery will get charged back up it shouldn’t make too much of a difference.”

   I guess he doesn’t realize the alternator is directly connected to the battery.

   If your total system power is 1000 watts RMS or more, you will need to:

   1. Upgrade the alternator to a high output alternator
   2. Upgrade to a heavy duty deep cycle battery
   3. Upgrade the “Big 3″ - that is to replace the power wire between the battery and alternator, the ground from the battery to the chassis and the ground strap from the engine/tranny to the chassis with at least 1/0 AWG wire.

   Failure to do this will result in you replacing them anyway as the alternator will eventually fail.

   Here is a guide that will calculate what size alternator and power wires you need

   You’ll need Microsft Excel to use it.

   See my site for more info

6. kicker_guy_l7 wrote:
   29. October 2008 at 5:18 am :

   isu2011, please don’t spend bad information… it only makes the users choice more difficult.

   1000 watts is pretty high…. you can rattle your car pretty good on 400 to 500 watts no problems!

   1 sub is plenty fine for your needs, you don’t need 2 for some thump.

   Right now kicker has a deal going on that any dealer has to offer a buy one get one free on Comp VRs, I would buy 1 dual 2 ohm (and get 1 free) and get a kicker zx750.1 to go with it. That will make enough bump for you

   Good Luck

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