Subwoofer - 250W or 500W

[Brad Ferrell]

That port is huge! You must need a 5-point harness to keep you in your seat.

The 500W and 12" are in and I'm testing them with the current stock system. I've come to the conclusion I'm going to need to upgrade both my speakers and add a 4-channel amp to sort things out. Down the road though. I'm really enjoying the bass at lower volumes and the only problem I'm having is between sources. They all have a different sound and I'm constantly turning up or down the bass based on the song I'm listening to. I love having the power. I just need to match it now. What about 100W per channel into some 6.5" two-ways? and if I ran a 6.5" two-way in the front, how do I include the tweeter I've got?

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

What I want to know first is how much power the factory radio gives the speakers already. That way we can get a better feel of how much per speaker to give.

 

[Brad Ferrell]

That is a good question. My best guess is 25-30W RMS into 4 ohms. 50-70W RMS is pretty common for 4 channel amps but I found a Pioneer with 100W per channel with crossovers and some Kicker 2-way 6.5" door speakers which can handle the power. I guess my main complaint with the system is that the sub overpowers the stocks too often and I have to turn them almost all the way up to get some sound.

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

I had the same issue and it was mostly from the amp not being dialed in. I'd try setting the low pass half way if you can and set the bass and gains lower on the amp until the subs them selves sound like they are kicking but aren't over bearing for the rest of the system. It's a work around until the the amp for the speakers themselves is added in. I forgot to ask. Do you have 6 speakers or 4?

 

[SolemnSinner]

The gain(input level) on the amp is not a volume control. You use the gain to match the output voltage of the head unit using 3/4 volume as your reference level.(most head units factory/aftermarket begin clipping past 3/4 volume). I've had several mobile audio "pro's" tune an amp using their ears, only to see moderate to severe clipping on an O-scope afterwards. Be careful when playing with the input level control(gain) on an amplifier.

In my personal experience, I've had really zero problems with the bass overpowering the stock front speakers(the rears are useless on the hatchback models due to their placement on the doors). Could it be better? For sure. If you are having issues with too much bass for your taste, and you're using relatively low powered equipment, then yes a nice little 4 channel amp and upgraded speakers will do the trick. You shouldn't need anything too extravagant to keep up with a 500w sub.

Also, if you're using the stock H/U, you will have to buy a Line Output Converter. I prefer the LC2I because I can hook up a second amp to it at a later date if I choose. I'm somewhat of a basshead so I really haven't found the need to do anything with the stock speakers....yet. For now I just have the mid and high sound processing on the stock head unit tweaked up just a tick to compensate for the loud bass.

Also, playing with the LPF on an amp won't do anything except cut the bass off at a certain frequency. Most LPF's are set at around 80hz. It has nothing to do with volume control. All it does is get rid of the high and mid tones otherwise known as "voice" that would play through your subwoofer if not adjusted properly.

If I had to venture a guess, I would say that if a 500w subwoofer is overpowering your front stage, then you probably are overpowering the subwoofer.

At RealmOfExcursion and there is a nice little tutorial on input level setting(gain).

gain setting tutorial 2010 - Realm of Excursion

 

[Brad Ferrell]

7 now with the sub...