Which subwoofer should I choose?

[TDIESEL]

Ok, I have my amp sorted for my sound system upgrade so all I need is a Sub now. My amps sub channel is rated at 200w RMS and I am after a 10" unit in a compact removable sealed box. Check out the selection in this link and offer your suggestions http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i83_angled-subwoofer-systems.html. All info appreciated and hopefully this will be a handy thread for others.

[Greg Roles]

One great tip is sensitivity. Rarely do you have too much bass, all the time, with one subwoofer. Often, you'd like a little more. Pick a sub with as high a sensitivity as possible, you can always tone it down a bit, usually you're trying to extract more!!'

The volume it recommends is always handy, unless you want to lose your boot.

200RMS bridged?? at 4 or 2 ohms??

[TDIESEL]

here's the amp specs http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9714_Blaupunkt+THA555+PnP+-THA555PnP-.html

Would a high quality 8" sub in a small sealed enclosure be adequate enough bass for the Golf? Realistically it's not a huge cabin and it is sound quality I'm after.

[Joe Bellissimo]

Your looking at the wrong subwoofers if you want sound quality :P

That sony at the top of the list is a horid subwoofer!
Keep in mind thats my opinion from hearing that in a store, not a car.

Most "high quality" 8" subwoofers will need much more than 200rms to run.

Peerless would be worth looking into if you were after high SQ with low input power.
http://www.d-s-t.com.au/caraudio/

What kind of music do you listen to?
And
What budget did you have in mind?

That info will help narrow down your search.

[TDIESEL]

Your looking at the wrong subwoofers if you want sound quality :P

That sony at the top of the list is a horid subwoofer!
Keep in mind thats my opinion from hearing that in a store, not a car.

Most "high quality" 8" subwoofers will need much more than 200rms to run.

Peerless would be worth looking into if you were after high SQ with low input power.
http://www.d-s-t.com.au/caraudio/

What kind of music do you listen to?
And
What budget did you have in mind?

That info will help narrow down your search.

Lol..Don't worry, would never get something like a Sony sub. I was steering more towards the JL ones.

Another forum member has a Image Dynamics 8" sub in a sealed enclosure that I may be interested in at the moment. It's a 2 ohm sub and but seeing as I don't know too much about specs etc I am unsure if my amp can run it. My amp can run at 2 and 4 ohm according to its specs. Do amps select what ohm they run at automatically or do the speakers have to be wired in a certain way. Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question. I guess what I'm trying to find out is will the THA555 (5 channel amp) run the standard speakers at 4ohm (?) and the 2ohm sub at the same time with no worries?

[Joe Bellissimo]

Whatever load the speaker places on the amplifier will define how much current will pass through. Lower loads will allow more current but if its too low then the amp will shut down since it wont be able to handle the current.

That was probably a bit cryptic, post back if you didn't understand that.

[TDIESEL]

Whatever load the speaker places on the amplifier will define how much current will pass through. Lower loads will allow more current but if its too low then the amp will shut down since it wont be able to handle the current.

That was probably a bit cryptic, post back if you didn't understand that.
Just to make sure I got it right.

The amp will sense what load it needs to deliver and act accordingly even if the speakers have different ohm requirements.

My 5 channel amp is rated at 50w x 4 +200w x 1 at 4 ohm or 65wx4 + 250w RMS at 2 ohm. So.....it should theoretically be capable of delivering 55w to the four 4ohm speaker channels and 250 to the single 2 ohm sub?

[Greg Roles]

That's right TDI the amp output is load dependant per speaker. I have 3 ohm fronts, 4 ohm rears and the sub is running 2 ohm, from the same amp.

Sweeping statements like 200rms "isn't enough" is a bit general. It depends what you do with the energy! A sub with a sensitivity of 85db at 500rms isn't going to be as loud and thus noticable SQ wise as one with 93db at 100rms. Sensitivity is the volume of the sub per unit energy. Usually overlooked, and THE reason my little bostom 8" sounds so damn good, it has highish sensitivity amongst other things. It's dual voice coil, and I can hook it up as 8 ohm with 500rms, or 2 ohm with 250rms. Guess which one sounds the best? 2 ohms, lower power, higher sensitivity! The ears just don't lie.

Also amp ratings are often like dyno power, depends how you measure it on the day. Some amps read higher "in real life", some lower.

Finally a cheap sub, well installed in correct volume etc, will usually sound better than an expensive sub with a poor install. I have actually had a GREAT sound from a supercheap sony sub, in a setup I built for my heavy metal brother. He was on a tight budget, but flogs his sound systems. I took great pains to get the correct specs, built a solid box, and set it up right. Even I was amazed a $100 odd sub could simply SOUND so good with his megadeath major hard core stuff he's into. It didn't blow up! I tend not to worry so much about brand, but go on the specs, reviews, internet research and what is going to best suit the space I have available on my budget. One of the best sub results I've ever had, and I've had a lot of subs since starting in 1987, was a $150 Jaycar sub. The sound output, response and just sheer sound was mind blowing for the cost. Perhaps I just fluked the perfect box, who knows. What I'm trying to say is people get too caught up in brand, sure a Hertz or DD is going to be "fat", but I hope your wallet is too!

In the end for me, it all comes down to the SOUND. Law of diminishing returns applies, first hundred buys you a lot, next hundy, a bit more, etc etc.

[Greg Roles]

To answer your actual question TDI, I find a decent longer throw 8" just fine in the Golf. Depends just how "deep" you want the sound to be. It's simply not the ferocious bottom end of say a decent 12" in a 30L plus box, but it's tight, punchy, and the blend is just seamless. Small sealed volumes too, 8-10L. The sound is "full" without me sounding like I obviously have a fooly sik sub bro. I have a full sound, not a doof sound.

[TDIESEL]

To answer your actual question TDI, I find a decent longer throw 8" just fine in the Golf. Depends just how "deep" you want the sound to be. It's simply not the ferocious bottom end of say a decent 12" in a 30L plus box, but it's tight, punchy, and the blend is just seamless. Small sealed volumes too, 8-10L. The sound is "full" without me sounding like I obviously have a fooly sik sub bro. I have a full sound, not a doof sound.

Sounds perfect and exactly what I'm after. Think I may go for the Image Dynamics 8" sub that's on offer.

[Greg Roles]

At a "reasonable price range" I'd buy any of the follwing 8" subs:

Boston, RE, JL, Focal or the Image Dynamix you mention. All nice units for SQ and to blend in with the rest of the system. My boston is on sonix for $70 US!! but at 87.5 at 4ohm its the lowest sensitivity there, Image 91.5db and Focal up at 93db! You have some great choices in the low volume smaller subs.

[Pullstarter]

Hertz make a nice 10" but I haven't auditioned any of their 8" subs. Then again the box volume needed for a Hertz sub is pretty low so might work out about the same? Pretty reasonably priced at around $250-$350 and very clean sound.

[Joe Bellissimo]

Make sure your going to be happy with an 8".

I'm learning this the hard way but there is no substitute for surface area!

[Pullstarter]

Make sure your going to be happy with an 8".

I'm learning this the hard way but there is no substitute for surface area!

This is very true, I had a 10" JL in my Golf which was an excellent sub but the extra depth I get from the 12" Hertz in the Tiguan is AMAZING. The box size isn't all that much bigger either.

[ICEDIST]

At a "reasonable price range" I'd buy any of the follwing 8" subs:

Boston, RE, JL, Focal or the Image Dynamix you mention. All nice units for SQ and to blend in with the rest of the system. My boston is on sonix for $70 US!! but at 87.5 at 4ohm its the lowest sensitivity there, Image 91.5db and Focal up at 93db! You have some great choices in the low volume smaller subs.

Try this :
4585

TS Parameters: http://www.vibeaudio.co.uk/support/manuals/manual_tsparamaters.pdf

Available from these dealers: http://icedistribution.com/dealerslist.html
RRP for SQ8Active (amp included) $449.00
RRP SQ 8 inch sub on its own (no enclosure) $229.00

These are 'arguably' the best 8 inch drivers in the world. (quoted by a leading industry expert)

[TDIESEL]

Question time again :biggrin:

Can I run a sub rated at 250w RMS off an amp that runs 200w RMS x 1?

[Joe Bellissimo]

Ofcourse you can. Just make sure you don't push it too hard of the amp will be overdriven and cause clipping.

[G-rig]

To answer your actual question TDI, I find a decent longer throw 8" just fine in the Golf. Depends just how "deep" you want the sound to be. It's simply not the ferocious bottom end of say a decent 12" in a 30L plus box, but it's tight, punchy, and the blend is just seamless. Small sealed volumes too, 8-10L. The sound is "full" without me sounding like I obviously have a fooly sik sub bro. I have a full sound, not a doof sound.

This sounds like fairly good advice cogdoc. Most people don't realise how good an 8" can sound and have probably never heard one (and just copy everyone else that says 'get a 12" '). It blends with the stock speakers sizes very well and can still pack a lot of punch.

Also not a fan of real low deep bass that shakes the car apart and most doof doof people just have a 12" sub totally overpowering everything else.



I'm learning this the hard way but there is no substitute for surface area!

There's always trade offs like the extra room/volume a 12" will take up, if it can be installed in a stealth manner like smaller ones, and you'll need a lot more power to drive one ie 500W+ (generally speaking). Hatches are a bit easier ti get the volume than sedans or bigger cars too.

[BI65ND]

Hey mate,
Dont know if you've had a look at Rockford Fosgate P1 subs, but very very good entry level sub for low powered systems. Tight and punchy sub, but because its rated at only 150W RMS, very easy to power it and run it to its full potential. Good for SQ, but also if you want to go for db down the track somewhere they are very easy to get good bass out of. We had a 12" one at work pull 137db off a 2 channel amp rated to about 120W RMS when bridged.

[G-rig]

I'm into SQ not SPL. I'm not sure how those spl competitions work, but i wouldn't expose yourself to those kind of dB for very long unless you want permanent damage.

This is a good guide:


continued exposure of unprotected ears to noise over 85 dB will cause a gradual hearing loss in a significant number of individuals. Louder noises will accelerate this damage. The allowed exposure time decreases by ONE - HALF for each 5 dB increase in the average noise level.

So 135dB is about 28 Sec.

[Greg Roles]

This sounds like fairly good advice cogdoc. Most people don't realise how good an 8" can sound and have probably never heard one (and just copy everyone else that says 'get a 12" '). It blends with the stock speakers sizes very well and can still pack a lot of punch.

Also not a fan of real low deep bass that shakes the car apart and most doof doof people just have a 12" sub totally overpowering everything else.



There's always trade offs like the extra room/volume a 12" will take up, if it can be installed in a stealth manner like smaller ones, and you'll need a lot more power to drive one ie 500W+ (generally speaking). Hatches are a bit easier ti get the volume than sedans or bigger cars too.

I wasn't expecting anything as good as what I ended up with. And I've had a G5 amongst other things before. Here's my current G108 sub response on my handheld db meter. Just amazing really!

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/subtest23Mar09-1.jpg

[Mr ©harisma]

If it was me:

I would run the amp @ 4 ohm for the sub channel ( higher efficiency / higher damping and 50WRMS wont get much extra SPL ).

Love the ID and Vibe that has been mentioned, time that you went auditioning me thinks!

[JohnnyWakko]

"Get the fully sick one!"

...since no one has said it already. You know it had to be said. :wasntme:

[G-rig]

"Get the fully sick one!"

No, the fully sick ones are the 2 x 12" subs in a box taking up your whole boot.

Most people prefer sound quality (or at least i do).

[Mr ©harisma]

No, the fully sick ones are the 2 x 12" subs in a box taking up your whole boot.


I was more thinking 2x 18inch or 3x 15inch to be fully sick. :biggrin:

Some 12inch subs will work very well in a 1cuft sealed so that is only 2cuft for 2x 12inch.. I like 12's, good size for low extension vs box size.

[G-rig]

How is the sub going TDIESEL?

I know a few people now with Image Dynamics and stealth subs, and they really are a great solution.. The uneducated wouldn't know an 8" could sound so good, goes to show that Drew at Northfield knows a bit more than a lot of forum experts.

[TDIESEL]

How is the sub going TDIESEL?

I know a few people now with Image Dynamics and stealth subs, and they really are a great solution.. The uneducated wouldn't know an 8" could sound so good, goes to show that Drew at Northfield knows a bit more than a lot of forum experts.

Absolutely loving it!! Best thing I ever got, more than enough bass for me. :biggrin:

Hey, my amplifier is still working fine as well. I'm sure that will piss all the cynics off that said I was out of my tree for mounting it the way I did. :nana:

[Mr ©harisma]

How is the sub going TDIESEL?

I know a few people now with Image Dynamics and stealth subs, and they really are a great solution.. The uneducated wouldn't know an 8" could sound so good, goes to show that Drew at Northfield knows a bit more than a lot of forum experts.

8inch could sound as good but it won't play low enough for me. Having the F3 in the 40Hz mark just doesn't cut it for me in a medium sedan... :biggrin:

[G-rig]

8inch could sound as good but it won't play low enough for me. Having the F3 in the 40Hz mark just doesn't cut it for me in a medium sedan... :biggrin:

I guess you can get away with a bit more being a hatch..:biggrin: