mnwolftrack Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Yes, I would agree that the weight can be an indication of the quality and output. I run two seperate 30x2 Alpines in one of my vehicles, plus a 180x1, coming out of a headunit that is technically 35x4. Each 30x2 watt alpine is larger and heavier than the head unit is, and they spank the output. The 180x1 is a mono amp running a sub. The system is more than enough for me, and would still be enough even if I was still in my high school days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 I am poking around the back of Blu, and i had a thought. On the passenger side there is a compartment used for "stuff". Can i stick a subwoofer in there? And again i know nothing, soooo it would require its own amp too? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 You could. It would need an amp, the headunit doesn't put out enough wattage to move the air at low frequency's like a subwoofer would need. I was planning on putting 2 subs in the back, 1 each side, in where the pockets are. I still have the sheet of MDF in my shed for making the enclosuers. Remember that you need some volume in the box behind the speaker to get good sound, so using more than just the space in the pocket would be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 You could. It would need an amp, the headunit doesn't put out enough wattage to move the air at low frequency's like a subwoofer would need. I was planning on putting 2 subs in the back, 1 each side, in where the pockets are. I still have the sheet of MDF in my shed for making the enclosuers. Remember that you need some volume in the box behind the speaker to get good sound, so using more than just the space in the pocket would be good. Another stupid question, why two? I thought with a sub woofer one was enough? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 If one is good, wouldn't two be better? You need to make sure that the subs are phased right with each other and with the door speakers. If you have them out of phase, they will cancle each other out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnwolftrack Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 One subwoofer would be more than enough for your desires. I think a single 8" would be plenty. You aren't looking to blow your windows out and/or go deaf, are you?? As for the storage cubby, yes you could convert that into a sub enclosure. But, you will have to see how much air space the sub(s) you are looking at will require. If that storage cubby isn't enough, you'll need to make a larger cubby. I have never removed those back panels before, but it's reasonable to think you'd have to make the cubby bigger. If you don't want to lose storage space, you might have enough room back there to put the speaker elsewhere on the sidewall via removing the plastic panel and building an enclosure inside the steel structure of the car. There may or may not be enough room to fit wood in there without having to cut some metal away. This may sound rather complicated, but it's quite common in SUV's and what-not that have a rear cargo area. Yes, the sub will need it's own amplifier. If your deck does not have a band filter/cut off, you will need to get an amp with one built in, or install a seperate filter (less messing around if you just get a deck/amp with it built in). Many manufacturers make subwoofer-specific amps that have that built in. I just bought a nice alpine a few months ago to drive a 15 year old 10" Kicker sub that I built a custom enclosure for many years ago. I used to run two of these 10" Kicker (old style) subs 15 years ago back in high school when it really "important." Now that I am not trying to blow the windows out, one 10" sub is more than enough. I converted the empty half of the enclosure into tool storage (extra cab pickup). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleb Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I am poking around the back of Blu, and i had a thought. On the passenger side there is a compartment used for "stuff". Can i stick a subwoofer in there? And again i know nothing, soooo it would require its own amp too? nipper Nipper, If you do this, please take plenty of pictures, an do it New Yankee Workshop style with measured drawrings available at the end of the episode. After you give me the blueprints for free, then commence selling them on ebay for an exorbitant price of your choosing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 Nipper, If you do this, please take plenty of pictures, an do it New Yankee Workshop style with measured drawrings available at the end of the episode. After you give me the blueprints for free, then commence selling them on ebay for an exorbitant price of your choosing You do of course realize i have lots and lots of time on my hands being on disability nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleb Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 All the more reason to set yourself up with a sweet sub! I'm very much considering a sub install in my blue 96 outback, and have narrowed the placement down to the space between the wheel well and lift gate, but your idea is +10 style (and stability). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 All the more reason to set yourself up with a sweet sub! I'm very much considering a sub install in my blue 96 outback, and have narrowed the placement down to the space between the wheel well and lift gate, but your idea is +10 style (and stability). I thought about the liftgate, but didnt like the weight it would add to it. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarupusher Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I went with the Subaru upgraded speakers with the tweeter kit. I gave the local big chain installer a chance but the cost kept escalating. I got a good discount from the dealer and I put them in with only a few minor pieces breaking off from various clips in the doors. I have the JVC HD deck which pushes about as much as the OEM deck. I then made the mistake of ordering the OEM subwoofer since I like how it is compact and fits under the seat. I figured that all I had to do was figure out how to power it and hook the leads to the subwoofer tagged ones in my harness. After scratching my head with the 20 something page installation manual and then getting laughed at at the local big chain installer (they showed me the unique clips that the subwoofer has to hook into the OEM stereo), I gave up. When I used to do this a lot a couple of decades ago, you could mate anything with a few trips to Radio Shack. Maybe you still can if you know where to get the parts but Radio Shack has gone out of the car stereo hook up parts business. Anyway I had the local big chain installer show me their various subwoofers and I was not too impressed. I am middle aged now and I had a hard enough time trying to hear every other word when they were demoing and describing the various features of the subwoofers. Us old farts like the subwoofer to accentuate the music and still have room in our trunk to carry a suitcase or two. The HD Radio sounds incredible and the bass is not bad with the upgrades. I may do the 6x9 route for better bass someday but will keep an eye out for a subwoofer that is compact enough to fit under the drivers seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 Ok so the slippery slope starts. I got a pioneer GM-6200F 120watt per channel 4 channel amp. I know the numbers can be fictional, but its bigger then i thought and has some mass to it. Questions.... The wiring diagram shows two 30 amp fuses in parallel feeding a common cable to the power side of the amp. There is no reference to the gauge of the cable. I dont want o ver buy, but it seems the kits are either 8 or 4, when im thinking it should be a 6. Also the kits show huge AGU fuses, when i would rather use the standard automotive type fuses if i can. Also i can see running the 4 gauge wire being a nightmare. Any comments? Also is a capacitor just for sub woofers? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 21, 2007 Author Share Posted April 21, 2007 When Blu is happy i am happy. 600 watts and all is well, I dont need a sub woofer. I am very good at annoying the cars around me with nickleback without one nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilroy Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 An 8 guage power wire will be fine for that amplifier. There is no way you are going to get the full 600W out of a Pioneer amplifier. Mainstream names like Kenwood, Pioneer, Alpine, etc. typically overstate their power capabilities, the 600W you see on that amplifier is usually something seen once in the lab while they were developing it. You may want to hedge your bets and install 4 guage wire, just in case you increase the size of your amplifier in the future. That being said, the amplifier gets good reviews and should power pretty much any speaker you choose to install, plus it has line-in inputs for easy connection to your HU. Go with the fuse rating the manufacturer recommends for your amplifier. You can use any kind of fuse you like, you just need to make sure it is in-line somewhere within 2' of your battery. Capacitors are typically only used for subwoofers. Subs can draw a lot of current in a very short time, the capacitor allows the current to be available for the subwoofer at any time. If you are still considering your storage cubby for a subwoofer, bear in mind that a subwoofer NEEDS a box to reproduce sound correctly. If you just stuff it into a plastic surround it will sound terrible and vibrate the plastic housing like crazy! There are subwoofers made just to fit within your spare tire well (with the spare tire still there), but they are not very high quality. Pioneer has recently introduced a VERY low profile subwoofer (TS-SW1041D/TS-SW1241D, 3"-3.25" depth), but I have not seen any reviews commenting on the quality of the sound. If you have a tool tray immediately above your spare tire like my Legacy has, you can simply remove the tray and build yourself a 0.5-1.0 cu/ft. MDF box the same shape of the tray to mount the subwoofer in. You will need another amplifier if you plan on installing a subwoofer, so it may be a good idea to run all the cables necessary while you are installing your current HU/amp/speakers. I have found that the stock speakers in my Legacy are only 20/22 guage, so you may want to run new speaker wiring from the amplifier to your speakers as well. I would suggest 14 or 16 guage wiring if you are going to a speaker with a 40W RMS handling or higher. Also, be sure your amplifier is well grounded to eliminate a ground loop. You will know you have a ground loop if you hear whining in your speakers that goes louder when you rev the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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