Adding a subwoofer - need suggestions....

I'm fairly happy with the sound of the MP3's sound system, but would like to add a 12" sub for deeper bass. I don't want to overpower the highs. Any suggestions on what brand sub/amp I should use. I am thinking about a JL dual voice coil 4 ohm sub with maybe a Zapco Studio 100x amp. I'd also appreciate any tips on running power wires/RCA's ect. Thanks in advance.

Hmm ( IN MY OPINION ) the JL sub is good but you will only need an eight ohm if you are running one twelve. ( from what I know you cant run a 4ohm by itself.. it has to do with running stereo, but I have never tried to run a 4ohm by itself, just have been told that and I have always ran 2 subs ) Now your saying you want to add a twelve and keep the existing 10 tube??? The twelve will be just fine by itself... You dont want to overpower the highs... thats cool if you stick under 400 watts you wont.. or you can get an epicenter so you can control the DB's of the Bass. AMPS>> I would not go with the Zapco because of the price... yea I do think they are the best amps in the world in my opinion.. but I pull enough power out of my Fosgate Punch 500a2 to beat my head in.. Running Mono 2ohm I am pulling between 700-800 true power into 2-12" punch HE's.. They are 400w rated and I have blown three... Thank god for the $16 anything goes wrong/blows warranty from Fosgate. Anyway the Amps that are designed to go with the deck are Kenwood Excelon.. You will be able to control the amp from your deck if you buy one of these amps.. ( Look on page 14 of your Kenwood instruction manuel.. UNDER Amp Control.. this lists the types of amps ) you may not be able to find them brand new ( dont know ) but you could prob pick one up on-line ( auction ) or maybe at a pawn shop. Unless you are dead set on the Zapco I would say for what you are doing you dont need that, and I would find a different amp. As far as running the RCA's the ones that are on the tube are ok for what you are doing ... You will need to run a power wire from your battery back to your amp and a seperate ground to the chassis.. With the watts under 400 ( true prob 200 or so ) you wont need another alternator and such because your draw wont be that hefty but over time (2-5 years) you possibly may have to replace the alternator due to wear ( no biggie ). Most decent shops will install all this for $1 to $100 depending on who you go to. If you dont know alot about installs, it will be worth the money and save you the hassle plus it will be clean ( at least I hope it will.. cant trust everyone ). If I didnt answer anything just let me know, or If you are confused let me know.. I can go on further.. Its 2am here and the screen is a blur, adios... Hope I helped... If I am wrong anywhere someone correct me please..C-YA, Ryan

Thanks for the reply. I'm pretty sure that I want a dual 4 Ohm sub. This way I can wire it to draw a 2 Ohm load off the amp. As for Zapco, I also like them and have read nothing but great things about them. I found a good deal on a Zapco Studio 100x which is a mono subwoofer amp rated at 100 watts at 4 Ohms and 200@2 Ohms. They have it at Sounddomain.com for $169 which is a steal. I think that 200 watts of clean power will give me what I'm looking for. I've also been looking at Infinity Kappa Perfect subs, and Infinity Digital Amps. I think my first order of business will be to Dynamat the trunk, and run new wires (including RCA's). The RCA's on the stock sub just look cheap. I think I'll run 4 Gauge wire, in case I want to add anything in the future. As before, any comments/suggestions are appreciated

Thanks...........

kingvitamin, i'm really happy with my 10" kicker solo-baric. i have 2 channels bridged from a rockford-fosgate 600.4 amp pushing it. the other two channels drive the front door speakers.

go with JL i love their stuff. i have 2 jl 12inch W0's and a kenwood 719 mono amp running them and they pound for not having a shitload of power running to them i love it.

King, yea I agree that the RCA's look cheap. As far as the amp thats a great price.. Good luck with your install and Dynomating. The 4g wire is a great choice..C-ya Ryan

KINGVITAMIN I don't wanna be a bummer or anything but if you're getting a JL DUAL 4 ohm sub you're actually getting an 8 ohm sub. The dual 4 ohm's means that each of the two voice coils is 4 ohms. Depending on how you hook the two voice coils up is how you come out with total ohm draw of the speakers. Parrell would be an 8 ohm total load and series would bring it to 2 ohm total load if I remember right. Just check the JL website JLaudio.com to find the specifics.

Pretty close 20ES, if it's in series, it's 8 Ohm(4+4) and parallel is 2Ohm. (Not being a dick, but those 4 year of Electrical Engineering might actually be worth something to me for once! WOOHOO!)
Anyway, sounds like I sweet anm and sub setup. Looks like you'll have to parallel it to get the 2 ohms.
Personally I've always been satisfied with Alpine and Kenwood amps for the money. Kenwood also makes some really nice mono amps, and I have run both the solobarics and the JL Audios. I liked both, but the JL seems to be my favorite. Might have been that I had a better box for it, but I liked its feel better.
Just my thoughts. Hope it rocks!

the 12W0 sounds good and you seem to know enough about impedance to make the right call on the voice coil version.
Definitly replace the RCA's also run new RCA's on the right hand side of the car to aviod getting noise unless your only doing a sub amp then it won't matter. 4 guage is always a good bet to use