Hey there, I have a question about subwoofers and amps for the 3's, I know practicly nothing about car audio stuff and was wondering if i were to put 2 10 inch subwoofers powered by an amp with the stock speakers if it would sound better, I am planning on replacing all the speakers eventually but just wanted to know what adding a amp and subwoofer with stock speakers would sound like.
Subwoofer and amp question
- Thread starter 5DOORMAN
- Start date
What kind of music do you listen to?
If you enjoy Rock you can get by with a single woofer. If you listen to Rap/Hip hop go with the two.
The stock stereo will sound alright with the added subwoofer but you should really consider a nice set of front speakers and an amplifer first IMO.
If you enjoy Rock you can get by with a single woofer. If you listen to Rap/Hip hop go with the two.
The stock stereo will sound alright with the added subwoofer but you should really consider a nice set of front speakers and an amplifer first IMO.
You have a 5-door right? I've got two 8"s in my P5 and they put out plenty of sound when I listen to Moby. The 8"s lack the low end extension you'd get from a 10" or 12" but you'd be surprised at how well they sound in a hatchback. If you were driving around in a Suburban I might say otherwise but your not.
The car audio industry is in one of those flashy bigger-is-better stages. Look at the specs on the subwoofers your interested in and check out the different sizes. Go to a store and listen as well. A single 8" or 10" is all you need for a pratical system. You will find that the 8"s and 10"s have very similar specs to their larger counter parts. Keep in mind the space required for a dual 10" box vs a single.
The car audio industry is in one of those flashy bigger-is-better stages. Look at the specs on the subwoofers your interested in and check out the different sizes. Go to a store and listen as well. A single 8" or 10" is all you need for a pratical system. You will find that the 8"s and 10"s have very similar specs to their larger counter parts. Keep in mind the space required for a dual 10" box vs a single.
I'm currently running a dual voice coil 10" sub as it saves me space while giving me a reproduction of 1.5-2 single voice coil subs. It also allows me to dump more power from the amp by reducing the resistance into the speaker. It also gives me half a trunk. 
I've found that the way to save the most money is not to add rear speakers. Other than rear fill, all it seems to end up doing it costing you for the speakers, and about three times as much to power 4 speakers as it does to power 2.
Oh ya, to actually answer your question, I personally would not add a powered sub with stock speakers. I'd tend to replace all of the speakers with a small amp, then add a sub with another amp.
I hope that helps.
I've found that the way to save the most money is not to add rear speakers. Other than rear fill, all it seems to end up doing it costing you for the speakers, and about three times as much to power 4 speakers as it does to power 2.
Oh ya, to actually answer your question, I personally would not add a powered sub with stock speakers. I'd tend to replace all of the speakers with a small amp, then add a sub with another amp.
I hope that helps.
You're right. A good starter system would be to buy a 4-channel amp between 50x4watts and 100x4watts and use the front channels for front speakers and the rear channels bridged for a subwoofer. Pick up a decent subwoofer (200watts-400watts depending upon the amp you chose) and a set of components for the front.
I basically did this in my girlfriends car, except I used a 5-channel amp and a set of 3-way components up front. Since the 3-ways take more power, I bridged the front channels of the amp for the left, rear channels for the right, and used the 5th channel for the sub.
When you only have one amp it makes wiring so much easier. You don't need fuse blocks, distribution blocks, relays for the turn-on-lead, and also takes up less space!
I basically did this in my girlfriends car, except I used a 5-channel amp and a set of 3-way components up front. Since the 3-ways take more power, I bridged the front channels of the amp for the left, rear channels for the right, and used the 5th channel for the sub.
When you only have one amp it makes wiring so much easier. You don't need fuse blocks, distribution blocks, relays for the turn-on-lead, and also takes up less space!
