Sub/Amp decisions.....

[mrjoshyman]

Alright, so in my old car (98 626) I have a 12" alpine type r in a ported box. The trunk has a bunch of sound deadening in it, so it sounds nice...no rattle.

If I put that set up into the speed 3, I'd imagine it to be significantly louder due to the open back...and I really don't want it louder....what do you guys think? Options I'm currently considering are keep the 12 in the ported box and just keep the vol down, switch 2 a sealed box...Or move down to a 10" sub...probably ported...

I listen mostly to techno & hip-hop, so the ported box seems to work well with that type of music from my experience.....

I don't want to be able to hear interior rattle, but I really would like to avoid having to take the interior apart & apply sound deadening to it....

Also I would have to get a mono amp b/c I currently have a huge JBL amping out my speakers & sub in the 626. And I don't really feel like swapping it out...

Which amp would you guys recommend? I was thinking a mono alpine amp -- I've heard good things... Also, one thing I'm kind of concerned about w/ using the stock HU is controlling the subwoofer level -- How would I go about doing this.....

BTW I've got an 08.5 MS3 GT

 

[RXMmazdaspeed]

just turn the volume controller on the amp down a little until you find the right amount of bass you are looking for.

 

[ecniemann]

Yeah, like already said, you will have to use the gain knob as a volume control. Also some Alpine's have a parametric EQ to either boost or cut excessive peak frequencies to flatten the response curve more. Also, keep the bass boost off.

 

[mrjoshyman]

just turn the volume controller on the amp down a little until you find the right amount of bass you are looking for.

but I want to be able to change about of bass coming from the sub on the fly. For example, some songs I prefer more bass than others -- depending on the type of music or w/e the situation maybe.... is there anyway to do this?

 

[ecniemann]

Some amps (monoblocks) come with an external bass control knob you can run to the dash (Rockford/Fosgate and Alpine come to mind). It is also an extra option with some amps, meaning you have to buy it in addition to the amp. It basically acts like the bass boost, but is variable. Otherwise, just use your HU bass adjustment knob. It will probably be more global than specific, but it will work.

 

[mrjoshyman]

hmm alright -- i guess ill b looking for something w/ an external bass control knob or something like that....

ne recommendations of which size sub & which type of box 2 use? keep my ported 12? or switch to something else.....

 

[Abaddon]

Put your 12 in there first.. see if you like it... if you want more // less, and then go from there..

 

[builthatch]

i have a type r 12 in an ideally sized sealed box and type r 6.5 components up front pushed by a pdx 4.150 through an mtx re-q. still using the factory headunit, amp and silly sub. the car is pretty rattle free w/o needing any deadening; if you did add any, it'd be more for efficiency or SQ (to prevent coloring, such as in the front doors) as opposed to stopping vibration rattling for the sub or whatever...

regarding remote bass control, there are a ton of options; i think you can add a remote to the pdx series, you can add one i think the re-q, not sure on that, but i'll be honest- my setup sounds ideal no matter what music. yes, i know that the bridged rear channels of the 4.150 aren't necessarily killing it with such an inefficient sub setup, but it's still super SQ. i mean, really nice....

 

[mrjoshyman]

Put your 12 in there first.. see if you like it... if you want more // less, and then go from there..

well im selling my 626, and im trying to determine if i shud just sell the sub w/ the car or hold onto it..... so I was hoping to see what other people said b/c I'm not sure if I'll have the time or money to put the 12 into the MS3 b4 my 626 is sold...

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Most audiophiles delete the speakers in the rear doors. If you do that, you can tap the rear signals for the subwoofer and use your fader control to adjust the relative bass level on the fly.

 

[GOATovMENDES]

Maybe another way to look at it...

---I have the BOSE system and I wanted to get a monster sub in the car but found all the extra costs and hard work was too much to justify considering my tastes. An idea in my mind had me placing my 1000 watt Yamaha powered Servo home theater sub in the hatch. I bought a typical DC to AC inverter (AC DELCO $29) to plug the sub into for power and after tapping the white/blue & white/grey wires in the blue cable bundle under the driver's seat in my MS3, I ran a signal to the sub via DIY RCA cable. I plugged the inverter into the extra accessory outlet in the armrest. So far the advantages over a regular full blown amp/sub install is a self contained BeAsT with no need to run the usual amp/power cable and remote wire saving at least 3 hours taking the glove box out and the OEM HU. Since I already own the sub, I didn't need to buy a seperate amp and sub and box or make a permanent change to the car by drilling. When I want to invoke the BEAST, I push the power button on the DC/AC inverter to turn the amp on since I leave the sub main power on. The inverter fits wherever I want it. I can remove the entire setup in five minutes and the car remains unaltered and factory fresh; for all you Lease holders get the hint. Its a little hackish around the edges, but its cheap and easy for the rest of us consumers types. Hail![/COLOR][/FONT]