Sub and Amp only

[Blitz]

Is it okay to amp a sub and use the headunit to power the other speakers?

[ImysE30]

Yeah, that's how i've got it wired in the cabby at the moment

[Blitz]

Cool. I just want loads of base. Do you reckon a single 12" or double 10".

[mr_dink]

Cool. I just want loads of base. Do you reckon a single 12" or double 10".

Depends how much space you want in the boot. 2 10" would need quite a big box.

[JWaller360]

This is how mine is setup at the moment with a single 10" and it sounds really good, quite well balanced

[aceraf]

I would always recommend amp'ing your speakers before adding any type of bass.

Your head-unit will never be able to produce the type of sound that even a basic amp would be able to re-produce.

Get your highs and mids sorted, and then when you add your bass it'll sound so much better (as you'll actually be able to hear the 3 tones (low, mid and high).

As for how many, that depends how you want your sound...if you want to 'feel' your music then you should go for 2 (or more ), if you just want a little deep sound then you'll get away with 1.

I've personally always preferred 15's as opposed to 12's as i prefer the deeper bass they produce, however 12's will perform better for faster music.

[ImysE30]

4 15" subs will do it Blitz 'eh Ace

[Ziggy]

I would always recommend amp'ing your speakers before adding any type of bass.

Agreed. I've done it both ways & some well-mounted & amped component speakers can sound surprisingly good without any kind of sub.

If you only want loud bass then there's no harm in fitting just the sub & amp though - it just won't give a well-rounded sound.

Some kind of crossover on the fronts would help you get a half decent result...

[aceraf]

I would always recommend amp'ing your speakers before adding any type of bass.

Agreed. I've done it both ways & some well-mounted & amped component speakers can sound surprisingly good without any kind of sub.

If you only want loud bass then there's no harm in fitting just the sub & amp though - it just won't give a well-rounded sound.

Some kind of crossover on the fronts would help you get a half decent result...

Preciesely.

Even your standard speakers will give more of a 'thud' when amped. They won't produce great bass, but you'll be amazed as to how much better the same install will sound.

4 15" subs will do it Blitz 'eh Ace

No need for 4...that was a bit extreme i admit...2 15's are more than enough

[Blitz]

I haven't got any components at the moment, and I just want some extra bass. I want to put nice ICE install in my next E30 in summer though.

[aceraf]

I haven't got any components at the moment, and I just want some extra bass. I want to put nice ICE install in my next E30 in summer though.

If you're putting bass into a car with factory speakers installed and nothing else then you'll drown out the vocals.

You'll get a soft sort of sound with no clarity...i'd personally spend the money on getting clear sound.

That said we've all been there where we just need a bit of bass (usually lots in my case!).

[mrLEE30]

i have run my cab with standard sized speakers powered from the headubit, a JVC in this case, and a single amp running a 12in sub, and it sounded quite good, especially when you consider the amount of road noise in a cab even with roof up there is really very little point in spending loads on a cab stereo that you can only really enjoy when stationary.

with a decent sub at least you can hear and feel some umph when on the move, thus my advise is to do exactly as you say, run the speakers from HU and power a single sub from an amp, until you can afford to upgrade the interior speakers/amp

idea below for a cabby box which fits a 12 inch sub and still leaves some boot space. this has 3cuft (space means bass!!) interior volume and a port firing to the side you cannot see, it was more then enough for the cab, for info i also ran the amp from the power source designed for the rear screen heater, worked well, was fused from the factory and i could turn off the sub from the demister switch, handy for dodgy areas in uk...let me knwo if you want more info on this

[Alex]

Sub and amp combo is shit, council, Halfrauds, and Ripspeed

Ive got all my speakers amped and sounds way better than a load of bass with no decent tunage from the speakers

i get plenty of mid Bass from my 6.5" Nakamichi Speakers which satisfy my needs, and have some infinity comps in the front

sub wise a 8" will give you punchy bass 15" subs will give rumbley low down bass which in my opinion in shit

[Blitz]

Thanks, Alex Im on about a separate amp and sub. Not those built in ones.

Well I bought this. No idea if its any good.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 2761.l1259

[Alex]

Thanks, Alex Im on about a separate amp and sub. Not those built in ones.

Well I bought this. No idea if its any good.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 2761.l1259

I binned my sub and enclosure was pretty much brand new too

built in amp/seperate amp its just the same but its sperate

[mrLEE30]

but alex, you have a car with a roof and a rear parcel shelf, blitz does not, fitting a "average" stereo in a cab and tin top are completely disimilar.

blitz the problem you will find with that amp/sub combo is lack of boot space, you simply cannot fit a 12inch sub upright under the roof enclosure, this is why my enclosure is at an angle, the box you showed will work fine but it will need to live right at the highest part of the boot, you will also have issues with the amp getting hot as they are designed to be fitted upright (as the heatsinks are on the top) if you are any good with a jigsaw then make your own box using the amp and sub you have bought. pay close attention to what the sub manufacture suggests is a correct size for the volume of the box

[Blitz]

mrLEE30 it will go in the 316i at the moment then the cabby in July.

[Alex]

but alex, you have a car with a roof and a rear parcel shelf, blitz does not, fitting a "average" stereo in a cab and tin top are completely disimilar.

blitz the problem you will find with that amp/sub combo is lack of boot space, you simply cannot fit a 12inch sub upright under the roof enclosure, this is why my enclosure is at an angle, the box you showed will work fine but it will need to live right at the highest part of the boot, you will also have issues with the amp getting hot as they are designed to be fitted upright (as the heatsinks are on the top) if you are any good with a jigsaw then make your own box using the amp and sub you have bought. pay close attention to what the sub manufacture suggests is a correct size for the volume of the box

i assumed it was his 316i, the cabby is his mums

[Blitz]

I have a problem. Everything connected and the amp is on, but the sub is not working. RCA cables are connecting.

Is there something missing?

[Alex]

is the Blue Remote cable wired up???

[Blitz]

Yep.

[Alex]

Are the rca cables connected to the output rca cables from stereo, as a lot of new ones have input RCA's too

also make sure the sub is bridged on the amp if its not a mono amp

Is the gain turned up and have a flick about with the switches

[Blitz]

Thanks will have to try this out tomorrow as its dark.

[mrLEE30]

Ah ha didnt realise it was for a tin top!!! can a 316 pull such a big amp along

anyway to problem at hand, worry about leads and setting later!

you should have three terminals on the amp, a "+" a "-" which are your power leads then the remote which goes to the head unit blue. usinf a piece of wire bridge the "+" to the remote and the amp should turn on. if this does not happen then check the amp internal fuses and ensure your + and - are connected and there is at least 12V at the + this can be done with a voltmeter set to DC or by using a 12V bulb.

If you have power at the leads and bridging the positive ot the remote does not turn the amp on then you have discovered the real reason for its sale.

assuming the amp does turn on then as alex suggests check leads and settings

[Blitz]

Yay I got it working. Cant remember how. Oh my god thats some serious base being kicked out. Now its time to put all the trims back and tune it.

I'm so happy, thanks for everyones help.

[Blitz]

When I switch to the cabby I'll properly put components at the front and nice normal ones in the rear. I'll also put the sub and amp and another amp to power the speakers.

Can the normal 325i battery handle two amps?

[mrLEE30]

Can the normal 325i battery handle two amps?

two off the shelf reaonable sized amps yes, by that i mean up to a claimed 1000W (normally really about 4-500W)