Advice on buying a sub and amp

[Rkive]

I am looking at upgrading my sound system, I currently have a JVC head unit and 2x 6x9 in the back and front. I am looking at getting a sub and amp but i dont really have a clue what I am buying.

Can someone advise me on a decent sub and amp for around £100, if need be I can go to £150 but don't really want to.

Thanks.

[BreadBin]

Not being funny mate but you will struggle to get anything vaguely decent for that sort of money IMO

[E30BeemerLad]

with an E30 saloon, I would have thought you'd be better with a "free air" type sub which points through the ski hatch hole in the rear wall.

You can get mono amps which will just run a sub, or you could get a 4 channel amp and maybe run the 6x9's out of 2 channels and then bridge the other 2 into 1 to run the sub.

I've never really been into ICE at all but personally if i was looking for some gear like you are, i would probably take a chance on some second hand stuff off ebay and get good quality stuff, rather than some unknown brand which supposedly makes a million watts.

For example, an old rockford fossgate amp rated at 35w per channel will still kick the arse of some Halfords/ Motorsave £99 amp claiming to be 500W. It's all about the quality of the signal, so good headunit, good cables and power supply, good amp and good speakers.

See if you can find some old Rockford Fossgate amps or Genesis stuff on ebay.

[bazcoupe]

for that cash i would look at getting a powered sub (built in amp) my brother had one of the 12" fli ones and that sounded pretty good. have a look on ebay there are loads for sale

[BadDave]

How about a JBL sub
Seen them going pretty cheap on ebay just now(new ones)
and a decent 2nd user amp
Should be able to get both for under your £150 budget

[BadDave]

As E30beemerlad says
If you can find an "old skool" Rockford amp on ebay that'll probably be more than adequate for your immediate needs

I agree with the "kicking halfrauds butt" statement with regard to the old Rockfords
I've got an old RF Punch 150HD(proper old skool" here thats "supposed" to kick out 2 x 75watts per channel

Birth certificate says otherwise

2 x 223.3 watts per channel

Cost me £350 back in the day(15ish years ago) but still better than a current £200 halfrauds dud

[Ziggy]

If you weren't so damn far away, I've got an infinity 12" in a ported box that you might have been interested in! Second hand is definitely the way forward for you...

[Rkive]

Thanks everyone for your input,

youve given me a lot of info that is going to help me on my way to the perfect system for my car.

Cheers

[aceraf]

If you're working on a budget then have a look at Vibe. They do subs with built in amps. I've tried the 10 and 12's in these, and they do produce very good sound.

Don't expect mind blowing bass though...the e30 will deaden most of the sound unless you open up the ski hatch, and have a rear armrest. If you do, then point the sub or the port through the ski hatch.

Oh, and a little tip, Most of the bass rattle that you get on e30's is caused by the black plastic number plate surround on the boot. Remove this, and either dynamat that, or the boot beneath it and it will get rid of alot of the rattle.

Personally i'd think you need a 15 in a coupe do get decent sound, but that may just be because i've had 15's for so long.

[Rkive]

If you're working on a budget then have a look at Vibe. They do subs with built in amps. I've tried the 10 and 12's in these, and they do produce very good sound.

Don't expect mind blowing bass though...the e30 will deaden most of the sound unless you open up the ski hatch, and have a rear armrest. If you do, then point the sub or the port through the ski hatch.

Oh, and a little tip, Most of the bass rattle that you get on e30's is caused by the black plastic number plate surround on the boot. Remove this, and either dynamat that, or the boot beneath it and it will get rid of alot of the rattle.

Personally i'd think you need a 15 in a coupe do get decent sound, but that may just be because i've had 15's for so long.

Im not familiar with the ski hatch, what is it?, sorry


Is this the sort of amp I should be looking for?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROCKFORD-FOSGATE- ... dZViewItem

[Steviec]

Ive got a FLi Active 12 which is a 12" sub and box with a built in amp made by Vibe. I think I paid £100 for this and im pretty impressed by it.

Heres a link for FLi stuff on ebay (if it works): http://motors.search.ebay.co.uk/fli_In- ... QQsaprcloZ

Failing that, Maystar QX stuff is actually very good. I was running a pair of 15" subs off a Maystar anp and I was competing in sound offs with no worse than a 3rd place.

Its normally independent ICE shops you can get Maystar stuff from but it is worth it.

Dont forget, you will need a wiring kit. If you are thinking of upgrading subs/amps at a later date, buy a better amp kit than you need or you will just have to rebuy and refit all the cables at a later date.

[Rkive]

Im not familiar with the ski hatch, what is it?, sorry

[aceraf]

Im not familiar with the ski hatch, what is it?, sorry

when you remove the rear seats there's a rectangle shape panel that can be cut out....was originally designed so you could get ski's in, but most people use it to allow bass into the cabin.

[Rkive]

O rite cool, is it easy to cut out? hows it done?

[aceraf]

O rite cool, is it easy to cut out? hows it done?

You can hammer it out...it's already cut, and held in place with a few tiny bits of metal...i used a straight faced scredriver and hammer to chissel it out!

I may have pics someehere....give me a sec.

[Rkive]

Would it be better to sit a sub in the parcel shelf?

[E30BeemerLad]

the parcel shelf is too small for a decent sized sub and a pain in the arse to cut the metal out and will probably weaken the shelf. Not worth the fanny on IMO

[aceraf]

found it...

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... est+fitted

I doubt you have enough room on/below the parcel shelf for a decent sub!

[Rkive]

So what size sub do you reckon? 12 or 15?

And wattage?

and amplifier wise, 2 or 4 channel?
and wattage?

Just to help me narrow my searches that bit more,

cheers

[E30BeemerLad]

If you've got no amp already running the 6x9's then you are going to need one otherwise the sub will just drown everything out. So may aswell get a 4 channel. As for power, not really sure, but don't get carried away by 1000w wrongness

[BadDave]

The Rockford amp you asked about seems reasonable for the money
Just make sure the sub you buy doesn't need more than 250-300 watts RMS
The amp would do go with a 500watt rms dual voice coil (DVC)sub

[aceraf]

be careful with that link...you may be stung with import tax if buying from USA (that's if you're not just using that link as an idea of what to look for)

[bazcoupe]

i would get a decent four channel amp and amp the front components (if you have them yet) and amp the 6x9,s before you go any further.

you will be amazed at the difference amping your speakers will make and if you still need a little more oomph then get a sub and bridge two of your amp channels for that and run the 6x9,s of the head unit

[mattyb240]

www.caraudiosecurity.com

You can get a load of sub/amp and wiring packages pretty cheap, im looking into getting the £85 deal with a 10" JBL sub an box, cant remember the amp power but its over 300w and the wiring kit needed in it.

Hope this helps

[Rkive]

Right I have found 2 amps to choose from so if I can get some feeback on them and a hand in choosing the right one.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JBL-GTO-75-4-4-ch ... dZViewItem

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/produc ... /5415.html



This is the sub I am thinking of getting,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JBL-GTO1260BR-12- ... dZViewItem

I already have JVC speakers in the rear and pioneer in the front and a JVC head unit,
will all this equipment be suitable and work well with each other? and which amp is best?

cheers

[bazcoupe]

i would go for the four channel amp and run your front speakers of two of the channels and the sub of the other two

[Rkive]

Yeah which 4 channel amp? they both are 4ch

[BadDave]

I'd go for the JBL amp
It's actually more powerfull than the Crunch amp
And for the sake of £5 it would be worth it in the end
It should be ideally matched to the sub you listed as well
Good enough as a starter package

Power your front speakers with 2 of the channels and give them a signal from 100hz upwards
Bridge the other 2 channels to power the sub and give it a signal from 100hz downwads

HTH

Dave

[Rkive]

I have bought an amp,

here it is

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products ... eries_id=7

Can anyone reccomend a decent sub to go with it? Around £50