Sub and Amp recommendation for AC

I've never had a good experience at carrots. Sadly there is only best buy as an option. The slash amp is looking better and better right now. Just have to decide on a sub.

 

I decided to do a bit of poking around, and I'm going to continue post whoring

from an ex-engineer at Linear Power:

Another cool quote from that guy:

Found that info while looking through here. fairly old thread, things change over time, but if people say it was once good and still claim it so, it's a good indicator. I'm really sorry that JL Slash was discontinued, as that thread mentioned older models being great - and that's from a thread where big names are being bandied about!

found a neat review. Note i'm not pushing any brands, just something fun to look at

 

lol autocorrect?

Yup, a good shop is hard to find. If you don't like Car Toys, don't ever go to Stereo King in Hillsboro. Those guys are holier-than-thou.

You might try here or here. Their google reviews were really good, which sometimes helps, but I also look at product lines. These guys are able to carry some spendier products, meaning they can cater to quality work. You might get priced out of doing business with them, but if they are good people, they may have a solution still.

this guy has more mainstream gear, and might be more economical. I talked to him over the phone once, and he was very helpful and nice. He even helped me find a product solution at a competitor's store.

 

Thanks for the post whoring. The slash is discontinued, but crutchfield still has some in stock. I've decided on the HU based on reviews and what options I wanted. So next is the amp, then the sub.

 

For your budget, and what you say you are looking for, I would not spend a lot on a sub. Unless it increases your noise floor, I don't think you will see a big (any) difference between two amps with similar power ratings. Save yourself some money and get the Alpine MRX-M50. Sonic is selling it for $170 and it puts out 500w RMSx1 @ 4ohms. More power for less money just because it doesn't say JL on it (not that anything is wrong with JL.)

For the sub, the JBL GTO series 12" DVC 4ohm can be had for $99, which is a great buy. The Polk MM1240 is only $120, which is another great option.

All of this equipment is capable of sounding TRULY GREAT, but make sure that you have a box with internal dimensions that are compatible with the sub you purchase. If you already have a box picked out, look for a sub that is optimized for a box that size. It will make a bigger difference than the brand of sub you choose.

 

oop, sorry for misunderstanding. I was having a issue with my setup a few months back, thought it was my HU, so I went looking and I think that HU you picked was the same one I was thinking about getting. Unfortunately for me, it was only wires


XJBaylor, Mitch has an offer on the table for a used Alpine Type S 10" at $60, which I'm thinking is his best option. What say you?

 

I totally forgot about those. Gonna have to go pm him

 

4g or 8g wiring? I've got a 16' length of 8g power wire with online fuse from my previous system.

And I've got a set of 16' Rockford fosgate RCAs.

Do you guys run power and RCAs on the same side of the truck or do have to be on different sides?

 

Go with 4ga. wiring. Around 500w RMS, with a cable length of over 7-8 feet this will be your best option. If you think you will expand your system in the future to include another amp, you might consider going even bigger.

Run the power and signal wires in whatever way is most convenient for you. A solid ground is more important that isolating the signal/power wires.

 

The type S can be purchased new around $75, but as far as I know there is nothing wrong with it. As I said earlier, IMO (which is worth very little) getting a sub matched to your box volume and power is more important that getting the right brand. Almost everything out there will sound good when matched with the right equipment and used with compatible goals in mind. A $500 high X-max sub is nice, but will likely sound like crap compared to a JBL GTO when under-powered and placed in a small sealed box.

 

Thanks. Looks like I'll be ordering a new kit for the amp

 

DB-R is a solid shop. Apparently the guys are a bit gruff/rough around the edges, but do solid work.

With that said, OP does not need a 1000w amp, so its still a moot point.

Deals can be had a Car Toys, but generally, any retail place that wont hook you up is going to be expensive...

The installer seems like he was saying that he would sell the OP a 4 ohm sub, and a 2 channel amp would be the best option for this - bridged two channels to 1, @ 4 ohm. At least that is how I read it

A couple things - 1, class of the amp does not determine its primary function. 10 years ago the only Class D amps were for subs, but this was due to the problems with the switching power supply. Now days, there are very solid full range Class D, GH, and other digital amps.

Class AB are solid choices, the downside being the lack of efficiency, not the design purpose.

Crutchfield, along with other B&M stores, have higher prices due to following MAP, and full warranty and support. Neither are a bad thing, just depends on the individuals goals and experience. You are correct, doing it yourself will save some $$

I have not looked into the Type S in a while, but they were junk for the previous generations. Efficient, but generally at the cost of small box or frequency response. Great for peaky (45-55hz) ported boxes, or large sealed applications.

Far better to spend the extra $$ on something like the JBL, or some other sub. I am a bit partial to the JBL for the known quality and small box, but there are other options as well.

I dont know that the 12" will fit for the desired location, but there are other options as well in the 10" range.

A good budget option - A Phoenix Gold RSD or RSDC 10. They do wonderfully on relatively low power, in a ported box...

 

x2. I have my power, front driver's side speaker, and RCA running all down the driver side door foot well channel. No probs.

One piece of advice to make life easier, get some RCAs similar to the picture below. This is easier to feed and withstands more abuse. I bought my RCAs from Car Toys because they could get me the wire in my hands in less than an hour, no other real reason. If you want to copy me, I got about 18' or so of the JL wire, it's a silver/black sort of braid. No, I don't give a squat that's it's JL. It's just what they carried and looked easy to install.



Also, don't be conned into buying really expensive wiring. As long as it is a proper gauge and meant for cars, it will do the job.
-for sub wire, you can do a fairly hefty gauge since routing isn't hard. If you were doing speakers, I would recommend 16g or 14g wire. It makes it more of a pain to route the thicker wire, but it isn't weak and you can crimp spade connectors on a lot easier.
- My favorite wire is the cheap stuff you can get from Best Buy near the TV section. It comes in a spool, the insulation is clear/see-through. The negative wire is silver colored, the positive is copper colored. This makes it super simple to make sure you don't get polarity reversed. I believe I get the 14g.

 

If you dont have a brand in mind, it is hard to out do Knu Konceptz. About 30 bucks on Amazon will get you a good CCA 4 ga set (oversized wire), or spend a bit more for the OFC copper 4ga (my preference if you have an extra 20 bucks).

 

The installer (in the OP's quote) mentioned 2ohms and spec'ed the DVC sub, so I was just making sure the OP was on the same page.

As for your comment about KnuKonceptz, I agree. I bought the CCA stuff before I knew any better, but it is very flexible and a true (or oversized) 4ga cable.

 

My 8g is from a KnuKonceptz kit from a few years ago.

 

Awesome. Thanks again. My RF RCAs look like that.

I think I am going to order my HU and amp tonight from Crutchfield. Then ill keep looking for a sub.

 

Anyone know anything about this amp

https://www.cartoys.com/products/pr...e/Alpine_V_Power_MRP_M500_Subwoofer_Amplifier


I've changed my mind on the HU. The KDC-x895 doesn't have preset buttons. So I'm going to go look at the KDC-x695 instead. It has presets. 6 pre outs at 4v each. Looks good. And its under 200

 

That is a solid amp that has been around in some iteration for a while. Should do you well.

 

rub a dub subbed