Sub help??

1 10 should do the trick man. jw where r u putting it to keep both back seats usable? might have to copy u haha

 

You are able to mix brands without problems.

Which is more important... A good sub, with a decent amp, rather than a nice sub and crappy amp, or crappy sub and a nice amp.

Dont get flea market brands of anything, but beyond that, make sure the required air space for the sub is applicable for your install, and make sure the amp will produce enough clean power.

 

I'm thinking about taking out the center console in the back and putting a box in its place. I found this thread, so I was probably just going to copy this:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/audio-video/181003-05-11-access-cab-10-custom-sub-enclosure.html

EDIT: Just saw you have an '08. I think the access cab rear seats were different in the 08? So I'm not sure if that would work for you or not

Thanks, I'm not sure which brands are "flea market brands" so what are a few I should stay away from? From my research so far, it seems like Alpine, Audiobahn, Pioneer, Kicker, etc are all pretty good, reliable brands?

 

The quick and dirty method - if the amp, anywhere on it, lists "Max Power", it is probably not a great amp. I am aware that some older Kenwood stuff did this, and I am sure there are exceptions...

Decent brands: Alpine, JL, Kenwood, Pioneer, Rockford, boston, cadence, clarion, cerwin vega, arc, diamond, infinity, JBL, Kicker, Memphis, phoenix gold, polk, and a bunch more.

Stay away from Audiobahn, pyle, american legacy, lanzar (unless it is an older one, they were decent) boss, visonik, Kole, etc.

Feel free to ask in here. There is almost always a "better choice", but sometimes, its really worth just staying away. Just look for a brand you are familiar with, and you should be OK.

 

That helps a ton! Thanks a lot for listing those. I just found a sony "xplod" sub and amp on CL, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that's crap.......

 

Any reason to stay away from this, assuming I go check it out and have him demo it for me before buying? Seems like a really cheap price....

http://daytona.craigslist.org/ele/2637792609.html

 

Looks like one of the older LF series subs. Good subs, but I dont know how much airspace they need. See if he can tell you what the model number is to do some checking.

 

He says it's a boston acoustics 10.5lf, and it's in a 12.5"x12.5"x11.5" box. I believe that would equal about 1.04 cubic feet. According to the link below, which looks like boston acoustic's manual, it looks like the recommend enclosure volume is 0.5 cubic feet. So unless I'm looking at something wrong, the box is about double the recommended volume. Is that a big deal? He says he will hook it up in his car and let me hear it before buying.

http://ap.bostonacoustics.com/assets/bostonmobile/manuals/CarSubMan.pdf

edit: okay now he just said he thinks it's a G1, not a lf series but it looks like the recommended volume is the same.

 

A pretty big quality difference in the G1 vs the LF. The LF was their "top line" sub at the time, G1 is a pretty basic, though not crappy, sub.

I can get a bit technical here with the explanation, so ill try to keep it clear...

Too small of a box *can* cause the sub to roll off to early, not giving enough bass response. To big *can* sound boomy or way too loud for your taste.

I would guess that the box is probably a good fit, based on the link you posted.

Yes, I think it will work, if you go that route. Maybe not the best option, but cheap enough!

I would venture it is a better sub than a Kicker Comp, but have not researched them enough to know much beyond that.

 

Well that's good to hear. Assuming he's telling the truth, he said he looked more into it and it is the LF.

I'm hoping the box would be the right size, because it would make it a lot easier and should be a pretty good fit for where I want to put it. Plus, I would be willing to buy a different box if it doesn't sound good, since I'd only be spending $25 on the setup. I know it's not the best option, but I'm willing to sacrifice that for the price, especially since it should be a decent sub. For $25, if I turn out not being happy with it or something, I can upgrade pretty easily without much loss. I figure it's worth a try. Now I've just gotta find an amp and hope he doesn't sell it before I can get there to take a look at it/buy it!

Also, thanks a whole lot for your help Matt, I would have no idea what I was doing otherwise haha

 

If it is an LF, I would pick it up, and then get something like this:
http://6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PIOGMD7500M

 

If Im not wrong when the sub has a 2ohm impedance the amp load will be 4ohm and when the sub has a 4ohm impedance the amp will feed the sub with 2ohm load. Just trying to help. Don't forget to choose right the impedance or you wont get the full potential out of your sub. Alpine type r are great subs but power hungry. What about the new rockford p3 10 ?

 

It sounds like it is, so I'm planning on going to look at it as soon as I can, and if it works and sounds good and everything I will buy it.

Thanks, that amp seems a little better on the wallet than some of the new ones I was looking at. Is 800w about the range I should be looking for a 10" sub? And is it possible to overpower the sub (too much wattage on the amp)?

 

Okay thanks, how can I tell whether a sub is 2ohm or 4ohm? I researched The boston acoustics used sub I'm looking at, and it looks like they come in either 2 or 4 ohm? Is there a way to tell which it is if the seller doesn't know?

And thanks, I'll look into that one. I think I'm going with the boston acoustics 10.5LF I found on CL, mostly because of the price, but if that falls through I'll definitely consider that

 

You are off a bit. If the sub is a 2 ohm sub, or if it is a DVC 4 ohm and wired to 2 ohm, the amp sees that impedance, and produces XXX amount of power.

If the sub is 4 ohm, or DVC 2 ohm wired to 4 ohm, the amp will see that impedance, and produce XXX amount of power.

You dont choose the right impedance on the amp, you choose an amp to fit your needs (or a sub that fits your amp).

The amp I linked is rated at 200w @ 4 ohm, 400w@ 2 ohms. My guess is those numbers will be good for the sub, though I cannot find the power handling of the sub in a cursory search.

Yes, you can overpower a sub, generally exceeding the thermal power handling. should not be a worry if you get an appropriate amp, and if you decide you need more bump you get a more appropriate sub. This is an SQ sub, not a "get LOUD" sub.

 

Not sure if this is the same as the power handling, but the site I linked above for boston acoustics says the recommended amp power for that sub is 50-1100 watts.

 

The 50 - 1100w tells me they recommend at least 50, and the max is probably 1100. I want to say those subs were rated around 250 or 300w RMS, but I may be off.

 

Well I think I finally convinced him to hold the sub until thursday, since I can't pick it up before then due to school. So hopefully I'll have the sub taken care of Thursday, then just need to get an amp. I'm thinking I'm probably going with the pioneer amp you posted Matt, as long as it still looks to be the right specs once I get the sub

 

Just got back from picking up the boston acoustics sub off craigslist, looks to be in great shape to me (no tears, etc in the sub itself and clean looking). The guy had it hooked up for me in his car when I got there and it sounds great! Seems to be exactly what I was looking for. Now I just have to find an amp so I can get this thing hooked up!

 

Do you have a Digital Multi Meter? That is the easiest way to check to see the impedance.

If not, you will probably want to pull it from the box to check.

Otherwise, congrats!