Car Audio

[Mithosphere]

Well it's been another extended time away from this site, in fact from most computers. Mostly been focusing my time on music (bought a sousaphone). Anyway, got a new used car (honda element) and I am 95% close to upgrading the factory audio system. Since the speakers and radio are perfectly fine, I was looking at improving the bass.
Just asking around about things, went over to the buy of best, figured with their setup of assorted subs and amps i could understand what +1000watts felt like. Last system i had in my car was a 300 watt one, it was all well and good, but i still was limited by a small set of subs.
So i started browsing the net for different setups that honda owners have. There wasnt much out there.

I have come to this place in hopes of having a couple of questions answered.
1. Will my electrical system need to be upgraded in order to cope with a 12" sub and amp both rated at 1600 W RMS?
B. Anyone have any experience with Hifonics equipment?
Three. Is it better to have a single 15" or single 12" (if both are rated at the same watt RMS) if I will be listening rock/metal and rap?
Lastly. Ported or sealed box for loudest bass? And if ported round ports or rectangular?

Any help would as always be appreciated.

[BrokenHalo83]

if you listen to metal at all, stay away from 15" subs. the response is too slow. 12's will respond much better. Ported boxes hit lows better, at least they always have in my opinion. I run 2 10" Kicker comp subs and I have hit 135db. a good set of 12's will easily hit/beat that. Only wiring upgrading you should do is HERE. Either than that, maybe run a capacitor (2 farad)

Oh, and dont cheap out on the wires for your amp. it'll bite you in the ass. you're gonna wanna run no less than 0 gauge wire

[polobunny]

I don't know a lot about car audio but I can only confirm what BrokenHalo83 is saying about the big subs. One of my friend bought some insane kit, ran him near $3000 if I recall correctly. He got it all installed and configured in his 300ZX, turned out that when you're listening to metal in it quick double bass drum is just like a loud hum or almost. Doesn't matter much to him because he usually listens to hip-hop but it's annoying whenever he gets a power metal mood.

[Zambini]

or you could do what my friend did and put his 300W 5.1 speaker setup wired around the ceiling of his car with a power inverter for its power :P

lol.

[screwballl]

the type of sub should be determined by the type of music you listen to most. 12" subs seem to handle most types of music well but also give the deep bass. A 15" is severe overkill and is for those ricers that have more money in their stereo than their $3000 honda...
10-12" is best of both worlds, good rich bass and good response to metal and fast beat music.

[drew and not u]

Originally Posted by screwballl

the type of sub should be determined by the type of music you listen to most. 12" subs seem to handle most types of music well but also give the deep bass. A 15" is severe overkill and is for those ricers that have more money in their stereo than their $3000 honda...
10-12" is best of both worlds, good rich bass and good response to metal and fast beat music.

Yeah, that's not an accurate description at all. There are many factors in choosing a subwoofer, and very few of them come down to type of music. The choice mainly hinges on the rest of the system, type, number, and placement of speakers, amplifier power, and the acoustic environment of the vehicle. The goal is a balanced system where the components compliment one another. Plus, size isn't everything. In general a larger sub will provide deeper, boomier bass, than a smaller one. But the sound also heavily depends on the type of sub, the enclosure, and the amp.

[screwballl]

Type of music should be the number 1 item on the list when looking into speakers. If you say that person is a heavy metal freak and then suggest some 600W system with multiple 15" subs then you are crazy... without the signal isolators, electrolytic capacitors (to filter out the bass to the mids/tweeters), you will end up with a buzz rather than bass... a larger sub gives deeper and louder bass but also cannot handle faster beats without paying $500 per speaker.

In THIS case, he is looking for ONE sub to compliment the rest of his system, not a completely new $5000 stereo system.

A 10" or 12" sub should handle the metal and rap easily with deep bass, fast response time and a single ~300W amp should give enough punch to not overpower the rest of the system. Going much higher on the amp without also boosting the rest of the system will be all bass and nothing else. Also a 1 Farad capacitor should be plenty as they are rated to 1000W (1 Farad per 1000W, so 1500W = 1.5 Farad minimum).

[drew and not u]

I like how you basically said nothing in two paragraphs.

Mithosphere: Are you planning on upgrading the rest of your audio system? 1600w RMS on a single sub is pretty outrageous to be matched with a stock audio system. You'll basically have nothing but extrememly boomy bass, which would sound like ass and drown out the mids and highs. If you were planning on keeping everything else stock (or even upgrading a bit in the future), I would simply recommend getting a nice (some are crap) self-powered sub, like an Infiniti Basslink, or Alpine PLT-5.

Even either of those will be overkill with a stock system. I've had an Infiniti Basslink, and it was an excellent match for an aftermarket head-unit and aftermarket speakers. Both of those units will provide plenty of tight, accurate car shaking bass, in a compact and affordable package that won't overwhelm your budget or the rest of your audio system, or your electrical system for that matter. I know the big component subs are appealing, but for the money you'll spend on them and the results they'll return, it makes no sense unless you're planning on dumping serious money into the rest of the system.

[screwballl]

I like how you repeated what I said with a few different words.

[drew and not u]

Originally Posted by screwballl

I like how you repeated what I said with a few different words.

I'm not really sure if that's true or not, because nothing you said made any sense. Coherence is the key. Plus, I didn't notice any recommendations. <- makes it all ok.