BolomanA4

So I am going to put this Q&A together because I get asked questions frequently and I want to put it somewhere so that people that ask me about it I can refer them to this!
Hopefully this will help any new people to audio.

THIS IS ONLY FOR SIMPLE SETUPS - NOT ADVANCED SHOW QUALITY.

So, there are a few things that you should know about audio and Subwoofer Quality.

Let me start with the basics - NO ONE ONLY LIKES LOUD BASS. That's the hard truth. While it does amaze people, no one wants to hear lows without the highs, you should always take the time to upgrade the component (Door & Deck) Speakers. While this is not really important for you in this post it's something to be aware of.

When you get your first set of subs make it a pair that is 12" or under. Your first set should be smaller because anything over 12" is usually meant for competition and can be more than is needed on the streets. Now, buying subs isn't just picking what looks cool or what other people say is good, buying subs is all about knowing what you want your car to sound like when crank up the volume to your favorite song, some things to look for;

1. If you want smooth hard hitting bass, look for a sub that has dual voice coils. Essentially a voice coil is a wire wrapped around the center magnet of the subwoofer that accepts the current from the amplifier in which moves the magnet up and down to push and pull the air around it to create the sound. Dual voice coil has two wires wrapped around the magnet. On a SVC (Single Voice Coil) You have 1 Positive and 1 Negative terminal to wire to the amplifier, so if you have a 4ohm SVC you can only use 4ohm to where as if you have a DVC(Dual Voice Coil) you can wire it for 2ohm, 4ohm, or 8ohm because it has 2 Positive and 2 Negative terminals, this will help you in matching the Ohm output or the amp, we will go over that next. DVC offers a much cleaner and smoother bass quality than SVC, but some people say they notice nothing. Another thing to take into consideration is how much power you will be putting to the sub, for a first time set up I would look for something around 500RMS Peak power, nothing to loud but loud enough that it will impress most people.

2. When selecting an amp you always want to go off of how much RMS Power it can output. RMS is true power, Amps can say 1000w but that is just a number to audiophiles, RMS is what really gives the bang. So if you have Subwoofers that can handle 500RMS you will want a AMP that provides 500RMS or lower. Also, when buying an amp I recommend that you find something with a built in Crossover. A Crossover is what separates low and high frequencies on a channel. This will help clean up the distortion on sub and make the bass smoother and crisp.

3. Buy a CapCel. A CapCell is a capacitor which helps provide power to Amplifier without drawing too much off the battery, this will provide noticeable difference on short hard hitting notes and help the amp sustain power during long bass notes. The general rule for CapCells is to make the Farad (Wattage) Count about double what you are actually using. So, for a 1000Watt amp you will want a CapCell rated at 2 Farads, this way you never fully drain the CapCell. I would also look for a CapCell with a built in Volt meter so you can watch the power level the car is supplying to the CapCell. When using it you never want the level to drop below 12Volts but you really want sustained voltage to be around 14Volts, even when the bass is hitting the subs.

4. Upgrade the Battery. My general rule for myself is to get a battery with 1000CCA (Cold Crank Amps) because that means the battery can take heavy draw at an instant if the situation is needed. Also, a big battery like that will provide better Stability in Volt Levels. I usually recommend Optima GelCell Batteries as they are more efficient and much stronger.

5. UPGRADE YOUR ALTERNATOR. Most kids never upgrade the alternator in their car. Most standard cars have alternators rated for 90amp output, while this isn't too terrible its not enough to power the car and subs all at the same time and you can actually overdraw on the amp and make it run at capacity for a long period of time which can kill the alternator and leave you stuck somewhere. If you are running anything 1000watts and above I strongly recommend looking for a alternator with 160amp output or higher so this way it will provide the power needed at any given time.

6. Buying a Sub Box. You would think that sub boxes are just some plywood with carpet on them, but its more in depth than that! There are two kinds of boxes for subs. The first kind is a Sealed Sub Box, this is a box that has no ports for extra air movement, they give more hard hitting bass but usually fall short at sustained bass and low notes. I would recommend buying a sealed box if you will be listening to rock songs and country songs as they don't have much sustained bass notes. The second type is a Ported Sub Box, these boxes have ports or a port in the middle so that air can be pushed out of the box allowing the subs to hit lower notes and maintain sustained notes much easier by allowing the air to move freely inside the box. Ported boxes generally fall short on short hard hitting notes because the air is pushed away rather than being forced to compress in the box like a sealed box does. I usually recommend ported boxes for Rap/pop and dubstep as those genres have low sustained bass notes.

7. Buying amp wire isn't as easy as it would seem either. the gauge of the wire is very important when installing subs. I usually recommend on a 1000w set up to use 4gauge Wire because it allows for steady power without the wire getting too hot. When doing your negative wire most people will tell you just to bolt it to the car, while that isn't bad and can definitely be done, if you want good sustained power I would recommend going to a local audio shop and buying a full length negative wire and tie it back into the battery. This will allow the excess power to revert back to the battery to help keep it charged and reduce strain on the alternator, believe me you will notice a difference.

8. RCA Cables are important since they send the signal from the radio to the amp which then powers the subs. These can make a huge difference in the how clean the bass sounds. They make RCA Cables with little teeth in the Male portion but those can literally be almost impossible to remove so I would avoid them if possible. I would look for gold plated RCA cables as they offer the best signal possible to the amp.

9. Make sure you buy remote wire, that is the wire that will tell the amp to turn on and off when you are in and out of the car. Any remote wire will do since it's just a small power wire that turns the amp on and off.

10. When you get the deck for your car I generally recommend that you get Sony, but it's really based off of preference. I like Sony because they offer great equalizer control and they offer high amp output for the component speakers in the car to help you hear the highs and mids with the bass of the subs. But, like I said you'll have to find a radio that fits what you like.


As far as your first set up these simple steps should be enough to give a loud system without demolishing your car and having to do much mounting for additional parts. If you want to do a professional competition setup I would recommend going online and doing research into component speakers, crossovers, and Car Radios, these all make a difference in how the system will sound when it's all said and done.

I hope this helps some people out with setting up audio systems and if you have any questions feel free to ask at anytime at all!

94 accord typeR

i jus want to add that a single 8-10" subwoofer can add lots of sound quality. simply amazing!

also u didnt mention the big three upgrade

BolomanA4

Like I said, it's just a basic quick tips guide. If people would like me to do a full quick tips guide on professional quality systems I will be more than happy to put that together for everyone.

edzy

"smooth" "hard hitting" bass is enclosure dependent, not voice coil dependent. Dual voice coils just give you more wiring options.

There is a TON of misinformation in your post.

burnoutboy

iTrader: (22)

Bandpass boxes doe...

speedfreek09

I agree with the above stated quote. That being said, the only reason for different vc configs is to match up to the correct output of the amp. For example 2 single 4ohm subs will create a 2ohm load on a monoblock amp when wired in parallel. But the same subs wired in series will create a 8 ohm load. So if you wire the subs in parallel, and you have a 1ohm mono amp you will only be getting half power. Thus the reason for dvc 4ohm subs.

Also wire type matters I would take an 8ga copper over a 4ga cca anyday of the week.

There is a lot of info that needs to be changed but I figure my post is getting to long. I am not trying to bash just trying to stop the mis-info.

sixstroke

Something tells me that OP works for Best Buy's Audio division...




Pst, you're doing it wrong.

VegaS10

I stopped reading right there.

Edit: read the whole thing, solid entertainment value, laughed out loud.

5 star thread, will read again.

baller status

I have to agree that a lot of this information is wrong and misleading.
It's like the OP read the summary at the end of each chapter in Subwoofer Installs For Idiots and quickly jotted out this post.

BolomanA4

There really isn't too much info that is incorrect, regardless of what you may or may not think that's just what I have found really helps me in my set ups. Ive noticed that SVC doesn't provide the smoother hard hitting bass that a DVC does. Yes, it is because of the wiring options, with being able to wire specifically to the ohm the amp is outputting you get better sound, hence why I said that. Before judging or bashing or what have you take a better look at what is being said. It seems like most people are here to generally troll or have people bump old threads because they are too lazy to just help someone. Most of the info there is just basics and simplified in a way to understand most of it on a beginner level.

95accordCE6

It's a pretty decent guide although the setup advice is a little overkill. I've seen alpine 10" and 12" subs with only a 250w rms and a peak around 500w in a properly sized ported box be just as loud or louder than a set with a 500w rms and 1000w peak. It's not so much the power it can handle but rather matching up just the right amp to the subs. Also I agree about the tight and crisp notes the sealed boxes make, again agree about the ported boxes minus the part about falling short on deep notes, and as a previous poster mention bandpass is an option for obnoxious and more "blurry" bass. I think the battery is overkill though as I have had a lot of luck on stock alternators and batteries (500cca to 700cca) with a 1.5 farad cap, but then again I don't run 10,000w set ups like the cool kids. I won't argue over what brand to go with, I've had both good and bad experiences with almost every brand. For someone budget minded I would recommend pioneer as a reliable entry level setup. Not trying to bash, just contributing.

edzy

No, your info and stupid and makes zero sense.

/end thread.