[Youngin]

Thinking about getting two 12's in my trunk..

im thinking either PUNCH or Xplode

any good?

and what about amp's? ive seen 350-500 but nothing higher ... i want some 1200 watt amps =] i want my songs just as loud as my exhausts will be

[TheUNZippee!]

Here's a bit about what I have in my car, Youngin. I've posted this elsewhere, so if the context seems off, that's why, but the info is all here. I just pasted it over here.




I paid 400 bucks a piece each for my Alpine Type X's. Then I paid 600 bucks for a mid level Clarion amp to power them. From here, it can get addictive. Now your subs are upgraded. You wanna make sure you don't tax your crappy Ford alternator, and that you get the juice to your amps quickly, so you throw a 10 farad capacitor at the system. 450 bucks. Now you also want to get the subs in the car, so you build your own custom enclosure (who knows how much, depends how nuts you go) so you don't eat up all your trunk space, unless you're like me & like a traditional ported sub box. about 200 bucks. So you get the proper size box, cut it in half because it won't fit through the trunk opening, and then join it back together while it's in the car, and wrestle 2 x 25 lb subs into it in the car.

What's that, don't know how to do all this yourself? Tack on another 2 or 3 hundred just to get your box in the car, the subs in the box, and the amps mounted & wired up. Don't forget a few more bucks for a good wiring kit & fuse holder. Don't want that brand new Mustang going up in smoke. lol
Now that your back end is complete, you will probably say, "Crap, I have all this bass, but now my front end sucks."
If your like me, you toss 2 x 8" shallow mount Pioneer subs in the factory door position, cause they fit right in there with minimal cutting. By the way, the back of the door panel has a nicely designed enclosure for the sub, it doesn't just open up into the empty door cavity. 300 bucks for those.

Now you want decent component speakers. This is the most important piece of a car audio system. Cheap out on your front stage, and you won't be happy if you are in to nice sounding audio. Fortunately I had an older set of Rockford Fosgate FNQ components, 2 x 6.5 midbass, 2 x tweets, & the adjsutable crossovers. These are older, so I couldn't find a link. 800 bucks.

Ah, now you're all set for - wait - forgot the amp to power the front stage and 8" subs. sigh. I went with this: A 640 watt 4/3/2 channel Clarion. 450 bucks. Oh, I forgot, you can't properly run all this crap without a good head unit that has multiple rca outputs, sub level control, & at least 4v output on the preouts, so you have a nice feed to power the amps. Amps put watts out, but they run off volts. Most people know this, I'm sure, but may not know that a good amp will run better with more feed. I chose this Clarion Head Unit, with multi color touch screen. 500 bucks.

Now you just have to throw all this in your car. If you can do it yourself, again, that's a big savings. If not, another chunk of cash to do this properly.
I know that you can get much cheaper systems than this, but you get what you pay for. You can also get far more expensive systems than this."

This post was actually in regards to the debate over a friend's question about whether or not to spring for the Shaker 1000 in a new Stang. I was telling him to go give the Shaker 1000 a listen, because you may find it sounds okay, and that after I had put my system in my car, I found that I wind up listening to the engine purr most of the time anyway. I wish I had sunk that money into performance upgrades now. ah well.

[wraitherx]

All good information!!!! Sounds like someone who would install for a living like me. Also +123456789 on ported (they sound so much better).

[TheUNZippee!]

Yep I agree wraither. Bandpass boxes are over rated, and sealed enclosures work well in principle, but require a serious driver with serious power to realize the benefit.

[Youngin]

well the guy said it would run me about 450-600 for a whatever setup and 600-800 for a nice one ..

he also recommended MTX or something but i wanna get Xplode or PUNCH or rockford .

then he said something about hi-low? or something like that . but what i dont understand is .. subs = 130-150 each / amp = 150-250 / hi-low = 40 so how would it be 800?

and i heard custom box's might not be good or something and "Basic Install would be 40bucks"

anyways yeah guys please help me out soon i plan to get this done quickly.

and also would my stock shaker500 and speakrs be able to handle this watt?

i wanna go for Quality rather then just loud and bad sound

[TheUNZippee!]

First of all, if you are talking about getting two 12"s & an amp for 800 dollars, that's not a bad price. Remember that in car audio you can go out and buy 12" subs for 100 bucks. And an amp for 100 bucks. Or, you can go buy as" subs for over 1000 bucks a piece, and an amp for 3 grand.
It all comes down to how good you want it to sound. You said yourself that you want quality over quantity.
The first thing you need is to make sure you find a shop that is honest with you. Then, make sure you go with a name brand product. Then, remember that even name brand products make entry level stuff that you may not be happy with. For example, in my car I have the Alpine type-X, which is their high end stuff the average consumer buys. (they have one level higher, the Alpine F-1 series, but I don't have 5 grand for one set of component speakers lol), but you can also get the Alpine Type-S sub, which is crap. So you could go with the Alpine Type-R, their mid level sub, which is a nice, strong, dual voice coil sub. Apply that same principle to whatever brand you choose.
Also see if you can listen to it before it goes in the car. My shop will let me hear stuff on their board before I just buy it if I like.
The amp is similar in that you want a good name brand, but not their entry level stuff. Try to stick with their mid level product, if you can afford to do so.
But if you have to start with entry level stuff, hey, you go with what you can afford, that's how I started.
The line about custom boxes is sort of bs. Technically, ALL boxes are custom made. My guy gets his boxes made by a guy with a million dollar C&C machine. Even if it's a basic square box, it's custom made. The box is only bad if it's not made to the proper volume for the sub you buy or if the construction itself is bad.
Keep in mind that getting a twin-12 sub box in the trunk of a Mustang will be difficult. I went with 10's for this reason, and instead of a mid level 12 I went with a stronger high end 10. And we STILL had to cut the box in half and then put it together in the car. Remember this, if you go with 12's, and he sells you a box, and it slides easily in the car, make sure you have told him you may not want it until you hear it in the car.
You ask if your stock Shaker500 speakers will be able to handle this wattage. You mean you are going to hook them up to the new amp? If that's the case, then the answer is no.
Keep in mind, your factory head unit will also not properly run an amp, unless the new amp will accept high level in, you then need to get an amp that will do this, or change your head unit.
High level in means using the speaker leads to power the amplifier instead of an RCA jack. And your factory stereo does not have RCA jacks, so to use it you would have to power the new amp with the regular speaker leads. The speaker leads have a higher voltage output, which is not a bad thing, since amps like more volts to run on, but only a better amp will accept more volts, or 'high level input'.
Sorry to make this a little on the long side youngin, but it's the only way I know how to properly explain something. lol :p

[Youngin]

yeah man thanks for the help . but the shop that i went to was circuit city lol

[wraitherx]

Everything that UNZIPPEE said is true. Just keep in mind that when you go to BEST BUY or CIRCUIT or any place really, that there set up is not gonna sound like that in your car. For one alot of places dont have enclosed rooms to demo there products and that takes from the real performance of the components that you are looking for. When you actually put them in your car what will happen is that when you listened to it on the walls at the store it will sound different in your vehicle cause the acoustics of your car are unique in comparison. And IMHO if you are gonna try and get a system, scrap the Shaker and start off with a good deck that has at least 3 RCA preouts (one for Fronts, one for Highs, and one for Subs) that way you have a good platform to start off of. The advantage of having a good H/u is that you can properly adjust everything in vehicle, like your subs. If you run it off the factory radio then what will happen is that all they are going to do is tap a Line out converter into your speakers to get a RCA signal for your amp and then you wont be able to indepently control your subs. you would only be able to control them with your bass from your factory H/U.

[wraitherx]

Also, there is nothing wrong with Big companies like circuit and best buy, like people say. Yeah its good to get a custom box but what you want to do is try and see the workmanship of some of the people that work there and see which one knows what they are talking about. Ask them questions and then come back here and let us know what they said and then we will tell you if they are B/Sin you or not. If you were here in va i would tell you to come to my job and I would hook you up. But I can help you from here since I cant.

[AVICJR]

Check or ask what the optimal cu. ft.^3(aka cubic feet) of the enclosure for the subs you buy. If the enclosure is too big or too small it may affect the sound of the woofer.

[wraitherx]

Originally Posted by AVICJR Check or ask what the optimal cu. ft.^3(aka cubic feet) of the enclosure for the subs you buy. If the enclosure is too big or too small it may affect the sound of the woofer.

yeah, it will basically sound like ass.

[xxrals22xx]

buy mine 2 12 inch eclipse subs brand new 150 for both

[99GT281]

i have 1 12" xplod in a sealed box with a 500 watt xplod sub with a single farad capacitor(which doesnt really do anything) did all the wiring myself.

if you know how to it saves lots of cash. its not too hard.

and they dont sound too bad at all. but come spring break im getting a soundstream sub from a friend... just need a better amp(thinking about a 920w kenwood) to push that sub. soundstream pounds!


if you want to save lots of money jus hit up wal-mart buy some xplod subs and amps make a sealed or ported box and but a decent wiring kit. it would be way cheaper then $600

if your gunna spend the money for it to be done. i wouldnt go with xplods.

[Forbiden]

Was mostly good information except for the capacitor part. They are worthless, you're better off upgrading your big 3 or buying a H.O. Alternator.

Give me a price range and I'll give you a system that will crush anything circuit city or best buy can give you.

Also, what kind of music do you listen to? This will highly influence what I recommend to you. The generic stuff that you see every day doesn't mean it's good. Pioneer, Sony, Kenwood, etc are all trash for the price. Lots of good information here http://www.realmofexcursion.com.

Feel free to ask me anything you want.

Quick Edit: Band Pass boxes are better than Ported when built right. Just wanted to clear that up. Ported is your best option most of the time for SPL/SQL solutions. If space is an issue, sealed is definately a good option to consider. I run two RE Audio 8" woofers in 0.37 cu. ft. sealed enclosures and they get plenty loud, and in a convertible =)

[Youngin]

i was wondering what was the difference of 4-channel 2-channel MONO ?

they said it would run about 900 for 2x 12 alpine E and 600 Watt Rockford and 1 enclosure ? could i do better with that price?

[Forbiden]

A mono amp is a single channel amplifier, used mainly for running sub(s). A two channel amp can run two speakers in stereo mode by using both channels or you can bridge the two channels together for a mono-output. A multi channel amp is an amp with 4 or more channels. A four channel amp is mainly used for running mid range speakers. Two channels for fronts and two for the rears. You can also get five and six channel amps. These are made for running an entire audio system. You would use channels 1 & 2 for your front speakers and use channels 3 & 4 for your rear speakers, and you would use channel 5 (mono) or 5 & 6 (bridged) for your sub woofers.

they said it would run about 900 for 2x 12 alpine E and 600 Watt Rockford and 1 enclosure ? could i do better with that price?

$900 for two Alpine Type E's?, a 600watt RF and an enclosure? Is this installed with a custom box and all wiring? ...or JUST for the items you listed?

[Youngin]

yes it is installed with the enclosure .

the other place said the same thing but JL 12's and a infiniti setup for about 1400

and i was wondering they are selling mustang enclosures esp for my year and i was wondering is it bad? cause it is made out of fiberglass and carpeted

[Forbiden]

Fiberglass is good stuff as long as it's built correctly. Fiberglass is strong when flexed, but weak when straight.

If you are going to run two 12's you will need a custom built box. There's no way around it really. I'm not too sure on the size of the S197 trunk, but if it's anything like the 99-04 trunks it won't fit a standard dual 12 box. My vert trunk won't even hold my single 12 box.

You should look into doing the work yourself or ask the shop their rates for installing a system if you bring your own amp/subs. Usually their hourly rate is a little higher (but you can talk them down if you want).

Let me know, I'll recommend some good stuff if you're willing to buy outside the ordinary.

Got any pictures of the fiberglass box?

[ILUVSTANGS]

imo there is only one way to go "JL AUDIO" they are the best 12w7 are freakin awsome and there amps are top of the line....my boys and i have been into fast cars and car steroes for the last 20 years.......we have taken home countless trophies at contests.....JL has the cleanest sound at a very good price...with 2-10w6 or 2-12w7 and 2-1000 JL amps you will be hear from a couple of blocks away....one of my boys has 4 12w7 in his trailblazer and you must have head phones on just to sit inside...so you wont go deaf...if your going to spend the money go with the best....find a Tweeter Store or a Sound Advice and shop around they do awsome work and they warrenty all there work..........later

[ILUVSTANGS]

sorry...i missed the part about best buy and cuircir city...they suckkkkkkkkkkkk they don't carry any high end equip. they sell sh*t....and their installers are notttt the best to say the least....even though i have had the crappy luck to have had to deal with some stupid installers at my favorite stereo shop!!!!!!!!!!! go to a stereo shop that has a good reputation......later