Car Audio

[my porsche]

What is a good box company?

Do you have a car yet ?

Feb. 17th I'm getting one, assuming I find one that I like at one of the dealerships' used section.

[my porsche]

But I'd rather underpower them, since a lot of companies underrate their stuff (amps especially) to begin with. And you're more likely to kill a speaker prematurely from overpowering it than underpowering it.

So for two 300W subs, a 500W amp?

[Quiggs]

It depends. I have a 200w amp pushing 2 10" Alpines, rated at 50-250w RMS (750w peak). Granted, I have a hatchback, but with a cheap Q-Logic box, it's more than adequate at about 1/4 to 1/3 of its potential.

What kind of music do you listen to primarily? Rap, obviously, you'll want more power, but if you listen to mostly rock you'll want something that hits a little softer but more accurate. That will change the type of box and subs you look for.

[crisis]

But I'd rather underpower them, since a lot of companies underrate their stuff (amps especially) to begin with. And you're more likely to kill a speaker prematurely from overpowering it than underpowering it.

You should try to match RMS outputs of your amps with continuous power handling as opposed to peak power handling of your speakers. If you run speakers with underpowered amps you risk clipping at high levels which is where the frequency peaks are cut of because of the lack of ability of the amplifier to supply enough power to produce the amplitude completely. This will in turn burn the voice coils of you speaker. If you drive your speakers with over powered amplifiers you may run the risk of burning the coils as well but this will be a result of extreme volumes which are also likely to cause discomfort.
Basically speakers can handle instantaneous peaks far in excess of their rated power handling as long as they are well designed and built and the peaks are undistorted. This is because peaks in music happen for very brief periods (parts of seconds) and they allow the drivers voice coils time to cool. Most of the time with music you are only hearing a few watts in car or home music systems.

Also multiple bass drivers or subs need to be carefully used as you can actually reduce the amount of bass you hear through phase cancellation. This is where the sound waves from each driver reach your ears at different times and the frequency average out some of the volume. Place them as close together as you can. Also try to face them in different directions as you can load the bass by bouncing it off the back of a wagon for example.

So don’t stress or be impressed by outrageous speaker watt ratings and buy the most powerful amps you can afford.

Happy duffing!

[my porsche]

It depends. I have a 200w amp pushing 2 10" Alpines, rated at 50-250w RMS (750w peak). Granted, I have a hatchback, but with a cheap Q-Logic box, it's more than adequate at about 1/4 to 1/3 of its potential.

What kind of music do you listen to primarily?

Primary "chill" (Dave Matthews/Donavon Frankenreiter/Jimmy Buffett/etc?) rock (AFI/Pearl Jam/U2) Dub (Black Uhuru/Long Beach Dub Allstars) and Rap. But the majority in the car would probably rock and rap.

[my porsche]

So don’t stress or be impressed by outrageous speaker watt ratings and buy the most powerful amps you can afford.

Happy duffing!

Most people I know have a 1000W amp and then just like two 12's (and I know they aren't W7's or some ridiculously loud subs)

Thanks for all the info.

[Sweeney921]

Did you build your own?

no, but if I had access to powertools I would have. Turns out it actually costed $90......I could have gotten the wood, carpet, and mounting parts for under $50

[Sweeney921]

What is a good box company?

Q-Logic

[Quiggs]

Happy duffing!

This man speaks truth.

[SupraMan22]

q-logic is good indeed. i have a mtx enclosure im pleased with, i also built my own for almost nothing, like $5 for carpet, wood i got for free, then wood screws and silicon/liquid nail sealant we had laying around, i ended up tearing it apart though. If you listen to rock alot i would reccomend 10's, 12's are more for loud bass, 10's are usually smoother and better for highs and mids. From what i know atleast. I'd get 10's and a good amp to match. Cheaper, and you will get the sound you want. Dont forget to replace your stock interior speakers, it makes one hell of a difference also. Especially when alot of words are coming out of them. With a new cd player, if you get one, stock speakers can be distorted and be very easily blown. Better to replace them while your up.

EDIT: as crisis said, i have my subs and box turned twards my rear gate. It sounds much better that way, sound goes around. I also have alot of space. Its much better than them beating into the back of my rear seats. For some reason people like to turn them where they are pushing directly into something (seats, ive even seen people with the box flipped up side down onto the floors) I have my subs inverted, its no louder, but it gives my box more room and more air. It's also for looks