Subwoofer, is it worth it?

[fabiamk2SE]

Hey!

So ive upgraded the headunit to a Zenec 2015 and the front speakers to Audison Primas.

The final piece of the jigsaw is a sub. Is it worth the hassle and £500?

Thats £500 for an Amp under the passenger seat, an 8 inch sub in the boot and all the wiring, including amping the front speakers.

I havent got details on the exact models yet, just wondered peoples opinions? Will it really make a world of difference?

It already sounds good but misses the very lows, of course. Also wondering if im right in thinking ill get a better detailed sound out of the fronts?

Cheers. Never amped or subbed a car before so any heads up welcome (:

[StevesTruck]

Depends what you listen to.

 

If it's bass-heavy, an 8 probably won't be enough for you, but if it's more broad-spectrum music, a little sub isn't a bad idea to take the bass away from the components and give you a clearer sound.

[mangham54]

If it already sounds good then don't bother. And don't forget it is a car, not a nightclub.

[fabiamk2SE]

Depends what you listen to.

If it's bass-heavy, an 8 probably won't be enough for you, but if it's more broad-spectrum music, a little sub isn't a bad idea to take the bass away from the components and give you a clearer sound.

Its more a broad spectrum, yeah. I dont wanna bone rattling lows, i just want to fill the lower end of the frequencies and hoping to make the fronts sound even better whilst im doing

But then £500 is quite alot of money to do that haha

Maybe a 10 would be better? Ive not heard the difference. I guess a smaller one has to work harder?

Edited 24 January, 2016 by fabiamk2SE

[fabiamk2SE]

If it already sounds good then don't bother. And don't forget it is a car, not a nightclub.

It does sound good, as it should really. Spent £1k on the equipment already .

I just think a sub might fill the lower end. I dont want to rattle the car to bits in a boy racer fashion.

Just good quality clear sound over all frequencies.

[mangham54]

It does sound good, as it should really. Spent £1k on the equipment already .

I just think a sub might fill the lower end. I dont want to rattle the car to bits in a boy racer fashion.

Just good quality clear sound over all frequencies.

Unless you really get it right, all a sub will do is bloat the bottom end. A car is not a suitable envornment for low frequencies as there are far too many trim panels that will resonate at frequencies between 40 and 300Hz.

Unless you have glued / HD Velco'd or DynaMat'd every panel in the car (and exterior trim) then you will just get a lot of 'tizz' -ing.

Just my opinion.

[fabiamk2SE]

Unless you really get it right, all a sub will do is bloat the bottom end. A car is not a suitable envornment for low frequencies as there are far too many trim panels that will resonate at frequencies between 40 and 300Hz.

Unless you have glued / HD Velco'd or DynaMat'd every panel in the car (and exterior trim) then you will just get a lot of 'tizz' -ing.

Just my opinion.

Hmm that does concern me abit!

But its not going to be a big sub? And if its set up right, you should never be able to tell its there?

Ive had home cinema seperates before (with a 12 inch Mordaunt Short sub) which was great, but like you say, there was nothing to rattle. :S. Hmm...

[StevesTruck]

Its more a broad spectrum, yeah. I dont wanna bone rattling lows, i just want to fill the lower end of the frequencies and hoping to make the fronts sound even better whilst im doing

But then £500 is quite alot of money to do that haha

Maybe a 10 would be better? Ive not heard the difference. I guess a smaller one has to work harder?

 

Depends how you look at it really, a smaller sub "gets going" and does something useful and subtle better than a big one which can obviously can do more when you crank it up. Most manufacturers still use an 8 on the top end car systems.

[fabiamk2SE]

Depends how you look at it really, a smaller sub "gets going" and does something useful and subtle better than a big one which can obviously can do more when you crank it up. Most manufacturers still use an 8 on the top end car systems.

Ah okay. Cheers! Something to think about then!

I think ill have to go and look at some box's. See how much space im losing.

It would be nice, but i cant decide

[RainbowFire]

Hmm that does concern me abit!

But its not going to be a big sub? And if its set up right, you should never be able to tell its there?

Ive had home cinema seperates before (with a 12 inch Mordaunt Short sub) which was great, but like you say, there was nothing to rattle. :S. Hmm...

 

It you have loose panels then there's a fit and finish problem. I've got a 10" in the back of my 21-year old Nissan 100NX, with the sub cranked up there were about 3 rattles, one of which was a tin of mints in the passenger door.

 

The best thing to do is to get cheapy off ebay, and crank it up and see if anything does in fact rattle ;)

[fabiamk2SE]

It you have loose panels then there's a fit and finish problem. I've got a 10" in the back of my 21-year old Nissan 100NX, with the sub cranked up there were about 3 rattles, one of which was a tin of mints in the passenger door.

The best thing to do is to get cheapy off ebay, and crank it up and see if anything does in fact rattle ;)

Hmm. I could maybe find the rattles. One occassionally apears in the drivers door card, another in the back. Might be the seat restraint or something.

I only notice it if the musics just loud enough n bassy enough to rattle, but not so loud that i cant hear the rattle anymore haha.

[ryan-re]

There is a lot of mis-information in this thread.

 

If the sub is "bloating" the bottom end the system as a whole is setup wrong. The idea of the sub is to cover the lower frequencies which the midrange drivers in the doors cannot play.

 

£500 for a sub, 4 channel amp (im guessing?), cabling and fitting is cheap. If its just the kit then for £500 you should get some decent mid range kit. 

 

An 8" sub in a correctly designed box will make for a nice addition and fill out the low end nicely. It wont be loud but should give a much more balanced sound overall. You might not know it but right now you will be missing quite a few frequencies. 

[km666]

I've been given a variety of subs and speakers over time and in my experience smaller drivers are punchier whereas bigger driver give a deeper, lower sound. They always bring something extra to the party so not a bad idea at all.

[fabiamk2SE]

Cheers for the input chaps! (Sorry i didnt reply earlier Ryan-re, ive only just seen this) 

 

I am really tempted to do this still tbh but atm £500 is better spent elsewhere. 

 

I'd really like to to be easily removable too. So i can take it out when ive got something bigger to carry or i need the space. 

 

Another thing i would like is a custom built box, to fit the side of the boot, but im not really sure its worth it as it'll incur alot of extra cost wouldn't it. 

 

I'll update this if it does happen

 

Thanks again

[Clarkey666]

I'd say it is worth it personally. I have a half decent system installed in my Fabia, including Rainbow Audio components up front and a 10" sub in the boot, all of which powered by an amp. Depending upon where you are etc, you'd be welcome to have a listen to mine, it may help you make your mind up. PM me if you're interested.

[fabiamk2SE]

I'd say it is worth it personally. I have a half decent system installed in my Fabia, including Rainbow Audio components up front and a 10" sub in the boot, all of which powered by an amp. Depending upon where you are etc, you'd be welcome to have a listen to mine, it may help you make your mind up. PM me if you're interested.

 

Top man. I'll PM you now mate  

[ryan-re]

I've been given a variety of subs and speakers over time and in my experience smaller drivers are punchier whereas bigger driver give a deeper, lower sound. They always bring something extra to the party so not a bad idea at all.

 

Thats a common misconception there. 18" subs can be just as punchy as a 10 and visa-verca. Its all in the box.

[fabiamk2SE]

Thats a common misconception there. 18" subs can be just as punchy as a 10 and visa-verca. Its all in the box.

So i guess a bigger one shines at a higher volume? Little one has to work harder for any given volume?

[ryan-re]

Not really.

Like i say, its mainly in the box design. Yes it would be easier to get loud with a bigger sub aslong as you have the correct box and power.

Smaller subs can drop low if you put them in a low tuned box. But also bigger subs can be punchy if they have stiff spiders or are in a box designed with that in mind