Hello - Pontiac G8 Holden VE Commodore Peerless SLS subs

[Mike P]

Hi all.....

I'm from Michigan in the United States and I own a cammed 2008 Pontiac G8 GT (basically a VE Holden Commodore). I love it but am looking to do some minor upgrades to the sound system.

I've replaced all 4 door factory speakers with 6.5" Polk Audio db651's (non-shallow mount kind), and they sound really good.

I am looking to improve the car audio, but kinda on a budget.

I need my trunk space, so I'm looking to replace the factory 8" subwoofers with some 8" Peerless SLS subs. Has anyone here on the forum used these 8" subs in the factory location in a free air application on the rear parcel shelf? Or does anyone have another good suggestion for replacement 8" subs on a VE Commodore / G8?

* I was planning on using a 220 x 2 watt RMS (@ 4 ohms) amp to drive the SLS subs....

Thanks in advance......

Subscribing.....


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[Mike P]

No one here has replaced the stock 8" subwoofers in a VE Commodore?

Any advice would be appreciated..... thanks......



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[BlackCaprice]

I'm waiting to see what people say about those Peerless subs too! I have (factory) 8 inchers in the rear of my Caprice and I have wrecked 3 speakers so far so it's time for a change. Was thinking of going with these free subs aswell as I don't want enclosures etc (I'm not going for all out volume). Hope you get a knowledgeable repsonse soon!

[holdenboy]

Are those Peerless subs 4 or 8 ohm?

I think its just something you have to try, most of the time the stock subs will be removed and a proper sub/s and enclosure fitted.

Anyway, welcome to the site.....

[HCVP]

I think more to the point, do you like the sound of infinite baffle? An IB speaker sounds a lot different to one that is i an enclosure. I've never seen any point in going IB with subs, if you were, it should be only from an accoustic point of view, in which case you would want the rest of your setup the same, which isn't possibe.

Also, an 8'', is more of a mid bass, speaker, rather than a sub, despite it's marketing. It depends on what fq's you want to play aswell. I can't see any need to have an 8'', and a 6,5'', unless you got really technical and went all out on a 3 way front stage. For rear fill, or sub - bass duties, there no point. Especially, in such a large car. Hope this helps

[Mike P]

I'm waiting to see what people say about those Peerless subs too! I have (factory) 8 inchers in the rear of my Caprice and I have wrecked 3 speakers so far so it's time for a change. Was thinking of going with these free subs aswell as I don't want enclosures etc (I'm not going for all out volume). Hope you get a knowledgeable repsonse soon!

Black Caprice:

I went ahead and ordered them. They've gotten a ton of favorable reviews on DIY Mobile Audio - Technical, Advanced & Informative Usually people use them for mid bass in their front doors, but some people have used them more specifically like our application. They are for sale on the Madisound website, and ship out of Wisconsin in the United States, but I've read threads about there being an Austrialian distributor.....

At the very least I will report back on these. I am looking to do my audio install starting next Tuesday 1/19/2010 I'm going to have these wired for a 4 ohm load, as they are 8 ohm single voice coil speakers. The amp that I'm using is 2 x 220 watts RMS @ 4 ohms so I think they'll be getting 110 watts RMS each......

Are those Peerless subs 4 or 8 ohm?

I think its just something you have to try, most of the time the stock subs will be removed and a proper sub/s and enclosure fitted.

Anyway, welcome to the site.....

Holden Boy:

They are 8 ohm single voice coil. I'm going to have them wired so they are set to recieve 4 ohms......

I think more to the point, do you like the sound of infinite baffle? An IB speaker sounds a lot different to one that is i an enclosure. I've never seen any point in going IB with subs, if you were, it should be only from an accoustic point of view, in which case you would want the rest of your setup the same, which isn't possibe.

Also, an 8'', is more of a mid bass, speaker, rather than a sub, despite it's marketing. It depends on what fq's you want to play aswell. I can't see any need to have an 8'', and a 6,5'', unless you got really technical and went all out on a 3 way front stage. For rear fill, or sub - bass duties, there no point. Especially, in such a large car. Hope this helps

Holden Commodore VP:


I really need all of my trunk space, as it is my wife & I, and our two daughters. When we take trips to the relatives house the boot is usually totally packed. Also, I'm not really looking to blow the doors off the neighbor, just an improved sound with a little more added bass.....

I am suprised more people haven't chimed in on different replacement subs that they've tried to use......

Thanks!



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[BlackCaprice]

I understand what Holden Commodore VP is trying to say and obviously small 'subs' or mids will be no match for enclosed 10s or 12s, but surely a pair of amplified aftermarket speakers will sounds better than the stock ones?

I'm also at that stage where I just can't be assed with a boot full of subs and enclosures, a(I also need my boot and am not trying to win a sound off). Added to the fact that there are already 2 nice slots for the speakers to go into with out any change at all.

Good luck with the install!

[holdenboy]

Yep im interested in how this turns out, it will definitely be louder using aftermarket subs and amp.....Ive done a few "free-air" sub installs, all of which resulted in better bass response, but in some cases ive just installed 6x9s and powered them off an amp, which gave better results as the sound was full range.

Nevertheless, please post up your thoughts when its done

[HCVP]

I understand what Holden Commodore VP is trying to say and obviously small 'subs' or mids will be no match for enclosed 10s or 12s, but surely a pair of amplified aftermarket speakers will sounds better than the stock ones?

I'm also at that stage where I just can't be assed with a boot full of subs and enclosures, a(I also need my boot and am not trying to win a sound off). Added to the fact that there are already 2 nice slots for the speakers to go into with out any change at all.

Good luck with the install!

My post probably sounded like a bit of a downer.I probably could have explained it a little better. Like HoldeBoy said, there is the dissadvantage that they are not full range. You will have a narrow fq band, coming from behind you, combined with a full range fq in the front. An 8 inch, in IB apllication, won't have a fq response low enough to appear non-dirctional. Your ears will always be able to tell where that increase in mid bass response is coming from. But if that dosent bother you, then of course go for it.

The Peerless range are very good for the money. So long as your using them for what their designed for, (mid bass) then you won't have any worries.

[Mike P]

I understand what Holden Commodore VP is trying to say and obviously small 'subs' or mids will be no match for enclosed 10s or 12s, but surely a pair of amplified aftermarket speakers will sounds better than the stock ones?

I'm also at that stage where I just can't be assed with a boot full of subs and enclosures, a(I also need my boot and am not trying to win a sound off). Added to the fact that there are already 2 nice slots for the speakers to go into with out any change at all.

Good luck with the install!

+1 yep me too, I need my boot/trunk space. I to understand the 2 - 8" Peerless SLS subs won't be as loud as a sealed or ported 12" sub, but I will be fine with a nice little bump in bass over stock.

I'll definitely report back.....

Yep im interested in how this turns out, it will definitely be louder using aftermarket subs and amp.....Ive done a few "free-air" sub installs, all of which resulted in better bass response, but in some cases ive just installed 6x9s and powered them off an amp, which gave better results as the sound was full range.

Nevertheless, please post up your thoughts when its done

I think I'm going to run the 8" Peerless SLS subs at 100 hertz and down. And I'm going to run my 4 Polk Audio db651 speakers at 80 hertz and up. Both amps that are going to run the 8" subs & the 6.5" Polk's have nice Full range, Low Pass, High Pass cross over adjustable filters.

The 4 channel amp running the 4 Polk Audio db651's is 75 x 4 watts RMS, so that should give them plenty of power....

I will definitely post my thoughts when it is finished. I can't wait!

My post probably sounded like a bit of a downer. I probably could have explained it a little better. Like HoldeBoy said, there is the dissadvantage that they are not full range. You will have a narrow fq band, coming from behind you, combined with a full range fq in the front. An 8 inch, in IB apllication, won't have a fq response low enough to appear non-dirctional. Your ears will always be able to tell where that increase in mid bass response is coming from. But if that dosent bother you, then of course go for it.

The Peerless range are very good for the money. So long as your using them for what their designed for, (mid bass) then you won't have any worries.

The stock/factory 8" free air subs are already not full range speakers, so I am used to how the soundstage in the car sounds. That will not change. The rear door speakers are Polk Audio db651's as well & those are behind my head too, so there are nice mids & highs coming from the rear out of those speakers.

The Peerless SLS 8" subs are a great deal, so that's why I'm going to try them.

* I'm just supprised that more VE Commodore owners or Commodore owners with 8" subs in the factory locations, that may have changed them haven't chimed in........?



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[theSeekerr]

If this is the same SLS model I'm thinking of (There's a few) it'll sound OK running free air in a parcel shelf - Qts of 0.5ish is high enough to give you fairly flat response after cabin gain is taken into account - it won't sound "bassy", just nice and balanced with a bit of luck. With a pair you'll be excursion limited around about 95dB, which is plenty for music.

You may want to bring down your crossover point on the peerless a bit - they'll roll off about 5dB from their level at 100hz before cabin gain starts to level things out again.

(Note: I haven't tried these subs in free air myself, I can only tell you what the maths says)

[Mike P]

If this is the same SLS model I'm thinking of (There's a few) it'll sound OK running free air in a parcel shelf - Qts of 0.5ish is high enough to give you fairly flat response after cabin gain is taken into account - it won't sound "bassy", just nice and balanced with a bit of luck. With a pair you'll be excursion limited around about 95dB, which is plenty for music.

You may want to bring down your crossover point on the peerless a bit - they'll roll off about 5dB from their level at 100hz before cabin gain starts to level things out again.

(Note: I haven't tried these subs in free air myself, I can only tell you what the maths says)

Thanks for the info. & heads up. I just got the Peerless SLS 8" subs deliviered to the house today. They look great, and are decently heavy for 8's.....

I'm just waiting on the Audiocontrol LC7. I cannot wait to get these things installed!

I'll be using 20 sqare feet of Damplifier for sound deadening....



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[HCVP]

Are you using the factory amp to run the SLS's?

[holdenboy]

I was planning on using a 220 x 2 watt RMS (@ 4 ohms) amp to drive the SLS subs....

I dont think the stock amp has 220wrms per channel VP

[Mike P]

Are you using the factory amp to run the SLS's?

Holden Boy has it. Yep, I've got a 2 channel 220 x 2 watts RMS amp (@ 4 ohms) to power the 8 ohm Peerless SLS 8" subs. I think because the impedance is 8 ohms, the subs will only see about 110 x 2 watts RMS (which is their max RMS speaker rating). That should be a decent amount, as they are kinda free air/IB and such.......

I now have both amps & the Peerless subs. I'm just waiting on the Audio Control LC7 and the sound deadener stuff.....

The install is set for Tuesday 1/26.... I can't wait.....



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[HCVP]

yeah i wasnt sure about which amp was being used, because there were 2 main posters and i cbf sorting. Should notice a very good improvement. Where are you putting the deadner? I'm actually looking into a pair of peerless 8's aswell, for home audio use, to turn my current 2 way set up into a 3 way. Could there be any sense in bridging the amp, and wiring the woofers together to lower the impedance? You'd lose your left to right though..

[Mike P]

yeah i wasnt sure about which amp was being used, because there were 2 main posters and i cbf sorting. Should notice a very good improvement. Where are you putting the deadner? I'm actually looking into a pair of peerless 8's aswell, for home audio use, to turn my current 2 way set up into a 3 way. Could there be any sense in bridging the amp, and wiring the woofers together to lower the impedance? You'd lose your left to right though..

So far I've got dynamatt on all 4 doors when I had the 6.5" db651's installed. For the subs. I was using 20 sqare feet of damplifier. I was going to have them put it on the top & bottom of the rear parcel shelf. Any other places I need to hit?

Thanks for the info on the bridging to 2 ohms, but I think I'll just keep it at 4 ohms. It's all good. I'll definitely let you all know how much bass increase I get with the Peerless SLS 8" subs and amp...... I can't wait....

Also, I'm psyched about getting some more power (from the 75 x 4 watts RMS) to the 4 Polk audio speakers too......

Talk to you all soon.....



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[HCVP]

You've dynamated all the crucial area's. The larger the panel, the more likely it is to resonate. Other than the most obvious places, when using any type of sound deadner, i like to disconect all the speakers, and just run a sub. Have a good listen, move around the car, sit in every seat ect, and listen for any resonating, or any loose, rattling panels and go from there. Some things can be fixed really easy for next to nothing. Some panels will resonate at different frequencies, but it's usually bass that causes most of the problems. If you can cut out some of your road intrusion noise, you'll notice a big improvement aswell.

[Mike P]

You've dynamated all the crucial area's. The larger the panel, the more likely it is to resonate. Other than the most obvious places, when using any type of sound deadner, i like to disconect all the speakers, and just run a sub. Have a good listen, move around the car, sit in every seat ect, and listen for any resonating, or any loose, rattling panels and go from there. Some things can be fixed really easy for next to nothing. Some panels will resonate at different frequencies, but it's usually bass that causes most of the problems. If you can cut out some of your road intrusion noise, you'll notice a big improvement aswell.

I like the idea of just running the subs when installing the sound deadening material.

One spot that is giving me some resonating and or reverberating is the plastic housing that covers the sun roof control/dial. Is this easy to take off & sound deaden?

It makes a plastics rattling noise right by my head, and the only way to quiet the noise (so far) is to put pressure on it with my hand......

Anybody try to quiet this rattle with sound deading or another method?


Thanks in advance!



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[SS-V]

Hi, I just picked up my SS-V limtied edition, which is the same VE that is sent to the USA.

I am trying to work out where all the 11 speakers are, including that subwoofer.

Obviouly, 3 in dash, 2 in front doors, 2 in rear doors....what about parcel shelf?

Can someone tell me that has located them?

[HCVP]

Hi, I just picked up my SS-V limtied edition, which is the same VE that is sent to the USA.

I am trying to work out where all the 11 speakers are, including that subwoofer.

Obviouly, 3 in dash, 2 in front doors, 2 in rear doors....what about parcel shelf?

Can someone tell me that has located them?

Now i'm really confused because there are 3 main posters!

I don't know where they all are, but you should be able to make your way through the car, and determine where any speaker is mounted.One thing, i'm not sure if it's like the old Calais, but they took a 2 way speaker, as being 2 speakers, rather than one, which confused quite a few people.

[Ryan.mate]

tweeters in the dash?

[SS-V]

Hi Again,

I've been told that the back speakers are 2-way, but the main point of my question is where is that 8" sub located?

I have searched for noise on back shelf and cannot locate it.

Thought I would ask here because other guy was replacing his 8" sub.

Any help to locate would be great!

[HCVP]

Two 8'' subs mounted free air in your parcel shelf.

[SS-V]

Hi HCVP,

So if they are sub's in the parcel shelve, where are the other 2. They sell the car with 11 speakers:

3 on dash
2 front doors
2 rear doors
2 subs in parcel shelf

That is 9........ :-)

Cheers