Sick of my sub, how can I keep some bass
So I've got a VX Calais which has the factory 8" subs in the parcel shelf but they're a bit rattly and kind of crappy. It's not really tight bass, more boomy. Is it going to be any better if I replace them with some half-decent 8" subs (I know there's a thread somewhere about using aftermarket speakers/subs with the factory amp) or am I better off just getting some 6x9s for the parcel? I'll be upgrading the fronts to some entry-level splits or coaxials but I'm just wondering if there is any consensus on the best solution for sub-less bass (I'm sick of losing all the boot space with this sub I have now).
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I cant comment because I have never heard either stock 8" or after market in a VT, but are they running on a factory amp or a different one?
I have a friend with stock door speakers and Kenwood 6x9s running on a 300w 2 channel Kenwood amp ($79 brand new from ebay) and its pretty impressive for a low budget system, way louder than my old set up with a 12" but not as much bass.
Most people say a 6x9 is a substitute for a 8" round, but they are more than that. They add mid range and treble as well (3 ways 4 ways ect).
I'm quite happy with my factory system in my VT, just a after market MP3 player and stock door speakers (no 8"s in the shelf) but its still missing some bass. I really dont want another huge box and amp taking up room in my boot.
Ill probably end up getting 6x9s and a small amp one day but for now its not really a problem.
Donati..Whoa Green
These, Shopping Secure - VIBE BlackDeath QB69 , amped. Enough said.
-Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)
-Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
-Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short Phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Ronald Reagan (1986)
As far as I am aware there is a tiny amp hidden in the boot somewhere powering just the 8" subs.Originally Posted by 2DIE
If I don't necessarily care about rear fill and just want to pick up a bit of tight bass would it be worth going with 6x9s? Which will give me more and tighter bass, the 6x9s or 8" rounds? Also, will the fact that the 8" subs won't be in any sort of enclosure affect the quality too much? And I want most of my soundstage to come from the front anyways which is why I'll be upgrading the fronts and probably leaving the rear.Most people say a 6x9 is a substitute for a 8" round, but they are more than that. They add mid range and treble as well (3 ways 4 ways ect).
I'm sure they're probably a killer sounding speaker but $400 a piece is a bit out of my price range. My budget is probably $400 all up for the two parcel replacements. lol
the holden mechanic
8" Paper Cone Woofer - Jaycar Electronics
these are a bit of an upgrade from the factory units, they arent anything flash, but they do the job better than the stocky units
Ta, I'm actually set on 8" now. I've been having a bit more of a read and it looks like the factory amp runs a low pass filter on the 8" subs and I really can't be bothered dealing with working around that with another amp to get 6x9s working properly.
I was having a look at Vibe's Space 8 sub and if they're going to sound decent I'd look at getting two of them, or if not I'll try something a bit cheaper along the lines of your link.
Donati..Whoa Green
Vibe Space 8's will be good, but check with Joe first as them seem to be discontinued in that size (only 12" and up is still on the Vibe site), but Joe may have access to some. Give him a call, and tell him your from this forum, he always does deals.
-Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)
-Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
-Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short Phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Ronald Reagan (1986)
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How would you run 8ohm subs on a 2 channel amp? I know lots of people used to do it (maybe still do) but I'm crap when it comes to wiring. I know I could probably google it but I think its not as simple as wire it up to a 4ohm amp and leave it.
Joe? Sorry, I'm new here.
The only thing I'm worried about with the Vibes is if they'll even fit the factory locations. I really don't want to have to dick around with too much custom work and would like to maintain the factory appearance.
Donati..Whoa Green
Sorry should of thought of that, Joe Bellissimo, owns Shopping Secure, and is a sponsor here, Shopping Secure , his profile here where you can PM him, http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/...ellissimo.html , or just contact him on sales@shoppingsecure.com.au or 0424 141 390
-Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)
-Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
-Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short Phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Ronald Reagan (1986)
the holden mechanic
most amps will run from 2 - 8 ohms with pretty low powered speakers without a problem.
a mate had 2 rockford fosgate punch 8's in his caprice running off a 2 channel 720 watt amp, and they went really well at 8 ohms
google series Vs parallel wiring it will tell you all
QldKev
Cheers. Shopping Secure has the Space 8s but I'm just going to try these crappy Jaycar ones first considering the price difference. Also I'm assuming I will need to build some enclosures and mount them under the parcel shelf somehow if I want the Vibes to sound as good as they should for that price.
On a side-note, why would the subs be popping when I take the key out and they lose power? All I have is an aftermarket headunit at the moment (JVC something something 616). I haven't had a chance to pull out the wiring from my old sub yet so I don't know if that has anything to do with it but if not is there anything else I need to run between the JVC and the factory amp to prevent the pops?
That popping sound comes from the cheap eurovox amps holden used in these. Better amps have a built in delay to prevent this.
Make sure you post back how the jaycar subs go; if they are any good I may upgrade mine too.
QldKev
Will do. As for the popping, will the new speakers get damaged by the pops? If so I'll look into an amp for the new 8s. I don't remember there being any pops with the stock headunit so I'm assuming there must've been a delay somewhere between the connection of the amp and HU? I just sold my monoblock to a mate too. :/
Mine pops with the stock HU, so I've always assumed it was the cause. If your one didn't do it before, then I suspect it could be an issue with earth planes. I may try picking up a dirfferent earth point on the amps and see if it helps.
QldKev
yeah it would be the amp as the capacitors discharge rapidly
a good quality amp will discharge gradually when powered down, avoiding the 'pop'
I refuse to fit a sub to mine - I hate the clutter and the extra weight etc
I used to have an old Pioneer head unit with piddly 80W Pioneer 6x9's (2 ways) in my old VH that sounded heaps better than any similar setup I've tried since.
I've tried Pioneer and Kenwood headunits which claim considerably more power, and use 180W Pioneer (3 way) 6x9's, but the bass and midrange seem to be severely lacking.
Surely there is a way to achieve decent natural sort of bass (like home hi-fi not typical car sub boom-boom-boom) without going for a sub ?
My next step is to try a good quality amp, but wanted to avoid that if possible. I'm not after big volume (I rarely listen to anything much above loud talking volume), just good quality, full sound. I just don't know whether it's just the speakers not being as good as they used to be or the output of the headunit being crap. I was once told 3 ways aren't as good for bass as 2 ways ? Is there any truth to that ?
And/or is there a recommended 6X9 that is known for it's good quality sound
I'm going to try and pop in to Jaycar tomorrow to pick up the subs. If I were to get an amp just for these subs what should I be looking for? 2 channel? 4 channel? I obviously won't be needing a very powerful one given they're only 90W each?
They are 90W RMS, not peak. Peak their would be a lot higher.
Since they are 8ohm subs I would get a single channel amp (or a 2 channel amp that allows you to bridge it into 1 channel) and run the speakers in parallel; this will create a 4ohm load onto the amp. When looking at the amp remember you need a min of 90WRMS @ 4ohms. A lot of amps will show peak ratings and also watts at 2 or 1 ohm loads.
QldKev
If I'm not being too cheeky would you be able to link me to a suitable amp so that I know what I am looking at as far as the specs go when trying to find something fitting your description? I am very new to all of this and my knowledge extends as far as 'okay, this red one goes in the red hole and the black one in the black hole'.
I like to have a good size amp running the subs, so if I was looking at a jaycar amp
Response Precision 2 x 150WRMS Class AB Amplifier - Jaycar Electronics
You would need to adjust the gain so you don't run them too hard, but I think it would get the best out of them. Also if you did end up with more powerful subs later this would have enough power in reserve to run them.
QldKev
So I ended up with some Kicker CVR 8" subs (they look like these) and a Kicker ZX400.1 amp. They're currently in their own boxes but I am wondering if I could construct a box under the parcel shelf along with sealing all the holes and dynamatting the #### out of the shelf, similar to what an American owner has done to his GTO here. I don't want to cut anything like he has, though. Would me screwing into the shelf or having a few hefty kilos hanging from it cause any issues with its structural integrity?
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Id see how they go without boxes/enclosures first.
I ended up getting 2 jaycar responce 8" woofers and a 400w rms (@4 ohm load) amp. The woofers wont fit inside the mounts unless I file the sides down that sits around the original ones.
Should be feeding 200w rms (give or take) in to each woofer by bridging the amp and wiring them in parallel, that will also be a 4 ohm load which works out perfect for what I am doing.
I pretty much have everything I need to hook it up but the amp is still on the way, got posted last Friday and will take 5-10 days to get here from the USA.
Specs for my amp if you are interested.
Hifonics TITAN TXI4008
- A/B class 2-channel
- 100-W RMS x 2-ch @ 4Ω
- 200-W RMS x 2-ch @ 2Ω
- 400-W RMS x 1-ch @ 4Ω
Any ideas how I can flatten the top of the of the mounts, just a hack saw and file probably?
Also Ill need to drill 2 holes in to the new woofer baskets as they have 6 holes and only 2 will line up with the original screw holes.
jb hi fi have cadence 12" 250rms subs out in box for $100, $200 for a mono block amp and your set
The only thing I'm worried about is any potential damage to the woofers if I run them without a box as I've read that a sub not designed for a free air application can damage itself. Someone suggested I run a subsonic filter on them if I was going to try and run them without an enclosure and it appears my amp has this, but I really have no idea what this means so I will have to do a bit of research on that. I'm really an absolute novice at all of this and am learning everything as I go along.
As for the mounts, someone else on this forum has done basically what you're suggesting and his method is about halfway down this page. I'd say a hack saw and file would be suitable.
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