Which subwoofer should I choose?

[TDIESEL]

Ok, I have my amp sorted for my sound system upgrade so all I need is a Sub now. My amps sub channel is rated at 200w RMS and I am after a 10" unit in a compact removable sealed box. Check out the selection in this link and offer your suggestions http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i...r-systems.html. All info appreciated and hopefully this will be a handy thread for others.

[Greg Roles]

One great tip is sensitivity. Rarely do you have too much bass, all the time, with one subwoofer. Often, you'd like a little more. Pick a sub with as high a sensitivity as possible, you can always tone it down a bit, usually you're trying to extract more!!'

The volume it recommends is always handy, unless you want to lose your boot.

200RMS bridged?? at 4 or 2 ohms??

[TDIESEL]

here's the amp specs http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...HA555PnP-.html

Would a high quality 8" sub in a small sealed enclosure be adequate enough bass for the Golf? Realistically it's not a huge cabin and it is sound quality I'm after.

[Joe Bellissimo]

Your looking at the wrong subwoofers if you want sound quality

That sony at the top of the list is a horid subwoofer!
Keep in mind thats my opinion from hearing that in a store, not a car.

Most "high quality" 8" subwoofers will need much more than 200rms to run.

Peerless would be worth looking into if you were after high SQ with low input power.
http://www.d-s-t.com.au/caraudio/

What kind of music do you listen to?
And
What budget did you have in mind?

That info will help narrow down your search.

[TDIESEL]

Your looking at the wrong subwoofers if you want sound quality

That sony at the top of the list is a horid subwoofer!
Keep in mind thats my opinion from hearing that in a store, not a car.

Most "high quality" 8" subwoofers will need much more than 200rms to run.

Peerless would be worth looking into if you were after high SQ with low input power.
http://www.d-s-t.com.au/caraudio/

What kind of music do you listen to?
And
What budget did you have in mind?

That info will help narrow down your search.

Lol..Don't worry, would never get something like a Sony sub. I was steering more towards the JL ones.

Another forum member has a Image Dynamics 8" sub in a sealed enclosure that I may be interested in at the moment. It's a 2 ohm sub and but seeing as I don't know too much about specs etc I am unsure if my amp can run it. My amp can run at 2 and 4 ohm according to its specs. Do amps select what ohm they run at automatically or do the speakers have to be wired in a certain way. Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question. I guess what I'm trying to find out is will the THA555 (5 channel amp) run the standard speakers at 4ohm (?) and the 2ohm sub at the same time with no worries?

[Joe Bellissimo]

Whatever load the speaker places on the amplifier will define how much current will pass through. Lower loads will allow more current but if its too low then the amp will shut down since it wont be able to handle the current.

That was probably a bit cryptic, post back if you didn't understand that.

[TDIESEL]

Whatever load the speaker places on the amplifier will define how much current will pass through. Lower loads will allow more current but if its too low then the amp will shut down since it wont be able to handle the current.

That was probably a bit cryptic, post back if you didn't understand that.

Just to make sure I got it right.

The amp will sense what load it needs to deliver and act accordingly even if the speakers have different ohm requirements.

My 5 channel amp is rated at 50w x 4 +200w x 1 at 4 ohm or 65wx4 + 250w RMS at 2 ohm. So.....it should theoretically be capable of delivering 55w to the four 4ohm speaker channels and 250 to the single 2 ohm sub?

[Greg Roles]

That's right TDI the amp output is load dependant per speaker. I have 3 ohm fronts, 4 ohm rears and the sub is running 2 ohm, from the same amp.

Sweeping statements like 200rms "isn't enough" is a bit general. It depends what you do with the energy! A sub with a sensitivity of 85db at 500rms isn't going to be as loud and thus noticable SQ wise as one with 93db at 100rms. Sensitivity is the volume of the sub per unit energy. Usually overlooked, and THE reason my little bostom 8" sounds so damn good, it has highish sensitivity amongst other things. It's dual voice coil, and I can hook it up as 8 ohm with 500rms, or 2 ohm with 250rms. Guess which one sounds the best? 2 ohms, lower power, higher sensitivity! The ears just don't lie.

Also amp ratings are often like dyno power, depends how you measure it on the day. Some amps read higher "in real life", some lower.

Finally a cheap sub, well installed in correct volume etc, will usually sound better than an expensive sub with a poor install. I have actually had a GREAT sound from a supercheap sony sub, in a setup I built for my heavy metal brother. He was on a tight budget, but flogs his sound systems. I took great pains to get the correct specs, built a solid box, and set it up right. Even I was amazed a $100 odd sub could simply SOUND so good with his megadeath major hard core stuff he's into. It didn't blow up! I tend not to worry so much about brand, but go on the specs, reviews, internet research and what is going to best suit the space I have available on my budget. One of the best sub results I've ever had, and I've had a lot of subs since starting in 1987, was a $150 Jaycar sub. The sound output, response and just sheer sound was mind blowing for the cost. Perhaps I just fluked the perfect box, who knows. What I'm trying to say is people get too caught up in brand, sure a Hertz or DD is going to be "fat", but I hope your wallet is too!

In the end for me, it all comes down to the SOUND. Law of diminishing returns applies, first hundred buys you a lot, next hundy, a bit more, etc etc.

[Greg Roles]

To answer your actual question TDI, I find a decent longer throw 8" just fine in the Golf. Depends just how "deep" you want the sound to be. It's simply not the ferocious bottom end of say a decent 12" in a 30L plus box, but it's tight, punchy, and the blend is just seamless. Small sealed volumes too, 8-10L. The sound is "full" without me sounding like I obviously have a fooly sik sub bro. I have a full sound, not a doof sound.

[TDIESEL]

To answer your actual question TDI, I find a decent longer throw 8" just fine in the Golf. Depends just how "deep" you want the sound to be. It's simply not the ferocious bottom end of say a decent 12" in a 30L plus box, but it's tight, punchy, and the blend is just seamless. Small sealed volumes too, 8-10L. The sound is "full" without me sounding like I obviously have a fooly sik sub bro. I have a full sound, not a doof sound.

Sounds perfect and exactly what I'm after. Think I may go for the Image Dynamics 8" sub that's on offer.