Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

I'm just looking for some suggestions here.
My 2000 LX's sound system gets pretty loud, but of course there is little bass. The entire sound system is stock. I'm wondering if I could simply install a powered subwoofer.I am not looking to upgrade the entire sound system or the headunit. I would like to retain the stock head unit and be able to fairly painlessly add in a sub. I'm not loking for slamming bass or anything, just a little something to make me happy :D. I really don't want to spend any more than $300 (I'd ratherspend more like $200, but Ido agree withthe old saying: "you get what you paid for.") the only car audio experience I have is installing headunits in both my mustangs. I've never tackled installing speakers or amps. But I figured I can figure out how to install a simple powered sub (actually..... I can follow the DIY instructions I have seen haha.) I just wonder if it will be worth it if I am going to retain my stock head unit.
Does anybody have any experience with powered subs (i.e. bazooka)?

RTexasF - I see you have a 200w bazooka, but I also see you have an amp. Any advice?

**Funny I just realized I have over 3000 posts and I think this may be my first post in the audio section haha**

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

The Bazooka is self powered, and the amp he has is powering his speakers. He also had a shop put in the amp,
How I remember that, I don't know.

If you just want a little bump you can get a single 10' w/ a box and amp for really cheap. I have seen them at Wal-Mart for roughly $60. If you are running stock speakers anyways, I would just pick that up. I dont really see a point in spending $200 on a setup w/ stock speakers + a stock headunit (?).

From my experience, if you want a cheap, nice hitting subwoofer I can attest for Volfenhag (check out my gallery). I got the two subs and box from a guy I worked with. His son had a HUGE setup so one of the voicecoils is blown but I dont really notice it. I have had them for over 2 years hitting them hard here and there and I havent destroyed the other coil or damaged the other sub. I think you can get two for $90. Let me know if you want more info on my setup. To me they sound great and hit hard. Also, I have $20 roadmasters in the rear and $40 Lightening Audios in the front and I am really happy w/ my setup.

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

Yeah I ama little leery about buying one of the cheepo's at wally world. the guy that did a ton of DIY's I posted in the DIY section bought a cheepo powered sub and he said he barely even noticed it so he upgraded to 2 12's(that would be waaayyy overkill for me though.) I was thinking more along the lines of one 10" that can hit pretty decently. I'll check out your gallery;)

Oh yeah....I forgot to mention: I do need my trunk space. Got to have room for a baby stroller. I also need to be able to fit groceries in there. That's why I was thinking along the lines of Bazooka or something else fairly small like that.

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

just get some new 6x9s for your rears, the good ones have a enough bass to keep you pleased without getting a sub =) easy to install to!

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

^lol (That was to Jon, not Pieceofcrap) didnt see the post lol

You could get a 10' off Ebay for roughly $50.
That wouldnt take much room, ecspecially if you mounted the amp on the box. If it is like the 12's they hit wonderfully.

Mine are 1000w and 500w rms a piece. I am delivering roughly half or less of the 500 RMS to each sub and they will rattle my rearview so bad I cant see out of it. Plus one has a bad voicecoil and mine are in a no name box.

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

If you do some searching online you could get some 8" and fab up a simple box for them with a fairly small amp. I've seen 2 8" subs and they can pound louder than you think. like xpieceofcralpx said, a $100 bump in speakers might be easier than a sub. What headunit do you have in your 6th gen? Mine came with the crappy tape player and a set of 240W peak Pioneer speakers, the poor headunit couldn't power the speakers decently so it sounded a lot worse than it should've. Once I connected them to my extremely expensive deck they sounded amazing.

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

For me a powered sub worked perfectly and many on DriveAccord have done what you are describing with total satisfaction. Bass Link or Bazooka should work quite well. I chose the Zooka simply because I had read way too manycomplaints where the Bass Link crapped out right after warranty was up. True or not, I don't honestly know, but it kept me from buying one and it was my preferred choice.

I chose the 10" with 200 watt amp and it filled in the low end just as I had wanted. The Bass Link, due to it's shape, is better suited for multiple mounting areas in the trunk. Whatever you get give it plenty of time to break in before passing judgement. I wasn't at all pleased initially but around 6-8 weeks later it came alive and added more than I EVER expected from such a relatively low powered unit. It will indeed buzz your arse and shake the mirrors (if you so desire) and do it with clean not muddy sounds.

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

I agree with RTexasF, make sure you let the surrounds break in on the sub. My Alpines sounded good, then sounded like crap, and now they sound amazing. I don't know if you can tune the Bazooka (Low Pass/Gain/I forget what the other one is), but when properly tuned to that subs capabilities you will be pleased without it distorting too much at higher volumes.

Wattage means nothing in my book. I have two massive Technics speaker towers (tweet/mid/woofer) and Technics amp from the 70's that are only rated at 175W @ 8Ω and they can shake the house better than our 1000W 5.1 system. I also had my 2 12" Type-E's and 2 12" Type-R's hooked up to my tiny 700W (@ 1Ω) amp and it was just as loud, if not louder, as the fully powered R's by themselves. Never blew a fuse or put the amp into protection.

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

I don't think wattage is the main issue, it's power handling and that itself does matter, however, with the proper enclosure you can get away with alot and most importantly, as what you mentioned, its the efficiency that plays a key role, which is why wattage really doesn't matter.

RE: Are Powered Subwoofers worth anything?
 

Here's the specs for the 10" 200 watt Bazooka Tube. It is very efficient which explains why it can do so much with relatively small power. A little searching on google showed $250 shipped from several places.

Details:
[ul][*]10" woofer with treated foam surround[*]power output 200 watts RMS[*]variable low-pass filter (60-250 Hz at 18 dB/octave)[*]line- and speaker-level inputs[*]power/signal harness includes 11" power wire, 23" ground wire, 10" turn on and speaker input leads, and RCA inputs[*]frequency response 39-250 Hz[*]sensitivity 104 dB[*]10-7/16"W x 12-1/2"H x 21-3/8"L[*]4-ohm impedance[*]warranty: 1 year [/ul]
[/align]

Although not as informative here are the specs for the Basslink. It does reach to 20hz, deeper than the Zooka. I've seen these for $200.





Enclosure Type
Passive Radiator

Finish Material
Polymer

Grille
Metal x 2

Connector Type
RCA/Speaker LVL

Bi-amp Inputs
No

Woofer Size (inches)
10

Woofer Material
Treated paper

Passive Radiator
10

Width
14-1/2"

Height
13-3/8"

Depth
9-7/8"

Second Depth
N/A

Parts Warranty
1 year

Labor Warranty
1 year


Specifications


Frequency Response
20-120 Hz

Amplifier Power (RMS)
200 watts

Maximum Wattage
N/A

Sensitivity
N/A

Impedance
N/A

Second Voice Coil Impedance
N/A

Crossover Point
50-120 Hz