I'm guessing my budget will be around $300. I guess I am really just looking for one 10" (preferably already in anenclosure) and an amp. My wife is a nut about buying Christmas presents early. Yes...she already feels like she is behind on her christmas shopping. Plus she has been asking me what i want for my birthday (July 4.)
I've been kind of lurking around Crutchfield's website cause I bought a pioneer headunit from them ages ago and the installation kit and instructions were awesome. They always seemed to have the best prices when i looked at audio stuff years ago (not counting eBay.)
I wouldn't want anybody to go through too much trouble right now trying to pick me out something exact since I may not be buying it for a while (or my wife may not be buying it for a while.) That's another reason I was looking around on Crutchfield. I just wanted to get an idea. I have no loyalty to any specificbrand of sub. I had friends who used to have Rockford Fosgate Punch subs and they always sounded good - that's about all I know about subs haha.

 

Rockford Fosgate = Yuck. They were good back in the day, but they deliver to the cheap crowd nowadays.

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Rockford Fosgate = Yuck. They used to be good back in the day, but now they just deliver to the cheapy crowd. Punch subs are an excellent example of that.

I have everything against subs that come in enclosures or pre-made generic enclosures. I would build a box for you for free and ship it to you just to spare you the embarrassment, tailor made to your subs volume requirements. <- Truth.

I would go Alpine, JL, or Kicker, there are a lot of other non-brand name quality subs out there, but they are usually more expensive. I have Type-Es and love them, buddy has Type-Ss and loves them, and another friends has Type-Rs and hates them because they are too damn loud.

 

I guess I never realized custom made boxes were that much better than pre-made ones. Why is that? I love building stuff - but I don't have any wood working tools (i.e. power saws). How the heck do you know how to build a box that is a whole lot different than one you would just buy pre-made?I am definitely a cheapskate. If I could build my own box I definitely would. it doesn't really seem that hard when I look at DIY's.

 

I'd pass on the Kickers. They get pretty loud, but the sound quality is not there. If you don't mind a somewhat muddy sound then I guess go for it. You don't notice it till you actually hear subs with better sound quality.

As for building your own enclosure, you would go based off the manufacturer's recommendations. Sometimes people tweak it for a specific purpose, like SPL where they want to just get loud and it's not for music. Also, some of the premade boxes uses 1/2" wood and it may even be particle board. I wouldn't go with anything less than 3/4" and there really is no need to go more than 3/4". As for wood, I'd use MDF, Birch Plywood, Oak Plywood, Trupan, Baltic Birch, and several others. MDF is the cheapest, but birch ply weighs a lot less.

 

I think I need to go to best buy and circuit city and try listening to different subs.After all the different suggestions,my head is spinning.

 

Now you see(one of the reasons) why I went with ready made. Every swingin **** on earth has their opinion of how it should be done, what amp, what speaker, what box, yada yada yada, and no two ever say the same thing. I have heard a single 8" with a custom box & moderate ampthat sounded utterly fantastic. There is no question that a custom box with a good 10" andamp will kick butt. I'm not EVENputting folks down here, you are getting good advice and suggestions. Like yourself I have no knowledge of installation or what's good, what's not, andfrankly I don't even care!! It was major informationoverload for me when all I wanted was a bit more bass.I took the easy way out and I'm extremely satisfied with my choice.

I went the route with the least hassle and paid someone else to deal with it. Did I get the best bass for the money? Probably not. Am I pleased with what I have? Absolutely. Your call on how you want to approach it.

My idea of decent bass might make you laugh out loud. Your idea of decent bass might hurt my ears. Point is that it is all subjective. Find out what will work for you in your car, on your everyday route,doesn't overpower what you have now,and go for it.

 

Great point.

My idea of good bass is being able to distinctly here the bass guitar and bass drum as it was intended: audible. Automakers simply overlook this step or charge you tons of money to get a "better" factory system.

 

RTexasF, that's a great thing you mentioned that. It's all about how it satisfies the person who will be listening to it constantly. I tried helping out a friend but they didn't want to listen. They got something else, I offered a much better deal...equipment and price, but they went with a shop and they know they could have gotten a better deal, but were still satisfied, and thats the key. Some people are way into bass and that is mainly all that can be heard. Like finch, I like my music to sound natural, the way it was recorded in the studio. I also like it precise so I can hear when the strings are being pulled. For bass that is better than stock speakers, a prefabricated box will work just fine. I've wanted to try the alpine LAT-5, they seem to be a great deal. If you have the money, I'd go for that.

 

I'm on the same page with you tex, but I am also a huge cheapskate and I wouldn't mind getting educated on car audio. I know it would be ludicrous for me to just buy a sub without hearing it first, so I think I'm gonna go to best Buy or Circuit City and give a listen to some of what they have.
Pretty much all I listen to is hard stuff such as: Staind, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle,Godsmack, Seether, Pantera, etc.. Sometimes when I want to chill I'll listen to some good old Elton John, Tom Petty, or Ryan Adams (yes i said Ryan...not Brian haha.)
I too just want a sub that makes the music sound clearer. I'm not looking to cause my rearview mirror to fall off and loosen door panels so they start to rattle.
Can someone school me on how to look for an amp to buy? OK, here will be an example of a sub from Crutchfield: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...043&tp=111
What amp would I need to buy to provide the correct amount of power for that sub?