I blew my subwoofer
 

Not a matter of life and death but it really irritaed me The one I have is crap... a MTX 8'' in a weird glass box (it came with the car when I bought it) Im thinking of when I can afford it, buying a rockford 8'' sub and amp (the amp cuts out at high volume) anybody know any "top of the line" subs and amps for cheap?

Try the audio section.

I'd recommend JL Audio. I have a 10" W7 and two JL Amps and my system sounds amazing! Of course my speakers are pretty damn good too and the headunit, which is all necessary to help bring the sound system together.

+1 on JL. I have an old school W0 that pounds in my FB

what is your definition of cheap?

jL is probably the best bang for buck, I cant help but preach ALPINE, my favorite company and the absolute best in my opinion quality, they have entry level stuff and expensive stuff all sounds good. I have worked for a number of audio shops as well and can tell you it is not always product but install, placement and tuning of audio to get what you want.

I back this opinion. I bought an Alpine amp, can't remember the model #, over 8 years ago. Granted I didn't really test it's limits much but it's still going strong powering the pair of Boston 10's that I bought at the same time.

i have a shallow mount 12' mb quartz that pounds i also have a spare one good luck !

What's wrong with MTX? I've been running 2 MTX 12s powered by a Rockford Fosgate amp for the better part of 6 years now.

^well I would say its more whats wrong with the newer mtx stuff

Ah, I didn't realize they went down the crapper. I'm not much of an audiophile myself, I was just surprised to hear MTX being critisized so heavily since I remember them being one of the better affordable names.

Yeah everyone will have there own opinion but it seems they have gone down hill with all their "jackhammer" stuff

hmm I just noticed you said the amp is turning off at high volume this doesnt mean your sub is bad it is probably your amp going into protect mode because it is getting to hot and your just noticing now since its summer. Make sure your amp can get air to it and maybe check your ground make sure it is good.

Well MTX is not crap, but I think its that the guy who had this installed didnt estimate the power rating and all that. My first car I had a rockford 12'' sub in a ported box, and rockford amp, and only problem I had was the bass cutting out at high volumes, and that was because my fuse was too cheap and crappy and it had a short ( not a problem with the amp or sub).I abused them everyday for over a year no problem. The problem I have is that my sub self destructed, I abuse my speakers everyday, so I need something built strong. My woofer is blown for sure it rattles now when bass kicks in,when it did not do this before. and yes my amp is not powerful enough to handle the power at high volumes, it gets too hot then cuts out. I never had a problem with Rockford amps or subs so when I can afford it im getting the 8'' Rockford stage 2 woofer with dual 4 ohm voice coils. I dont need a 10'' or 12'' just something small with a lot a power.

Ok so I finally got around to buying the 8'' Rockford Sub I wanted and WOW does it pound! I got some tuning done tonight and made it sound a lot better. I also noticed that the bass sounded deeper and cleaner when I covered the ported hole, and insulated the inside. Does anybody know the best place to buy things like subwoofer enclosure insulation and carpet?

Alpine=crap. Fosgate=crap. JL Audio=crap. MTX=crap. MB =Frosate-crap. Did I miss any?

Sorry to say, Alpine subs are shit. I love the older Fosgate stuff, but their whole lineup is shit now. MTX? hahaha dont get me started on their stuff. Alpine does make a decent head unit. MBs older stuff was good for sq. Their new stuff is just shit though. JL audio is overpriced shit. I do like some of thier amps, but again, if I spent the money for them, I would be pissed. Their 13w7 big boy speaker is a joke. Along witht he RFL. My best advice would be to get some older audio. The new stuff is built in korea or china etc. Grap up some good ole american Orion or Fosgate stuff. Not their new stuff though because again, its crap except the new HCCA. But then again, its crap compaired to the older gens. Check out the ebay seller robotunderground. They buy old stock parts from the high end people and build their own for dirt cheap. Excellent sq and able to handle loads of power.

^ your just a ray a sunshine:lol:

Tell me about it. I could have bought another car for what I have spent on car audio.

I'm astound by your usuage of the word "crap"

I heard a lot of people saying that the old Rockford stuff was way better quality, and I dont doubt that at all. Well the reason why I decide to stick with Rockford is from personal experience.

My first car a 99 Mercury Cougar, I had a Rockford 12'' sub/w Rockford enclosure and a 200 Watt Rockford Amp. That may not sound like much power, but I'll tell you... It hit HARD! On the outside you couldnt hear the bass too much from far away, but on the inside it was very tight, clean, and it hit all the lowest bass notes you can throw at it. I had that system for 2 years blasting my bass everywhere I went with Zero problems. Even when I sold the car, the subwoofer didn't show any signs of wear and tear at all, maby a light scratch here and there.

Im not looking for bass that will make my ears bleed, just bass that will sound deep and rich on the inside. Plus I think the bass I had in my old car was actually too much, thats why I decided to go with an 8'' cause I dont wanna go deaf by the time im 25 :lol:

Oh ya heres some pics from what ive done so far, and as you can see the new Rockford is MUCH better quality then the MTX: Bigger magnet, also if look closley, better quality rubber/design

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0517.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0518.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0519.jpg

Heres a pic of my old car the 99 Cougar with the Rockford system




http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0004.jpg

thats not a magnet, its a plastic cover. Remove to and you will get the truth.

also just so you know, thats not older fosagte stuff. The reason why you go alot of bass out of that setup was the vented box. Despite my hate of new fosgate stuff, the p2 is alot better than the p1. It will last you for a while. It should make great midbass.

Actually thats not a plastic cover, thats the actual magnet. The reason why I know, is because when I set the sub down, all the screws stuck to it like glue and I had to pry them off :lol:

Also, I know that with a sealed enclosure and a smaller sub, my bass wont be as loud as my 12'' Rockford I had before but then again, thats the point. I also like techno and fast beat type music, which is why I decided to go sealed box for more accurate bass. I'll take pics of everything when it's done

Good deal. The funny looking glass box you were speaking of...is it by any chance a hotbox? I run a sealed box also. I like the bass to be tight. I have been told that the ported boxes have better sq though. My ears tell me different though. I dont HAVE to always be right, but go down to features: http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/produ...n_US&p_status=
"Protective PVC textured magnet cover" 200 watts RMS isint bad for an 8 though.

The MTX Thunder 9500, 8500, 7500, 5500, and 4500 series subs are still of good quality. I'm not sure about there amps anymore though. Its when MTX started targeting the "Best Buy" market is when they started going to crap.

The OP's MTX sub is the crappiest I've seen from them.

you can get the same quality from audiobahn for alot cheaper

Oh ok well maby its a cover but the magnet itself cant be too much smaller if every screw stuck to the back of it that easily :lol: and to tell you the truth I have no idea what a hot box is... maby thats what I have. the rockford was actually so big, I had to destroy part of the box to get it to fit inside, and now I realized that I cant put it back together so I have ghetto temporary bass right now until my sealed 8'' box comes in the mail next week.

The MTX box with the 8'' sub was a good design, but the reason why mine doesnt sound good anymore, is because this box wasnt designed to have a more powerful sub in it. When I installed the Rockford, I have a lot more bass, but the ported box sounds like garbage because there is too much power, PLUS my amp cuts out every 3 min's or so... time to upgrade that too

I read that a ported box will sound a lot louder then a sealed box, but the bass will not be as accurate for fast beats like techno...the bass will fall behind. However, I also read that a sealed box can sound as loud as a ported box but it takes a lot more power to accomplish that.

One thing I realized, is that my first car had a 12'' Rockford P1 sub with 200 watts RMS I believe. So I knew for an 8'' sub to even sound close to that, it had to be a P2. I love these conversations

I'm running a single JL audio 8w7 8'' sub in a ported box built to JL's specs. Hitting around 135-140db with a US amps usa-600 and a accuvolt fr1500 to regulate a steady stream of 14v so I dont destroy the alternator.

If your amp is cutting out every three minutes or so it could be going into protect mode because its overheating or your running it at an impedance it doesnt support.

I love US Amps! Juice is right about your amp. Your running a single sub though and its prolly d4, so your either running in 8 or 2 ohms. Most amps out there will support 2 ohms, so my guess is that you have a bad ground, the sub hooked up wrong, or you have it in an area where it cant get rid of the heat.

Ok so today I finally got my 8'' subwoofer enclosure from here http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...+-8ANTCM-.html and... It DOES sound better, but not louder. At low volumes bass boost on MAX, there is no distortion at all, and it sounds very clean, crisp, clear. It sounds so good, that you hear bass in songs you didnt even know had bass. However on the other hand if the volume is too loud, the bass actually starts to diminish. After searching in google about this issue, I found out that it's my amplifier causing that problem.

My amplifier cannot handle the power the subwoofer is putting out, therefore when the volume gets too high, it start "clipping". Sometimes if it is a fast beat song like techno at a loud volume the bass will skip , and then the amplifier turns off altogether because of overheating. The temporary fix I realized, is if I play the bass boost at "zero", that way it sounds clean at high volumes, and the amp doesnt overheat.

A permanent fix is, I need to upgrade my amp. When I install my new amp and everything, I will let everyone know how it sounds in the end and i'll put up a few pics

Lol.....A bigger and better amp isint going to help out your problem. Your sub is fluttering. Its in a sealed box and it cant keep up with the amp. Also the bass boost just adds distortion to your system so if you want sq it should be at 0 anyway. If you want louder your going to have to throw away the 8....

I dont think anyone has mentioned Elemental Designs. They make quality stuff and are their own distirbutor. No middle man jackin up the prices. they make amps also which are very reasonably priced for the power outputs. Just an idea.

I have yet to hook up my e3.8's. I'll have two 8's in the rear being pushed by a 400W Rockford amp I've had forever. I personally havent heard them yet, but they have a very good reputation. This is just a new line they made. Subs look great.

Sadly im starting to think this too.... I dont have any experience in 8'' subwoofers so I didnt really know what to expect. This is what im looking for in a system:

--Good clean bass at high volumes without distortion
--Small so it doesnt take up too much space
--Not too much power 150-300 watts max ( dont wanna have alternator problems or need to add capacitors)

What im gonna do, is buy a new more powerful amplifier which wont cut out and overheat, and I'll test it at high volume to see how the subwoofer performs. If there is still distortion at high volumes even after tuning, then I'll look into another 8'' sub which can handle high volumes better. I really dont want a bigger sub because of the weight and bulkiness.

Ok so ive been doing some serious research on 8'' subwoofers tonight. Checking out things like: Linear Excursion, Frequency response, power handling, enclosure size etc. Ive decided against going for the Rockford 8'' P3, because I compared its specs to other subs, and I can get the same quality for cheaper, therefore it's not worth it.

I did find 2 subs I liked however. The first one im sure everyone has heard about, the JL Audio 8W7. From the reviews, I dont think I'll have any problems with distortion at high volumes with this one. There are 2 downsides to this sub for me...
(1--- It requires a rather large enclosure for it to operate efficiently
(2---Its very and I mean VERY expensive!!! :bigeyes:

The second Sub I found is called a Polk Audio MM840. This sub runs for a fraction of the price of the JL 8W7, how ever if you compare the specs for both of them, they are almost identical with only minor differences. Dont get me wrong, at $140 for an 8'' sub thats not cheap, but better then the 8W7 at $400! The only major difference I see here is the 8W7 has MUCH higher power handling capabilities, but I only plan on running 200 watts RMS.

Heres the specs here for both Subs:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107MM84...ures_and_specs

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1368W73...ures_and_specs

Let me know what you guys think

The Kickers will get loud but thats about it. The Hardtimes sub is made from what used to be Adire Audio which sold out because they got too big. Quality stuff though. Hands down I would get that over the Kickers.

Me too. the people who make them are great people. robotunderground.com from what I get out of their opperation is they get kids off the streets and out of trouble. I have had 2 of their hardtimes 15s in my dd pushing them at 1000 watts RMS EACH for around a year. I think I have $200 in the set?

I'm running a single 8w7. the power handling is 500 or so watts. I'm putting out 750watts to it and it doesnt break a sweat It is extrmely loud
and makes your ears hurt. Never bottomed out the sound quality is no slocuh either.Not a big fan of rockfords> they were the shit back in the 90's the then iny opinion they started sell crap I'd look at tc sounds. soundplinter. elemental designs for a sub....there a few others and they are cheap. TC sounds make subs for eclipse or they use to, you can order through their websitel

********but I only plan on running 200 watts RMS.**********

wow I missed that. Do not buy any of the subs listed above if your amp is putting out 200watts. Total wasted of money. You would need a good 500 watt mono amp to push hose subs. maybe evening moe.

KICKER L7 = GREAT

I have one 12in in my truck and that is all I need with the 1500w kicker amp.

One Kicker 8in L7 will be so much louder then a normal 8in round sub. Look up that sub

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...h_IMG_3479.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...h_IMG_3490.jpg

Actually I think I like the way you're describing the 8W7. It IS very expensive, but I checked on Ebay, and I can buy it brand new for almost half the price with a warranty. The reason why I dont want more then 200 watts, is because I dont wanna have to upgrade my wiring, I dont wanna strain my rebuilt alternator, or need to wire in a capacitor. The 8W7 says that it can handle from 150 watts rms to 500 watts rms, and then 1000 watts max. With 200 watts I wouldn't be getting its full potential, but I want somthing that when im blasting with bass boost on max, there is zero distortion at high volumes, plus I LOVE the way it looks :icon_tup:

Ok so I finally bought the JL Audio 8W7 and it arrived today. Before I can get to test this thing out, I still need to buy the amplifer and the box. I hooked it up temporarily and played it at low volume just to make sure it worked and it does. I really hope this sounds better then the MTX sub I had before.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0560.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0562.jpg

Nice. JL is definantly the best bang for your buck

i would have to say that kicker cvrs are the best subs when you're on a budget. i had two 12"s in a sealed box with a crossfire xp1000d and was hitting 147 while my homeboy had 4 rockford fosgate p2's (with the exact same amp) in a vented box in a jeep and he was hitting 149. he had spent a little less than 2000 bucks without his flipout while i only spent 600 on everything!

What meter are you using to get those kinds of numbers?

and where are you taking your readings?

Ok so..... I finally got my Pioneer Amplifier, and my JL Audio box and installed everything. My results... It sounds..."Alright" My expectations were much higher, but I will admit it does sound a LOT better then the Rockford P2 and I can have my gain set MUCH higher at loud volumes without distortion.

I'm still playing with my settings, and tuning, but overall it sounds pretty good for an 8'' sub. My amplifier no longer overheats and cuts at loud volumes like the old crap amp did. The JL 8W7 does distort at a volume a little lower then I usually blast my music at, but ill play with some more setting tommorow and try to find something I like.

I know that I have more power then before, because on some songs, I could see my roof vibrating, and my licence plate rattles too, when it didnt before. There's another rattling coming from somewhere I didnt even think rattling was possible. I think i'll stick with this set up, its good enough. The custom-made JL Audio enclorsure BARLEY fits in my trunk, which is why im glad I didn't decide to go with a larger sub.

I checked my alternator with the car running at IDLE: a/c on MAX, blasting my system 300 watts, and high beams on and Alternator was reading 14.3 volts, not bad. As soon as I increased the RPM it jumped up to 14.5 volts. Im pretty sure if I had a bigger sub I would have been happier, but I would also have to sacrifice trunk space and my alternator, so I have to compromise. For the kind of bass that I am looking for, I would give the Rockford P2 8'' a 2/5, and i'd give the JL Audio 8W7 a 4/5. Anyway, here's some pics



http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0601.jpg


http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0600.jpg