Hi guys i am planning on putting in a sub in my car stereo pretty soon and i was looking for some suggestions. I want something that is decent but not crazy. I was thinking of going with something like a 10'' JL .... do you guys know if this would be loud enough ??? I have a friend who is gonna make the box for me he is really good at making them, and im wondering whether i should go sealed or ported... If a single 10'' is enough what kind of Amp would you guys suggest to power it ??

any help is greatly appreciated..

 

I think it works like this: A box with the speakers exposed (basically, where you can touch them) is going to have more tone, better quality, so to speak. A sealed box, with plexiglass and tubes, has more impact and more volume... usually there's two subs, and you have the surface area of both speakers, and then the surface area of the plexiglass... I have a bandpass box (plexiglass) that was sent to me by accident when I paid for something much cheaper. Trying to fit it into my Rex has become a project.

Just make sure you get something quality for the amp. 150 watts RMS at ten or twelve inches will get you through the night. I suggest looking on eBay, you'd be surprised. My cousin got a formidible bass system for less than a hundred bucks. I need three hundred watts RMS to power my subs, which is what you would prolly call crazy.

A reasonable bet would be one or two ten inch subs running off a 150 watt RMS amp. Which means you want an amp advertised for 300 watts. The RMS is the actual tangible wattage, and is usually half. Pioneer, JBL, Rockford Fosgate, etc... can't go wrong, really.

Sub example: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1296705015

Amp example: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1297100702

The auctions will prolly be over by the time you read this, but they always come back up again. Just search for something similar.

 

www.blueprintdrivers.com check out the BP1001. 69.00. Excellent subwoofer, good power handling, great sound, small box requirements. Only needs .5 cu ft sealed.

For an amp, look for a JBL BP300.1. If and when you decide you want another sub, get another blueprint and the amp will handle it easily.

You should be able to find the amp for about 175. Bringing to the total to 250 w/ shipping. If you wanted to get another 10 later, it would still be cheaper than the JL and be better in almost every respect. BTW, I really like JL subs, and have owned 8-10 of their subs over the years. The BPs are just a much better value.

 

dnewman: I was just on the website.. do you know by any chance how many watts (rms) these series (10'') subs have ??

 

Yes. 350 RMS.

Here are the specs

http://www.blueprintdrivers.com/1001spec.html

 

I would suggest using a ported box if you are only using one 10" sub because they are generally louder than a sealed box. I wouldn't use a band-pass box unless you are worried that you might damage the sub in a box where the cone is exposed.

 

Oh so the sub is conceiled in a band pass box .. ok that explains a few things !!! So in terms of volume and quality i will get better results with a ported box over a band pass....

 

So is that the general consensus with everyone around here that a blueprint driver sub is the way to go ?? anymore opinions idea's plus do they carry blueprint subs in any of the stores up in here in canada, or is it just and american thing?? if so does anyone know where i could go to have a listen to one ???

 

I am about 99% sure that you would get better sound & definitely sure that you would get more volume from a normal ported box over a bandpass box.

 

The Blueprint subs can only be ordered direct. They are marketed to the DIY market which is why they are so cheap.

I would probably lean towards the sealed box. A good ported box would be difficult to pull off. It would really need to be a 1 cu ft box tuned to 30 hz for optimum results, but that requires a port that is a little over 30" long!

.5 Cubic foot sealed is your best bet.