Subwoofer question

[Basscat]

I have the 9 speaker system and will be replacing the door and pillar speakers with new component speakers and want to add a subwoofer in the trunk. Am I better off with an aftermarket sub box and speaker or adding an oem sub box and speaker? I am not looking to over power the bass, but do like the thump from classic rock sound.

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[MegaG]

I have the 9 speaker system and will be replacing the door and pillar speakers with new component speakers and want to add a subwoofer in the trunk. Am I better off with an aftermarket sub box and speaker or adding an oem sub box and speaker? I am not looking to over power the bass, but do like the thump from classic rock sound.

I would say it depends on the budget. It would likely be more budget friendly to find a factory pull-out but the benefit off an aftermarket can be substantial without going crazy on cost.

It also depends on your space requirements for your trunk. Are you trying to preserve storage space or is that less of a concern. Box location and size can have an effect on cost. The factory location adds cost and can hinder performance if you aren't careful with box and driver selection.

If you go for a factory pull-out, there's are posts on this forum about improvements you can make to it, i.e. adding stuffing, and then later you can always upgrade the driver. Lots of people will recommend skipping that and going straight to the JL Audio Stealthbox and that's a valid solution if it meets your price point and space requirements.

Don't rule out looking for used equipment.

Since you are replacing some of your speakers, look into the posts that talk about Forscan changes, some will find the extra bass coming from the system due to removing the bass roll off can make enough of a short term change to keep you going for awhile but it will not replace the need for sub,

I am taking more of the hobbyist approach with my whole system so I will be experimenting along the way versus a one and done approach.

I bought a 12" refurb from Audiofrog for only $150 and then a basic pre-made 1 CU FT box (under $50) to get in the game and experiment with location and direction of fire and then will likely get a Zenclosure. My golf clubs will only fit across the truck if I keep those pockets clear, I don't want to put my seats down to fit my clubs.

Lots of price points for amps (including mini-amps) but the minimum you want to consider is 300W RMS at 4 ohms but 400 to 500 RMS would be better. A 2 ohm sub will help with the SPL side of things while keeping amp cost down.

Since I bought the AF set-up, I bought a 10" HSU driver on clearance ($40) from Parts Express and a ported Sound Ordinace box that I use for my garage's 2.1 system and its impressive for what I have spent (<$150 excluding amp). I will run some A/B comparisons between it and my AF once I get my install done.

 

[Basscat]

I would say it depends on the budget. It would likely be more budget friendly to find a factory pull-out but the benefit off an aftermarket can be substantial without going crazy on cost.

It also depends on your space requirements for your trunk. Are you trying to preserve storage space or is that less of a concern. Box location and size can have an effect on cost. The factory location adds cost and can hinder performance if you aren't careful with box and driver selection.

If you go for a factory pull-out, there's are posts on this forum about improvements you can make to it, i.e. adding stuffing, and then later you can always upgrade the driver. Lots of people will recommend skipping that and going straight to the JL Audio Stealthbox and that's a valid solution if it meets your price point and space requirements.

Don't rule out looking for used equipment.

Since you are replacing some of your speakers, look into the posts that talk about Forscan changes, some will find the extra bass coming from the system due to removing the bass roll off can make enough of a short term change to keep you going for awhile but it will not replace the need for sub,

I am taking more of the hobbyist approach with my whole system so I will be experimenting along the way versus a one and done approach.

I bought a 12" refurb from Audiofrog for only $150 and then a basic pre-made 1 CU FT box (under $50) to get in the game and experiment with location and direction of fire and then will likely get a Zenclosure. My golf clubs will only fit across the truck if I keep those pockets clear, I don't want to put my seats down to fit my clubs.

Lots of price points for amps (including mini-amps) but the minimum you want to consider is 300W RMS at 4 ohms but 400 to 500 RMS would be better. A 2 ohm sub will help with the SPL side of things while keeping amp cost down.

Since I bought the AF set-up, I bought a 10" HSU driver on clearance ($40) from Parts Express and a ported Sound Ordinace box that I use for my garage's 2.1 system and its impressive for what I have spent (<$150 excluding amp). I will run some A/B comparisons between it and my AF once I get my install done.

I can pick up a take out sub from a wreck being parted out of about a 1/4 of the cost of the JL system. Will the OE unit provide enough bass or would it have to be modified? I would like to tuck the sub in the passenger side behind the wheel well. I can get a box to fit the same location from Audio Design with no speaker that has the option of 10" or 12" speaker. Trying to save as much trunk space as possible. Looking at a 5 channel 100 watt amp and maybe a DSP. I am undecided about replacing the rear speakers as they don't produce much volume now. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[NGOT8R]

I can pick up a take out sub from a wreck being parted out of about a 1/4 of the cost of the JL system. Will the OE unit provide enough bass or would it have to be modified? I would like to tuck the sub in the passenger side behind the wheel well. I can get a box to fit the same location from Audio Design with no speaker that has the option of 10" or 12" speaker. Trying to save as much trunk space as possible. Looking at a 5 channel 100 watt amp and maybe a DSP. I am undecided about replacing the rear speakers as they don't produce much volume now. Any suggestions are welcome.

I run a JL Stealthbox and AudioControl 4.300 and 1.300 amps with DM-608 DSP. I replaced the tweets in A-pillars and added mid-bass drivers to the doors. Sound is now perfect even with LT headers. FYI, my car came with the 12 speaker B&O system and the factory subwoofer did not have nearly enough bass.

 

[MegaG]

I run a JL Stealthbox and AudioControl 4.300 and 1.300 amps with DM-608 DSP. I replaced the tweets in A-pillars and added mid-bass drivers to the doors. Sound is now perfect even with LT headers. FYI, my car came with the 12 speaker B&O system and the factory subwoofer did not have nearly enough bass.

Nice set-up, I thought about going with the mini amp set-up but opted for the larger D series with the built in DSP, couldn't help myself but to be honest, I wish I had gone with separate DSP and amps.

OP,
Many had factory subs and weren't satisified so its really a question you need to answer for yourself. If you have the budget, I recommend going with something other then the factory box.

I had mentioned mini amps generically but here's an endorsement from NGOT8R that has real world experience with them. Sonix has had good open box buys on them in the past.

Again, lots of possibilities depending on your budget & long term goals so it would help knowing them. Some will recommend installing a system that can evolve over time. Do a quality install, sound deaden etc and start with a simple 2.1 system that can be built on. You have the option of adding a quality sub as step one without doing anything else except maybe some Forscan mods and ditching the rear deck speakers.

Note: In a 3-way system, you could argue the most important speaker to replace is the midrange, not the tweeter.

Check out the builds by mikes2017gt, his original build and the 2.0 build.

Since I don't know your immediate and longer terms goals or budget I will share my approach

My journey started with an Audiocontrol D-6.1200 which has built in DSP and is a 6 channel amp. My plan was to run the front active (I have base model, no midrange, so I only need two channel per side to go active) and bridge 5/6 to get 400W RMS @ 4 ohms. I could always add a mono-amp and go 3-way upfront or play around with rear fill.

It was a good plan for a one and done approach, with the Black Friday deal I got on the amp $800), that also made integration fairly simple but I was into car audio in the 80's and early 90's and the more videos I watched and car audio forums I perused the more I wanted to do more despite only driving my car 200 miles per month. I decided the extra money was worth it to me once I looked at it from being a hobby then doing an economical system. I didn't think I drove it enough to justify the cost of the higher builds I was seeing. Besides, if I get my car where I want it with the audio, performance, and appearance mods then I will want to drive it that much more maybe even try some autocrossing.

So where am I now, I just picked up the mono-amp because this is going to be a hobby for me and I will first experiment with rear fill and no rear fill with my extra channels, I may also test bridging two channels for the mid bass to soak them in power and then eventually I would like to try 3-way but I want to build up to it. All that said, I wish I had gone with a quality stand-alone DSP (maybe even a Helix) and SQ amps but that's not for everyone. What I am doing and was always doing was using quality wire, misc items, and paying attention to sound deadening and installation details. I just added a battery for the trunk as well. I do a lot of waiting outside the Doctor's Office these days so I want to be able to keep my system on as long as possible...

 

[MegaG]

Basscat,

If you haven't already read it all the way through, read the post that just floated to the top

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/2019-b-o-subwoofer-install-help.118403/

BTW, do you still have your Basscat? Tournament Fish any? I loved my bass fishing tournament days, just had to much going on to stick with it especially when fishing didn't take with the family. Too much time away from them so I am back to hobbies I can do in the garage for the most part...

 

[S550_Newbie]

I am in the process of installing (finishing up) a replacement system. I ordered and premade harness from plugnplaykits.com custom made for the S550. It plugs into your stock amplifier and you can choose to use whatever line out converter you want. I went with an Audiocontrol LC6.1200 because Joe is almost done with another custom harness that will allow you to use your own amplifier to feed the stock speakers on the factory head unit. So far so good. I installed a ported 10" JL Audio dedicated sub and I am working on installing Infinity Harman reference speakers in the other 9 locations. The sub sounds great and you can adjust the settings on the audiocontrol amps to get as little or as much bass as you want. I listen to a lot of different genres so I want a good balanced system that can play everything and sound good while doing it.

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