Well Tim was right, it didn't take long for me to wanna start upgrading again. I decided that my head unit was holding me back due to only having 1 RCA out at 2v, powering 2 amps split many times. Problem with this is that if i want more bass out of my subs, it also puts more bass into my rears/fronts, and we all know what that means...

Anyway i'm picking up my new head unit next week, it's a Panasonic 8400, 3d display, 3 RCA outs @ 5v (front, rear, sub), remote, MP3 and the usual head unit stuff.

Thanks to SLYTS6 who is building me a dual sub box designed to fit a 2nd gen boot, As he has done one himself and is a tradey. Along with this dual sub box i will also be making both subs the same model, not sure whether to buy 2 new subs or try and find one like my pioneer i have in there (they seem pretty hard to find now).
I'm looking at a couple of clarion subs, but i'm not 100% sure on clarion as i've heard bad stories about their speakers. What subs do people recommend rated at around 600w+ max or 2-300w+ rms? I would have a budget of about $200 for both subs not including box.

Then in the near future i look to add an LCD screen, i'm going to get one designed for a headrest and mod the mounting brackets so that it sits at the start of the centre console in the little box bit. On early TR's there was no lid so i'm going to make it seem like a lid and then when you flip it up, hey there it is. Then hook this up to a PS2 or my old little PSONE depending on whether i'm playing games or just wanna watch movies, but i'll make sure it's easily swappable :).

Any questions, comments, advice, cooking recipes are more than welcome guys :D.

Cheers :).

P.S. I'm not sure whether to sell my Sanyo HU or not, how much would i be able to sell my sanyo FXD-780GD for? See for sale section for more details :).

Its no good having an enclosure(Box) built without having the subs you want..
You cannot stick just any sub into any enclosure and expect top results, you need to buy the subs or use the subs you have then get the enclosure built to suite the subs..
Different subs require different internal dimesnions(Internal Box sizes) to work at their Best..

If you go with Clarion then they will require a different sized enclosure to a Set of Rockford Fosgate Punch's.

Look at getting the subs first, enclosure later...

Dont sell the Sanyo Headunit as when you sell the car you can re-install the old one and keep the Panasonic for your next car..

oooo sounds good TR-Envy. sorry to be a useless post as i cant really help you much on your dilemma but sounds like a sweet install your going to do, make sure you include many fully sik neons uleh

"I would have a budget of about $200 for both subs not including box."

Theirs your main problem, tim will back me up on this.

200 is not even enough to buy ONE decent sub, yet you want two for that price?

Yo MIGHT be able to find a half decent sub second hand for 200, but I still doubt it.

Save up at least another 100 bucks and spend 300 on one second hand decent sub.

Because i can guarantte if you buy two subs for 200 bucks, its going to be a waste.

Do it once, and do it right, or you will be spending more money down the track to upgrade again.

Magnat is right dude.

like u said, i did build mine, but i built it custom, as close to the factory specs as possible.

mine required something like 1.2cubic feet for each sub. now trying to fit a 2.5+ cubic foot box into a 2nd gen is no easy task. (well, it is if you plan on never getting a flat).

id have to say to fetch your subs and give me a copy of the specs...

if they are similar specs to my subs, ill pretty much copy my box..

but if u want, i can just copy mine anyway. itl work, but i wont promise the best possible sound out of it...

just let me know what you wanna do. :)

Budget of $200.. Easy, Budget subs can be Had for $99.. I would advise on Budgeting for a Minimum of $300 as this will open the Range up

The Clarion V-Nett Subs are your Best Bet in this range... Clarion make excellent Entry Level gear and their V-Net subs Perform really well..
Sticking to 10 inch Subs makes your Goal a little more achievable...
Pioneer and JBL make 10 inch subs in this Price Bracket that would make the Boom go well

http://www.strathfield.com/Products.asp?CatID=174


Clarion V-Net subs go good....http://www.realmofexcursion.com/videos/Clarion/vnet12.1.wmv 2Mb Video




You can get an MTX through Strathfield for $119...See Here

http://www.strathfield.com/ViewProduct.asp?ProdID=537

Those MTX subs look ok, would they suit a similar enclosure to yours slyts6?
They are 400w and my boss amp outputs 600, but i've heard that it's not really 600 watts, but should i stay safe just in case?
I reckon i could pick up the 2 subs for $200 :).

I got 2 alpine type S subs and a duel box which i might be selling shortley mate..

stereo is slowing me boost down hahah

Just build the box. Most 12" subs are happy in 30L of sealed enclosure. Make the box the width you want, adjust the height and width until you get the magical 60L for 2x12" drivers.

Go a sealed box. Ported boxes only serve to make mediocre drivers sound bad. They point out all the inaccuracies of the driver. Sealed also removes those pesky port tuning problems. I also find ported boxes 'chuffy' as the air moves in the port.

Those Clarions are good if you like SQ more than SPL. The MTX's are the other way around, good SPL but not as clean quality-wise.

Stay away from Sony and Kenwood at this price point. The subs have a habit of dying quickly. The Sony's rely on the fact most people will not throw alot of power into them (200W max) and they work ok at this level. Kenwoods just suck, period.

I may be able to source you Pioneer TS-W306C's for about $100 plus any frieght. They were this price as a special, but should be able to twist an arm or two. Note that these are recommended to have 35.4L of sealed enclosure per sub..... a bit more than normal. A 60L box would make them a bit punchier and controlled.
http://www.pioneeraus.com.au/car_entertainment/subwoofers/tsw306c/index.html

Add $100 to your budget and you could go for the higher level MTX subs for $169 each(forget model sorry but these are what I am talking about http://www.strathfield.com/ViewProduct.asp?ProdID=1006 ). These would be ok ported. Also the JBL GT4-12's (sorry guys, I had to) and are about $130 each also (they are 300W RMS, 1000W peak). Ask Sharkie28 how Joel's subs go....

I cannot tell you how much more quality and power handling an extra $20-$30 per driver will get you at this end of the market. It's worth going for the JBL's over the MTX's for the extra $10 per driver. Its also worth going to the $170 of the bigger MTX driver over the JBL.

I'm mighty impressed with Dee's single VIBE 12" sub, awesome detail in it. That's about $430 worth I think though....you get what you pay for - usually.

JBL 10 inchers could be had for $99each and as we all know JBL thump Hard !!!

( The ones in MitsiMonsta's Avatar)
http://www.strathfield.com/ViewProduct.asp?ProdID=569

They are NOT the ones in my avatar! My avatar are the 12" variety thankyou. :rant:

But yes, awesome choice of sub, the have come down in price since I bought them too... I paid $150 and that was on special just after Xmas... They were at $170 at that stage.

If you can get/find the 15" versions of them, I'd be mighty interested.....

$99/sub for a 10 incher with a JBL logo? Great price but I'd pay the extra $40 for two 12's.

I'm definately getting 2 x 12".
Hmmm so the 12" JBL would be a better option to the cheaper MTX, but the dearer MTX would be even better hmmm...

I might end up with the JBL, just depends on what deals Strathfield will give me.
These look alright: http://www.strathfield.com/ViewProduct.asp?ProdID=716

Monga, thanks but no point, postage from WA would be more than the subs lol.

With the whole 30L per sub thing, thats what i figured, if i just made say a 60L enclosure it would be ok for most subs, but i think i'll wait and see what the specs are :).

Another thing is i have an old Pioneer and an old Boss sub atm, the boss has had it, but the pioneer is still kicking strong, another option would be to try and track down another sub like the pioneer one, dunno my chances though.

I wouldn't wanna spend any more than $250, so JBL looks to be the goods so far (adds another brand to my system LOL).

One 60Litre Enclosure is not gonna sound very good as you will have Two subs in the same enclosure..

A Divided 60 litre enclosure would be the smarter Idea but the internal Volume would then drop to around 28 litres in Each..
If you do go the Large enclosure, you will have Big Bass, Short Sub life and an enclosure that will be prone to flex..

They are NOT the ones in my avatar! My avatar are the 12" variety thankyou. :rant:

But yes, awesome choice of sub, the have come down in price since I bought them too... I paid $150 and that was on special just after Xmas... They were at $170 at that stage.

If you can get/find the 15" versions of them, I'd be mighty interested.....

$99/sub for a 10 incher with a JBL logo? Great price but I'd pay the extra $40 for two 12's.

I apologise... I saw the 1000W Rating and Naturally Assumed they were the 10 inchers as they have a 1000W rating on them aswell..

Why do you guys keep going on the max power rating?

http://www.strathfield.com/ViewProduct.asp?ProdID=716
If you gave that sub their any where near 1000 watts you would destroy it within seconds.

Id be suprised if it could take its advertised 250 watts rms power rating without trouble.

You have to remember max power rating is absolute bull**** figures which mean nothing, if you stay with the RMS figures you will have no trouble what so ever.

Yes i understand RMS power is the one to acknowledge, i just didn't wanna over power the subs thats all, so what subs do you recommend ascension?

Ascension will probably recommend a IDmax or a Adire Brahma or another sub that is going to cost more then your allocated Budget..

Yes I am more then aware of Peak Wattages. the 1000W I was refering to is on the front of the JBL woofer...
We all know it takes a Really Beefy Built sub with 3inch Vented Voice Coils and a Humongous motor structure to take 1000W RMS... KOVE Audio and MTX Jackhammers do a good job of Burping that kind of power...

So regarding bang for buck, the JBL's will do alright?

Sure will...
12 inch JBL GT4's go off in Nice Sealed enclosure and even Better in Large Ported ones...

Ahhh except i cant get that sub here in vic, only interstate :cry: .

Having an amp that has a greater power specifications then the driver is a pretty recommended thing.

Overpowering speakers is not a problem like you think it may be, I would much prefer to have an amp thats rated at 200 watts driving a speaker only rated at 100 watts then having an amp less powerfull then the speaker rating.

Why you ask?

Simply, if you have an amp rated at say 75 watts powering a speaker rated at 100 watts, by the time the amp gets anywhere near its full power potential the music is going to become very sloppy for many reasons.
If you have a 200 watt amp, it could ouput 100 watts of very very clean power because it still has a lot of headroom to go.

Hence why have a bigger amp for your speakers is much better, thats what the gain knobs are for ;)

But since you already have your amp, then none of this really matters for you unless your going to buy a new amp. At this point now, just picking the best sub is the most important factor here.

And I really think you should get one decent sub, for 300 bucks you could get a nice JL audio sub. Magnat if you read my previous post, youd see I recommended him to spend the 300 dollars on ONE sub, I didnt mention anything along the lines of IDMAX or whatever.
So how about reading posts before jumping to conclusions.

TR-Envy if your still thinking about buying 2 subs from strathfield, please try and find someone thats has them so you can listen to the subs first before you buy them please.

Going a single higher quality 12" driver or even 1x 15" driver could also work for you.

Just so you know, all up (amp, 2x JBL's and box plus about 3m of speaker wire) cost me around $800.

Amp was secondhand from another AMC member though. You pay about the same for a Response monoblock from Jaycar however.

As for not being able to get the subs there, thats a problem we can overcome!

No intentions of updating the amp, and i would rather have 2 mediocre subs then 1 good sub.
What other car audio places in vic would sell those JBL subs?
Mitsimonsta do you work at an audio place or something? What kinda deal should i be getting for those 2 subs? close to the $200 mark for 2?

"and i would rather have 2 mediocre subs then 1 good sub"

So you would rather have mediocre sounding music then good sounding music? :confused:

Okai, I have no problem with that, as long as you understand the output.

"and i would rather have 2 mediocre subs then 1 good sub"

So you would rather have mediocre sounding music then good sounding music? :confused:

Okai, I have no problem with that, as long as you understand the output.
Yes i'd rather sacrifice abit of SQ for abit more SPL :).

i would rather have 2 mediocre subs then 1 good sub.

:nuts:

I can thoroughly agree with his statement..
Not everyone is after SQ..
Straight out Blatant Bass Performance will come from Two Subs , not one..
More Cone Space = More Bass..

I would rather see Two Clarion V-Nett Subs in a Well Tuned Enclosure pumping out straight out Loud Bass then to see one single slightly Better sub...

I had Two 10inch Pioneer Diamond Plate Subs in Two Seperate Bandpass Enclosures Tuned for 47Hz and the Bass was Outstanding.. I catch the Bandwagon of Having one single 12 inch High Quality sub (Sound Stream SPL Mule) installed in an enclosure Built for it and the results were up setting... So I went Back to having two lesser known Subs and had a much better performance..
Now I have my Two Magnat XTC 1200's I am happy as a Pig in Mud...

I can thoroughly agree with his statement..
Not everyone is after SQ..
Straight out Blatant Bass Performance will come from Two Subs , not one..
More Cone Space = More Bass..

I would rather see Two Clarion V-Nett Subs in a Well Tuned Enclosure pumping out straight out Loud Bass then to see one single slightly Better sub...

I had Two 10inch Pioneer Diamond Plate Subs in Two Seperate Bandpass Enclosures Tuned for 47Hz and the Bass was Outstanding.. I catch the Bandwagon of Having one single 12 inch High Quality sub (Sound Stream SPL Mule) installed in an enclosure Built for it and the results were up setting... So I went Back to having two lesser known Subs and had a much better performance..
Now I have my Two Magnat XTC 1200's I am happy as a Pig in Mud...

Yeh that's exactly what i found, you just cant beat the bass from 2 subs compared to 1. As an experiment i had my good sub running on 2 channels, then when i got another sub i put them both on 1 channel each, and it wasn't so much louder, just alot more bass. I would rather have this extra bass than a crisper sound, i mean most of the time my middle flap will be closed so SQ wont mean much as long as the sub puts out a good thump :).

At the moment i'm trying to find a sub like my good one, it's a pioneer 600w sub, it's grey in the middle with like a silver insert poking out of the very middle. A guy on here was selling 2 in a box but he wouldn't seperate. If anyone knows anyone selling one let me know please :).

i'm *thinking* about selling my subs ... not the same as what you have but still a pioneer sub cant remember the model number but they are 500wrms a piece or so they say

looking at $100 each ... wont seperate and wont budge on price ... will be $200 plus postage ... no offers ... anything less i might as well give them away

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21182

there is some pics ... box is prolly for sale as well seeing it's no longer any use to me either

What other car audio places in vic would sell those JBL subs?
Mitsimonsta do you work at an audio place or something? What kinda deal should i be getting for those 2 subs? close to the $200 mark for 2?
You can't mail order to Victoria from Strathfield?? Don't they have Stathfields in Vic? I thought there was one in Dandenong.... just near the markets there.

If you are serious and you want them, I can pick them up and send them down, but I would be doing a Google search for JBL restricted to Australia. You should find some retailers. S_tim_ulate might be able to point you in the right direction.

No I don't work at a car audio place, but my step-son's father works at a JB Hifi in Sydney.

As mentioned, the Pioneers are widely available. Just wait for a sale.... JB's had them for $99 each at an opening sale at one of their Sydney stores recently. I should be able to get them for this, but probably if it was only for me. They normally retail for the $140-150 each mark.


One 60Litre Enclosure is not gonna sound very good as you will have Two subs in the same enclosure..
That's exactly what I have mate.... 60L sealed enclosure, common airspace. I can understand if you were running them off two separate channels of an amp (gain difference) but I'm running them in parallel off a monoblock, so they both get the same power.

There is a brace inside the box to combat flexing - however - it has a big hole cut out of the centre.


Why do you guys keep going on the max power rating?

http://www.strathfield.com/ViewProduct.asp?ProdID=716
If you gave that sub their any where near 1000 watts you would destroy it within seconds.

Id be suprised if it could take its advertised 250 watts rms power rating without trouble.

You have to remember max power rating is absolute bull**** figures which mean nothing, if you stay with the RMS figures you will have no trouble what so ever.
I did mention that the 1000W was a peak (or PMPO) figure. I also mentioned that they are 300W RMS. They actually are higher than the 250W RMS rating, JBL actually under-rate their subs like alot of other companies.

I mentioned my avatar, with the 1000W on it. That was why I mentioned that it was a peak rating, but that seems to have been lost on you.

As for the 1000W killing it, I've seen them used as cheap SPL subs and they have taken 1000W quite happily in short bursts.

You need to remember that JBL is an audio company with its roots in PA and concert speaker systems. Some of those pro audio cabinets can take 3 times as much power as they are rated without any ill effects. I'm not saying that is the case here, but Im feeding them around 375-400W worth of gain out of my 500W JL monoblock in parallel configuration and they are just fine.

I find most people kill subs by providing them with a massively clipped input. Yes, too much power is a bad thing, if it's bottoming out then you are giving it too much, but I am yet to acheive anything like that with these subs.

If you are after Max Bass TR Envy, get a Bandpass enclosure...
http://www.audiooutfitter.com/images/items/abp8.jpg

Problem is finding one that suites your Budget...

Theirs a strathfield in highpoint if you wanna go their.

Just do a yellowpages search. www.yellowpages.com.au

On the strathfield website it says the availabilty of that sub is not in victoria, i am aware of a fair few strathfields in vic but none have that sub. If you can pick 2 up for $200 i'm definately interested, but will have to wait a week or 2.

Go in and see them.. See what they have going...
If it is JBL then thats cool...

I never looked at the store availability.

I'd ask at your local store if they can get them in from another store for you.

I saw these in the Penrith store 2 weeks ago, they had about 8 of 'em and they aren't mentioned on the webiste either.

Any of the Newy/Maitland boys able to check the Maitland store? I got mine there.

you just have to remember your going to be underpowering those subs by quite a bit.

you said you have a 600 watt boss amp, so 600 watts peak power means in the BEST situation you have about 300 wrms. But being boss i wouldnt be suprised if its a bit less.

So lets say best case scenario you have 300 wrms ontap.

Your going to buy two subs each being 250wrms each. (if you buy those JBL ones)

That means your subs will only be getting 150wrms each, sometimes subs dont like to perform to good if they are being underpowered, your going to only be giving them nearly half their rated power.

And thats best case scenario.

But 150wrms should be enough to get them going, so should be still okai.

you just have to remember your going to be underpowering those subs by quite a bit.

you said you have a 600 watt boss amp, so 600 watts peak power means in the BEST situation you have about 300 wrms. But being boss i wouldnt be suprised if its a bit less.

So lets say best case scenario you have 300 wrms ontap.

Your going to buy two subs each being 250wrms each. (if you buy those JBL ones)

That means your subs will only be getting 150wrms each, sometimes subs dont like to perform to good if they are being underpowered, your going to only be giving them nearly half their rated power.

And thats best case scenario.

But 150wrms should be enough to get them going, so should be still okai.

Sorry i should have been more clear, the BOSS amp is a 1200watt amp, 4 channel, i'm running it as 2 channels, so it has 600w per channel (running 1 sub each). Thats why i was looking at 600w max subs.


ANYWAY - Update i have my new head unit in and the sound quality has just quadroopled(sp.?). I'm amazed how much better it sounds just from upgrading the head unit. Cant wait til i get a decent pair of subs in there :D.

Also Autobarn are selling those clarion 600w subs in a box for $129, how does this sounnd? though the boxes look pretty small, even look abit like 10 inch boxes, anyway of checking? I could buy 2 of these for $250, would that be a good deal?

so what deck did you get again ??

so what deck did you get again ??
Panasonic CQ-C8400, RRP $719, picked it up brand new for $370 (superceded model, but not alot of difference).
Link:
http://panasonic.com.au/products/details.cfm?productID=143&contextID=12

At the moment i'm just converting some images and video files to the HU format, gonna load them onto the deck later today :D.

well i gotta say thats a jam packed HU - but the pictire of the chrome looks ultra tacky. we sell these at work (great price you picked it up for btw) and they look real tacky.

but i will retract these statements when i see it in your car. cause i havent seen one in a car yet. so should be good to see if it looks good or tacky still

Sweet Mutha of Mercy thats one sweet Deck... Well done...

well i gotta say thats a jam packed HU - but the pictire of the chrome looks ultra tacky. we sell these at work (great price you picked it up for btw) and they look real tacky.

but i will retract these statements when i see it in your car. cause i havent seen one in a car yet. so should be good to see if it looks good or tacky still
Yeh not plugged in it does a little, but when it's all in and the lights are all up looks sweet as, but i'm not taking any pics until i paint my console silver :P.


Sweet Mutha of Mercy thats one sweet Deck... Well done...

lol thanks, now i just gotta get some nice subs to go with it (actually my subs atm are doing VERY well considering, the improvement in bass was incredible just with the new head unit. I guess having a deadicated sub output really helps.)

Yeh not plugged in it does a little, but when it's all in and the lights are all up looks sweet as, but i'm not taking any pics until i paint my console silver :P.

ooo silver console cant wait dood! (ever condsidered painting it a 2 tone pearly color at all?)

but you picked up that HU for a song - whered ya buy that from anyway?

ooo silver console cant wait dood! (ever condsidered painting it a 2 tone pearly color at all?)

but you picked up that HU for a song - whered ya buy that from anyway?
JB HI-FI in Narre Warren.
I reckon it looks alright and the features and quality of the sound is just awesome, sh!ts all over my old deck, though my old deck was very reliable and was still going strong.