Attention Car Audio Guys

[stevemainian]

I bought a new 8" woofer to replace the blown factory woofer. I bought the box deigned for the 8", and its running off the factory amp. Everything sounds good when the trunk is open and ur sitting in the car, but when you shut the trunk, the bass becomes muffled and can barley hear it. Nice and loud=trunk open - Muffled bass=trunk closed.

I was wondering if any of you knew something I dont... I have the sub pointed towards the back seat, and it didnt sound different pointing it in different directions. Maybe if I mount it somehow where the old sub was...???

 

[n8rsk8r]

get a new amp, bass is more of a frequency, so pointing the sub in different directions can help it if your power level is correct and is a solid signal, your case the factory amp is seriously underpowering the speaker, and not reproducing a signal that will benifit from that. Keep in mind most factory car systems have little or very minor wattage for the system, and the system is designed around the "lack"(in my opinion) of power. You install a speaker that is made to run at (let's say) 200 watts RMS(continuous power) then you will have a big problem because your factory amp is only producing (let's say) 40watts. It isn't getting the correct juice(power/signal) to reproduce the kind of sound/frequency that you were expecting and that the speaker is designed to work with. It can also hurt the speaker.

just some food for thought!

 

[stevemainian]

Its rated 200 watts at max power handling. It doesnt list continous power. Im guessings its around 100 oe 120. The amp now is producing 80(factory).. Would a new amp be easy to swap out and replace with the current one?

 

[n8rsk8r]

it is not bad, you can get connectors that cutout the factory amp, and then you can get a device called a lineout input device or lineout converter. What it does is takes the signal from the back speakers or the amp cutout plug and turns it into a RC jack to run the signal to your amp. I just saw in my new caraudio and security magazine that JL Audio actually has a just wires that do that, you can take a regular signal wire and run it to the little plug, and it has an RC plug at the other end, you can then plug it into the amp signal in jack, because all an amp does is takes a signal/music and booosts it for reproducton on a loudspeaker ie. sub. So your deal is you want to take the signal and get it to an aftermarket amp! I hope that helped! Let me know.

 

[stevemainian]

it is not bad, you can get connectors that cutout the factory amp, and then you can get a device called a lineout input device or lineout converter. What it does is takes the signal from the back speakers or the amp cutout plug and turns it into a RC jack to run the signal to your amp. I just saw in my new caraudio and security magazine that JL Audio actually has a just wires that do that, you can take a regular signal wire and run it to the little plug, and it has an RC plug at the other end, you can then plug it into the amp signal in jack, because all an amp does is takes a signal/music and booosts it for reproducton on a loudspeaker ie. sub. So your deal is you want to take the signal and get it to an aftermarket amp! I hope that helped! Let me know.

Where can I find that? I already checked the JL site, nothing.

 

[n8rsk8r]

http://www.installer.com/hilo/ this is something like you will need, there are tonz of different styles, but get online or go to the best local shop, not best buy, the local spot and pick one up, I bought one that is goood quality for $50.00. when I first got the sho, that was 5 yrs ago, I am sure the price has came down by now, don't know cause I have yanked the factory out a looong time ago.

Nathan

EDIT: mine is the soundgate LOCHVA I guess I got a deal, it is STILL 64.95, soundgate is a goood brand!

 

[stevemainian]

Would the first one listed on that site work also? I really dont want to pay 60 some dollars for it.

 

[FSUSHO]

Radio Shack has line level converters for about $15. Don't quote me exactly on that price, but they are alot cheaper than one that has a brand name stamped on them.

 

[n8rsk8r]

you get what you pay for, that old saying is true. Try it out and let us know!

 

[Brandontw]

u would be alot better off getting a new amp "about 200 watts rms minimum" then get a better sub like a 10" or 12"name brand sub. another idea is to add sound deadener on the inside of the trunk, it may sound like the oposite of what you need, but it helps get rid of wierd resonant frequencies and such that may be cancelling out some of the clarity and thump of your bass. and can acually make your cabin bass sound louder.

 

[stevemainian]

Well the subwoofer box says 200 watts maximum input, therefore thats the PEAK power. In general rule of thumb, the RMS power is half of what the PEAK power is(if the PEAK power isnt inflated by the manufactuer). So thats means this 8" has 100 watts RMS. If im right, the stock amp pumps 80 watts, it needs 100.

Would 20 extra watts really make a difference?

The bass already sounds good from it, its just that the trunk doesnt let the sound escape, pretty much trapping it in there. I then conducted a test, i got some shoe boxes (2 of them), and placed the sub on top of the box, so the woofer is point outward out of the stock grill made for the stock sub(i basically moved it up so it sat in the same place the 6.5" did) And it sounded so much better. So if I can find a better way to have it sit at that point instead of sitting on shoe boxes(ghetto way), it would be fine.