Need Info on Subwoofers

[karrann]

So trying to get more bass out of the S4. System is stock right now Thinking about putting two 12' Subwoofers in, Expect I don't know anything on how to install them or what I need. Im not tying to spend a whole lot of money. What are some good subs? Im sure I'll need an Amp so any suggestion on that? And do I need anything special to make them work?

[1dopea4]

i have 2 12 inch kickers, with a 1000w amp. do you have a aftermarket head unit? if not you need to connect your rear deck speakers to a conversion to RCA to run to the amp.

edit: a pic of converter

[karrann]

Those were the ones I was looking at. Kicker C124. I can get them for around $50 each new. What kinda of amp do you have? And I do not have a after market head unit. Is the wiring complicated? And does that converter go to the oem subs?

[frekieloose]

First:
Go to ebay and type in "double din stereo" buy one for like 100 bucks, along with a double din conversion kit for the s4, 10$
these give you a nice clean touch screen head unit that doesnt need to pop out so you can keep your s4 classy

Second: again on ebay get your choice of rockford fosgate p1, p2 or p3
p1's go for about 90 bucks a piece and you will be completley satisfied with the loudness and quality I promise
p3's go for about 170 a piece and the loudness is enough to set off car alarms next you you
get single coil 4 ohm speakers unless you want a lot of power and know what your doing then get dual coil 2ohm/4ohm

Third: ebay, get a rockford fosgate monoblock amp to power both of your 12's,
rockford fosgate makes amps that will match up to the speakers you buy for a decent price
if you cant afford a good rockford amp then go with a kenwood because they are cheap and good, but it might overheat from time to time

Wiring everything is easy just look up info on subwoofer installs
the basic hard stuff is wiring + from your trunk to your battery
finding a good spot for the - cable
wiring aux cables from trunk to head unit

its pretty easy to hide all the cables in the s4 through the panels under your door

Also KICKERS SUCK!!!!!!! Your driving an s4 not a honda civic, keep it classy man

[black99.5a4]

best way to make a sub work and sound with a factory stereo is by using a JL clean sweep.

[wannabeS4]

You don't need a converter or after market head unit, just tap into the line level wires in the harness for stock bose amp.

[karrann]

First:
Go to ebay and type in "double din stereo" buy one for like 100 bucks, along with a double din conversion kit for the s4, 10$
these give you a nice clean touch screen head unit that doesnt need to pop out so you can keep your s4 classy

Second: again on ebay get your choice of rockford fosgate p1, p2 or p3
p1's go for about 90 bucks a piece and you will be completley satisfied with the loudness and quality I promise
p3's go for about 170 a piece and the loudness is enough to set off car alarms next you you
get single coil 4 ohm speakers unless you want a lot of power and know what your doing then get dual coil 2ohm/4ohm

Third: ebay, get a rockford fosgate monoblock amp to power both of your 12's,
rockford fosgate makes amps that will match up to the speakers you buy for a decent price
if you cant afford a good rockford amp then go with a kenwood because they are cheap and good, but it might overheat from time to time

Wiring everything is easy just look up info on subwoofer installs
the basic hard stuff is wiring + from your trunk to your battery
finding a good spot for the - cable
wiring aux cables from trunk to head unit

its pretty easy to hide all the cables in the s4 through the panels under your door

Also KICKERS SUCK!!!!!!! Your driving an s4 not a honda civic, keep it classy man

Good info! Anyway to do this without replacing the Factory Stereo?

[somebody5788]

One 12" Walmart special (Sony) sub at around 300w RMS is enough to shake the rear view mirror out of position. Why on earth would anyone need 2.... I've decided I'm not putting a sub in the S unless I can learn to build a stealth box in the area where the tool box and CD changer would normally be.

[AuDi S4B5]

Im selling 3 12" pioneer champion series that are only 6 months old. With a alpine V power amp and a capacitor. You dont need an after market head deck but some people prefer them to be able to adjust the sound settings more than just the normal stock S4 one. Wiring to your battery to your amp isnt too hard, but you will also need a remote turn on wire so it doesnt stay on even when the cars off (drain your battery). You also have a stock bose amplifier that you could tap into. Not 100% on how to do that since i have put my subs into the s4 yet. But they will sound great cause everything in the S4 is pretty solid so there wont be much rattling or anything like that.

[frekieloose]

Good info! Anyway to do this without replacing the Factory Stereo?

I would highly recommend replacing your head unit but ya you can get adapters like the ones posted previously but it will never sound as good as you want it too

[frekieloose]

Im selling 3 12" pioneer champion series that are only 6 months old. With a alpine V power amp and a capacitor. You dont need an after market head deck but some people prefer them to be able to adjust the sound settings more than just the normal stock S4 one. Wiring to your battery to your amp isnt too hard, but you will also need a remote turn on wire so it doesnt stay on even when the cars off (drain your battery). You also have a stock bose amplifier that you could tap into. Not 100% on how to do that since i have put my subs into the s4 yet. But they will sound great cause everything in the S4 is pretty solid so there wont be much rattling or anything like that.

Good info but capacitors are useless

[Rdp616]

2 12's? Overkill in my opinion.. Once i get around to audio stuff i'm going with 1 Sundown Audio SA 8" Yes, an 8 inch sub. After hearing one you would think it's a 15". They pack a massive punch for their size. But in all honesty. I wouldn't put a sub in my car until it had a thorough dynamat job. The stuff is pricey but it works.

[AuDi S4B5]

Good info but capacitors are useless

Depends, it was useful when i was pushing 800 watts into 3 12" subs. But if you dont need alot of power then yes, i agree they are useless.

[s4andtls]

I've had a pair of JL w6's 10"in my trunk and some 8" mb quart in the rear deck for a few years. BUT-I am convinced that a couple 8" JL subs in the rear deck location (not doors) is all you'll need. Not having to fight thru the rear seat is a big factor. I will also be adding some speakers to the rear doors. Personally I don't like having all the weight in the trunk. I will report in a few months on how it sounds, as I've always had high quality sound.

[frekieloose]

Depends, it was useful when i was pushing 800 watts into 3 12" subs. But if you dont need alot of power then yes, i agree they are useless.

First off 800 watts is norhing... and a capacitor is useless for all applications

[black99.5a4]

I've had a pair of JL w6's 10"in my trunk and some 8" mb quart in the rear deck for a few years. BUT-I am convinced that a couple 8" JL subs in the rear deck location (not doors) is all you'll need. Not having to fight thru the rear seat is a big factor. I will also be adding some speakers to the rear doors. Personally I don't like having all the weight in the trunk. I will report in a few months on how it sounds, as I've always had high quality sound.

what'd you use to cut the rear deck?

[s4andtls]

what'd you use to cut the rear deck?

My audio guy cut it, but if I recall it wasn't a big expense. Sorry I don't remember what he used. I did check and the depth of the JL 8" subs will not be a problem either as they will fit rear deck.

[black99.5a4]

My audio guy cut it, but if I recall it wasn't a big expense. Sorry I don't remember what he used. I did check and the depth of the JL 8" subs will not be a problem either as they will fit rear deck.

my only concern would be the way they sound free air.

[Ben1415]

I have 2 diamond d3 12's for sale with a diamond hex amp that comes with a good box and possibly the adapter you need if your car has MMI. Pm me if interested, I need to get rid of them. Sound amazing even on just the factory unit right now.

[AuDi S4B5]

Trust me i know, but suprisingly i wouldnt want anymore power. It depends on the frequency as well. Lower bass i believe requires more power.

[Shhmaudi]

Caps are band aids to you power problems =not necessary

For the record my 10 kicker L7 sounds awesome in my custom fiberglass sub enclosure I made..

Are you going for a full sounding system or are you hunting for bass? SPL vs SQL?

free air setup.. Requires alot of modification to seal the trunk from the cabin.. Most of the mods are irreversible btw..

[csre9]

Spend your money well and buy a good quality 12" subwoofer and a ported box. I highly reccomend Alpine when it comes to subwoofers. I love my Alpine subwoofer/amp combo and recieve compliments frequently. When it comes to audio as those have mentioned, you get the quality you pay for without a doubt...please save yourself some money and check out onlinecarstereo.com, they have the best deals by far.

Best of luck

[Shhmaudi]

^^true, I had a type r 12in ported box for that sub and it pounded louder than my 2 12's infinitys sealed.. back in my bass days lol

My buddies jl w6v2 got lower tho.. and just as loud in a small sealed lol

[97B518TQM]

It's amazing how 80% of the people responding in this thread are clueless and recommend crap like Kicker and sony subs, caps, and rockford fostage P-series crap.
I used to professionally compete in dg drag races, which is sound competitions with subs. A well designed and build box with a 10" subwoofer (good sub, not some walmart or best buy crap) is all you need and then some.
Get a 10" Image Dynamics subwoofer online. Depending on how much you want to spend either get the IDQ version (cheaper) or the IDMax (expensive but one of the better subs on the market). A 10" IDQ sub requires a small ported box, nothing huge like the Kicker Solobarics want, for example. A 1.25 cu.ft ported box is plenty. You will never guess what that sub can do in terms of quality of sound and plenty loud and vibrations, if you want them. As for an amp, you won't be able to notice too much difference with everyday listening IF the amp is set and configured properly for the sub. Underpowering and overpowering a sub produces the same crappy sound. I like the Phoenix Gold Titanium amplifiers. They are older, not made anymore, but have a very nice clean output and have become affordable.
Ebay is your best friend when it comes to this stuff if you want to have stuff you would never otherwise be able to afford.
Other sub brands you should consider are Resonant Engineering, Elemental Design, Morel, and even JL subs but mostly the W6 and higher models. There are a few more but you wouldn't want to spend even half of what they cost. For an average sounding sub even the Alpine type R subs are ok, although not get. Same with Diamond Audio, they are decent for their relatively low price tag.
Brands to stay away from for subs: Audiobahn, Boss, Pyle, Pyramid, Sony, Kicker, and pretty much all the subs you see in walmart and best buy.
Remember, a $500 sub can sound like a $50 sub in the wrong size and type of box. Almost the same applies in reverse, but not as drastic. The box is almost as important as the sub.

[97B518TQM]

^^true, I had a type r 12in ported box for that sub and it pounded louder than my 2 12's infinitys sealed.. back in my bass days lol

My buddies jl w6v2 got lower tho.. and just as loud in a small sealed lol

The JL W6v2 is made for smaller boxes. The Alpine Type R needs a significantly bigger sealed box and a much bigger ported box to get really low. A reasonable size ported box for a Type R is about 2.5 cu.ft minimum, despite what the manual may say. I have modeled too many responses of all possible subs out there based on their characteristics and specs. Again, the box is almost as important as the actual sub, IF you want a good quality sounding system. If you just want to be loud and annoy the people around you, who might be tired or have problems on their mind, then even a walmart sub will do the job.

[somebody5788]

The JL W6v2 is made for smaller boxes. The Alpine Type R needs a significantly bigger sealed box and a much bigger ported box to get really low. A reasonable size ported box for a Type R is about 2.5 cu.ft minimum, despite what the manual may say. I have modeled too many responses of all possible subs out there based on their characteristics and specs. Again, the box is almost as important as the actual sub, IF you want a good quality sounding system. If you just want to be loud and annoy the people around you, who might be tired or have problems on their mind, then even a walmart sub will do the job.

I have a 12" Sony from Wal Mart in a 3/4" thick MDF box I built w/ the 1 cubic foot of space it recommended and it honestly sounds just fine. It doesn't get that distortion noise and if one really wants it to be it can be obnoxious it can be or it can be tuned to just compliment the sound system. It's not currently installed though, even a 1 cubic foot box was too much of my trunk gone.

[Jmills]

I have 2 JL Audio W6v2s in a sealed box for sale at a great price if you're interested, shipping will be a lot though

[Operator]

It's amazing how 80% of the people responding in this thread are clueless and recommend crap like Kicker and sony subs, caps, and rockford fostage P-series crap.
I used to professionally compete in dg drag races, which is sound competitions with subs. A well designed and build box with a 10" subwoofer (good sub, not some walmart or best buy crap) is all you need and then some.

Get a 10" Image Dynamics subwoofer online. Depending on how much you want to spend either get the IDQ version (cheaper) or the IDMax (expensive but one of the better subs on the market). A 10" IDQ sub requires a small ported box, nothing huge like the Kicker Solobarics want, for example. A 1.25 cu.ft ported box is plenty. You will never guess what that sub can do in terms of quality of sound and plenty loud and vibrations, if you want them. As for an amp, you won't be able to notice too much difference with everyday listening IF the amp is set and configured properly for the sub. Underpowering and overpowering a sub produces the same crappy sound. I like the Phoenix Gold Titanium amplifiers. They are older, not made anymore, but have a very nice clean output and have become affordable.

Ebay is your best friend when it comes to this stuff if you want to have stuff you would never otherwise be able to afford.
Other sub brands you should consider are Resonant Engineering, Elemental Design, Morel, and even JL subs but mostly the W6 and higher models. There are a few more but you wouldn't want to spend even half of what they cost. For an average sounding sub even the Alpine type R subs are ok, although not get. Same with Diamond Audio, they are decent for their relatively low price tag.

Brands to stay away from for subs: Audiobahn, Boss, Pyle, Pyramid, Sony, Kicker, and pretty much all the subs you see in walmart and best buy.
Remember, a $500 sub can sound like a $50 sub in the wrong size and type of box. Almost the same applies in reverse, but not as drastic. The box is almost as important as the sub.

Informative post. But a couple things. Recently Image Dynamics had a restructuring so it's not known how the build quality will change. And RE went through a similiar change a few years back, and from what I've read, they aren't the company they used to be. Treo and FI Audio are also legit brands to look into.

[97B518TQM]

Informative post. But a couple things. Recently Image Dynamics had a restructuring so it's not known how the build quality will change. And RE went through a similiar change a few years back, and from what I've read, they aren't the company they used to be. Treo and FI Audio are also legit brands to look into.

Correct, and that's why I am recommending older models, like the Image Dynamics IDQ. The new ID models I haven't tried myself and can't speak with confidence so I can't recommend them.

[zay27]

First:
Go to ebay and type in "double din stereo" buy one for like 100 bucks, along with a double din conversion kit for the s4, 10$
these give you a nice clean touch screen head unit that doesnt need to pop out so you can keep your s4 classy

Second: again on ebay get your choice of rockford fosgate p1, p2 or p3
p1's go for about 90 bucks a piece and you will be completley satisfied with the loudness and quality I promise
p3's go for about 170 a piece and the loudness is enough to set off car alarms next you you
get single coil 4 ohm speakers unless you want a lot of power and know what your doing then get dual coil 2ohm/4ohm

Third: ebay, get a rockford fosgate monoblock amp to power both of your 12's,
rockford fosgate makes amps that will match up to the speakers you buy for a decent price
if you cant afford a good rockford amp then go with a kenwood because they are cheap and good, but it might overheat from time to time

Wiring everything is easy just look up info on subwoofer installs
the basic hard stuff is wiring + from your trunk to your battery
finding a good spot for the - cable
wiring aux cables from trunk to head unit

its pretty easy to hide all the cables in the s4 through the panels under your door

Also KICKERS SUCK!!!!!!! Your driving an s4 not a honda civic, keep it classy man

First, dont buy a $100 ebay brand pos headunit, your sound quality will only be as good as the preamps from the hu, spend some money and get a quality piece. i am personally a fan of the interface in alot of pioneers newer units, very user friendly, and very nice to look at.

Second, dont buy rockford fosgate, its really not very good, you will get all the volume you want, and they will probably shake the car a bit, but it wont sound good.

Also, i personally found it a bit easier to run the cables through the center of the car, pull the center console where the cupholders and armrest are and you can run all of your lines through there, under the back seat, and into the trunk. Wiring your front and rear aux cables from the headunit to the amp is easy if you have the factory bose system, as you can wire you preamps into the existing wiring. and just solder rca connections onto the ends of the factory preamps in the trunk, although you will need to run a seperate aux for the subs if you want a dedicated output from the headunit ad the ability to adjust the subs from the headunit. (i just ran my subs of off the front speaker preamp signal and used the filters on the amp to dial everything in.

One other thing, if you want a really clean install, you can pick up some 6.5" jl audio's. This keeps things very oem looking, not to mention they dont take up any space in your trunk. That being said in order to fit them properly you do need to trim away some of the metal in the rear deck, and build a mount for them. That and they wont give you the excessively loud bass that alot of people want these days, but it will provide some bass to fill out where the speakers give out and help with a nice balanced system. The other downside of this approach is that you cannot fine tune the enclosure to the sub (since the enclosure essentially becomes the entire trunk).

[zay27]

my only concern would be the way they sound free air.

I am running 2 6.5" jl subs in the rear deck, and as long as you seal it up right they sounds pretty decent. I use an angle grinder to trim the deck, made mdf mounting plates for the subs that were bolted to the deck, and trimmed and reupholstered the cover on the rear deck to sit flush with the subs and around the mdf mounting panel.

[black99.5a4]

It's amazing how 80% of the people responding in this thread are clueless and recommend crap like Kicker and sony subs, caps, and rockford fostage P-series crap.
I used to professionally compete in dg drag races, which is sound competitions with subs. A well designed and build box with a 10" subwoofer (good sub, not some walmart or best buy crap) is all you need and then some.
Get a 10" Image Dynamics subwoofer online. Depending on how much you want to spend either get the IDQ version (cheaper) or the IDMax (expensive but one of the better subs on the market). A 10" IDQ sub requires a small ported box, nothing huge like the Kicker Solobarics want, for example. A 1.25 cu.ft ported box is plenty. You will never guess what that sub can do in terms of quality of sound and plenty loud and vibrations, if you want them. As for an amp, you won't be able to notice too much difference with everyday listening IF the amp is set and configured properly for the sub. Underpowering and overpowering a sub produces the same crappy sound. I like the Phoenix Gold Titanium amplifiers. They are older, not made anymore, but have a very nice clean output and have become affordable.
Ebay is your best friend when it comes to this stuff if you want to have stuff you would never otherwise be able to afford.
Other sub brands you should consider are Resonant Engineering, Elemental Design, Morel, and even JL subs but mostly the W6 and higher models. There are a few more but you wouldn't want to spend even half of what they cost. For an average sounding sub even the Alpine type R subs are ok, although not get. Same with Diamond Audio, they are decent for their relatively low price tag.
Brands to stay away from for subs: Audiobahn, Boss, Pyle, Pyramid, Sony, Kicker, and pretty much all the subs you see in walmart and best buy.
Remember, a $500 sub can sound like a $50 sub in the wrong size and type of box. Almost the same applies in reverse, but not as drastic. The box is almost as important as the sub.

From what I understand, with ID being bought a few years ago, its gone to shit build wise.

Pyramid from the early 90's was actually worth something. Kicker was until late 90's. I wouldnt' buy a model from them in any line up after the original solo baric. Which I have a 12" s12c original.

[black99.5a4]

I am running 2 6.5" jl subs in the rear deck, and as long as you seal it up right they sounds pretty decent. I use an angle grinder to trim the deck, made mdf mounting plates for the subs that were bolted to the deck, and trimmed and reupholstered the cover on the rear deck to sit flush with the subs and around the mdf mounting panel.

6.5's are what are there and dont really require any boxes for the most part.. we were talking about using 8" JL subs. That's a bit different when it comes to needing a box or not.

[frekieloose]

First, dont buy a $100 ebay brand pos headunit, your sound quality will only be as good as the preamps from the hu, spend some money and get a quality piece. i am personally a fan of the interface in alot of pioneers newer units, very user friendly, and very nice to look at.

Second, dont buy rockford fosgate, its really not very good, you will get all the volume you want, and they will probably shake the car a bit, but it wont sound good.

Also, i personally found it a bit easier to run the cables through the center of the car, pull the center console where the cupholders and armrest are and you can run all of your lines through there, under the back seat, and into the trunk. Wiring your front and rear aux cables from the headunit to the amp is easy if you have the factory bose system, as you can wire you preamps into the existing wiring. and just solder rca connections onto the ends of the factory preamps in the trunk, although you will need to run a seperate aux for the subs if you want a dedicated output from the headunit ad the ability to adjust the subs from the headunit. (i just ran my subs of off the front speaker preamp signal and used the filters on the amp to dial everything in.

One other thing, if you want a really clean install, you can pick up some 6.5" jl audio's. This keeps things very oem looking, not to mention they dont take up any space in your trunk. That being said in order to fit them properly you do need to trim away some of the metal in the rear deck, and build a mount for them. That and they wont give you the excessively loud bass that alot of people want these days, but it will provide some bass to fill out where the speakers give out and help with a nice balanced system. The other downside of this approach is that you cannot fine tune the enclosure to the sub (since the enclosure essentially becomes the entire trunk).

Doesnt matter what head unit you have if your runnin a rockford fosgate mid amp.....
Rockford Fosgate sounds the best, looks the best, hits the hardest, for the least ammount of money
I had 2 rockford fosgate p3's in a sealed enclosure pushing 1200w at 1 ohm and it was the best sounding system ive ever heard
And you would have to be out of your mind to want anything louder than that, but it was so accurate and fast it could keep up with the double bass from all that remains easy, most ported set ups cant

[alm001]

Doesnt matter what head unit you have if your runnin a rockford fosgate mid amp.....
Rockford Fosgate sounds the best, looks the best, hits the hardest, for the least ammount of money
I had 2 rockford fosgate p3's in a sealed enclosure pushing 1200w at 1 ohm and it was the best sounding system ive ever heard
And you would have to be out of your mind to want anything louder than that, but it was so accurate and fast it could keep up with the double bass from all that remains easy, most ported set ups cant

You have got this backwards.

I'm going to say this without posting any of my credentials, but; The amp you use doesn't matter one bit, as long as it can provide the power you need and isn't overdriven.

Don't skimp on a head unit.

As for subs OP, have a look at Dayton HO subs on partsexpress.com. Installed one sealed 10 in a customer's altima coupe with a JL 500/1 tied into the factory system and it sounded great.

[zay27]

The amp gets its audio signal from the hu, shitty preamp outputs means the quality coming out of the amp can only be so good.

Ive had rockfords before, and they hit hard yea, but the sound wasnt all that crisp, they didnt have the kind of response i wanted in terms of filling out where the components up front would give out. I suppose it really depends on what you listen too, the rockford was great for loud bass, but thats not what i wanted. I like a nice balanced setup where bass doesnt have to be loud, but just needs to blend well with the rest of the system.