I want to upgrade!

[breathemetal]

So, I want to upgrade my car's system.

Currently i have two 12's in a vented box running @ 800rms

Yea, it bumps hard. But i want something bigger, and something with more quality sound and not so much pure SPL bang.

So, I'd like to go with a single 15 or dual 15's for the BOOM and maybe some 10's for the tighter bass? I dont know much about how to do it, so im coming here :)

And id also like to upgrade my front speakers and tweets.

My price limit is 1000.00

I already have a good head unit

[pb300]

I'm by no means an expert on the subject but,
From my experience if you're looking for quality sound, bigger drivers and/or ported enclosures are not the way to go. The larger the sub the sloppier the sound gets due to the fact that there is more cone to move. Bigger cone = less ability to produce tight, dynamic bass but higher potential spl.

Ported boxes also add to this. They provide a slight air spring like a sealed box would but only to a certain extent. Once they are sent a frequency below the tuning of the port all sq goes out the window since there is no longer the air spring and the driver is left to unload. Plus ported boxes also add distortion in the form of airflow through the port, very annoying if you're driving an suv.

Also I wouldn't mix different sized subs. Chances are the sound made by the different sizes wouldn't mesh right and something will just sound wrong. Keep in mind that each size/brand/model will produce a slightly different sound depending on materials used and construction methods.

Maybe you should try a different style box first before investing in new subs. See if you can borrow a sealed box off someone to try for a day or two. Or go to a local shop and see if they'll let you listen to different setups. As for the front speakers, I bought a set of infinity reference components a couple years back on ebay and I've always been happy with them. They could definitely use something closer to the 100 watt rms they're rated for though, and some reinforcement to the door panel.
Hope this helps.

[breathemetal]

Thanks!

Ill try a sealed box first, and if i still want more, maybe ill just get a more powerful amp and upgrade my front speakers instead of adding more bass.

[pb300]

Whats your system/car now?

If you end up liking the sealed box, a bigger amp may also be a good choice. Sealed boxes allow for slightly higher power levels because of the air spring they create and no chance of the drivers unloading. If you do go sealed though, make sure each driver has its own chamber. This way if one blows it won't take the other with it.

A good set of front speakers can really help to liven up to mid bass. This combined with time alignment can bring all the sound in front of you were it belongs.

[breathemetal]

I have two 12'' subs at 800rms total
As for more details i couldnt tell you off-hand

[trekie86]

Also not an expert, but if you are using multi-channel front speakers, put in some tweeters and get a crossover. Just helped my friend put some new polk audio speakers in the front of his car, sounds much better. The single channel front speakers produce great mids and the tweeters bring on some great highs. Good luck.

[breathemetal]

goin to a few shops tomorrow to price some stuff thanks!

[BatteryOperated]

Thanks!

Ill try a sealed box first, and if i still want more, maybe ill just get a more powerful amp and upgrade my front speakers instead of adding more bass.

A sealed box speaker is rather underwhelming. The sound is very confined, lacking in projection and suitable "stage" area.

[Tim1]

Tell us what equipment your using right now. What subs and amps?

[BatteryOperated]

Tell us what equipment your using right now. What subs and amps?

Me?

[Tim1]

Me?

no lol the guy that needs help with the setup.

[Jokester_wild]

A properly designed ported box will sound much better then a sealed box.

[individual]

Yes, the labirynth* ported systems sound very good indeed. Also, the bigger your "sub" the lower impedance you want it to be. the RMS is just an average. If it says 800W RMS, it can handle 1600 program and 3200 peak.
I used to work with Novatech, an audio/lighting company, and we almost always used the L Kudo series dual 18" subs, and i can tell you, with the right amp, they produce the tightest bass i have ever heard, but that was concerts and events, completely different.

You will not need bigger than a 10" in a car, period, waste of money/space/power. I've got a Krix Synergy 12" in my home theater and it rattles the bajeesus out of that place, and it has 50 times the volume (space, not dB) of your car cabin, commercial cinemas have a single Krix/Klipsch 15" hidden down the front, and that can rattle the crap out of a full size 500 seat cinema.

@ battery operated, there are always expections in that though. The Yamaha NS-10's are amoungst the rarest and best speakers of all time and they are completely sealed boxes. Most major studios including the EastWest studios use them, because, I quote my audio engineering tutor: "If you can make a mix sound good on NS-10's, it will sound good on anything" They produce the flattest response of any speaker ever produced, which means what the amplifier puts in, you get out, no colourisation, no harmonics or THD and no artifacts.

ANYWHO (I love my audio) I would suggest a "downgrade". Pick up a good 10", a Bose or a JBL, and maybe a soundstream or JBL amp.

Kicker are OK but they are still pretty average. Fusion, stay away from - sh*t distortion, soundstream are great for splits/concentrics but not subs, also their amps are really high quality
, alpine are once again faily average, Cadence, average, Pioneer - never buy a pioneer speaker, the headunits are good, but the speakers are crap, JBL = fantastic, IF you can afford it.

For my car I have a small HTPC system set up with a 7" WGVA touch screen, asus xonar, onkyo 5.1 amp with a sub line out into a Crown D series 1200w mono amp, JBL GT5-650C splits in the front and back and a JBL P1022 in the front. Kicked the :banana::banana::banana::banana: of out quality and clarity against competition speakers such as memphisbelle (mainly because of my custom amp setup)

if you want a good ported box, go to a specialist. It will cost you a few hundred, because they will look through your whole car, to determine everything from volume (space), vibrations, reflection/absorbtion rates of different materials etc but it will be worth it, well worth it.