Say I were to get subs. . .

talontsiawd

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I really doubt I'll have this car in college, it'll go to my brother, so I'm just going to keep the subs with me for a car I get for myself.

I have had my current system in 3 different cars lol. Things have changed over that time but my last 2 cars didn't spend more than 2 days without a full system.

Anyway, yeah, make it work for you. I'm a musician as well so I'm never going to like the cheap way to do audio, car, home, or studio (especially studio gear lol).
 

TheHunter

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:facepalm: I'm surprised none of these guys with audio experience haven't said this earlier... but... you're making a mistake with this set up :p I mean sure it will work, but your audio quality will be very poor and it won't be loud at all. You need to figure out exactly which subs you have to match up the output of the amp so that you don't overdrive it... and I doubt you want to underdrive it and not get your full potential. A new deck is critical for your audio system to sound great, it is the absolute most important part of your system. Realize that a new deck doesnt just give you a little more "tuning" ability for you sub, but actually gives you clearer sound, more punch on ALL of your speakers, and typically way more features, such as USB input.

Also since you're worried about not having this car after a little while, a deck is really easy to put in and take out, so you could always put the stock HU back in, and put this one into your next car.

While I hope you enjoy your new subs, I would be careful in how you set them up, because each component of an audio setup is as important as the last. Even the boxes for the subs are critical, as they have advanced acoustics in their design to allow for louder or cleaner hits . If you want to go absolutely as cheap as possible, then sure you can do the things you've been talking about, but really... you'll regret it later.

Good luck on your project, first time installing audio is always interesting!
 

talontsiawd

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You need to figure out exactly which subs you have to match up the output of the amp so that you don't overdrive it... and I doubt you want to underdrive it and not get your full potential.

If your amp is too powerful, just turn the gain down. I've run systems like this for years, same with friends, no issues, as long as the gain is set right and the speakers arn't clipping. Underdriving has lead to far worth results in my/my friends experiences. The nice thing about buying an amp that is more powerful is that you can upgrade your subs later if you would like, I matched my amp and subs almost perfectly and now want better subs, not worth the costs.

Other than that, I totally agree with you. I would go as far to say that the headunit is by far the most important part of a system and the subs are the least important part (or atleast cannot be used to any potential without a good source unit, good speakers, amps, etc). Other people are perfectly content using line levels with everything else stock so I have the mentality of "try it out" and upgrade later if you feel a need.
 

TheHunter

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If your amp is too powerful, just turn the gain down. I've run systems like this for years, same with friends, no issues, as long as the gain is set right and the speakers arn't clipping. Underdriving has lead to far worth results in my/my friends experiences. The nice thing about buying an amp that is more powerful is that you can upgrade your subs later if you would like, I matched my amp and subs almost perfectly and now want better subs, not worth the costs.

Other than that, I totally agree with you. I would go as far to say that the headunit is by far the most important part of a system and the subs are the least important part (or atleast cannot be used to any potential without a good source unit, good speakers, amps, etc). Other people are perfectly content using line levels with everything else stock so I have the mentality of "try it out" and upgrade later if you feel a need.

Yep you're exactly right, I think that clarifies what I said perfectly.
 

98ExAccordwv

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I agree with both of you, but he just wanted to know if it was possible. And he apparently really doesnt want to buy the headunit, so i was just helping him out a little.
 

dynasty

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sometimes you can pick up some decent combo from locals. i got my 2x15" JBL for $200 and Audiobahn amp for $100. we're talking about 15s. bahaha.

my other subs is 1x12" Alpine Type-R in a ported box for $150 including this cheap amp. i bought a JL audio amp later on. but if you buy locally, ask them if you can test it before you buy. other than that, i would buy a brand new amp on ebay. amp usually die pretty quick because of overheat
 

Wildman

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wiring will probably cost you around $80, more or less depending on how much you shop around and what size wiring you get. I would say get at least 4 gauge wire so that you aren't limiting yourself immediately, and 2 gauge would be preferred.

I also ran my power wire down the driver's side, it doesn't matter which side you run the power down as long as you have the power wires & the signal wires seperated from each other so that you don't get interference. Don't forget to fuse the power wire.

I'd also say consider a factory HU. If your brother drives the car after you, worst case scenario you can tell him to give you some money if he wants you to leave your head unit in the car. Otherwise you can pull it out and put the stock one back in. By using a LOC, you're probably going to end up tapping into the rear speakers. That means that if you ever adjust the fader, you're going to lose bass because as you adjust the fader to the front, there's less power going to the rear speakers, and a weaker signal to your subs also. That gets annoying fast if you use your fader at all. Also you'll have to rely on your amp to adjust any crossover points. An aftermarket head unit gives you a dedicated subwoofer signal, that you can adjust independently of your other speakers (won't be affected by fader/balance, can set crossover, level output, etc). Also an aftermarket HU will put out more power to your other speakers making everything sound better, and nowadays you can get some pretty decent HU's for less than $150, and even have USB inputs for ipods or whatever else.

Baja subs, if you're getting them for practically nothing then you can't complain. They'll probably produce sound, lol. In all seriousness if it's your first "system" you'll probably be happy, and whatever aspects you're unhappy with about them you can just use as a learning experience, and build off of that so you'll have a better idea of what you want out of subs next time you're buying.

You can buy a prefab box but if you do I'd suggest buying some liquid nails or something similiar and running a bead along the inside of the box to properly seal it. Prefab boxes are notorious for air leaks. Personally I'd avoid prefabricated bandpass boxes like the plague, and really just stick with sealed if you're buying off a shelf.

For wiring, LOC, and a box, you should be able to keep it under $225 pretty easily. If you buy that stuff used off of craigslist or ebay, you might even be able to get everything for under $100.

edit: forgot to talk about amps. My opinion on amps is to buy the best amp you can afford to. I'd rather have too much power, and simply turn the gain down, than have a smaller amp than I'd like to have. Especially for someone new to audio, when people buy smaller amps they tend to try and compensate for that by turning the gain on the amp way up, or using the bass boost, both of which are horrible ideas and could lead to you blowing your subs from distortion or overheating your amp.

There are some good value brands out there. I'm not familiar with baja subs but I'd imagine they can take at least 200wrms a piece, so I would say buy an amp capable of at least 350watts rms, the higher the better. Brands that aren't amazing but pretty good for the money IMO would include HiFonics amps, Profile amps, and then if you buy used that opens up a whole world of Orion, MTX, RF, Alpine, etc. I would actually say to avoid Pioneer and Kenwood amps though based on personal experience.
 
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beardohio

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Brands that aren't amazing but pretty good for the money IMO would include HiFonics amps, Profile amps, and then if you buy used that opens up a whole world of Orion, MTX, RF, Alpine, etc. I would actually say to avoid Pioneer and Kenwood amps though based on personal experience.

Thank you for taking the time to go through all that. I actually just put two and two together, the Baja subs are made by Profile. :thinking:
 

98ExAccordwv

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Oh hey i just remembered i think i have a 400 watt MA Audio amp at my parents. PM if your interested.
 
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