Trying to choose a nice sub for the factory box

1997XLTRollover · March 27, 2015

I'm looking to add a sub to my 96 Explorer using the 98-01 sub box. I've been looking at a few subs and was wondering what people thought of them. The kicker looks real nice but I was wondering how it sounded (is it worth the money). It can handle a lot of power and for the price I would expect quite a bit of performance. Anyway, any input is appreciated.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2064CW...02665&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47640211105&awdv=c

Also looking at this amp:

http://www.halfpricecaraudio.com/Ki...ZZUsREvN8LiPzzRti-Hhelr1pDCWOwN-bcaAgsk8P8HAQ

There was also this sub as well I was debating on:

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-SW...eywords=pioneer subwoofer&tag=viglink20460-20

toypaseo · March 27, 2015

As for the Kicker amp, good idea choosing an authorized dealer. I would be hesitant buying a refurbished unit, but at least you get a one-year Kicker warranty, plus the half-price year warranty from them, whatever that's worth.

Maybe look at this one, it's new, cheaper, has a bit more power, but should have a two-year Kicker warranty, according to the owner's manual. http://www.halfpricecaraudio.com/Kicker-DX500.1-500W-Mono-Block-DX-Series-Amplifier-11DX500.1.htm

I have a Kicker DX350 in my Paseo. Great amp. Bought it in the early 2000's. This generation of amps was the last of "Built in the USA" Kicker amps.

Anime · March 27, 2015

I haven't heard the new Pioneer, but they make decent stuff so it's probably ok for the price, especially at $80 vs. $150 for the Kicker.

Kicker is ok too, but you can get their CompD or CompS or CompR subs for a lot less than that CompRT. Match with a newer Kicker amp and you're good for not a lot of money.

Normally I would suggest the JBL GTO804, which is/was an awesome $50-80 sub that handles 200W and hits HARD. Unfortunately JBL no longer makes it and hasn't come out with anything to replace it.

You can still buy it's bigger brother, the Infinity Reference 860w, that handles 250W RMS, and has the same 91db efficiency rating, but it has a huge friggin' magnet so won't fit the stock enclosure without a spacer due to the depth. It's a better (and louder) sub than either the Pioneer or any of the Kickers, though.

Either Pioneer or Kicker is a good choice, just be sure to get an amp that matches the RMS rating of the sub if you're going to run it in parallel with both 2-ohm coils wired to present a 4-ohm load to either a mono or bridged amp.

1997XLTRollover · March 30, 2015

Anime said:
I haven't heard the new Pioneer, but they make decent stuff so it's probably ok for the price, especially at $80 vs. $150 for the Kicker.

Kicker is ok too, but you can get their CompD or CompS or CompR subs for a lot less than that CompRT. Match with a newer Kicker amp and you're good for not a lot of money.

Normally I would suggest the JBL GTO804, which is/was an awesome $50-80 sub that handles 200W and hits HARD. Unfortunately JBL no longer makes it and hasn't come out with anything to replace it.

You can still buy it's bigger brother, the Infinity Reference 860w, that handles 250W RMS, and has the same 91db efficiency rating, but it has a huge friggin' magnet so won't fit the stock enclosure without a spacer due to the depth. It's a better (and louder) sub than either the Pioneer or any of the Kickers, though.

Either Pioneer or Kicker is a good choice, just be sure to get an amp that matches the RMS rating of the sub if you're going to run it in parallel with both 2-ohm coils wired to present a 4-ohm load to either a mono or bridged amp.

Looks like a killer sub for the money but there's no way that will fit the stock box and still fit behind the factory sub panel cover even with the spacer. Also says it's only good for .35 cubic feet in a sealed box. Factory box is something like .65 I think.

1997XLTRollover · March 30, 2015

What do you guys think about this sub? 200 RMS, and should only need a small spacer to fit the factory box.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2064CW...21145&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47439336865&awdv=c

Or even this guy:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20640C...62585&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47694271705&awdv=c

DjDom · March 30, 2015

That amp is a bit on the high side for what it is..

Subwoofers.. I've had bad luck with Kicker. Just my 2 cents. They do sound good but for some reason just have problems.

Pioneer, always loved it and never gave me any problems. Mind you, I may be a bit biased towards them, a couple pics would prove how.

:

For the factory box, you can get a slim 10 inch sub in there if you cut the hole larger.

Anime · March 30, 2015

All of the shallow-depth 8" subs are made for small boxes about 0.35 cubic ft., even the Kickers. They can be used in larger boxes, though.

There's also this Polk which is a marine-grade speaker for ~$50:

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-8-Inch-Single-Subwoofer/dp/B0016GX21G

chefduane · March 31, 2015

I put in an Kenwood Excelon KFC-XW800F, direct drop in shallow mount for the existing box on my '98. 50-150w RMS, 600w peak, 78db. I'm using the factory amp to drive it and it sounds great. A little pricey at $150 but I splurged. HU is a K'wood DPX500BT with 4 x Pioneer TSG6844's. I'm happy.

PS - I think I still have some polyfill if you need it.

1997XLTRollover · March 31, 2015

DjDom said:
That amp is a bit on the high side for what it is..

Subwoofers.. I've had bad luck with Kicker. Just my 2 cents. They do sound good but for some reason just have problems.

Pioneer, always loved it and never gave me any problems. Mind you, I may be a bit biased towards them, a couple pics would prove how. :

For the factory box, you can get a slim 10 inch sub in there if you cut the hole larger.

Am I better off putting a 10 in? I want to get as much bass as I can. Are they any nice 10's that work well in the stock box?

chefduane said:
I put in an Kenwood Excelon KFC-XW800F, direct drop in shallow mount for the existing box on my '98. 50-150w RMS, 600w peak, 78db. I'm using the factory amp to drive it and it sounds great. A little pricey at $150 but I splurged. HU is a K'wood DPX500BT with 4 x Pioneer TSG6844's. I'm happy.

PS - I think I still have some polyfill if you need it.

I will need some. Is it even worth shipping it to me? It's probably pretty cheap at Walmart or something no?

DjDom · April 1, 2015

A 10 inch requires cutting the box to accommodate for it.

Or you can buy a custom 10 inch box that goes in the factory location.
There's quite a bit of a difference between an 8 inch and a 10 inch sub.

Polyfill is $3 at Walmart.

1997XLTRollover · April 1, 2015

DjDom said:
A 10 inch requires cutting the box to accommodate for it.

Or you can buy a custom 10 inch box that goes in the factory location.
There's quite a bit of a difference between an 8 inch and a 10 inch sub.

Polyfill is $3 at Walmart.

I have no problem cutting the box to get some more out of this system so long as when you cut it, the sub still mounts up ok. The sub being all the way in the right rear of the truck doesn't help so I could use all the help I can get.

Maybe this sub:

http://www.savinglots.com/lotprod.a...tcVH5C1CJoBuK3CDZ0fpkW7pCtBEF-C9JnhoCAvzw_wcB

Box airspace may be an issue with that guy though.

Or this guy, decent price, just might have to make a spacer because it' a bit deeper.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/details/r2d2-10

DjDom · April 1, 2015

1997XLTRollover said:
The sub being all the way in the right rear of the truck doesn't help so I could use all the help I can get.

I have to disagree with this. Good, clean bass means you can't find it's source.
I have my sub in the trunk behind the drivers side rear seat. No one can ever figure out where the bass is coming from, and that's how you know it's clean.

If I move the box to the back, it doesn't make much of a difference, other than rattling the whole trunk.

1997XLTRollover · April 1, 2015

DjDom said:
I have to disagree with this. Good, clean bass means you can't find it's source.
I have my sub in the trunk behind the drivers side rear seat. No one can ever figure out where the bass is coming from, and that's how you know it's clean.

If I move the box to the back, it doesn't make much of a difference, other than rattling the whole trunk.

Well I doubt I'll feel the punch as hard if it's all the way in the back vs right near my seat. But either way I'm trying to do this on a budget. But I don't want to waste my time if it's just going to sound like crap anyway.

I know I want to put it in the factory location using the factory box since I already have one. Amp will be under my rear seat. I'm leaning toward the 10" RF sub but I don't know how well it's going to sound and how long it will last.

Anime · April 1, 2015

If you're trying to do this on a budget sticking an 8" in the factory box may be the way to go. A 10" can move more air, everything else being equal, but the better 8" subs have more excursion to move more air than a lower-end 10".

If you use a quality brand name sub and the amp is good enough to send close to the RMS power it can handle, you should get some pretty good bass. It won't vibrate everything like a pair of 12's, but with a good sub, good amp, and proper tuning, a good 8" in the factory enclosure can sound fantastic.

1997XLTRollover · April 2, 2015

Anime said:
If you're trying to do this on a budget sticking an 8" in the factory box may be the way to go. A 10" can move more air, everything else being equal, but the better 8" subs have more excursion to move more air than a lower-end 10".

If you use a quality brand name sub and the amp is good enough to send close to the RMS power it can handle, you should get some pretty good bass. It won't vibrate everything like a pair of 12's, but with a good sub, good amp, and proper tuning, a good 8" in the factory enclosure can sound fantastic.

Well I've been looking at this amp:

http://www.halfpricecaraudio.com/Ki...jJn1ufnld8O8TgGsLed0e_jJFkpTYHmtcgaAgse8P8HAQ

and this sub:

http://www.savinglots.com/lotprod.a...tcVH5C1CJoBuK3CDZ0fpkW7pCtBEF-C9JnhoCAvzw_wcB

I can get a decent deal on them locally used. Do you think this setup would sound good/better than an 8?

Anime · April 2, 2015

Depends on the 8 and the amp used with it.

Also depends how good a "deal" you can get for the Kicker stuff used.

If it's around ~$100 for the amp and sub together, it may be worth it, if the amp is in good shape and not beat up and obviously abused and the same with the sub.

If they are asking anywhere near ~$200 it's a lot less of a deal.

As mentioned above by others, that's an older amp so it may not even be worth ~$100 as a package deal.

It's also 2 ohms mono, which matches the sub perfectly, but there's no reason to drive a mono sub at 2 ohms, which is less efficient than driving a mono sub at 4 ohms. Amps that can drive higher loads, at 2 and 1 ohms are good, but the higher the load, the more heat they produce instead of energy to drive the sub.

You also need to factor in that you'd be hacking up the enclosure and fabbing up a way to mount the larger 10" sub and sealing up all the holes created by cutting that larger hole, which will likely go into the area of the reinenforcement ridges on the newer factory enclosure.

I think the new Pioneer 8" with an amp that does 150W at 4ohms would be the way to go for a drop-in install, either that or the Polk 8" with a 150-180W amp at 4 ohms for a really budget install.

Only reason to go with the 10" Kicker would be if you are desperate to get booming, buzzing bass for some reason and the price is super cheap. If you want clean, clear, accurate bass (and lot less install hassle) I would say the Pioneer or Polk subs with matching wattage amp would be the way to go.

1997XLTRollover · April 3, 2015

Anime said:
Depends on the 8 and the amp used with it.

Also depends how good a "deal" you can get for the Kicker stuff used.

If it's around ~$100 for the amp and sub together, it may be worth it, if the amp is in good shape and not beat up and obviously abused and the same with the sub.

If they are asking anywhere near ~$200 it's a lot less of a deal.

As mentioned above by others, that's an older amp so it may not even be worth ~$100 as a package deal.

It's also 2 ohms mono, which matches the sub perfectly, but there's no reason to drive a mono sub at 2 ohms, which is less efficient than driving a mono sub at 4 ohms. Amps that can drive higher loads, at 2 and 1 ohms are good, but the higher the load, the more heat they produce instead of energy to drive the sub.

You also need to factor in that you'd be hacking up the enclosure and fabbing up a way to mount the larger 10" sub and sealing up all the holes created by cutting that larger hole, which will likely go into the area of the reinenforcement ridges on the newer factory enclosure.

I think the new Pioneer 8" with an amp that does 150W at 4ohms would be the way to go for a drop-in install, either that or the Polk 8" with a 150-180W amp at 4 ohms for a really budget install.

Only reason to go with the 10" Kicker would be if you are desperate to get booming, buzzing bass for some reason and the price is super cheap. If you want clean, clear, accurate bass (and lot less install hassle) I would say the Pioneer or Polk subs with matching wattage amp would be the way to go.

Ok I'll stick to an 8" then. Is this the sub you're talking about?

http://www.carid.com/pioneer/8-shal...aKiIi1oIuMHTxmB1NGxWbCSvyg7Rct0LOSxoCh9jw_wcB

There's also this kicker for about the same price:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2064CW...21145&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47439336865&awdv=c

Or if I want to break the bank:

http://www.mobilesoundworks.com/Pro...PHRJ9Xn_jb77JsnY_SMUScHP4VVq5wJEeqBoCejrw_wcB

Anime · April 3, 2015

Yes, that's the Pioneer 8" linked in my post above.

If you really want Kicker stuff, you may as well buy Kicker stuff.

Price has little to do with quality or bass output when it comes to subwoofers, though. While the cheap Boss/Pyramid stuff isn't great, you can get a top quality sub for ~$50. The Infinity 8" and the Polk 8" are both fantastic subs, I'd say better than that $150 Kicker, despite their much lower price. They have been around awhile and the reviews speak for themselves.

The Pioneer is good for what it is, if you wanted a super shallow sub and are willing to pay $30 more for it.

1997XLTRollover · April 3, 2015

Anime said:
Yes, that's the Pioneer 8" linked in my post above.

If you really want Kicker stuff, you may as well buy Kicker stuff.

Price has little to do with quality or bass output when it comes to subwoofers, though. While the cheap Boss/Pyramid stuff isn't great, you can get a top quality sub for ~$50. The Infinity 8" and the Polk 8" are both fantastic subs, I'd say better than that $150 Kicker, despite their much lower price. They have been around awhile and the reviews speak for themselves.

The Pioneer is good for what it is, if you wanted a super shallow sub and are willing to pay $30 more for it.

Well I only have so much depth to work with, that's my problem. I have no problem with a Polk or Infinity sub. Will the Polk and Infinity fit?

That Infinity doesn't even come close to fitting the stock box depth wise. Is there enough room for me to make a spacer behind it to lift it enough or will it hit the interior panel?

It also looks like the infinity has to be in a .35 cubic foot box. The stock box is double that isn't it? I'm wondering how it will sound in a box twice what it's rated for. Although I just read it really needs 1 cubic foot. Maybe I should just throw it in and see what happens. It looks like a damn nice sub for the money.

Also if I go with the Infinity, what would be a good amp to go with it? If I'm reading this correctly the sub is 250 RMS at 4 ohm?

Looking at the Kicker DXA500.1 but it's kind of expensive.

Anime · April 3, 2015

The Infinity sub is just an example of what you can get for $50 vs the $150 Kicker. I'm sure the Infinity is too deep to use in the factory enclosure, you'd need a really thick spacer and it'd be a lot of work to get it to fit. You'd be better off making a custom box from MDF and sticking in it there.

The Polk is only 4" deep. Not as shallow as the Pioneer at just under 2.5" but it still fits.

The Polk is a good choice for the price since it's NOT ultra shallow (super thin shallow subs make a lot of compromises and are not the loudest subs), and is available in a single voice coil 4 ohm version.

Since the Polk 8" handles 180W RMS, the Pioneer GMA 3602 amp that puts out ~180W RMS @ 4 ohms seems a pretty good match for it:

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-GMA36...=1428098820&sr=8-4&keywords=pioneer+amplifier

Amazon has the Polk sub for $50 with free shipping, and the amp is $65 with free shipping. $115 for quality components.

If you really want a shallow sub, I'd say the Pioneer would be the way to go, though you'd need an amp that only puts out 150W @ 4 ohms.

Trying to choose a nice sub for the factory box

Explorer Addict

Flunked daycare

EF YEAH!!

Explorer Addict

Explorer Addict

EF YEAH!!

Texas Elite Explorer

Explorer Addict

Explorer Addict

Explorer Addict

EF YEAH!!

Explorer Addict

EF YEAH!!

Explorer Addict

EF YEAH!!

Explorer Addict

EF YEAH!!

Featured images

Featured images

Similar Threads