Current system set up and the best way to spend $600 on additions.

[mrsteve]

Okay when I began to build up my sytem I decided that I wouldn't spend more than $1500. So far I have spent $900 on:

Pioneer 4100-$300 (got it from Best Buy when it first came out, now it's like $200)

Infinity Components-$100 (Reference series, on sale from crutchfield, great buy)

Pioneer 2-way 6x8's-$55 (TMS electronics great speakers and for $55!)

Dual Rockford Fosgate 10" woofers and Rockford amp- $350 (Used for 1 month by a good friend sounds awesome)

Amp Hookup-$45 (Lightning Audio from local shop "Car Toyz")

Misc-$50 (Dynamat, MDF, speaker wire, switch for remote lead, etc.)

Okay so next on the list is for sure an amp for the component speakers and 6x8's. I can get a Clarion 110x2 watts RMS at 2ohms for $150 at TMS.

I need some Dynamat for the rear cargo floor and rear hatch. I figure that will be around $75-$100

Let's say that brings me up to $1200 for the amp, hook-up kit, and Dynamat. I still have $300 to spend. I am asking for a 6-disc changer and an alarm for Christmas so that should cover those two items. Anybody have other suggestions? I am considering going from 2 10"s to a single 12" sub. Any thoughts?

 

[Alec]

I'm partial to this because it has worked very well for me: Instead of buying a new 12", save the money and mount the 2 10"s isobarically. Essentially, it makes them into one 20"

I originally had 2 10"s, but didn't like how they took up so much room. So I did this and now it barely takes more than a square foot out of my cargo area. They are also easily removable. oh, the sound is good too. (go to my website for a pic)

Just my 2¢

 

[mrsteve]

Okay so if I mount the subs isobarically how will the sound change?? I don't mind taking up space with the dual box cause all I have to do is unplug the woofers and take it out. If it will sound better I may just try it. Just for the hell of it.

[Edited by mrsteve on 10-11-2000 at 07:05 PM]

 

[Alec]

Initially, the higher range of the woofers was emphasized, and they "punch" a little less. Thus, the bass drum is a little softer, and bass guitars are louder. It's actually a much more even sound than with two speakers. Also, if you close the cargo cover, the outside speaker is in effect using the entire cargo area as an airspace and everything gets really loud, expecially bass punches. Add a blanket next to the speaker and you really start turning heads. Of course I have to add that this might not work with ported woofers, that they probably need to be in a sealed box, though I may be wrong.

 

[93exploder]

You should send me the 600 dollars to me so that i can buy a new head unit and finish paying off my amp and sub and get the damn thing in my car.

 

[PekingMan]

Hmmm, 300 left huh. I would spend some of it on some dark tinting so as to protect your investment. I speak from experience after one of my systems was stolen. Tint the windows so nobody can see the sub box or amps (depending on where they are mounted). Depending on what type of heat rejection tint you get, it could cost anywhere between 150-250 dollars. After that, spend the rest on donating to the site

[Edited by PekingMan on 10-11-2000 at 09:29 PM]

 

[mrsteve]

The stock tint in the rear and cargo cover hide my subs and my amp is hidden behind the grille of where the stock sub once was.

 

[mrsteve]

Okay explain how to wire this whole isobaric thing, it's totally new to me. And what do you mean by putting a blanket next to the woofer?? Is that like putting poly-fill in a box?? I think the way my subs sound now is great but it's always worth trying something new.

This is totally off the subject but i was looking around last night at Clarion's webste. Do you know they make a 32" subwoofer?!?!?!It handles 1000watts RMS. That's insane! The box would take up the enitre rear cargo area! Oh well just thought I'd let you all know.

 

[Alec]

Wiring the isobaric box:

Wire the inside sub as you normally would. I believe that makes it punch out (my friend wired it)? And wire the outside sub backwards. That way they move in sync: one pushes, the other pulls. On my box, the wires from the two subs go to a quickconnect female plug. The wires from the amp have bananas on the end to go into that.

And all I mean by the blanket thing is that when my emergency/cargoliner blanket that I always carry gets near the sub, the bass is harder.

[Edited by Alec on 10-12-2000 at 01:43 PM]

 

[mrsteve]

Backwards as in amp positive to sub negative and amp negative to sub positive?? Thanks. I have this wild idea of buying two more subs and hooking all 4 up isobaric and having the new pair on an amp with a power on/off switch so that when I really wanted to show off I could knock 'em dead.

 

[Alec]

Mrsteve,

I'm interested to know how your system turned out and what you decided to do.

 

[mrsteve]

Right now nothing has changed. I am saving for a new Clarion amp which will send 55 watts to each of my 4 speakers at 2ohm. It's only $150 or so, which means I should have it soon. Although I did get this crazy idea of buying 2 more tens and wiring them isobaracly so that I would have 4 10's. Obviously I would have to buy a new sub amp and I just don't have the cash right now for 2 10's and a new amp. Ski season is around the corner and I hope to ski about 30 days this season so I need to save some money. I'll let you know if I do anything new.

 

[QuadCam]

isobaric.........big loss in output!!!!!!

Isobaric sub enclosures are rarely performed anymore. Now that all the subwoofer manufacturers redesigned their subwoofers esspecially forcars(smaller boxes), there is no reason to load the woofers isobarically. Up until about 1992, most woofers required large boxes. for example, most 10" woofers required at least 1 cu.ft. of air space. Now, you can find 10" woofers from all manufacturers that will work in less than 0.5 cu.ft. of air space.

Here's how it works:

you can either place the woofers together like a clamshell or you can place them right behind each other. Depending on which way you mount them, will decide which way you will wire them up. If they are in a clamshell (facing each other), you will wire the woofers out of phase with each ohter. If you have them one in front of the other, you will wire them in-phase with each other.

Here's the advantage to iso-loading:

by iso-loading the woofers, you are effectively making one woofer that has a suspension twice as stiff as a single woofer. Therefore, you can place the 2 woofers in half the air space that would normally be required for 1 woofer. Also, the iso-loaded pair of woofers can twice the power of a single woofer.

Here's the disadvantages of iso-loading:

Because the woofers are iso-loaded, you only have the radiating cone area of one woofer.(the other woofer is not exposed to the outside of the box.) therefore, the other woofer's cone movement will not affect the SPL. Also, because the 2 woofers are acting as one woofer( with a very stiff suspension), there is a 3dB loss in output due to the extra force required to move the 2 woofers together. Since you now have twice the power handling capability, you can make up for the 3dB loss by increasing the power to the 2 woofers.

Here's the kicker. If you took the 2 woofers and placed them in a normal, sealed enclosure with a total of 200 watts to both woofers (100 to each), it would be 6 dB louder than the 2 woofers, isobarically loaded, in a sealed enclosure with the same 200 watts. The only advantage would be that the 2 woofers in the iso-loaded box would occupy 1/4 the air space of the 2 woofers, normally loaded, in a sealed box.

I think that what Alan was saying about a 10" equalling a 20" is because of this:

since you could put 8 10" woofers (4 pairs of 10" iso-loaded woofers)in the same volume box as (2) 10" woofers (normally loaded), you would have the equivalent cone area of a 20" woofer. (4 10" woofers have same cone area as one 20")

hope this helps,

Andrew

 

[mrsteve]

That is basicly why I decided not to go with the iso-setup. Less sound, more watts needed, more money needed. Thanks for the reply, but I already decided against the iso setup