Looking for some advice on a sub and amp

[james_c17]

I have a JL audio w1v2 10 inch sub waiting to be installed in my explorer with a MTX TNA251 terminator series amp it puts out 150 watts at 4 ohms which is probably what I'm going to run it at.
I'm not really good when it comes to car audio and one of my friends said that the 10 wouldn't sound good in my explorer since it has so much room. I was wondering if this was true? I looked on the JL website and the said that this subs optimum power range is about 100-200 watts give or take 50 ( the graph wasn't really clear) it has a single 4 ohm coil and my amp only has one 4 ohm setting at 150 watts. I figured it would sound good with this set up. Any advice for a person who is audio-declined?

 

[BrianDye]

Its gonna be good if you just want a little extra bass. It will dominate over your stock setup. I personally love loud music, and great souding bass, so I have two 15" Kicker L7's being pushed by a 3600w amp.

What are you looking to get out of your radio? I would reccomend highly, putting out some cash for a good set (4) of door speakers, 2-3 way.

 

[james_c17]

i was planning on getting some rockford fosgates for the doors and a boss headunit.
and as for bass i just want enough so that its noticeable but won't kill my ears.

 

[corkey]

150 watts should be good,

BD?? just a quick question, what size fuses are in that 3600 watt amp ?

 

[BrianDye]

Eh, to me (And alot of other people) you get what you pay for in a headunit. I would reccomend Pioneer, Alpine, or a higher end Sony or JVC unit. I personally dont care for the "Dual," "Phase Linear," "Boss," or any of the other small brand headunits.

Shop online, you'll find MUCH better deals, and possibly pick up a higher end headunit for the price you'd pay for that Boss at meijers. (Or wherever sells them around you)


Im in no way shape or form an audio guru, so dont take my advice to heart or anything, but I do know quite a bit more than the average Joe.

 

[BrianDye]

150 watts should be good,

BD?? just a quick question, what size fuses are in that 3600 watt amp ?

Honestly, I couldnt tell ya off the top of my head, and its like 20 degrees outside, and im not dressed for that so I dont feel like checking right now, but I wanna say 80? (2 of them, theyre the HUGE fuses)

 

[james_c17]

thanks for the info! ill probably look into an alpine headunits, i do like them better than the boss i saw, the website i was on had a deal on them thats why i was looking into it.

 

[BrianDye]

Yea, I love Alpines, and was looking into them, then I scored a hell of a deal on craigslist.

I'd highly reccomend checking on there too, find a unit you like online (Or a few actually, then check on craigslist for them)

I picked up a (1000$ retail) Pioneer Avic-F7000BT for 280$ on craigslist.

 

[Anime]

The JL sub and MTX amp are quality hardware.

An amp that puts out 150 Watts @ 4 ohms, pushing a single voice coil sub that handles 200 Watts @ 4 ohms is fine, and will give you plenty of bass in your Explorer, without just making noise. Just be sure to put the sub in the right size box and it will sound GREAT.

The 10" is actually a really good size choice since you can fit a 10" in a JL stealthbox or a Q-forms enclosure made to go in the right rear compartment of an Explorer, where the factory sub goes. You can also have a custom MDF enclosure made for back there. Either option will sound good and you can hide the amp behind the panel too, giving space and security.


I also agree with the above comments on seeking out brand name stuff. Rockford speakers are good, but don't bother with a BOSS head unit. Stick with Pioneer, Kenwood, Clairon, Alpine, Blaupunkt, etc. Pioneers are a very nice unit and are tough to beat for the price. Just get something you like that looks good to you and that you like the layout of so it's easy to use when driving. Pioneer or Kenwood speakers are pretty good too if you just want some 6x8's to drop in place of the factory units. You can actually get Pioneer receivers and the 3-way 6x8's at walmart, but as mentioned, you can usually get a better deal online, and get a higher end Pioneer head unit for less money, and speakers too.

Check out sites like Crutchfield.com and Sonicelectronix.com for gear. Ask questions in this thread if you see stuff you like and want to get some opinions. Take your time and don't buy until you find what you want and you can have a really good system, and without spending a ton of dough.

 

[james_c17]

the sub i have is already in a ported box, http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_enclosures.php?menu=8&prod_id=315

the box they sell it with on JLs website.

 

[james_c17]

as for a radio, so far i have seen
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_23447_Clarion+CZ500.html

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_22377_Pioneer+DEH-P5200HD.html

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_19487_Alpine+IXA-W404.html

Im really partial to the double DIN unit, but i still want opinions before i make decisions.

 

[BrianDye]

Out of those 3, personally I like the double din. I installed that Pioneer unit (#2) in my moms vehicle, and I really dont care for it. Small screen, hard to use features, and I cant get the trim ring to stay on to save my life.

I also like the fact that the double din has the full iPod control feature, with its own cable from the back. I dont care for having to plug stuff into the front of the headunit.

You'll love the bigger screen, and the way it looks overall in your dash.

Heres my DD:

 

[james_c17]

I also have a friend who is willing to trade me the 10 for a 12 inch MTX jackhammer subwoofer, with 4 ohm impedance, rated at 125-250 watts max (500), what do yall think of running this at 150 watts at 4 ohms, or could i run this at 2 ohms with 250 watts? basically im asking if i could run a 4 ohm rated sub, at 2ohms?

 

[1AJeremyD]

Out of those 3, personally I like the double din. I installed that Pioneer unit (#2) in my moms vehicle, and I really dont care for it. Small screen, hard to use features, and I cant get the trim ring to stay on to save my life.

I also like the fact that the double din has the full iPod control feature, with its own cable from the back. I dont care for having to plug stuff into the front of the headunit.

You'll love the bigger screen, and the way it looks overall in your dash.

Heres my DD:

I like the look of that as well Brian! The wood is a nice accent around the screen. I just have a plain jane pioneer single din myself. Christmas is always around the corner though!

 

[CALDWELL]

for a bargain price, and a massive improvement over the factory radio...

if you considered ALPINE for a HU. Alpine also makes a " power pack " that connects to their HU's. Its basically a very small " 4 channel " door speaker amp. It piggy backs off the HU and gives you an extra 45w's per speaker i believe on top of what the HU puts out. now combine that with a decent set of 5x7's or 6x8's in the doors. your X will sound a whole lot better...

my buddy just bought a twin version of my X " minus sunroof ". first thing he did to his X was upgrade his stereo. he went with a Alpine HU, and AMP, then bought some Kenwood 6x8's for the doors. he is quite happy...

**** prices are from AMAZON.COM

ALPINE HU - CDE102 = 133$

KENWOOD SPEAKERS - KFC C6893PS = 74$ ( 4 speakers )

ALPINE AMP - KTP445 = 100$

its a drastic improvement over the stock setup

just my 2 cents if you are looking to upgrade the whole system for a pretty good price....

 

[james_c17]

ive already got the headunit and speakers picked out.
and i may do the piggy back amp when i get more money.
thanks for the suggestion about that.

any one got any other opinions on the sub set up?

 

[Anime]

Why would you want a MTX 12" when you already have a JL 10" in a factory box?

The Jackhammers sound nice on paper, but I've never heard one to know if they are just a regular woofer that looks bling, or something high end. They apparently have three different levels, with the low end 250W woofer being a ~$50 model, a midrange 500W $200 model, and an 800W $250 model. I sure as heck wouldn't trade in a JL sub/box for any of those options. You can if you want an MTX sub for your amp though.

My suggestion would be to stick with the 10" since you'll get the most bump from it in that factory tuned box. JL makes serious no-nonsense stuff. The 12" jackhammer is a bit gimmicky in comparison, even if it is a quality product for the price.

 

[james_c17]

Thanks Anime. I just stick with the ten then. The box the twelve is in is huge compared to the ten so the extra cargo room would be nice.

 

[2KExplorerSport]

I'd stick with the JL also. I'm running (2) MTX 10's right now and it sounds good, but I miss my JL...

 

[agonz91]

it all comes down to the design of ur box. ported will be louder, sealed will be more punchy and precise. if u listen to rock id go w/ the sealed but if u have a mix of music genres id say go ported. but also know this the system is as only as good as the install (including box design)