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new sub - 96 w/prem sound

renner99

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My 16 year old son has informed me that to REALLY appreciate the phat bass in some of his CDs I need to have a bigger/more powerful sub installed.
Is there a sub that can be popped in without mods and compatible with the factory specs of the existing system?
Secondly, what will happen to my hearing as a result??
 



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I have a '97 EB with the JBL system in it and I too am a little unsatisfied with the low end. The system is capable of putting out frequencies of around 150Hz up to about 15kHz. Most "sub" frequencies are in the range of 30Hz to 100Hz. So the "premium" system's sub is not capable of producing the needed low frequencies.

I am attempting to purchase a better replacement sub that will drop right into the sub enclosure (a 6.5" sub). I have found that Kicker makes such a sub, rated up to 150 watts (the JBL sub amp puts out only about 85 watts max, so the speaker will definitely handle the power). I will let you know how it tests in comparison to the original sub.

As far as your hearing goes, high frequencies will do much more damage at high volume levels than low frequencies will. This is due to the number of vibrations (frequency) your eardrum has to endure. The lower the frequency, the less likely you will damage your ears. Of course, any frequency above about 100dB for an extended period of time can cause damage, so protect your ears. But a perfect system should sound good and cover all frequencies at any volume level (not just loud!).

Hope this helps, I will let you know how my experiment goes!

Pacman
 






If you're looking for a 6.5, it might be a little difficult, but you'll want to look for one with a large amount of cone travel and high sensitivity. Compared to the stock one, that shouldn't be much of a problem, though. The JL Audios and Image Dynamics (they're reasonably priced) are pretty cool if you want to try for the 6.5" sub. It will sound a lot nicer, and probably have a little more depth, but I don't really think the phat bass is going to come out a lot more with a 6.5. However, even 6.5" Bazooka tubes are surprising, so you never know!
 






I don't think any 6.5 can deliver much bass, no matter who makes it. You might get a little harder hit but that's about it. I'd get an MTX powered sub box that fits right in were your sub is now. I'm not sure about the price but I think it's around 350.
 






This is what I have in my explorer 92' XLT,
I have an eclipse cd-deck with an kicker impulse 352xi amp. I have a JLAudio 15' W1 sub in the back of my explorer. This can be very bassy. If you want something bassy and you dont want to turn it up, get some 10's or something but your gonna be looking at close to 300$ for an amp and something descent.
 






Just a thought. There is a speaker company (I think they still exist) called Atomic. They made a decent 6.5" woofer. They had a demo van that had a wall of them in the back to use as a sub. I don't know how well one would work but it is worth a shot.

Mark

------------------
Mark
mark@legendz.com
http://mark.legendz.com
Off-Road and Motorcycle Information, Pictures and Movies
 






Well, I haven't procured the Kicker 6.5" sub yet, but soon, hopefully. I will run several tests again to measure it's effectiveness at different frequencies and report it back here.

I had a couple of comments on some of the other posts here. As far as subs go, I agree with most of these posts, bigger is better. Obviously the bigger the woofer and the more power put to it, the louder it gets. Sub frequencies need subwoofers that move air. The more air they move, the more bass you get. So, a single 6.5" sub is not going to move as much air as a 15" sub(but if you compare one 15" to four 6.5" subs you would be surprised)! BUT, subwoofer boxes play a critical role in sub efficiency. Especially ported or "bandpass" boxes. The exact placement and length of these ports or tubes make a huge difference in the efficiency of the sub by making the box and port resonate at the lower frequencies. Basically, you can get the greatest sub in the world, but if you don't have a great box to put it in, it won't sound as good as it should.

By the way, on a side note, the "premium" JBL system in my '97 surprised me. I took off one door panel last week to see what kind of speaker was in the doors and lo and behold it is a 6x8 with a wizzer cone!!!! That is the cheapest and the worst sounding way to generate sound with a speaker!!!! I expected to see at least a 2 way (woofer and tweeter separate) with what I paid for that extra option, but noooo, they put in cheapies!!!! The biggest problem with this type speaker is that the wizzer loses effectiveness after a short amount of time of being subjected to heat (which builds up rather nicely in parked vehicles). I already hear a difference in my 2 year old vehicle! They'll be on there way out very shortly...

Pacman
 






You all should check out the latest Car Audio magazine in your local supermarket. On the cover is a comparative test of four manufacturers of subwoofer boxes that fit in the back corner (no loss of cargo space)
 






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