[shireeshjacobs]

Hi there!

I have a petrol polo where I have installed a Pioneer head unit (35W RMS x 4). Speakers are JBL 3 way on a wooden shelf at the back, JBL 2 way in the front doors and JBL tweeters upfront.

Its been a while and its finally time to invest that little bit more to get an amp and sub. Any recommendations for 10k?

I like my music clear with subtle undistorted bass (my JBLs do a good job here) - and I occasionally love my music very very loud - so I'm missing the sub in my polo (my old amby had a great pioneer 12inch sub which produced some deep strong bass).

please advise.

thanks
Shireesh

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

... I have a petrol polo ... finally time to invest that little bit more to get an amp and sub. Any recommendations for 10k? ...

Buy a 4 channel amp - Kenwood 8504 / JBL 646 / Pioneer. Should cost you ~5K. Get a JBL 12" sub (~4K) in a sealed MDF box (700-800). You will need a bit more for RCA cables and power wires (you can use any teflon coated 4 sq.mm. wire used in domestic wiring - Finolex, Havell etc.).

The rear 6x9 coaxes can remain on the HU. Wire the front speakers to the front channels of the amp, and bridge the rear channels with the sub.

If you buy just a 2 channel amp for the sub, you will find it difficult to tune your system. Incidentally, the Pioneer HU is not 35W RMS, it would be 35W MUSIC and around 18W RMS.

[shireeshjacobs]

Hi DerAlte,

Thanks for the inputs. What do you think of the following sub options:

Tube sub
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/jbl-...mpaign=310_311

Sealed subwoofer from OEM
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/jbl-...bwoofer/257870

Why do you recommend buying a subwoofer cone and sub woofer box separately?

Also, i understand that the tube subs have a better frequency range (at the lower end) - what do you make of this, is it worth it to get lower frequencies or is this barely noticeable?

Thanks
Shireesh

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

... What do you think of the following sub options: ...

The JBL sealed box! The tube sub is very boomy.

Tube sub
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/jbl-...mpaign=310_311

Sealed subwoofer from OEM
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/jbl-...bwoofer/257870

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

... Why do you recommend buying a subwoofer cone and sub woofer box separately? ...

Because buying and assembling is usually cheaper, unless you get a very good deal on a branded pre-finished OE box like the JBL sealed box offer.

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

... Also, i understand that the tube subs have a better frequency range (at the lower end) ...

No, they don't. The lower end of the frequency range is defined by the inherent characteristics of the sub. The cheaper subs in Tube enclosures do not go very low. Some people mistake the louder sound of Tube enclosures (they are ported) for 'going really low'. Ported enclosures are more efficient and are generally louder, but at the cost of boomy bass (the bass notes don't cut off sharply as in the track, but tend to linger, like 'Boommmm' instead of going 'Boom'.

[shireeshjacobs]

ok thanks.

I have a wooden parcel shelf, is there any chance of putting in a sub cone on the parcel shelf itself between the pair of 3 way speakers. that way i don't take up valuable space in the boot for long distance trips? would you recommend this or is there a considerable deterioration in the sound quality compared to a sub in a sealed box?

thanks
shireesh

[sparsh]

Shireesh its better to port the sub in a mdf box as the punch is better felt in a mdf ported box than on the rear parcel tray. If you are keen on a rear parcel tray, you may plan to make a custom box only for the sub which will eat into your boot space.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

... I have a wooden parcel shelf, is there any chance of putting in a sub cone on the parcel shelf itself between the pair of 3 way speakers. that way i don't take up valuable space in the boot for long distance trips? would you recommend this or is there a considerable deterioration in the sound quality compared to a sub in a sealed box? ...

Originally Posted by sparsh

... sub in a mdf box as the punch is better felt in a mdf ported box than on the rear parcel tray. ...

With Free Air mounting (on the parcel shelf), subs sound boomy - like Sub Tubes. Some Pioneer subs are designed for Free Air mounting. They can pound loud but their 'Boom' is always 'Boommmm' - Hip Hop bass, for example, can drive one out of their mind in such installations.

@shireeshjacobs, your quandary is understandable when travelling long distance. The solution is actually to do a custom FG sealed enclosure on one side of the boot - the side away from the fuel filling port side. You will lose a bit of the boot, but then the alternatives are worse - leave the sub at home and hear no bass when you go long distance, or suffer boomy bass at all other times.

[sai_ace]

A friend is looking to upgrade his current audio set up in his Polo.

The current set up is

HU - JVC KW-XR610

Front Components - Polk db6501 (100W rms at 4ohms)

Rear Coaxials in the doors - Polk db651 (60w rms at 4ohms)

His requirement is to add a sub woofer and compliment the overall audio. Music ranges across everything - tamil movies, english rock, hindi. The sub should be tight and fast and no unnecessary booming. I suggested him to go a for a 4 channel amp with two channels powering the front, and two channels bridged and powering the sub.

Now what we would like your ideas is -

What size subwoofer? Would an 8 inch suffice? and which brands?

What else to look for when planning a sub woofer? Enclosure etc?

Which 4 ch amp do we look for? What should be the optimal power rating for the amp to power the speaker and sub?

The overall budget is planned at 15k for this upgrade. However if we are unable to fulfill the subwoofer idea, then we would just go for an amp now and power the 4 speakers and then go for the sub later. Right now we do realise that we are not doing any justice to the speakers running off the HU, so at least an amp would power the speakers optimally.

looking forward to some valuable advice!

cheers!
sai

EDIT: I just realised that someone before me has put forth similar requirements and I shouldnt have jumped in with a query. Apologies. I do hope that my queries regarding the sub woofer size and enclosures can be answered by someone.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by sai_ace

... What size subwoofer? Would an 8 inch suffice? and which brands? ...

Ask him to get an Kenwood M846 or JBL X646 4-ch amp (~6K), and an Infinity Reference 12" sub in a sealed box (~6K including box).

An 8" sub will not be VFM - not loud enough, nor cheap.