Build me a system!!

[walterdixon]

Hey guys, I drive a '95 240sx LE with a stock stereo besides the deck.

I am looking for a little more bass to back up my system, but nothing to draw too much attention to me.

I will be custom making a fiberglass enclosure to fit snuggly into the corner of my trunk, so it doesn't take up too much room.

I was thinking about 1 10" Infinity Reference 1030w (I think that's it) plus an amp with just enough power for it.

The kind of music I listen to is mostly rock/hardcore type stuff, with the odd r&b/rap here and there.

Keep in mind that I'm on a very tight budget, and a newb to the stereo world.

I want clarity over punch!

Suggestions!?!

[MECPInstaller]

if you have the money i'd get a kappa perfect instead of the reference, alot cleaner, looks nicer and handles alil more power. you'd be good with anywhere from 200-400watts , 200 if you just looking for alil extra ummph in the bass notes. For the rock and metal you listen to a sealed box with the 10 would be perfect, I don't know if it works for all subs but mine are way to small for the boxes they're in but with rock and metal the kick drum just pounds and is fairly clear, if i had better 12's it would sound great but i only spent 110 on the pair so i'm not ******ing for now.

[ScottJackson]

My advice is to spend the time and cash on a powerful amp and a good box. The sub doesn't matter all that much. Also don't shortcut on the wiring, particularly the ground and RCA cables. I'd recommend the Infinity reference or a Pioneer Premier. Small sealed is good, and use poly fill. For an amp, get one with lots of power, using a small amp turned all the way up is where you get distortion and ruin subs also. Get a Profile California series 1200 watt or so. Something affordable, but not pure generic like Pyramid... In my 89 camaro I have a Rockford 10" DVC sub in a sealed box with Profile 1200 and it's very nice. Good enough for rap, but excellent for rock. On second thought, you could get by with a 800w Profile or similar amp and still not need to turn the gain up too much.

[ScottJackson]

also, a big amp is clarity. Common belief is "why do I need a huge amp if I don't want huge bass?" Well, the less effort the amp takes, the cleaner it will sound. Sound dampen the panels/doors of your car too if it hasn't been done.

[AustinSilvia]

what exactly is your budget? one persons "tight" another persons "loose"... or something like that...

[MECPInstaller]

a good rule of thumb, 80% install and box/ 20% product(subs, amp) If you build the box for you sub(s) and make the walls thick enough so they don't flex you'll have a great sounding setup. before you built anythign i'd buy the sub and find somebody with a single 10 box you can borrow, hook your amp up run the wiring, and try positioning the box in different spots in your trunk. Keep replaying the same song over and over and move the box and sit back down and listen, you will get alot of different results from where the sub sits and aims in the trunk. Find someone with or buy a cheap db meter from radio shack and set it on your dash so you can see which way is actually louder, the human ear can only really notice a 3db change the meter's alot more sensitive.

[MECPInstaller]

An example I had my 2 12's in normal sealed 1cu ft boxes in my trunk before I did my fiberglass work. Facing them towards the rear bumper and shoved all the way against the hump in the back of the trunk caused the subs to beat louder but they sounded way too boomy and muddy. Aiming them forward didn't seem loud enough but the clarity improved drastically. So i went for a mid point I took the 2 boxes and set the backs up against eachouther so the subs were facingto the left and right truck walls. It sounded pretty good not loud enough for me but didn't sound like crap either.

[walterdixon]

Thanks for the advice.

The kappa perfect 10.1 is a free air sub, or whatever you call them, so can i just wire it up without a box and point it in different directions to see which way is best?