Hey all,

I am preparing to set up a subwoofer system in my fit and i'm getting really confused with what amp to buy. I'm think i'm going with this Polk Audio 12" sub. (let me know if this is a good or bad idea. I just recently tested it out in Frys car audio room and it sounded really nice. Hits pretty hard for less than 1000w max power.)
Anyways, to the gist of this post, I don't know what amp to buy to support this sub correctly. I tried to just google some info for an answer but it seems like there's no clear answer without getting sucked into all the fine details I don't understand
So, with this what would you advise as far as amps go? What power rating? Any help is appreciated. Thanks everyone!

 

Give me a budget for your sub, amp and wiring and I can come up with a much better solution for you than that Polk sub.

 

Well i'm looking some resonance, and definitely some impact. I don't want more than one, as I don't want the weigh/trunk space to go. I was looking for a 12" because it'll be more productive all around than a ten. I was looking to spend around $300....I don't know if that is peasant budget by your means :P but I can fluctuate the price...although the time span will increase. No problem with that, but I definitely don't want to invest too much in this. So, I'd say max like $400...maybe $300. I don't want to embarrass myself since I know you are all into the audio stuff, I looked in your sub build thread, which is awesome btdubbs. Let me know man, thanks

 

Ok, not a problem.

AUDIOPIPE APSM-1300 2000W MONO Car Audio MINI Amplifier | eBay

Decent amp, also uses nano tech so it is smaller than a typical 1000watt amp, gives you PLENTY of power and more if you decide to another sub later.

SD-2 12D4 SUNDOWN AUDIO SLIM MOUNT 12" DUAL 4-OHM SUBWOOFER SHALLOW SERIES SUB | eBay

Great sub, so your total with these two you are at $270, figure around $50-75 for wiring and you got a nice little setup. Course you still need a box for the sub, you can build one yourself or buy one. If you buy a prefab enclosure, please do yourself the favor and make sure it is MDF and not particle board. To keep space I would just build or get a sealed box, a ported box is going to take up more room.

 

I'm considering getting a 10" sub.. looking at both the

and the .

It says the Kicker is a shallow mount sub, but the Alpine most likely isn't (mounting depth almost 2" deeper). From everything I've read, the subwoofer enclosure is just as (if not more) important as the sub itself. I'm new to all of this and was wondering if anyone could help me match the subs to a sub box?

For the Kicker I was thinking of trying a sealed box in the hopes of saving some of the cargo capacity in my Fit. I was thinking of matching it with this Pioneer UD-SW100T box or something similar. Not sure if this is a good idea or if there are better available (preferably for cheaper lol that box is as much as the darn subwoofer!)

Am unsure about what would be a good box for either sub so any advice or product links would be appreciated! The smaller the better as long as the sound coming out is still kickin'

Thanks~

PS I was also looking at those Audiopipe amps - there's a 1500 that's not much more money (vs. the 1300)

 

Sorry I am not too much into mainstream audio brands, AKA Kicker/Alpine/Pioneer and etc when it comes to Subwoofers. The brands I use and recommend are Sundown Audio, Fi, and PSI. While all these names may seem strange or odd because you haven't heard of them it's because they are smaller US owned and operated companies. Granted some of their products are more expensive, but well worth the cost. PSI as an example is owned and operated out of MS, and the owner hand builds all the subwoofers per the customers order. So while you can walk into any walmart and buy kicker, I wouldn't recommend it.

If you want to see what the audiophiles/Bassheads are running try looking up some of the more popular car audio forums such as; DIYMA.com - Car Audio Forum & 12 volt Community Board, Car Audio Classifieds - Buy, Sell and Trade Car Audio Equipment, SMD Forum, Car Audio Forum - CarAudio.com .

Most of the people there run products you will probably have never heard of, let alone seen. However there is a reason for that, simply put better products that are built to be brutal.