Tlhx

Hey guys, I'm new here. I will be getting my first car sometime after Christmas and one of the first things I will be doing to the car is putting in a sound system. First though, I have some questions for anyone that cares to give their opinion. The car is a 2003 Honda Civic LX Sport Sedan.

Do you think I would be able to fit dual 15" subs in a ported box in the trunk? I don't have the car right now so I can't measure the trunk.

Would it be better to stuff the trunk with 2 15" subs or go with 2 12" subs to give better airflow around the box? I would prefer the 15's but again, I'm new to car audio.

What brand of sub would you recommend for good SPL without sacrificing SQ? I've heard Kickers are loud as hell but don't sound very good in comparison to others. I can get a pair of 15" Alpine Type-R's for about 460 USD shipped, but I'm definitely open to your opinions.

And the last of my questions for now is about amps. I've heard good and bad things about Hifonics amps. Are there any other more reliable 1600W+ amps for around the same price?

Thanks guys, my budget for the whole system is around 1500 CAD tops for now. Most of it will be going towards the subs. Any help is wanted.

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

I take it you are not planning on upgrading the rest of your stereo at this time....it would help to know what else you have in the car already....are you running a factory deck and/or speakers?

Tlhx

I will eventually get speakers but I'm not worried about that yet. As for a deck, I'll pick up an Alpine CDA-9886 locally for 300 CAD installed.

kbonarek

I'm not a sound guru by any means, but my advice would be to spend most of the cash on a decent head unit, at least some good front speakers and a decent 4ch amp. You'd be surprised what you can achieve with a single well set up 12". Bridge one of the 4 channels to power the sub, use the other 2 for the front speakers and in the future when you buy a dedicated sub amp, you'll have the 4ch for either bi-amping the front, adding another set of speakers, or bridging it to 2ch to give more power the the fronts.

2 15's and a cheap high power amp is gonna sound like garbage...and if you leave the rest of the system stock, you'll have nothing but loud, muddy bass.

But as Big red stated...we need to know more about your plans and what you have already.

Tlhx

I have nothing already, as I don't even have the car yet. This is just the planning and price-watching stage. Please continue though

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

Alrighty then.......as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, if you are going to put anything in your car worth $1,500, you need to understand what you will get for that money.

Another member put this post up for people in your situation. Before you spend a dime, read the links on that page and get back to us here with more questions.

I'm fairly certain you have heard a few cars in your area pounding down the street and want to get that "boom" for your new wheels....we all went thru it at one time and that sound you're looking for takes more than bass to achieve. The people here are happy to help you get there, but I doubt you listen to music at home with the 'highs' turned all the way down and the 'bass' turned all the way up.......which is what you'll get if you just toss in some subs and an amp.....

If you put that much money into a complete system, you will still be able to listen to your tunes at a volume level that will eventually damage your hearing.......it will take a little longer but sound a whole lot better.....:

Welcome to the board......there is a lot to learn, have fun with it.....

jalat

iTrader: (6)

i DO NOT suggest 2 15"s.

two 12"s will be alot happier in a civic, you'll be able to build a quality enclosure without sacrificing a ton of space. this would be my list of possible woofers and amps that i would get in your budget

subwoofers:
Kicker CVX
Soundstream T5
Kicker L5
Mmats P3.0
Rockford Fosgate T1
Fi Q

Amps:
Hifonics 1606d/1608d
Us Amps xterminator 2000
Alpine MRP 1000
Soundstream PCX1000

There are a bunch more, but these should be suffice.

LOWTONEZ

iTrader: (3)

Have you thought about a single 15? Also is there a reason you are looking at just 1600 watts? You most likely will not be able to PROPERLY fit 2-15s ported in a trunk, probably even sealed. I would suggest going with a single or 2-12s and seal off the box from the trunk, seeing as you will not have much airflow if you face them inside the trunk. As for good subs I would recommend mach 5 audio, RD audio, and maxxsonics. 2 of these brands can be bought in canada Saving you the hassle of high exchange and shipping charges.

Tlhx

Would you look at that, I'm learning already So here's my situation: I have around four thousand dollars to restore and mod the car to however I see fit. I'm giving myself a budget of 1500 dollars for all of the audio. I figure that's enough to get me a pretty decent system while still leaving money for the rest of the car. Now I'm thinking I will want to go with four 6.5" speakers (probably Alpine because I like the brand, but open to suggestions), an Alpine head unit (already have one picked out at Visions), an amp (need to pick that out after I pick my subs), and 2 12's in a ported or sealed box.

I figure I'll have 750 dollars left after the speakers and the head unit. This will go towards the 2 subs, the box, the amp (or 2 if needed) and any wiring etc. I might have to go over my budget a bit Now I know everyone has different preferences, but I'm looking for a sub that will get loud but not sacrifice sound quality. I have heard that the Fi's are good but I am still confused as to what some of the options actually do. They cost a tad more than the Alpines but I'm sure I'd be paying for quality. Would that RF's be a better deal? I listen to a range of music, pretty much everything but rap and country, if that helps at all.

Sorry for coming so unprepared, I'm still a newbie

MR2NR

iTrader: (66)

Dude, if you have msn, add me, we need to talk. forbidden@telus.net