OK, let me tell you something first before we get into brand names and who
makes the best subwoofer.
I have had, geez I have to think about this, 7 high quality systems in my
car ever since 1991. And by high quality, I mean top-notch gear and
proffesional installation (I used to have all my gear proffesionally
installed until about 8 years ago when I felt like I had learned enough to
do my own).
Anyway, what I learned over the course of these seven vehicles (and of
course, others) is that cabin size is EVERYTHING when you are talking about
bass. Nothing more dramitically brought this point home to me when I
transfered my entire system from a Nissan Stanza to a Subaru Forrester. Now
I had a pair of 12" JL 12W3's in a sealed box in the trunk of my Stanza and
a Soundstream Refference 700 (700 watts RMS) driving them. It was LOUD!!!!!
When I transferred this to the Subaru I actually thought I would get MORE
bass as the subs would no longer be isolated in a trunk but would be open to
the main cabin, in the rear storage area.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Despite extensive experimenting with
placement, I got NO WHERE NEAR the quantity of bass in the larger Subaru
cabin vs. the much smaller Stanza.
The point I am making is that I have done many installations now for myself
and friends. In a truck cabin (I've done two trucks for friends), a quality
8" subwoofer with enough power can, indeed, produce prodigous amounts of
bass thanks to the transfer function that is VERY pronounced in the small
cabin of a truck.
HOWEVER, even a very good 8" sub with lots of power in a minivan may leave
you disapointed. Again, I tell you this only because I have experienced it
first-hand. I understand you are not looking for a ground-pounder so you
can be heard coming three blocks away, BUT, my point is that if you are
going to go through all the hassle of installing an amp and subwoofer, let
me suggest you go with larger, or multiple subs. A pair of high quality
10's would probably do the job nicely or AT LEAST a single 12" sub (two
would be even better). And again, I'm not thinking in terms of waking your
neighbors up, but the fact that the transfer function in a minivan is NOT
going to give your bass much of a boost. Anyway, that's my $.02 on that
matter.
AS far as quality subs, there are many quality sub makers out there these
days. Subwoofers have improved dramatically over the years, and a single
quality sub today can BLOW AWAY two subs of similar size made 10+ years ago.
Motor structures have advanced dramtically in size and cooling methods have
improved incredibly. Cone material is much more advanced (lighter and
stronger) allowing for greater pistonic movement, or Xmax. Spider material
today allows for a longer stroke, yet still keeps the cone and former in
alignment. I could go on, but you get my drift. In fact, if I had to
choose one component of a car audio system that has improved the most in the
last 10 years, I would say subwoofers without a moment's hesitation (well,
OK, the Class D amp certainly improved things for us all).
MTX makes a really good subwoofer and I would strongly encourage you to
check out and listen to their line. Alpine also makes some outstanding
subwoofers, their Class R subs are truly amazing (and to think, 15 years
ago I scoffed at Japaneese speakers). JL, of course, continues to improve
and produce quality subwoofers as well. Though none of these subs are
exactly cheap, they won't break the bank either. Like anything else, you
get what you pay for but I would be confident that any one of these
manufactureres would produce a quality product, no matter how much you
choose to spend. In a nutshell, I guess these three would be on my
shortlist.
And keep in mind, I'm not saying this because I own them (you find in this
group that when the topic of the "best subs" comes up, coincendentally it
ALWAYS seems that whoever recommends a brand just happens to also use that
brand).
I don't use any of those three (though I did use MTX and JL for many years,
as well as Rockford Fosgate, but lately I have not been all that impressed
with their stuff) right now. I use a pair 15" subs in a sealed box driven
by an Alpine Class D 850 watt RMS amp that some would likely consider an
"off-brand" subwoofer, but I love them to death so there!
Anyway, that's what I have to say on this matter, JL, MTX or Alpine and you
will most likely not be disapointed. AND, I would STRONGLY consider going
bit further than a single 8" sub in a minivan.
MOSFET
"Sharky" wrote in message
news:s7aDl.20825$Db2.9401@edtnps83...
Hi. I've been in and out of the car audio scene over the last few
decades, but lately, have not been keeping up on what is the newest and
greatest. Recently, I was shopping around at Princess Auto and picked up a
very small 8" subwoofer enclosure, probably around 0.35-0.4 cu.ft. in
size. It is very small, but the reason it caught my eye is because I have
been pondering the idea of installing a smaller sub enclosure in my Toyota
Sienna (yes, that's a mini-van, LOL). This box was only $5 including tax,
and is already carpeted and pre-wired for one speaker, as well as a
neon-ring connection, if that were so desired (it's not). It actually
isn't built all that bad, not like the foldout build it-yourself boxes
from Wal-mart, but I will take a caulking gun to the joints and probably
add some filler. It suits my needs because of the fact that it will slide
directly under the middle row seat where it is out of harms way, and means
I can still use the rear of the van for my tools and gear (I leave the two
rear seats out all the time), without worrying about losing storage space
or damaging the sub with my construction gear. Installing under the
middle seat will also make it much easier to route power and RCA leads to
the amplifier, because it is closer than installing all the way to the
rear of the van.
I'm looking for some recommendations on a mid to good quality sub that
will suit this box, and still sound somewhat decent. I have an amplifier
that I can use, which is a Pioneer GM 5100T,
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...-5100T.Support ,
currently it is mated to a MA Audio 12" sub that is not being used.
250-300 watts RMS would be more than plenty, but I'd like to stay around
that number in case I do use the Pioneer to power it. The head unit is an
Almani DVT-909, which has subwoofer volume control and crossover switching
built-in. Not a bad unit, but I wish I had researched it a bit more
before purchase. However, it is capable of playing DVDs, and recordable
DVD-/+RW and has two sets of A/V outputs for headrest monitors, which is
something else I may look into down the road.
Any recommendations on a 8" subwoofer that would suit my needs would be
greatly appreciated. BTW, I am not looking to rattle the windows out or
wake up the neighbours. I'd just like to add a bit of punch to my music,
which can vary anywhere from heavy metal, to rock, to rap, and even some
dance music. Also, the install clearance for the box is 4.5", so the sub
cannot have a huge magnet. The van is a family vehicle, mostly on the
weekends, so I can't go too outrageous with my setup.
Thanks in advance,
Sharky