shimm57

hey im lookin to upgrade the sound system in my 8
i dont hav teh bose package

lookin for subs but i dont know what to do
1 powerful 12'', 2 less powerful 12s'', 2 10s??
i read somewhere on cardomain someone fit 2 15s in his..
anyone got pics of big subs in their 8s, ive only seen 2 ppls pics on this site.

what amp do i get?
ahh what size subs do i get??
what brand??
how powerful does it have to be for the rx8 to bump??
where can i get this stuff cheap?


anyone got any advice for me?

Kev

Firstly, use this forum ...

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-interior-audio-electronics-24/

second, try search!

There's heaps of info relating to subs.

If you are the sort of person that's not too fussy about boot space, find a cooperative car audio shop and get them to try some subs in you boot - they should be able to hijack a signal from the rear speakers.

If your the sort of person that likes to wake the neighbourhood at night with thumping bass, move to the Antarctic.

rotarygod

My question is why do you need 2-12's in that car? The box I am building right now for 2-10's is pretty big. Due to the small size of trunk opening that box had to be made in 3 pieces and assembled in the car. If you just want 2-12's, a simple sealed box will work just fine to keep the box down to workable dimensions. Either way you'll need to make it in at least 2 pieces. If you just want loud, pick 1 woofer that can handle tons of power, put it in an appropriately designed box, and get all the power you can afford. Something like a JL Audio 12W7, Image Dynamics ID-MAX 12, Rockford Power HX-2, etc. The top of the line sub from any manufacturer. Depending on which woofer you get and what you listen to will determine the type of box that you need. If you want it loud you may like a bandpass or higher tuned ported box the best. You'll also need a very strong amp. Find the most powerful amp you can afford and then wait 2 more months until you can afford something 2 sizes up! You want tons of power. Of course now you'll have to be sure that you run the proper wire size. Your alternator and battery may have to be rewired to larger gauge wires and extra grounds added to the system. When you add an amp to a car, you are not just affecting the amp, the entire electrical system is just that, a system. If you have a 1 gauge power and ground wire on a big amplifier but your battery still has the factory 10 gauge ground wire, you have a problem. Too many people (and many shops!) overlook this point. You can never have too big or too many gound wires. If you just want "2-12's" because you think 2 must be louder than 1 and bigger is better, you are probably going to end up embarrassed one day by some little car with half of what you have! You obviously want loud and the way to do it, especially in a car with a small trunk, is to use a very high end woofer in the proper box, with tons and tons of power. Did you know the SPL record for 1-8" is currently 148 db?!!! WOW! Most of the boomers around town aren't getting that with a pair of 12's. It is all in how you do it. A bad product installed properly will outperform a good product installed badly. Check out some of the other threads here to see what others are doing. I know what will fit in that car and you just have the wrong car to put a big system in unless you take out the rear seats. If you want to do this then we can talk some more.

-SoNiK-

rotary is right, "bad product installed properly will outperform a good product installed badly" that is true, the only thing that YOU will need to decide on is what kind of box you want for the car. Rotary made it clear that it all depend on what kind of music you like, what kind of power you want etc. Go with him for the box, second how much are you willing to spend? that is also another factor to look at. all those subs that rotary just listed are over $399 MSRP, but you may find it cheaper if you look hard, on top pf that most of those subs require decent power so your going to have to spend another $400 or more on the amp. heres my recomend 2-10" JL Audio W6 (2-W7's are guna cost more but bump harder) with a kicker RX1250.1 thats a mono 1250 watt amp that single on will be platy to power those subd right there, all of this can be purchased at prety decent prices at Woofersetc.com

-SoNiK-

bah, sorry for the bad english just woke up...

shimm57

thanks guys

i actually was thinking of getting one powerful sub and amp but it looks more expensive than 2 decent subs and a 2 channel amp. i would liek to get 1 sub but i also heard 2 subs would give me more balance

alex

rotarygod -- are you building boxes for the RX8, kinda like a 'cookie-cutter' for anyone can use and just "bolt in" w/out any hassles?

If so, another question, are you planning on designing a box that includes the spare tire in it? and easy access to the tool kits? I decided against subs because of the spare tire (I want to keep) and the grocery shopping bags space.

Thanks,
alex

rotarygod

Since most acoustic energy in the bass range is essentially in mono anyways (a generalization here, facts are too technical for the scope of this post), what is going to be balanced or unbalanced about one or multiple subs? If you install 2 subs you will probably wire the amp in mono anyways so where is the imbalance? There isn't one. One woofer will work fine.

Yes I listed expensive subs. I assume you want it very loud. Since space is at a premium in the RX-8 that is the way I would do it. Remember these 3 things in regards to boxes:

Small size
Good efficiency (how loud it will get per amount of power)
Low frequency extension

Out of these 3 things you can only have 2 at one time. Here are some examples.
EX#1: You want a small box (small size) that gets loud (good efficiency). In order to do this is CAN NOT play very low (low frequency extension).
EX#2: You want a box that plays low (low frequency extension) but is very small (small size). It CAN NOT be efficient meaning you will need tons of power.
EX#3: You want a box that plays low (low frequency extension) and doesn't need much power (good efficiency). It can not be small. A smaller box is less efficient at low frequencies than a large box.

That is how it works. Simple enough. Based on your inquiry of either 1 powerful 12", 2 less powerful 12"s, possibly 2-10"s and an inquiry into 15"s, I assume you want it loud. Since you want it loud but space is a a premium, the only option is to have lots of power. In order to have lots of power, you need a woofer that can handle lots of power. That is how I based my recommendations. Notice budget is not one of the 3 choices. Once you place a budget on the system then the general rules get much more constricted and the end results often turn out less than expected. If you want it loud, you're going to pay for it.

phillip

Rotary - I am looking for super fast and acurate sound at fairly high volume. Do you think there is enough airspace in the forward section of trunk to run 2 of the JL Audio 10w7 in a sealed box?

rotarygod

The box that I have been requested to build by several people is for a single 8" sub between the rear seats. Some space in the trunk has to be used but very very little. It is almost cookie cutter in nature but like most childrens toys, "some assembly is required". It is a 2 part box that gets screwed together in the car. This ensures that it is solidly attached. This is the type of box that I am building for Mr. Wigggles. Several others have asked me for copies as well but there is no assembly line run since I am not a business. Since Wigggles car does not have a spare tire, I am not even taking this into consideration. I can not guarantee that the box will still fit should he ever decide to carry spare tire. However, I can build anything! I just need the car in front of me to do it.

rotarygod

Phillip: Yes, but remember the above 3 rules. You will need tons of power to do it.

MrWigggles

Rotary,

No, I never plan to get a spare tire.

To safe guard against flats, you already have:

1. Inflation monitors
2. A puncture seal kit with pump.
3. Free Mazda roadside assistance.

If someone still doesn't think that is enough, I would suggest getting run-flats installed not the spare tire which takes up a large portion of the already small trunk space.

-Mr. Wigggles

-SoNiK-

the truth is that the responses for the w7 series are great they sound great, and they hit VERY HARD, but they dont stay on beat very well. I really dont mind it though its hardly noticable, but you know to the profesional 'sub gods', they do notice, but the truth is they probably are the best subs on the market right now, if you can afford it i say go for it. And yes i am pretty sure you can fit 2 10w7 in the trunk, but like rotary sed the box...it must be met to the specs of jl audio for it to sound worth the money you pay for them.