magikone69

As ive already searched, alot of us just arent satisfied with the bose system...its kool for a factory system but i wanted a lil more boom on the bass side...i really dont want to spend alot on making a new system...and im kinda out of the loud obnoxious bass booming. i want somehing clean that can possible compliment the bose so after searching i came to the thought that the easiest, cleanest, cheapest way to get results is to get a powered sub. The bass i want is something clean and noticeable...i listen to more of a "boom boom boom" type of bass as opposed to a "booooooooooooooom, booooooooooom" long rolling bass.

the top things i need is (not in any order):
-Quality/Reliability (something that will last, and not break apart)
-Great sound (nice crisp bass, not necesarily loud and boomy, has not be noticeable improvement over stock)
-Price- Nothing that is excessively expensive (including instalation kit if not included) im looking to spend uder 300 total minus instal.
-Compact size- Not necessarily the mot important, but if product A is smaller and has the same quality, sound, and reasonable price as product B id rather have product A. Size isnt as important as having a clean instal..so if its big but fits nice and clean id take it.

After searching locally and on the net the top 3 competitors are the Infinity basslink II, the kenwood KSC-SW1 and the kenwood kd-sw250, i listed a few others as well.

Infiniti Basslink I or II
1st is the obvious choice...the basslink. Of the three this is the only one that ive heard in person. Bass is nice and clean. It seems to be the obvious choice around here also. It has the type of bass i want with enough power for the music i listen to. only thing is that it is kinda big...in the pics it seemed alright but once i saw it in person it was bigger than expected. trunk space isnt absolutely necessary but i dont want to loose a great deal of it. price is more than the others at around $200 bux and up. 10 inch powered woofer 200 watts rms.
Basslink



Kenwood KSC-SW1
Ive never seen or heard this unit but it looks interesting, its a 6.5 inch woofer with a passive radiator next to it, which i am told almost doubles the bass the 6.5 inch woofer creates....i am still a little sceptical how this works...with a 6.5 woofer im guessing it is the weakest of the bunch. it is also only 150 watts rms...i am fascinated by this unit due to the demensions...it is recangular and flat, which i am hoping can drop right into the lil indented bed within the trunk, if it fits it would be a clean instal and i could rig up something to protect the unit incase i need to put stuff in the trunk on top of it.
KSC-SW1


Kenwood KSC-WD250
I also kno nothing of this unit, it seems to be very nice. it is a powered 10 inch woofer. It looks okay...its 100watt rms as well. The unit looks a bit bulky as well and even more difficult to install. i jus wanted to kno a lil more on this unit as it seems to bee quite cheap....around 150 bux shipped new.
KSC-WD250


MTX X Thunderlink
Last one im looking at is the MTX X Thunderlink....i know mtx makes great products at affordable prices, thats all i have to go by on this product. I havent heard it. Its a 10 inch powered woofer which seems to be on par with the basslink...i read a review on here where someone prefered the basslink to the MTX. Since both seem to be similar in price and specs and size...if i had to choose i think id take the basslink unless you guys can give a better comparison of both than from what i read.


Bazooka BTA8200
Not really considering this unit, but id like to post it up incase someone wanted to comment on it...Its Bazooka, Ive had several other bazooka products and wasnt to fond of them...for the price there was always and better comparing alpine, kenwood, pioneer, or Rockford Fostgate product (when comparing the basic circuit city type of car audio)...im listing this in good measure. Perhaps one of you have knowledge or experience with this unit and can comment. Its an 8 inch powered woofer and 200 watt rms...great power but small woofer...is this a great trade off for those who want louder more booming bass...there is also a 10 inch woofer model which has a lower Watt RMS. Price is midrange around 180 bux and up...
Bazooka


Blaupunkt Thb 210A
Not a fan of blaupunkt...they seem to be a soft serve type of audio company...i wasnt considering this at all but if anyone has any info or experience on this unit id love to hear it....i always keep an open mind. its a powered 8 inch woofer w/ 120 watts rms...looks like it can fit in the trunk right against the rear wall. looks fairly attractive.
Blaupunkt THB210A


im hoping some of the audio guru's could give some advice for us who want to have nice sounding bass and would like a powered woofer/amp combo. There are alot of units to choose from and im hoping this thread could be usefull not only to me but some of you as well...Maybe even sticky it

magikone69

any advice???????????

Juice

iTrader: (1)

I would go with them in this order:

1. Infinity basslink. It has good sound, and it is compact. It will fit behind the rear seats and off to one side. Infinity makes great products, and this is no different. Its not the smallest, or lightest, but I believe it is one of the best.

2. Bazooka. Also a good sounding, reliable product. This is second because it does take up a little more room than the basslink because of its akward shape. It is going to be a bit lighter though, if thats a concern

3. MTX. They make good products. I haven't heard one of these before though. In my experience, MTX is more for SPL and not so much sound quality. In that sense, it will probably be a little louder than the Infinity, but won't sound quite as good.

4. Kenwood (wedge). This is just a 10 in a premade box. Nothing really special about it. It will give you the bass you want, but it looks to be the biggest, and heaviest of all the choices.

5. Kenwood (Flat/rectangular one). A 6.5 driver probably isn't going to permeate the trunk to the cabin as well as an 8 or 10 inch driver. It just isnt going to be pushing enough air. I think these would be better in a truck, or hatchback where there isn't the seperation between where its installed and where it is listened to.

6. Blaupunkt. I just haven't had enough experince with their products to say one way or the other if this one is worth it.


OK, now with all that being said. There is no real replacement for a properly designed box, with a good amp/sub combo. If you have the skills to fabricate your own box I would definitely suggest that (its not that hard). Installation might take a little longer, but it will definitely be worth it. You'll have something that fits exactly where and how you want it. It will ultimately look better, and won't stand out as much either.

Revvittupp

Alpine PLT-5 and then PLV-7 Trump them all handily. THey are another tier up in price, but multiple tiers up in quality. Search PLV'7 for a thread on both.

magikone69

thnk you so much, those are the answers i was looking for... i had a feeling that th infinity would be highly recomended...its a kick *** all in one unit. i like it alot, jus thought id give the others a shot...that wedge kenwood 10 seems good tho, prob wont be as loud as the infinity tho.

the alpine unit seems like a great unit but it is fairly large, and is more than i want to spend...for the price and size id prob go with a more custom seperate amp and sub combo

i really cant make my own box, and cant find anyone who could do it for me, so id have to buy a prefab box or pay someone to do a custom box which adds to the $$$ i want to spend.

i originally wanted to go with those custom made corner boxes, i think they are called 4080 boxes...and 2 12's and an amp, but then it would be more bass than id want...id prob have to upgrade the bose which is more $$$$ and the install since i reeeeeeeeealy hate doing audio work on complicated cars....so thats going to exceed my budget...i figure a nice all in one unit should fit the bill.

Juice

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, the alpine units are nice, but I can't justify the cash for something that isn't custom.

It sounds like the infinity is gonna be a good option, it isn't super expensive. Has the ability to have a 4 channel amp upgrade (nice for down the road), sounds good, and isn't huge. Pretty much everything you are looking for.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Juice's order was the exact order I would have gone with. Many people hate on the bazooka tubes, but I've installed/heard my fair share and I believe them to be an awesome bang for the buck. My biggest complaint is their round shape and half-assed mounting straps. Also, the lower wattage 10" model will surely outperform the 8" 200W model.

On a side note, I've installed that MTX powered setup several times as well. Not a big fan. Less output than expected and I found it very easy to push it into distortion. My vote goes to Infinity.

magikone69

the thing i have against bazooka is the ones ive had and/or heard about had problems with the sub needing to be replaced. i had one which was like one of the 1st models out around 2002, it was a passive tube and i paired it with a sony xplod amp and it was great for 4 months and then the surround on the cone started to undo itself...once replaced the VC burned out....i later got an amlified tube a few years ago and the same thing happend with the VC burning out on the woofer...too much of a headache...

yenphi

I got basslink II and happy with it, it is on sale at crutchfield for 250 which is really cheap and also you got free 4 chanel amp to play with a a pair of addition speaker. go get it.

Revvittupp

I think I paid a little eover $400 shipped for my PLT-5. Big? This thing barely sticks up out of the indent in the floor, with room around it... If you bought an amp, a good quality single 10, and a 4080 box you'd spend more for less sound, and I think it would weigh at least as much. If you get a Basslink, you will get a chepaer and lighter package with roughly 40% the output.

rx8phase1

iTrader: (1)

just get a normal ported sub trust me at first i said i didnt want big bass but after having the basslink for 6 months i sold it and bought a 10 ported sub sounds waaaaay better then basslink and you can always lower the power trust me its not woth the money just get a normal one

cornholio135

iTrader: (2)

I have always been a fan of the Bazooka since their inception in the early 90's. I have 2 of the 50 watt self amplified 8" and they sound great. still have most of my trunk space left...

magikone69

those bazookas do look good... was jus lookin at their website and i see that they still have the nitrous bottle subs lol...when they 1st came out i thought those were the coolest things out...i might go with 2 of the "Zex" style purple Bottles lol in the same style as cornholio.

im semi serious....how do they sound BTW???

souvlakipita

do yourselves a favour and dont get a prefabricated box. spend very little money extra or no extra if shopped from ebay and make:
a box to your liking
a sub to your liking i.e.:boom boom or booooooooooom simply put
a 4 channel amplifier, you bridge 2 for the sub and the other 2 for the 6x9 on the back deck.
for a little more money(i.e:ebay) you can have better sound with all ive mentionned

souvlakipita

forgot to mention, it is also better because itll be easier to remove the sub box only having to remove the speaker wire. with a prefab, im pretty sure youll have to remove the speaker wire + the power + the line input + remote on +...

HCTR154

I have the Basslink and like it. One of the nice things about it is the remote power **** I located next to the drive tunnel. It allows me to turn down the "bass" when driving through the neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning. Keeping up relations with the neighbors is a good thing in my book!

rXter

I put the Basslink in my 8 a couple of years ago. Works great, stays put, remote gain is great, was a reasonable price and fills out the sound nicely without the need to make a glass box etc.

Go with the Basslink.