After a couple of years upgrading tires/rims, interior/exterior mods, and other misc. upgrades, I have decided to upgrade the stereo in my 2000 Max. It has the Bose system in it, so the stereo was decent enough to put off for a couple of years.

I wanted to keep the head unit (since I like the way it looks in the dash), and leave the door speakers as they have decent midrange sound. Just replace the tweets in the a-pillars, disconnect the Bose sub, and add some after market subs (two 12"ers). Below is what I bought.

Components:

Alpine Type-S SWS-1241 12" 4-ohm : Two of these guys to replace Bose sub

Alpine MRP-M350 200W x 1 Car Amp : To Power the above subs

Infinity Reference 1001t 1" Tweeters : To replace the stock tweeters


My strong desire is to have really tight, hard hitting base that you can feel in your chest. None of this muddy boom that just seems to reverberate on and on. Also, to have extreme clarity in the highs. I am certain that the Infinity tweets will give me what I want by way of clarity, but not sure what the Alpine subs+amp will sound like. I am starting to wonder if I should have bought 10's, or, can I make these 12's sound nice and tight with the amp I purchased (or any amp for that matter). Anyone have experience with these subs or this amp?

Cheers!
Mike G

 

punchy bass can be had by a 10.

 

I've heard 8s, 10s, and 12s, and IMO, the "punchiness" of the bass is entirely dependent on the musical sound being reproduced. If you have a nice clean bass drum beat, you shouldn't really be able to tell the difference between different size subs. Having said that, I think the bass will be a little tighter if you go with a simple sealed sub(s) as opposed to a bandpass or other more complicated setup. I have two 10" Type R subs, and they provide a good clean hit to the chest under the right circumstances. But I can play ODBs Got Your Money, and it will rumble as opposed to punch...you won't ever be able to change that.

 

I just had my car done. I blew out the stock stuff so I decided to upgrade. I kept the head unit but replaced everything else. I put Infinity 6000cs up front and 6002i in back. In the trunk is one 10" Kicker L7 in a sealed box (kept it small so that i can still use the trunk and get to my spare if I need to). All of it is powered by one 5 channel Hifonics Zues amp (800 watts). All in all the system sounds great for not that much power. The mids and highs are really clean and the bass punches just right. I used to be into big boxes and more power (had 2 15" RF power subs in my first car and about 3000 watts of amps, and a great Kenwood electronic EQ- which i may have put into this new set up). The old set up was great- but loud enough to shake the entire car, and the cars around me. I guess old age set in, but I think the little system I got now is actually a lot better (and no annoying trunk rattle, and a lot cleaner). Anyways, keep us posted on what you do- and post some pics when you're done.

Vinny

 

Ah yes, the trunk rattle. I am going to be having a company called Custom Sounds install the amp/tweets for me (I want someone to be accountable/gurantee install). During that time, I am going to see if they will dynomat everything they can in the trunk, and rear deck. I know that there are stickys in the forum somewhere telling how to do this, but aside from not being able to search anymore, I want to be able to take it back and have them redo it if the "rattles" come back. They gurantee all their work, so..... That stupid rear deck has been ****ing me off since I bought this car.

When I first started thinking about upgrading the stereo, this guy at one of the shops here said that he would remove the existing sub, leaving the hole, and grill to cover it, then put subs in the trunk. He thought this would let more bass through. Anyone tried that configuration? Or would you just unplug the stock sub, and leave it there?

Cheers,
Mike G.

 

Hey bruthuh, that's where I got mine installed. Which location?

 

South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX.

I had them do some work for me when I had a Camaro SS. They were super cool and busted their butts to get it done in time for me to go out that night.

I called around to some other places in the area this week, and they were all total jerks. It was kind of like, you didn't buy your stuff through us, so f-you. Telling me that it was impossible to replace the tweets in the a-pillars, without (obviously) knowing what they were talking about. And I have to say, even Mike (at Custom Sounds) was a little put off sounding that I didn't purchase there, but he was not a jack-azz like the other people. He just said that the install would have to be on a weekday, as they reserved weekend installs for people that purchase in house. Which makes sense, given that people want to buy on the weekend, if they can have it installed that day. He also has one of the best quotes.

What location did you have yours done at? How did you like the results? My Camaro was a super easy install, so it was hard to guage their true performance.

Mike

 

I got mine done around the St. Louis area. The Fairview Heights store. I must say that I went into the store blindly not knowing much about car audio, and also what the quality brands were. After leaving, and seeing magazines, and roaming other car audio forums, I know from listening to my system I know I didnt make a bad choice. The only thing they could not isolate, was the alternator whine. A problem that I have been in there numerous times for. All in all I have been happy, cause I listen to my stuff LOUD!

 

Loud is the only way to fly. The "whine" has been there in several aftermarket systems I have had in previous cars. I have no real idea why that happens, but would guess it has something to do with some wiring being too close to the alternator or something like that. An issue you would think, professional installers would know how to avoid. Glad it worked out well for you, hope I have another positive experience with them.

Mike G.

 

it's true, it is pretty much all about the music being reproduced.

the best way to avoid it getting boomy is to use a sealed box, and a 10" sub furthermore prohibits "ooom"

 

Yep, I am somewhat second guessing myself with the purchase of 12's instead of 10's. But, I had the room for them, and was thinking I wanted the middle of the road between 10's and 15's. Who knows, maybe I will buy some 10's later on down the road, and sell the 12's. That would be super easy to do on my own, with the amp already installed. For now, I am too psyched about having it all in and working by Fri, that I am not going to return the subs. I am also having these guys try and resolve the rear deck rattle. That is my main reason for not wanting boomy bass. That is when it seems to go haywire.

 

I'll eat my shorts if you have the 12s installed and don't like them (compared to 10s). Most people consider 12s the best compromise. You won't be dissappointed, and if you are, its not because you chose 12s over 10s. I would have installed 12s, but there wasn't enough clearance under the rear BOSE speaker amps to fit a box big enough.

 

many say that if you have the room to go with a 12, definately do it


I suppose with a good amp and the right enclosure, it can be EQ's to sound just the way you want it to

 

Don't worry, you don't have to eat your shorts. They sound freakin awesome! Especially with the new tweets in the A-pillars (Infinity Reference tweets). I am glad now that I did go with the 12's. Especially since I had the room to work with. Nothing like feeling the bass in your chest. Ahhh.......I love that feeling.

Cheers!
Mike G

 

Most alternator whine problems are from poor grounding.

Tony

 

Great sounding, punchy bass is more dependent on installation rather than sub brand or size. Box size & type, crossover points, amplifier power, etc. Ideally, venting the woofers directly into the car's cabin will generally yield the best results. Correctly installed, a good 10" subwoofer (or two) will provide more than enough bass for most listeners.

It's all about the install!

Tony

 

Leaving a hole in the rear deck won't "vent" any more bass into the car. All those bass frequencies will travel right through the rear deck and back seats anyway. However, that damn Bose sub is just another source of rattling, so I'd just take it out.

Tony

 

punchy bass is also better had by a 10...

most 12's will give you the on and on stuff you were worried about



but I think it will still be an improvement over the BOSE

-vq