Audio Misconceptions question

[weedman 0]

Hey guys I stopped by a local car audio shop today and talked with a salesmen for almost an hour. 90% of their products are Kenwood and he swears by them. He had a lot to say and I was just wondering if it was true because there were some things I have never heard.

He said that running an amp at 1 ohm is a bad idea because the sound quality drops significantly.

He also said that you should spend more on your box than on your subs because the box is responsible for 75% of your bass.

He also had very little good to say about Fi or sundown but that scosche is a very well respected for their sub woofers and amps

I don't know if any of it is true or not but if you guys have any insight on this that would be sweet.

Thanks,

Matt

[ricksi30 923]

Sounds like you waisted an hour listening to a bunch of bs. The box part is somewhat true though. The sub enclosure is just as important as the sub that goes in it.

[Hzd Skizzy 27]

I would kind of agree on what he said about the box. The box does play a huge role in an install. It would be hard to spend more on a box than on equipment because a box can be made for cheap. But a lot of people go by 90% install 10% equipment.

Edited December 1, 2011 by Hzd Skizzy

[jcarter1885 995]

you dont loose sound quality running an amp at 1 ohm versus 2 or 4 ohms, you will loose efficiency though. The box part is true, just doubt his 75% calculation. Of course the equipment he sells will be good for one another, why try to upsell what he doenst carry (a Mercedes dealer wont tell you to go get a BMW).

[Punkeyboozter 19]

Hey guys I stopped by a local car audio shop today and talked with a salesmen for almost an hour. 90% of their products are Kenwood and he swears by them. He had a lot to say and I was just wondering if it was true because there were some things I have never heard.

He said that running an amp at 1 ohm is a bad idea because the sound quality drops significantly.

He also said that you should spend more on your box than on your subs because the box is responsible for 75% of your bass.

He also had very little good to say about Fi or sundown but that scosche is a very well respected for their sub woofers and amps

I don't know if any of it is true or not but if you guys have any insight on this that would be sweet.

Thanks,

Matt

Well first of Kenwood isn't a bad product but its essentially a mass market product and far from the best out there. They do other things like radio communication much better then car radio.

Running a amp at 1 ohm does affect the SQ somewhat but you will be hard pressed to tell the difference its not like its like with headphones where you can tell the difference between 8ohm and 150 ohms. Chances are the amp he wants to sell to you aint 1 ohm stable and will likely do 2 or 4 ohms at best.

Install is very important and how the sub box is designed will largely determine how well it plays. Chances are he would have sold you a basic sealed box any way so as long as its the right size and has a good seal it wont matter...why not stay here on the forum a while learn a few things and build your own box for 50-100 buck + you would have learned something and have the pride and satisfaction that comes with it.

Id buy fi or sundown over kenwood any day...in fact I have done so and will continue to support companies that care about their clients...having a far superior product does help this fact.

[Duran 387]

The enclosure is more like 90%, its much more important than people think.

[weedman 0]

Well first of Kenwood isn't a bad product but its essentially a mass market product and far from the best out there. They do other things like radio communication much better then car radio.

Running a amp at 1 ohm does affect the SQ somewhat but you will be hard pressed to tell the difference its not like its like with headphones where you can tell the difference between 8ohm and 150 ohms. Chances are the amp he wants to sell to you aint 1 ohm stable and will likely do 2 or 4 ohms at best.

Install is very important and how the sub box is designed will largely determine how well it plays. Chances are he would have sold you a basic sealed box any way so as long as its the right size and has a good seal it wont matter...why not stay here on the forum a while learn a few things and build your own box for 50-100 buck + you would have learned something and have the pride and satisfaction that comes with it.

Id buy fi or sundown over kenwood any day...in fact I have done so and will continue to support companies that care about their clients...having a far superior product does help this fact.

That's interesting you say that. His recommendation was a ported box from kenwood's Freak series. I don't care how cool the box was they wanted $550 for it.

[05Trailblazer 1]

That guy sounds like a guy i used to knw. He has his own car audio shop he tried to lure me into buying the best and popular brands which failed at. He also said you cannot tune a box at a frequency you like im like okay man thats some nice info

[Freshh 11]

Well first of Kenwood isn't a bad product but its essentially a mass market product and far from the best out there. They do other things like radio communication much better then car radio.

Running a amp at 1 ohm does affect the SQ somewhat but you will be hard pressed to tell the difference its not like its like with headphones where you can tell the difference between 8ohm and 150 ohms. Chances are the amp he wants to sell to you aint 1 ohm stable and will likely do 2 or 4 ohms at best.

Install is very important and how the sub box is designed will largely determine how well it plays. Chances are he would have sold you a basic sealed box any way so as long as its the right size and has a good seal it wont matter...why not stay here on the forum a while learn a few things and build your own box for 50-100 buck + you would have learned something and have the pride and satisfaction that comes with it.

Id buy fi or sundown over kenwood any day...in fact I have done so and will continue to support companies that care about their clients...having a far superior product does help this fact.

That's interesting you say that. His recommendation was a ported box from kenwood's Freak series. I don't care how cool the box was they wanted $550 for it.

I don't know much about Kenwood, so I won't comment there.

But, like others said, a good enclosure and how it is positioned in the vehicle it's in will make a large difference in what you hear.

For 550 dollars I'm sure you can find much better box's, even on this forum we have people that build boxes. The cool thing about them is they will make it specifically to how you want it, so check them out if you don't have the tools to do the job yourself!

and finally - to SSA!

[weedman 0]

Thanks for the answers so far guys. One more question though he mentioned that having a sealed box with nothing inside it was a bad idea. something about sound waves echoing or something to that effect.

[StreetLegal 119]

The guy is full of b.s !

You are at the right place here,

[ricksi30 923]

Well first of Kenwood isn't a bad product but its essentially a mass market product and far from the best out there. They do other things like radio communication much better then car radio.

Running a amp at 1 ohm does affect the SQ somewhat but you will be hard pressed to tell the difference its not like its like with headphones where you can tell the difference between 8ohm and 150 ohms. Chances are the amp he wants to sell to you aint 1 ohm stable and will likely do 2 or 4 ohms at best.

Install is very important and how the sub box is designed will largely determine how well it plays. Chances are he would have sold you a basic sealed box any way so as long as its the right size and has a good seal it wont matter...why not stay here on the forum a while learn a few things and build your own box for 50-100 buck + you would have learned something and have the pride and satisfaction that comes with it.

Id buy fi or sundown over kenwood any day...in fact I have done so and will continue to support companies that care about their clients...having a far superior product does help this fact.

That's interesting you say that. His recommendation was a ported box from kenwood's Freak series. I don't care how cool the box was they wanted $550 for it.

550 for a box for some kenwood subs! Holy sheet.

[Punkeyboozter 19]

Well first of Kenwood isn't a bad product but its essentially a mass market product and far from the best out there. They do other things like radio communication much better then car radio.

Running a amp at 1 ohm does affect the SQ somewhat but you will be hard pressed to tell the difference its not like its like with headphones where you can tell the difference between 8ohm and 150 ohms. Chances are the amp he wants to sell to you aint 1 ohm stable and will likely do 2 or 4 ohms at best.

Install is very important and how the sub box is designed will largely determine how well it plays. Chances are he would have sold you a basic sealed box any way so as long as its the right size and has a good seal it wont matter...why not stay here on the forum a while learn a few things and build your own box for 50-100 buck + you would have learned something and have the pride and satisfaction that comes with it.

Id buy fi or sundown over kenwood any day...in fact I have done so and will continue to support companies that care about their clients...having a far superior product does help this fact.

That's interesting you say that. His recommendation was a ported box from kenwood's Freak series. I don't care how cool the box was they wanted $550 for it.

screw them unless its some glassed box with leather or carbon it still too much. Use that money and buy some tools as this is an addictive hobby and even if you build the perfect box the first time chances are you you will get the itch again to build more and more and more.

Here are some estimates and quality and region might change some of the prices.

MDF 40-50bucks (wood shop can make most of the cuts for you)

router 100 bucks

router bits 30 bucks

jigsaw 150 bucks

sander 50bucks

clamps 20bucks

tape measure 10 bucks

tube glue gun 10 bucks

tube of glue 10 bucks enough for at least two boxes

screws 10 bucks

Drill 100 bucks

screwdriver 5 bucks

sanding paper 1 buck

If you dont have money get highlighted items first

People in these parts say now you have been poisoned.

[Punkeyboozter 19]

Thanks for the answers so far guys. One more question though he mentioned that having a sealed box with nothing inside it was a bad idea. something about sound waves echoing or something to that effect.

should be fine some people use poly fill or pillow stuffing to make a small box act bigger then what it actually is.

[audio-neon 34]

You will most likely never see wave cancellation within a sealed box in car audio... The boxes are just too small considering sound waves are measured in feet, even 1/4 waves at frequencies sub woofers are producing.

[sefugi 166]

550 for a box for some kenwood subs! Holy sheet.

Looks like you may be leaving $ on the table...

Every retailer is going to be biased toward the products they sell.

[95Honda 486]

^^ Dampening doesn't help with standing waves/reflections pretty much at all below 100Hz or so... Kind of a missconception.... You mostly dampen in a ported box to atenuate harmonics and mechanical noise, you use it large amounts to change the Q is a sealed box...