Leaderboard

I'd change your box and that boss amp before swapping out the Kickers. Somewhat non-amusingly Kicker gets a bad rap on forums since they are not an internet company and are mainstream. Some of their products really kick ass though, including for playing loud and not being "muddy" on double bass notes. I chose to use a Kicker L7 on my sister's boat for a variety of reasons. It is definitely loud and sounds really good, but it is in an ideal box and everything is setup right. It really is 90% in the install. It is really easy to make a great woofer sound like crap, at the same time you can make a mediocre woofer sound decent as long as it is playing within its parameters. As for your questions on the Q, you and your friend are not Q buyers. This is exactly why in the T&C we request you don't use the term SQ as your definition is FAR from reality. Sure it is subjective so it can be yours, but for the sake of making so we can all talk about it using the one that is closer to competition is much better. If you were truly into SQ you'd be worried about your fronts and wouldn't be that concerned with a sub, but when you chose one it would be to just play the last octave and BLEND well with the rest. BTW, in general that doesn't mean loud, in fact the opposite. Build a box first, get some real power on those and then play some songs and let us know which ones don't play well and we can help you pick a better driver for the application. Until then you might just be changing one problem for another.

Absolutely true. Sorry I'm use to everyone wanting to run a BTL with as much power as possible. I was assuming that if someone was going with a BTL over the BL it was because they were going to run more power to it. Though it is very dumb of me to assume things.

The woofer doesn't determine electrical upgrades, the amplifier power consumption does.

Your double bass sounds bad because of the install/box. I have been through quite a few sets of CVR's both sealed and ported and have liked how they sounded even on double bass notes. I think your box is tuned a little too high and would be better with a tuning closer to 34hz. As for your original question with switching from the CVR's to a Fi sub the last setup I had before my current 15" Fi Q was 4 sealed 12" CVR's. The CVR's definitely got loud but that wasn't what I was after as the Q is not meant to be in an SPL type of setup (the Q still has the ability to get loud but that doesn't mean that is what you're after). The Q will hit the low notes better than the CVR's and sound better. I know that you said you weren't looking for SPL but it seems like you want to sound better and as loud if not louder than the CVR's. This leads me to believe that you are not in the market for a Q and the BL or SSD would be the better options (the BL would probably be more what your after). These options will be sound quality wise as good as the CVR's IMO and if the box is made right and tuned to Fi specs then they will sound better. I think to save yourself some money the best thing would be to try a new box for the CVR's and if you still aren't happy then switch to a different sub but if you're set on a Fi sub then I would have to say the BL would be your best option, then the SSD, then the Q. The BTL is out of the question because of the limited upgrades done to the car.

Plum Creek is the manufacturer. They are on the West Coast.

RF Punch 500-2 is a good amp for it . Basically anything that will do the rated rms that is a reputable company. RF, Sundown, Kicker, etc. Just stay away from those $20 ebay pos amps lol.

I dont take it as a pissing match, just different opinions and I respect someone more for having a different opinion and sticking to it. Does not mean I have to agree. Life would suck if everyone was a sheep and just what everyone else did. We would all still be running kickers ported to 50hz. LOL

The BTL, since it is a speaker and speakers do what they are told, does not require any electrical upgrade. What would is the amount of power that is desired to be fed into the BTL. It will be the loudest, all things being equal, off the same power, even if that is less then 1000 watts. There is no law that says the BTL needs 2000 watts of power.

u can't have a complete circuit if you remove the ground off the battery because the ground has been removed out of the car. When you remove that wire, u can sit there and touch the power and ground to each other all day long on the amp and nothing will happen. I don't really understand why you guys think it's so bad to do this because back when i first got started in audio several years ago, lots of manuals to equipment i bought always said to install ground wire last so that's what users would do.

I went with a 3-way active system as my first attempt and if I had to do it over again I would definitely go with a 2-way active; though, note, I would still go active. If you went 3 way, Zed's Leviathon would really be the way to go. I'd love to sell all my amps and just buy that one. It's a great piece of equipment. Going with a 2 way active is possible if you're willing to do some research. There is plenty of information available without much searching - just do some reading here, roe, PE tech talk, etc for general concepts and the occasional link to outside information. As far as drivers go for a 2 way I'd go with a 6.5/7 inch mid and a tweeter. Though you could go with a bigger midbass and use a smaller fullrange unit and sacrifice some high end extension if you're willing to do some EQing. But, there is something to be said for the simplicity of a plug and play passive. If you're willing to do the research (which you seem to be seeing you came here asking for help) then I don't see why you can't pull off an active set up... but as previously stated, start with goals and then find the components to fit them - starting with pieces of equipment and molding your goals to fit them won't turn out very well unless you get lucky.

phi. if it were eff eye then both letters would be capital.

I actually chuckled when I saw the pictures. I've seen a lot of things on the forums over the past 8 years....can't say I've ever seen anyone use chimney and sewer pipes as a makeshift port before. No harm, no foul when it comes to testing though.....hopefully you'll learn a little something in the process.

The Epicenter works by looking for harmonics and filling in what might be a missing or attenuated fundamental that was filtered out during mastering process or somewhere in the reproduction chain (such as the source unit). If, for example, it finds a signal at 100hz (1st harmonic), 200hz (2nd harmonic) and 400hz (3rd harmonic) but a weak signal at 50hz (the fundamental), it will "restore" or "recreate" the 50hz signal. So it's only really useful if the fundamental is truly "missing". If the music you're listening to simply has limited bass content, then you are using the Epicenter outside of it's intended purpose. It's not supposed to be used to add bass to songs which were composed with limited bass content, only songs that had the bass unnaturally filtered out at some later point. In general with most of today's music and sources, an Epicenter is pretty useless and does more damage than good. Most people still using them are intentionally (although maybe unknowingly) using them incorrectly. Shameless plug: Damping Factor What exactly is it you want to know?

No. If you truly want to listen to bassless music and have output you should be looking at beefing up your front stage and not your sub/s. More SQ oriented my ass, just flat out wrong. No way, no how are you going to hear ANY difference on your sub. On top of that in a SQ oriented forum there really shouldn't be a discussion on subs hardly at all as they have hardly any influence on the system. Sure they can ruin the setup, but it doesn't take much to fill in the bottom octave when the rest is right. Site of posers if they truly think it makes a difference. And I am completely SQ oriented and could care less about bass output.

vid's dont mean shit, dont select a product on this basis.

shut the fuck up PMin me with your gay shit..... dont think just cause i posted a with a hartfelt topic that im weak son...i simply posted that because from the DAY you were a member here you aked about how to fit BTLS in your car and HOW to PUSUH 6 million watts in your car blah blah blah and then you say " so i bought some weak ass stereo shit how do i make it sound good" hoop dreamer son.. you post here like NONE stop about how your gonna get the best shit on the planet and then you get some trash... so eat my ass. i know im an asshole... and i dont really give a fuck. stop trying to be cool and just be you.

Thanks. I don't like to know something without actually knowing it. If someone tells me "your port has to be 4 inches in diameter, 12 inches long" the first question I as is why? "Why does it have to be 4? " - because of the subwoofer. It needs to "breath" depending on its Xmax. " Why does it have to be 12 inches long? " Because if it's longer or shorter, you are setting the tuning not what you desire at. And this kind of things. Thank you. x2, and it shows you what car audio is all about testing to get where you want to be or it to sound how you want it to sound. x3 on that. Not even the most experience guys on the forum can replace some real life testing. They just give me the basics and some things I (we) have to learn by myself.

It's not "worse for SQ," you're just running the amp harder. Your amp loves you more if you run it at 8 Ohms, than 1 Ohm for example. Imagine that your car would make 400HP throughout the power band. Imagine another car that only makes the same 400HP at 8000 RPM. Hypothetically speaking, which engine would be more efficient? Remember: engines are extremely inefficient and most energy converted turns to heat (waste). Electronics' enemy is also heat, making them less efficient. This is epically simplified and hypothetical, but I hope I relayed my thoughts effectively I've had an Epicenter in my car for 4 or 5 years. It does make the bass "muddy" when turned up. I keep it because some artists and songs don't have the bass recorded at the same level as the rest of the song (think: The Doors, Bob Dylan). The problem with the Epicenter is that is does one thing: it "adds" bass around a certain frequency or "Q." If you've ever seen an amp with a "Q" setting, that's what it is. The Epicenter's Q is 69Hz and adds bass around that frequency depending where the knob is. SO...it doesn't add bass "evenly" through the sub frequency response range. It sounds sloppy when cranked for that reason. Damping factor is randomly tested...there is no standard, and therefore a pointless spec. Regulated vs unregulated power supplies...the regulated PS pulls the same amount of current and creates the same amount of output at all input voltages. Unregulated does the opposite. Want full output at ~12.8V @ rest? Regulated. Be prepared with your battery/batteries without the car running. Unregulated means the amp will make, say, 200 watts @ 12V and 400 watts at 14V. Feed it more juice, make more power There may be a formula, but I'll leave that to the experts since I hate math Wowwwwwwwww...sorry for the walls of words

So ... box turns out to be 1.9 cub ft. Net volume. I've been playing around with it for some days and it sounds way better. Found some sewage pipes and chimney pipe (the corner) and put them right back. It sounded better right away, but because the pipes were not connected very good to each other there was some port noise. I removed all the batting that was inside and change the port length with lil too much but I was experimenting Old tuning was horrible - 50Hz... I got a headache every time I listened for a lil longer period. More testing... port still too long. Well why not put a 1.2 meter port just to see what happens ... of course it sounded like shit This is going to be my port. I need to cut it cause it is 4 inches longer than I calculated it has to be. Sound way better in the lows. It's not in the box because the hole is too small. I'll make it bigger and paint the port black so it is not too catchy for the eye. I'll appreciate some post but don't expect many to be impressed with my n00b shit

Search, there are plenty of videos online and tutorials about the Big Three. THE BIG 3 - SSA Car Audio Forum

Don't bother with the capacitor. It won't help voltage problems. If you're running 600-1000 watts you should try doing your big3 first and go from there.

I liked my SSD, it got really nice and low.. defiantly a good deal.. hope the price doesn't go up with the new upgrades.

hahaha, barely read this post. who care if i suggested the same twice to two people, it works plus he wanted big, he said size doesn't matter. why not its another three inches. how many people do you see with a 21" sub. hater... clown on wrong information post but not opinions. but your cool.

Ha Ha , we need ,more info, car type, amp, no amp, mounting locations, brands you have listened to, throw us a frickin' bone here.....

When you remove the negative cable from the battery you don't have a complete circuit, then there is still a complete circuit (like when the negative cable is still connected to the battery) and you remove the ground wire, obviously you don't have a complete circuit anymore, but you are just asking for a blown amp. Touch a screwdriver, or anything metal to the amp frame. and you'll have yourself a new paperweight.

Um... if removing the ground wire first from an installation is the wrong thing to do... Then what's the difference in removing the ground from the chassis vs removing the ground off the starting battery? Once the ground on the starting battery is removed, ALL grounds from all equipment in the car has been removed.... So, should we remove the fuse box out of the car before unhooking the battery? That doesn't make sense... I think some of you or i have misinterpreted what he meant by removing the ground....

i could ask you the same??

Passive FTW!

The SSD's would most likely choke in that enclosure, making them sound like poo. In a better enclosure actually made for the SSD's they would most likely be louder.

Yeah i have removed the ground wire before and it wasnt a problem and hasnt been for years that I know of, never damaged an amp or anything else by removing the ground first and then putting it back.