my local sound system shop when off when i told them i just wanted to put in a sub.. they said that without a dedicated HU you will not get the sound im looking for... f*&k'em. I may suck it up and get the alpine Navi.. it's a nice unit.. howeverimnot crazy about swapping the HU because of something i read about matching the ohms on the stock bose ....

 

Of what I know of swapping the HU will not do any damage. Plenty of people have done it. I went with the double din because its a cleaner look and its almost oem like.
And why should they refuse to install something on your car if you're paying for it? Aftermarket does give you a clearer crisper sound, but oem symphony is still nice. It's all up to you.

 

Teutonic, I know you are not satisfied with Bose...I know I am not myself 100% either. However, stay away from powered subs or basstubes, as they are not meant for cars with boot. They sound horrible, believe me I have experienced that. They are best for SUVs where they have open space in the back. The Blaukpunkt basstube sounded great in my Land Rover, but when I tried it in my Saab, it sounded so bad...just noise..no effects. Let us know what you decide..

 

If you've swapped your head unit.. whichone did you go with and why? JVC NX-5000 gives me navigation, dvd, and all that jazz in one sleek single din unit.

if you swapped you're speakerswhat did you go with? I always go with kicker

if you changed you're factory set-up and were not satisfied why? Only thing I had a problem with is my rears were only producing lows...So I piggy backed the fronts and rears and problem solved.

Simply, what would be your ideal set-up???? Adding a Subwoofer to give it a bit more clean bass. I dont want it loud like some people, just enough for me to hear the difference inside the car.

 

car off


car on



driver view

thats what it looks like installed by me. it came out pretty good im satisfied

 

custom fiberglass painted black to match around my pioneer avic-d3 unit with bluetooth realtraffic nav and ipod addapter... stick bose speakers and 1500watt mtx amp mounted to the underside of my back deck and 1 -12inch mtx in a sledgehammer box (weighs about 100+ pounds so I take it out if i want to go fast lol)also upgrade on the alternator ... puts out 180amps instead of the stock which was 100 or 120 i think

 

Subs will sound good in anycar you just need to know physics and acoustics ... throw some dynamat in the trunk and on teh "hat deck" as audi calls it and you WILL get a crisp sound and not have to have an SUV

 

joetm, I didn't said that subs will sound bad, just the enclosed types..like the bass tubes sounds terrible in the boot. Have you tried it? It just makes loud noise and no, dynamat won't help in that case. The best is a customized installation with the cone facing or installed on the back of the rear seat, that will give the best effect.

 

Tubes are only 300max 150 rms I think??? To get enough bass for yout to enjoy 350-400rms. Loud is 600-800rms. 1000+ is insane. Im about 600 rms in the L5 and its loud enough for me. I can crank it to 700 but I don't want to blow it. I agree with noc. Dynamat won't help if its not even enough to shake your trunk lid. Go for a vented box and mid power sub. I tried my box in all different possitions and it seems that cone facing front works the best with the drivers rear seat pulled down. Lets the soundwaves flow through the cabin.

 

Exactly!