Subwoofer in the Mark

M

mlschultz

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I went shopping today for a sub woofer for the Mark. I went to two car audio shops, and I told them I am looking for something to complement what I already have, which is the stock Mark VIII JBL speakers and amp hooked up to a Pioneer AVIC D2 head unit.

I listen to classic rock music mostly, and prefer a clean, tight sounding bass. I have a Bose system in the Mercedes, and really enjoy the sub woofer behind the drivers seat. I really am just looking for something similar to that, and do not plan to replace the stock JBL's.

Here is what they came up with. Let me know what you think. :)

2 - Memphis 10" subs in a custom non-ported box, and a class D Memphis amp.

2 - Boston Acoustics 10" subs in a custom non-ported box, and a Pioneer amp.

2 - Soundstream 10" subs in a custom non-ported box, and a amp I can't remember.

2 - JL 10" subs in a custom non-ported box, and a JL amp.

These 4 options vary in price, but they all come with a custom wall built to make it stealth in the trunk against the rear seat.

I am not up on car audio at all, other than some buddies of mine suggest the Memphis, JL, and Soundstream.
 
I have heard JLs and Memphis, both sound good but I do not recall the models.

I have a pair of 10" Audiobahns in a sealed box with an Audiobahn amp that rocks the house in the '96. I have a single 12" in the '93 and prefer the dual 10s. ;)
 
mike i know you are an older guy, and dont listen to todays crap, i know what a guy like you wants his bass to sound like, the jl's will rattle the car apart, sound stream are decent, memphis again i feel too bassie for you, if you want my opinion on a sub , specially for classic rock music, a tight hard hitter with no vibration earth shaking bass, go with a single 12 inch infinity refference sub. infinity makes some awesome sounding speakers. our whole home audio surround sound is infinity and denon. i just bought an infinity sub for my 93 today, i will build my own box, and i will drive it off a rockford fosgate class d 1 channel amp. i cant really give you an amp to pick, but i have always owned fosgate amps and kickers, kicker makes some insane amps from class d one channels, all the way up to there 6 channel all in one amps. those are my favorites, but i will gaurantee if you go with an infinity sub, or 2 you will love the sound.
 
Thanks for the opinions and advise, guys. :) There seems to be a ton of choices out there, and I need to boil it down somehow. Jamie, you are correct on how I want the bass to sound and hit.

I have narrowed the search by a couple things, that seem to be generally agreed by most to be a plus.

It has to be a 10" round sub to get the sound I want for the quick, crisp, and clean hit response. And because of the huge amount of space in the trunk, there needs to be two of them in a non-ported box.

From what I hear, the new style MOSFET class D amp's are very efficient, and draw very little power, with a compact small footprint for easy mounting in tight spaces. This amp is going to run the subs only, and I would like to run it off the stock electrical system.

Also, this stuff needs to be very easy to remove from the trunk. I do want something that is of good quality, and will last with no blowing up of speakers and melting amps.

Keep the ideas and opinions coming... :)
 
You could mount the amp to a custom box and with some quick connects, it would be easily removable. I've seen that several times for a subwoofer setup. The downside is the weight of the completed box. I can't imagine the Audiobahn setup I have in one lift - the subs and box are heavy enough without adding the weight of the amplifier. I've also heard that is not the best environment for the amp?

On the '96, Max had the huge amp installed on the rear shelf inside the passenger compartment. With the 5% rear tint, you cannot see it.

On my '93, I installed a Rear Shock Tower Brace and had a local shop fashion a carpeted shelf atop the brace to mount the amps. This meets the rigors of the G forces while launching at the track, but it does restrict large items from being in the back of the trunk. ;)

I'm sure your shop would have some other ideas as well. Make sure they understand the car and the driver's wishes. A good installer can be very creative.
 
I moved the stock amp to the passenger side c pillar fender area and put 2-10" JL with a Rockford amp up under the tray. I would recommend ( since your not afraid to sink money:wink: ) to have the rear tray 'perf'd' or a hole cut for each 10" and bounce the bass off the rear glass. It helps to bring down the highs that seem to float near the headliner.
 
I'd think you really could get away fine with a single 10" for what you'd need. Is there any reason you're wanting two other than to balance them out for appearance in the trunk? I have a single 10" Dual in my winter van (I know not the best brand, who cares its a beater) and it hits plenty hard (I listen to hard rock mostly and tend to crank it). I'm sure with the right sub and setup you could get the sound quality you're after. It'd be less weight in the car, and less weight to pull out. If its gonna be a custom box why not have it be in the center with rounded curves to come from the face of the sub to meet the back of the rear seat? Could possibly mount the amp on top of the box and have some quick disconnect type plugs that become visible when you pull the box outwards. Finish it with stock carpeting out of another Mark maybe. Having a single sub could give you more trunk space than a dual set up. Just an idea.
 
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Some really good idea's here :) It does not have to be two 10's. I was just going by what the stereo places were suggesting. If one 10 can do the job, that is fine by me. One of the shops has a top 100 installer in the country working there, and they build show cars for stereo manufacturers. Some real wild stuff in their show room.

But more than likely, Aric, Ryan, and Tyler will do the install when they are replacing the motor. I will talk to them about either using a single 10" mounted on the the package shelf, or maybe through the back side of the rear seat arm rest? I think there is a cross brace that might be in the way, but might want to take a look anyway.
 
Unless you would like to vibrate your windshield and feel it in your drivers seat... I would go with a good single 10" sub... JL makes some good stuff, I would go with a JL/JL combo... it is a pricy but you really can't go wrong with their equipment.

10W3v3-2 Is probably the sub you want...
JL 500-1 is your amp...
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_amps.php?amp_id=439

Real quality stuff without being super large...
 
Max, Is there a reason why to use the JL 2 ohm speaker? Is that amp rated for that speaker? Whats the difference between the 2, 4, 8 ohm set-ups? Does it take more power to drive a 8 ohm vs 2 ohm?

That JL stuff seems to be what I should be looking for, and that is a new style class D amp with the small footprint I was looking for too. :)

I know in my SL, the Bose speakers are all 2 ohm including the sub behind drivers seat, and I really like the balance, and the clean crisp hit with that system. It does not kill you with distorted lingering bass. Thanks!
 
Usually amps put out higher RMS wattage at lower ohms... so it would have 400 watts RMS at 2 ohms vs 250rms at 4. I just did a quick scan of JLs current offerings and picked those two... I believe they also carry a 450/1 model which would also suit your needs and perhaps have an even smaller profile.

You want to have a powerful amp driving the speaker, since underpowering a sub can cause damages.

Box design is also crucial in achieving clarity in sound etc. But since you mentioned you're going with a good shop you shouldn't have a problem.

Unfortunatly JL steathboxes aren't available for the mark. They are EXACTLY what you're looking for. Clean crisp sound tuned to the woofer and specifically made to fit your car. I would just tell the shop to replicate that for ya :)
 
Wonder if this stealthbox would work?

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_stealthbox_detail.php?fit_id=1391





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If you dont want too much bass then I would go with a SINGLE 10 Sealed box. Not a 12 or pair of 10's - too much for you. One 10 will be all you need. Me, on the other hand does listen to the "crap" these days and I have four 12's in a sealed box in the mark. Earthquaking your block.

I had one 10 In my old Le Baron and it sounded awesome.
 
If you go with JL the best sub is the w7 10". You don't want to mount your amp to you enclosure. The vibration from the enclosure would then be directly transfered to the amp. which will rattle the circuitry and lower the life of the amp. I hate someone to spend hard earned money on good equipment and make this common mistake. That most do when they do an install. If you want a quick disconnect. Then just do it for the sub or subs. Then install a switch for the amp or pull the fuse. The easiest way would be not to turn on the radio when you run it. I have to Kicker 12's, and a PPI amp. I never take mine out.
 
Ok the JL W7 is a great sub no doubt but I think it is complete overkill for Mike's application... the sub alone weighs 30lbs and is at 750 watts RMS which would require a larger amp.
 
Yep, I am glad I posted this, because you guys are giving me a reality check. I have a feeling the stereo shops wanted to fill my trunk with amps and speakers.

I like the idea of the single 10 in a sealed box, and the amp mounted on the tray next to the JBL amp, with quick connect leads. I believe I can control the sub woofer on/off, and more through my Pioneer AVIC D2 head unit. That is all I need. :)
 
does anyone have a picture of the compass module so i can move it away from my subs. i know where it is located but have no idea what it looks like
thanks in advance
Kracker
 
AVIC D2 thats what my father in law just bought, same deck, but he jumped into it too quick, he thought it played dvd's and it doesnt, so now its for sale again lol. good looking navigation head unit though!
 
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