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View Full Version : how many subs does it take...


rpster
07-12-2007, 05:26 AM
...to rock the yaris like the commercial?

just kidding, although i do have a few questions...

im working on installing some thump into my hatchback, but im having the hardest time deciding between two 10s or just one. i have one pioneer slim 10" on the way, but was curious if having that second sub would be worth it.

i also got the gm-5300t amp; although, at the time, i figured id only run one sub. would it be advisable to run two? the subs rate 250w rms, and the amp rates 380w rms bridged or 2x125w rms. should i get a beefier amp if ill be running two 10s?

ill also be making my own enclosure thats just over 4.5" thin to have pretty much the same dimensions as the floor of the boot and have it attached to the spare tire cover/floor.
i figured i wanted to retain as much usability of the entire car, including my boot.

grampi
07-12-2007, 08:58 AM
I'd try just the one sub at first and see what you think. You can bridge the amp to run just one sub, but you're probably going to want to turn the gain down on the amp so you don't risk overpowering the sub. If you end up going with two subs later, then you can crank the amp up as far as necessary. I think 380 watts is plenty of power. For what it's worth just for comparison, I had a single 12" driver in a sealed enclosure run with 300 watts in a Tercel and it pounded plenty hard.

BTW, I'm very disappointed with the amount of feedback I get from this forum (which has basically been none whatsoever) about installing aftermarket stereo equipment. There either aren't very many people doing installs in the Yaris', or they just don't want to talk about it because I've been asking for installation ideas and I'm getting nothing. So don't expect much when you ask your questions.

ChinoCharles
07-12-2007, 09:19 AM
Whether or not you go with the second 10 is going to depend entirely on what you're looking for in your system. If you want to turn heads you might want to throw that second 10 in there. If you're looking for more of a SQ setup, two 10's will be overkill in such a small car. My old STS with the Bose system had a single 8" subwoofer for a reason, you know? Hatchbacks are notorious for making small amounts of bass sound like more.

Turbo&Auto
07-12-2007, 09:29 AM
1 10" should be plenty. I'm running (2) 8's and it BUMPS!

sdmf
07-12-2007, 01:04 PM
i dont think there are too many audiophiles on this forum, should probably check a car audio forum for that. i'll let you know when i install my single 12"

cali yaris
07-12-2007, 01:24 PM
I'm planning a single 10" in the floor. I have a single 10" in my Scion tC, a larger car and it sounds just fine for me.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "bump". I like nice, tight, heavy bass, but I'm not a rap fan.

5 responses in a few hours -- :tongue:

sdmf
07-12-2007, 01:29 PM
not a rap fan either, i listen to classic rock, metal, lounge, electronica

Turbo&Auto
07-12-2007, 01:33 PM
Smaller subs are better for rock, metal etc...Real resonsive and punchy subs then :)

OH, and I'm into car stereos just a lil bit ;)

rpster
07-12-2007, 02:24 PM
wow, thanks for all the replies in such a short time.

pretty much whatever makes know your enemy, more bounce to the ounce, and most dr. dre tracks sound good with a considerable punch.

overall, im an sq kind of guy, but with cars, i feel its more of getting that entire family in that minivan to look at you with disgust, because they feel every beat of snoop's beats or the deathly throws of rage against the machine. (yep, like rock AND rap)

btw, will definitely get some pics up when the stuff comes in. will start building the box soon.

p.s. i looked into installing any type of sub into the rear door of the hatch, and there just isnt enough room.

Turbo&Auto
07-12-2007, 03:42 PM
How bout this:
http://www.nicksturbomatrix.com/yarissubs11.jpg

Thats the 2 8's, they pound hard all around. Very punchy and can keep up with any music. I've had quite a few people tell me how clear and responsive it sounds yet pounds the long low notes too.

The trick I've found is decrease the box volume about 20% and almost double the RMS power. Make sure when you tune it the sub doesnt clip at all and you'll be fine.

Edit:
FYI: Those subs are 150rms/sub and I'm driving the pair with 500rms.

cali yaris
07-12-2007, 07:35 PM
hell yeah, nice set up!! :bow:

slvryaris
07-12-2007, 09:26 PM
Dig the setup. As for one or two subs I have heard some with one sound louder then 2. When I did SPL setups and sound competitions I used 1 sub and a good and powerful amp. Last year I hit 148.8 with one 10 inch Kicker solobaric and an old DX700 at one of our Kicker/Rockford events. A rep from both places checked my truck to make sure i didnt have anything hid.

grampi
07-13-2007, 01:28 PM
How bout this:
http://www.nicksturbomatrix.com/yarissubs11.jpg

Thats the 2 8's, they pound hard all around. Very punchy and can keep up with any music. I've had quite a few people tell me how clear and responsive it sounds yet pounds the long low notes too.

The trick I've found is decrease the box volume about 20% and almost double the RMS power. Make sure when you tune it the sub doesnt clip at all and you'll be fine.

Edit:
FYI: Those subs are 150rms/sub and I'm driving the pair with 500rms.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you end up mounting your amp and you mids and tweets?

Razr
07-13-2007, 08:02 PM
...to rock the yaris like the commercial?

just kidding, although i do have a few questions...

im working on installing some thump into my hatchback, but im having the hardest time deciding between two 10s or just one. i have one pioneer slim 10" on the way, but was curious if having that second sub would be worth it.

i also got the gm-5300t amp; although, at the time, i figured id only run one sub. would it be advisable to run two? the subs rate 250w rms, and the amp rates 380w rms bridged or 2x125w rms. should i get a beefier amp if ill be running two 10s?

ill also be making my own enclosure thats just over 4.5" thin to have pretty much the same dimensions as the floor of the boot and have it attached to the spare tire cover/floor.
i figured i wanted to retain as much usability of the entire car, including my boot.

Your amplifier is rated to run a minimum load of 4 ohms when bridged into a single channel, which means in order for you to run two subwoofers bridged you'd either need: 2x 8-ohm subs, 2x 2-ohm subs or 2x dual voicecoil 4 ohm subs to get the amp loading optimized.

If you were to run 2 of the slim-line Pioneer 4 ohm subs you'd have to run the amplifier in stereo mode, which would cut the power-per-sub down from 190 watts each to 125 watts each.

OK, now that we've clarified all that, here's how it would actually work out decibel-wise. If we use a single sub bridged with 250 watts as a base line (250 because that's what it's actually rated at - we'll assume it couldn't use the extra watts), 2x subs with 125w each will gain you +3dB based on cone area/power alone, and probably another 1-2dB based on the effects of mutual coupling and transfer function, so all up 4-5dB more bass. It takes about 6-8dB more bass to sound twice as loud to the human ear, so this is still a significant gain.

See how the single sub goes - if you add another one later (and double the enclosure volume to suit) you can expect 50 - 80% increase is bass output, assuming they're using the same single amp of course.

If you don't double the enclosure volume you'll be changing both the effeciency (lower) and overall response of the subs significantly, so no direct comparison could be made without modeling it.

rpster
07-13-2007, 10:50 PM
nice dual 8" setup Turbo&auto. ya thinking of doing the same setup on the opposite side of the hatch? get some quad 8" going on.

definitely the answer i was looking for razr.

ill definitely be getting a beefier amp if i decide to go with a second 10", though it does sound promising that the second sub will do good.
the enclosure will have two chambers, one for each speaker. for now, ill just leave the second one empty while i wait to get that second 10".

for kicks, i simulated what my sub will be like with my logitech z-5500 sub by placing it in the boot and running an extension cord from the garage. damn! im definitely going to need some dynamat in the back. granted that was a 180w rms sub with a ported enclosure, a far cry from the slim enclosure i will be using (250w rms sealed).

cali yaris
07-14-2007, 04:01 AM
ya thinking of doing the same setup on the opposite side of the hatch? get some quad 8" going on.


That's what I'd like to do, but with some angle, so the subs don't face each other. Doesn't that create a standing wave which cancels a lot of the bass?

Razr
07-15-2007, 02:26 AM
That's what I'd like to do, but with some angle, so the subs don't face each other. Doesn't that create a standing wave which cancels a lot of the bass?

At bass frequencies, no. The speed of sound is 340m/s @ sea level, so the wavelength @ 80Hz is 4.25m, and @ 30Hz is 11.3m - much bigger than the distance between your opposing woofers, so therefore too long for destructive interference within the confines of your trunk.

A simple point in case is the speakers you've got mounted in your front doors - try playing some test tones (or just bass heavy material) and adjust the balance to one side and see if you have more or less bass than when both side are playing :)

This is assuming you've got the speakers wired in correct polarity of course :wink:

ASHRAF
07-18-2007, 08:53 PM
I have a 12" Alpine type R and the Yaris rocks

I'm adding another one soon (for show purposes only)