benimal 10+ year member
Junior Member
Lemme start by saying that I did cross-post this same message on msprotege.com as that's where I hang out. I was hoping to get input from both groups.
Folks:
Ok I'm working on a limited budget as the wife let me spend a little money on a car audio system for my 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege. I plan on purchasing a set of CDT CL-61as and CL-6Xs from TheZeb. I will be powering the front components with a Hifonics Nemesis NX880 (110W x 2). The rear (door) speakers will run off the stock Kenwood HU. I plan on upgrading the big three as well, so that I don't need to run a cap or deal with dimming issues. Last but not least, I will also get some sort of wiring setup, just not sure what.
I am now torn as to what sub to get. I have about $100 for the sub (+ shipping). I don't want to buy off ebay or buy someone elses used sub. I'm looking for a single 10" or 12" sub that will handle ~ 400W+ RMS from the amp (2 channels bridged). The sub will be in a small sealed enclosure (1 cu ft or less) in my trunk. I prefer SQ over SPL. Since I will be running a single sub, I don't care if it's SVC or DVC so long as the final impedance ends up being 4 ohms. I would prefer though, to get a sub that closely matches those specs as opposed to one with a lower RMS rating where I have to turn down my gains.
So far here are the ones I have seen that might do the trick. Let me know your thoughts on these or others. I would like to stay away from the more boomy mainstream stuff (MTX, RF, Alpine, Kicker). I've owned Kicker and JL Audio subs and am now ready to try something new. I am not too inclined to try eD given all that I've read of them (as of late). I have not auditioned any of the subs below as I don't know any places around here that sell them.
Phoenix Gold Ti10[D] (can be had new for ~ $90) - requires heavy duty box (1" MDF with serious bracing) but can handle 500W RMS.
Phoenix Gold Ti12D (factory renewed for $90) - not too keen on the factory renewed part, but **** a PG Ti12D for under $100!$%^
Adire Shiva 12" ($125 + shipping) - dual 8ohm coils, but requires a bigger box (~ 1.5 cu ft based on what I've read)
CDT Audio CL-1215 (now on special at TheZeb for $100) - seems to be a good fit at 400W RMS, but can't find any reviews on them. Would be nice to have an all CDT system I suppose, but it's not the end of the world if I don't.
I'd like to purchase a simple prefab box if I can, but the quality ones I've seen are either from Subzone (ok for $50) or SubZero (nice but twice as much as subzone). I realize I could probably make the box myself for cheaper, but the fact is that I don't really wanna if I don't have to.
As you can tell, this won't be a show car... just make my commute that much more enjoyable. Since I'm only planning to spend $100 on the sub, I don't expect to get the best thing out there, but something decent would be nice.
Thanks.
Ben
Folks:
Ok I'm working on a limited budget as the wife let me spend a little money on a car audio system for my 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege. I plan on purchasing a set of CDT CL-61as and CL-6Xs from TheZeb. I will be powering the front components with a Hifonics Nemesis NX880 (110W x 2). The rear (door) speakers will run off the stock Kenwood HU. I plan on upgrading the big three as well, so that I don't need to run a cap or deal with dimming issues. Last but not least, I will also get some sort of wiring setup, just not sure what.
I am now torn as to what sub to get. I have about $100 for the sub (+ shipping). I don't want to buy off ebay or buy someone elses used sub. I'm looking for a single 10" or 12" sub that will handle ~ 400W+ RMS from the amp (2 channels bridged). The sub will be in a small sealed enclosure (1 cu ft or less) in my trunk. I prefer SQ over SPL. Since I will be running a single sub, I don't care if it's SVC or DVC so long as the final impedance ends up being 4 ohms. I would prefer though, to get a sub that closely matches those specs as opposed to one with a lower RMS rating where I have to turn down my gains.
So far here are the ones I have seen that might do the trick. Let me know your thoughts on these or others. I would like to stay away from the more boomy mainstream stuff (MTX, RF, Alpine, Kicker). I've owned Kicker and JL Audio subs and am now ready to try something new. I am not too inclined to try eD given all that I've read of them (as of late). I have not auditioned any of the subs below as I don't know any places around here that sell them.
Phoenix Gold Ti10[D] (can be had new for ~ $90) - requires heavy duty box (1" MDF with serious bracing) but can handle 500W RMS.
Phoenix Gold Ti12D (factory renewed for $90) - not too keen on the factory renewed part, but **** a PG Ti12D for under $100!$%^
Adire Shiva 12" ($125 + shipping) - dual 8ohm coils, but requires a bigger box (~ 1.5 cu ft based on what I've read)
CDT Audio CL-1215 (now on special at TheZeb for $100) - seems to be a good fit at 400W RMS, but can't find any reviews on them. Would be nice to have an all CDT system I suppose, but it's not the end of the world if I don't.
I'd like to purchase a simple prefab box if I can, but the quality ones I've seen are either from Subzone (ok for $50) or SubZero (nice but twice as much as subzone). I realize I could probably make the box myself for cheaper, but the fact is that I don't really wanna if I don't have to.
As you can tell, this won't be a show car... just make my commute that much more enjoyable. Since I'm only planning to spend $100 on the sub, I don't expect to get the best thing out there, but something decent would be nice.
Thanks.
Ben