I’m wondering if I could add a little bass to my system in the rear doors. I have Polk Audio DB571in the front and had planned on adding the same thing to the rear doors, but I’m wondering if there is a different speaker that would add a bit more bass. I know this might be a silly question, but are there any subwoofers that would fit? I’m willing to alter the door if needed.
I'm just looking to make the sound a little richer/fuller. I'm not looking for a lot of thump.
Any ideas? I don’t have an amp, but would be willing to add one.
If that can't be done what's a good option for the trunk again just looking to make the sound fuller/richer.
Ross:I know this might be a silly question, but are there any subwoofers that would fit? I’m willing to alter the door if needed.
Honestly, with enough fabrication, you could get just about anything to fit in your doors; it just depends on how far you are willing to take it. I have seen 6x9, 8, 10, and even 12 inch subs mounted in doors, but all require a fairly significant amount of work (ie fiberglass fabrication) to successfully complete.
The main concern I would have when trying to install subs in your doors would be height and depth clearance. Many subs, even some of the 6x9" or 6" versions, have a greater mounting depth than their full range speaker equivalents due to the larger magnet structure and increased excursion. I would pull the door cards and take some measurements of your clearances, especially the height and depth, and whether or not you would be willing to fabricate the necessary mounting brackets, trim rings, enclosure and grill assemblies to make your subs sound good in the doors. Given those measurements and how much fabrication you are willing to complete will help with sub suggestions. Kicker, Pioneer, Kenwood, and a few others make shallow mount 6" or 8" subs that would only need 3-4" of mounting depth. JL and Rockford Fosgate would be some other options, albeit with deeper mounting depth requirements.
Ross:Any ideas? I don’t have an amp, but would be willing to add one.
If you are looking for fuller, richer sound (especially if implementing subs) an amplifier will be an absolute necessity.
Ross:If that can't be done what's a good option for the trunk again just looking to make the sound fuller/richer.
A single 10" or 12" and dedicated amp would be ideal, and would give you the option (if you purchase carefully) of adding a second sub down the road if you find that you need more bass.
02 BMW 330Ci, Alpine DVI-9965, Alpine MRA F350 5ch, Alpine MRP T220 + 2x Kicker 6x9 FreeAir, Kicker KX1200.1 + Alpine 12" Type-R, 2-Way Security, Keyless Entry, Remote Start
It is challenging to install subs into doors. To say you're willing to alter the doors doesn't describe the amount of labor required to actually make a sub fit and sound decent. Doors are flimsy rattle traps and they leak bad. A single small box sub in the trunk or under a seat would do wonders and cut your labor by a factor of 10. When it comes to bass, a half decent enclosure will always beat a free-air door install.
I agree with what's been said already, but want to add:
Amping your front DB571's will give more bass and fullness to the sound than adding rear DB571's would - you might try that first (you could get a 4-channel amp and only use the front channels for now).
That might give you enough change that you don't need the sub, and would be a good basis/upgrade for adding the sub later.
Hope This Helps!!!
2002 Ford Focus Sony CDX-GT410u Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner Stock speakers, no amp, no subs
Great info everyone thank you very much. Here is what I’m thinking about now.
Adding an amp for the front speakers now with the possibility of adding a sub to the trunk later. So, should I consider a four channel amp that would allow me to amp just the fronts now and a sub later (I assuming a four channel amp could amp two fronts and a sub)? Or a two channel amp for the fronts and if I go with the sub later get one with built-in amp?
The other option (sorry) is to mount a sub woofer in the rear deck instead of a sub enclosure. It seems to me that would be better than a sub box in the trunk.
Feel free to make product recommendations too.
Okay - for those that might not have connected the threads, we are dealing with a 2008 Focus SE (4-door, I'm guessing if it has rear doors) with an Alpine CDA-105 and Polk DB571's already installed.
The 2-channel/4-channel amp depends a bit on how far you want to take the system.
I'm somewhat a fan of 4-channel amps - for example, this one is 60Wx4 or 150Wx2 bridged, so you could either:
The drawback is most of them will top out around 225W bridged and are only 4-ohm stable bridged, so if you want more bass than that, you are out-of-luck.
Ross:Or a two channel amp for the fronts and if I go with the sub later get one with built-in amp?
Not necessarily a built-in amp - although I've heard good things about the Boss Bass 600/1200 (don't believe the RMS ratings) under a seat or the Basslink (do believe the RMS ratings) in a trunk, but the purists on here will recommend a sealed or ported enclosure with a 10 or 12-inch sub in the trunk with an external amp.
Ross:The other option (sorry) is to mount a sub woofer in the rear deck instead of a sub enclosure. It seems to me that would be better than a sub box in the trunk.
Again, not really - three problems: At least older Focus rear decks tended to rattle - same problem as the doors and hard to sound-deaden that. Tough to seal a rear deck install so it is air-tight. Weight - most enclosures are made of MDF - tough to support that.
Thanks again, that is great info and very helpful
I like the idea of a 4 channel amp that will allow me to amp the front speakers now and add a separate sub in the trunk later. It will help me split the cost up some too, I can buy the amp now and gain some benefit until I’m ready to get the sub.
I see a recommendation on the amp any on the sub?
That was more of a value amp - the Alpine MRP-F300 is probably better quality, but I don't always look at highest quality in amps.
For subs, any of these would work well - JL is likely the best sound quality, Kicker is likely the most thump and a steal at that price. MTX would be somewhere in between.
I'm not a subwoofer person, so this isn't first-hand comments, though.
Anyone else have suggestions?
I would definitely second the Alpine pick, especially at only $10 more than the Orion right now.
I would also second the JL and Kicker choices for subs (can't really beat the Kicker at $50.) Personally, I thought the MTX 4500 series was a bit lacking, especially when compared to their competition. Haven't heard the newer RF Prime Series subs, but the RF Punch and Power series have a huge following.
What additional cables will I need with the MRP-F300 to use it with just two speakers intially and then what will I need when I add the sub?
Oh I guess I should go ahead and ask for info on building an enclosure for the sub. MDF, but what about dimensions and stuff.
I really do appreciate the time you are spending to give me this info.
An amp kit with patch cables (like this) should contain just about everything you will need for your installation. You will still need speaker wire to run from your amp to either the individual speakers or the wiring harness in the dash. If going to the dash, I like to use 9wire (it isn't required, and you definitely don't need an entire spool, but something to look into) to make the install cleaner, easier, and quicker. (Instead of 4 sets of speaker wire and an amp turn on lead, everything will be bundled together as one multi-stranded wire.)
When you add the sub, you will need the sub, enclosure, and heavy gauge speaker wire (bare minimum 16ga, 14ga recommended.) If you are building your own enclosure, you will need 3/4" MDF, wood glue, silicone sealant, poly-fil, wood screws/nail gun, carpet, a terminal cup, and any kind of mounting hardware required to secure the enclosure within the vehicle. Specific dimensions for the enclosure itself will vary depending on where/how you want the sub/enclosure mounted within the vehicle, and the sub that you choose.
The amp kit that Ninja posted contains only one set of RCA cables. You will need a second one when you install the sub, and it is probably easier to install it now and not have to go behind the dash again. (You might even want to get a third RCA and run it but cap (tape) off the ends in case you thought you might ever go with a separate sub amp and the 4-channel for front and rear mains).
It was hard to find, but CF also sells 9wire in 20-foot lengths - a bit of overkill for front speakers only though - I wish Streetwires would come out with 5wire!!!
There are subwoofer enclosure guides here and here. There is also free design software you can download, but I forget the name or link - and there have been several forum threads mentioning it.
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help!