I saw this deal today and thought I'd pass it along.
This is a fully enclosed, space saving enclosure made by Alpine for the 8" Type-R. This one is ported and tuned to 30Hz, according to Alpine's website. That's quite a bit lower than most companies tune their boxes for. Even if someone wanted to just use the sub and sh*tcan the enclosure, it's still cheaper than most places want for just the subwoofer, by itself.
I'll be trying it in my wife's Cruze. Right now I have a 10" Alpine Type-E 4 ohm SVC in a 1 cu/ft sealed enclosure oriented in a down-fire arrangement. I did that so loose cans of peas, a wandering gallon of milk, or a 12 yr old boy throwing his baseball bat into the trunk doesn't damage the woofer. Plus we can stack stuff on top of it when we need more storage.
It has a Fosgate Power Series 150a1 monoblock that's "rated" at 75 watts RMS @ 4 ohms, 150 watts RMS @ 2 ohms. Those are lightly weighted ratings though. These amps have been clamped at nearly 250 watts @ 2 ohms numerous times. Rockford Fosgate has been known to under-rate the amps they produce.
One thing I've learned in the last couple of years is how irrelevant the 1w/1m SPL rating is on subwoofers. They're too vulnerable to the enclosure they're in. This Alpine sub/enclosure combo is a perfect example. It's not uncommon to gain nearly +3db at and above the tuning frequency of a ported enclosure. So, that right there raises the "printed" sensitivity rating. Besides, AFAIK, there isn't a standard frequency at which subwoofers are measured.
To rate regular speakers (or full range) the norm is 1k Hz. Most subwoofers don't play that high, and even if they did they probably wouldn't show good results at that high of a frequency. I think they just throw them on an amp, run some pink noise through them at 1 watt and measure the entire freq. range. Whichever frequency is highest is what they use. Kind of like HP ratings on a dyno. There's no set RPM. Peak HP falls wherever it falls.
Besides that, there's a difference between Sound Pressure Level and sounding loud. A smoother, more accurate refined speaker with a well designed enclosure will sound better (obviously), but the neat thing is, the human ear can perceive that as being louder because a broader spectrum of frequencies are heard.
Perhaps you've noticed it by turning the subwoofer on and off? The vocals & instruments don't seem to have as much impact when I turn my subs off. I don't even have to have my subs up very loud (which I normally don't anyway), but as soon as they are on there's a dramatic perceived volume increase in the entire system.
Our ears don't measure SPL. When's the last time you turned up the volume and said "Yeah. That's 123.5db!!"?
It's like comparing oil filters. The oil pump may run 65GPH with a Fram, but only 55GPH with a Purolator. Which would you rather have?
__________________ ->Click Here<- for an exhaust clip of my car.
We've had it installed just about 2 weeks. She's really glad I installed it.
At first I wasn't too sure because the amp I'm using is having problems. The gain dial cuts out more than 2/3 clockwise and after jumping off the factory speaker wires it needs to have it up higher. The line-level-converter I used dropped the output signal from the factory speaker wire to ~1.2 volts at full volume. I'm going to have to either invest in a new amp or a line driver to get the voltage up around 3-4 volts.
For now, to compensate, I did the inexcusable, and used the "bass boost" knob. It's centered at 45Hz, but it's nearly all the way up and makes the woofer too punchy and annoying.
So, what I did was hooked it up in my car just to see what it should truly sound like. I installed in my '99 Olds Intrigue to my Powerbass ASA800.2 and OMG!!! What a difference.
The lows are incredible! I'm impressed. It's very clean bass. It was only hooked to one of the two channels due to the sub being a 2 ohm setup, but that's still 400 watts RMS of clean power. The sub is conservatively rated at 350 watts RMS.
Currently I have two 10" RF Punch 3 series, dual 4 ohm subs wired to 2 ohms each, ported enclosure tuned to 40Hz with an F3 of 31.5Hz (according to Bass Box Pro) running off each channel of the Powerbass amp. While it's obviously not as loud as those two subs, it's as impressive, if not slightly more impressive just because it's an 8" sub!!
I told my wife, "Well. It's my sub now."
She said "Uhmmm. NO! You're gonna buy a better amp for my car." LMAO!!!
I told her "I can put the two P3's in your car."
She said "OK. Where am I gonna put the groceries? You want to eat, don't you?"
Touché
__________________ ->Click Here<- for an exhaust clip of my car.
Update. I got a couple of vids of it. It may not be the choice of music many of you listen to, but it's what I listen to, in addition to many other genres (Classic Rock, Metal, Country, Pop, etc.)
These vids are with my crappy $50 Virgin Mobile phone, so the quality isn't the best.
The Fosgate Power 150a1 you see in this vid (150 watts RMS x 1 channel @ 2 ohms) is going bye bye. I have a JBL GTO600.1 ii on the way (580 watts RMS x 1 channel @ 2 ohms).
I also have an aux battery in the making, along with a battery isolator.
This will all be mounted on the driver's side in the little cubby hole with the woofer facing outward toward the passenger's side and the port firing toward the rear. Should take up minimal room.
And yes, I know the box is small. It's about the size of a case of tasty beverages. Very convenient for a grocery getter.
BTW, That isolator is cool. My son has one in his '02 Cavalier (thanks to me for Christmas last year). If the starting battery runs low (his did a lot before he replaced it), you press the bypass button, wait a few minutes, and the extra juice from the aux battery helps to start the car. It'll be great for her in the winter, just in case.
Also, note, the lack of rear trunk lid rattle and how the music is confined to the inside of the car, that's with all the windows open.
If you don't have a good sound system on your computer, don't bother.
__________________ ->Click Here<- for an exhaust clip of my car.
I enjoy your posts - I'm living vicariously through you Judging by your rear view mirror, that thing hits pretty hard. That new amp should be amazing.
Thanks. The rear view mirror thing is the way the kids on YouTube show their bass, so I thought I'd follow suit. To me, all it shows is how well the rear view mirror is mounted, but what do I know? LOL
I'm anxious to get the new-to-me amp installed. After hearing this sub in my car, I now know what it's capable of.
I'm patiently waiting it to LEAVE California. I always thought Kentucky was the only state where things move slow. I guess not.
To me, all it shows is how well the rear view mirror is mounted, but what do I know? LOL
heh pretty much my sideview's and my review vibrate pretty good with the system I have in my 2000 Camaro which is just an older Pioneer deck, Rockford Components in the front and some Rockford 6.5's in the sail panels.
Yep. Exactly my point. You can put the same system in 10 different cars and it'll vibrate all the mirrors with different intensity.
I'm just happy it sounds as good as it does and doesn't rattle the trunk lid. Granted, 150 watts with an 8" sub probably never will, but that's fine. I don't know about the JBL amp, though. LOL
I'll be adjusting it so it's not so intense, anyway. I just wanted a good stable amp that doesn't require me to turn up the bass boost to get a decent amount of bass.
__________________ ->Click Here<- for an exhaust clip of my car.
When it comes to vibrating mirrors........my engine alone does that at idle
That's a pretty good price for those little woofers, was debating on replacing rear deck 6x9s with full range 10s, but these 8s look do'able. Guess I should check their site to see how well they work in infinite baffle.
Have you broken your's in yet? Are the spiders pretty tight or loose as hell?
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1973 Camaro
Built with parts from 5 other wrecked cars including a '70 z/28, '70 motion clone 427, '85 T/A, '79 T/A, & '71 RS/SS.
Keep in mind, Sonic is not an authorized Alpine dealer. The warranty is solely through Sonic.
Here's another source where it's $167 shipped. I don't know if this retailer is an authorized Alpine dealer though. I highly doubt it, but it's hard to say for sure. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ihctc-10774-20
__________________ ->Click Here<- for an exhaust clip of my car.
Very convenient for a grocery getter.
Judging by your rear view mirror, that thing hits pretty hard. That new amp should be amazing.
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