sound system upgrade + custom sub enclosure

You wouldn't have really heard the difference at 25hz but you would have heard the volume difference at say 40hz or 50hz where most of the low bass in music is located. Having a low "fs" is good but when comparing different size subwoofers it gets difficult to us fs as a criteria for choosing a sub. It's kind of like saying both a Prius and a Corvette will go 100mph but the Corvette will get there MUCH faster. In this way both the 8" and the 10" will play a 30hz note, only the 10" will play it at a louder volume if power, Xmax, sensitivity etc. are similar. Generally a 10" has a different motor structure and power handling than an 8" since the 10" nearly always shares the same motor structure/magnet as the 12" in the same series. 8"s are usually outcasts and have a different motor stucture and magnet so you end up with less excursion, less cone area and less power handling than a 10". i.e. much less bass regardless of the "fs"

 

I've used a Clarion 5 channel for the last 2 systems. Unfortunately it is long out of production. Since a local stereo shop bought 120 when they were on closeout years ago, he had about 5 left when I did the Prius a few months ago (plus they were cheap). It is clean, efficient and has decent tuning capability for the channels. What you gain from a modern amp is the remote bass control (I really miss not having one) and probably more efficiency. I believe JL makes at least a 4-channel, if not a 5-channel, but I'll go with yours next time.

 

They made both and in 3 different classes depending on your price range.

 

Two questions:
1) How much did it cost?
2) With a sub in back do you have to leave it open/exposed?

 

What if you need more power from the 12V system, after all the Prius doesn't use a conventional alternator which can be swapped out with a higher output one?

 

That is the beauty of the Prius, an alternator would limit you. The Hybrid Synergy Drive solves all problems, even those of the 12v electronic kind. The hybrid battery works to power the 12v battery via a step down conversion thus keeping it supplied with current to maintain a charge. Even with my system at full bore the voltage stays in the high 13v range which never happens even with a high amperage traditional alternator, at least once you get over 1,000 watts continuous power. I have yet to have any issues other than draining the stock 12v too many times so I recently upgraded to a yellow-top Optima.

 

How many amps/watts can the Prius 12V transformer can supply to the 12V battery then?

 

I heard somewhere that there waqs a limit of 100amps but I'm not sure that is correct or if it is there is some sort of protection that keeps me from blowing any circuits. The fuses on my sub amp total 160amps. It could be that I am not supplying max current to my amps but since they do do tend to overheat, unless it is a really hot day and I leave the storage well closed, I am not worried about it.

 

Only way to find out is to connect a megger to the battery and measure it there, the fuses are there to protect the 12V feeds from the battery.

 

True. I just wasn't worried about testing it since everything was working fine. If you plan on running more power than I am or with less efficient amplfiers like the JL Slash series then you may want to do more research on the charging system. So far so good for me.

 

Hi guys.
I have a quick question, I have 2 8" Rockfords that are from the good old days of Rockford. I was thinking of putting one in each rear cubby of the Prius.
I'm just wondering if anyone suggests doing this or would this not be a good idea since I don't think they are the same size. I'm not sure if this even matters...but I'm thinking they should probably be the same size?
I've looked around and can't find anything other then a few sites suggesting to keep each speaker seperate.

Thanks.

 

Since you would be making custom boxes for each you could make them the same size.. internally. Even if you didn't there would not be a big difference in sound.

My opinion though, for the money spent on making two custom enclosures, I would buy a single much better 10" subwoofer and stick it in the passanger side cubby. Cost would likely be similar but you would have better sound. Old Rockfords may have been decent (like back pre-1995) but compared to a new subwoofer they are junk. Technology has come a long way.

 

So the additional volume (as in internal space, not loudness) of the left cubby isn't necessary for a 10"? Is the left more suited to a 12", assuming you can use the lower portion too?

 

Oops, nice catch. I meant driver's side. <embarassed>

 

No worries. You just had me confused for a moment. It would have made perfect sense to Patsparks.

(Who lives in Australia, for those of you who don't know, where the passenger sits on the left.)

 

Thanks F8L.
I was thinking after I posted I can make them the same size anyways.
What I was going to do first was put the two 8's in the car with the box they are in now and see how they sound, if I like them I'm going to make the enclosure for the sides, if not, then I'm going to try a 10". What do you think of putting two 10's in, one in each cubby? Or is the cubby on the passenger's side to small?

 

If you use fiberglass you could likely make the box big enough for a 10" sub on the passanger side but it may be tight for some 10s.

It really comes down to how loud you want it. With a lot of power and a good 10 you can really make the Prius shake. I used to run two 10s in there all the time but lately I've only been running one of the 10s and with the music I'm listening to it quakes pretty good. If I were to go back to listening to Def Leppard or other music without a ton of bass in it I would want the second sub back in there. Soooo You could awlays buy a decent sized amp that could run two really good 10" subs and just install 1 sub for now. If you decide it is not enough you can purchase another 10" sub, build the second enclosure and hook it up. The amp will be sized correctly such thatwhen you install the second sub you will drop the ohmload to where the amp puts out it's most power and can effectively power both subs. That is how mine works. for example:

The DAT D61500.1 is rated to output 375w X 1 at 4 Ohms mono, 750w X 1 at 2 Ohms mono, and 1,500w X 1 at 1 Ohm mono.

My subwoofers are rated at 2ohm each.

When I hook up just one sub I am getting 750w to it. When I hook up the second sub I drop the ohm load to 1ohm (subs wired in parallel) and the amp now puts out 1,500w. Most decent amps will work this way, as in doubling their power when you drop the ohm load in half.

This type of system design would cost more because you run the risk of buying more amp than you really need but it gives you a lot of flexibility and more power is always beteer than too little.

Let me know if you need further help. I'm be working at the stereo shop tomorrow so I'll have my car audio hat on lol.

 

So basically the amp is running bridged then.
I have a really good amp, it use to run two 12's. So amp wise I'm set as I'm not going any more then either two 8's or one 10.
I'm not looking to shake the house down with the Prius, just want a bit more boom. The gf drives it the most, and I have two other cars myself that both have big stereo's in them.
I'm just waiting a rca converter to come in, then I can get down to work on the car.

Thanks again.