A noob's 10" sub project

[rochey6957]

Ok so I know nothing about car audio or audio in general for that matter but I'm looking to install a 10" speaker. I have this crate limo tx50d guitar/bass amp that I am going to use the speaker from. It's Not the greatest speaker but I have it laying around so I'm going to use it and upgrade later if this plan is a success. I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I start this so I don't ruin the car lol. I've been reading through this site and I also subscribed to a car audio forum nd have been flipping through there (going to post a simmilar thread over there).

So ive got lots of questions of course and hopefully u guys can give me some answers or at least point me in the right direction lol

On the factory system what is the power (watts) and load (ohms) it can handle or what are the specs it is designed for?

I upgraded my headunit to a pioneer unit. I forgot the model but I can see if I can find it. Do aftermarket units have more power or different ohms ratings then stock? And if so, I should use a speaker that works with the current aftermarket head unit right?

Would I need to run a separate speaker wire from the back of the headunit to the new speaker or could I just splice into the wire for the rear speaker since the new speaker will be located in the back?

Is a speaker box absolutly necessary?

The crate combo amp I'm using is 50 watts. So the speaker is probally rated at 50 watts also. Is that a sufficient amount of power for a decent car sub system? Would the pioneer radio be able to power the aditional speaker at that max 50 watts or would the signal need to be amplified to power the 10" sub sufficiently?


Hmmm I'm sure I have more questions but thats all I can think of right now.

[budget76]

IMO, don't do anything. Go to caraudio.com/forum, and read the FAQ's and stuff.

First, you're better off using a $20 crappy sub from walmart than that speaker. They aren't designed for use as a sub for all music, just for guitar. I've hooked one up as a sub before, sounds like poop

Second, you do not connect subs to speaker outputs. Subwoofers require a different type of signal/output that sends only the bass signal. This requires an aftermarket amplifier that is capable of being used for a sub.

Ohms are not a measurement of a stereo system, it is the measure of resistance across the terminals of a speaker. The lower the Ohms means the less resistance, so the amp can send it more power, but most amps overheat when the load (ohms) is too low. 4 ohms is typical for budget stuff.

To do it correct, you need to run a set of signal wires (red+white RCA wires) from your aftermarket head unit to an aftermarket amplifier, as well as a remote/signal wire that sends the signal to turn the amp on. You also need to run a power wire (with an in-line fuse) from the battery to the rear of the car. You then need to find a bolt/spot to drill and bolt down a ground wire in the rear of the car, after grinding/sanding the paint off that area. You'll then need to connect speaker wire between the sub and amp. Yes an enclosure is required, you can't just have the sub sitting on the floor.

[rochey6957]

Ok thanks how much does a decent amp cost then? The combo amp that I have would I be able to just take and canabilize that and create an amplifier out of that? Or it's probally to much work and it wouldn't be worth it?

On the amp: is there any ohm rating thats normally used? Like a standard? Or does it not really matter as long as the speaker is the same ohms and watts as the amp? So if I had like a 50 watt speaker at say 4 ohms, the amp would have to be the same correct?

What do u mean line in fuse? Just a fuse on the wire from the battery to the amp so that the amp doesn't get fried if the power spikes? What is a remote signal wire and how would u go about hooking that up?

I need to pull my radio out nd see what the back looks like. What my dad and I put the new headunit it we didn't cut into the cars harness. We just got the other end from eBay or something and wired the eBay part into the new pioneer radio. So the original harness is all good so that should make things easier lol

Thanks

[cerdman]

READ, READ, READ. Don't do anything until you have a good grasp of what you need/want to do. After you have read up on the subject, check out Craigslist - you can find some amazing bargains there. Make sure you get to hear the amp/box/sub combo before you hand over the cash. Good luck!

[rochey6957]

Pulled the radio out and its a pioneer KEH-P4020. What is the color of the signal wire on the factory harness? How would I conect into it? Jus take the signal wire from head unit, factory harness, and the new one for the amp and then just twist all three together nd tape it? Or put on of those plastic cone things on? Idk?

Any help is appreciated

[roadrash]

Originally Posted by rochey6957

Pulled the radio out and its a pioneer KEH-P4020. What is the color of the signal wire on the factory harness?

First step is always to google for a Operation Manual, or Installation Manual.

[rochey6957]

Yeah I did do a quick search and all I got was PDF files which I can't view on mi iPod touch lol thats why I posted

[budget76]

sorry, not to sound like a jerk, but I really think you need to do some reading on the basics of car audio. Also read about soldering, it's the right way to do wiring in 99% of the occasions you will encounter, not just twisting and taping the wires together.

Sorry, I've wasted too many hours re-doing horrible wiring done by someone who had no idea what they were doing. I'll be happy to give you more tips once I know you've read and understand the basics

[rochey6957]

Yeah its all good lol i know i sound like a complete noob. I've been reading for the past couple days on audio and stuff but I do know how to solder. I don't know much about wiring that's why I'm asking these kind of questions and I sound like a moron. I generally know what I need to do to get a sub system working. I know what I need I jus don't know how to do the wiring part. Like how to hook the signal wire up and how to put a fuse holder in that's the stuff I don't know.

[bmvw]

Just go to your parts store and get a $150 subwoofer kit. It comes with instructions and will sound a lot better and install a lot easier than anything you would be able to cobble together by accident.