Subwoofer AND factory rear speakers in a GTS?

[dave6666]

I'm thinking of putting one of those bass tubes in the trunk. They are cheap, have gotten positive comments here as far as effect goes, easy to install versus building an enclosure, and I could remove it easily when I need the room for the cooler and lawn chairs. The only drawback I saw in 125 threads I searched was, well, it looks like some speaker tube thing in your trunk. Oh well, I have tint for that.

So the question is, when I have the tube in, would it hurt to have the factory rears (which are upgraded BTW) still active? As opposed to unplugging them when I plug in the tube. It may work out that I could unplug the OE's when I plug in the tube because they have a similar type input, but I've never tubed a car and don't know what the connections are on the tube.

 

[Red Snake]

You can leave the factory ones hooked up for the mid range.

Just remember that when you buy the sub tube, get one that comes with the built in amp. That'll be the easiest to hook up without having to redo your amp set up.

 

[Dom426h]

Go with the Infinity BASSLINK II. I put one in my wifes mazda3 and it sounds very nice.
I picked it because:
-compact size
-high RMS power built in amp
-movable leggs/feet allow it to be mounted flat or standing up
-bass volume controll that can be mounted anywhere you want
-easy to hook up and can be "tacked" onto any system since it dosnt require rca inputs.(however rca can be used)
-CHEAP

Infinity - Car Audio II&cat=BSL&ser=BSL&Language=ENG&Country=CA&Region=USA

I purchased mine from here:
Infinity BassLink II Powered Subwoofer Car Subwoofers II subwoofer sub woofer in car auto speakers audio stereo dual pair shallow low flat mount depth inch cheap on sale power best single/dual voice-coil

You must be registered for see images

 

[dave6666]

Go with the Infinity BASSLINK II. I put one in my wifes mazda3 and it sounds very nice.

Thanks for the link. Looks like a nice unit - not suffering from cheap tube syndrome - but I'm afraid after reading the manual that I won't be able to use it.

Here's why, as copied from the manual:

WARNING: Playing loud music in an automobile
can permanently damage your hearing as well as
hinder your ability to hear traffic.


































I might just have to have me some of that!

 

[GTSnake]

Don't do it...... I tried a Bazooka and it just didn't sound right. The bass extension doesn't go down as low as a true subwoofer so it always sounded like something was missing. If you don't mind replacing your spare tire it's pretty easy to make an enclosure.



The hole on top is for a nitrous tank. It can easily be covered up. I'm sure with your skills you can even figure out a way to make an enclosure fit on top of the spare. I was too lazy to go through the trouble and gave in.

Also if you're interested in getting true rear imaging you need to add a speaker pod. Otherwise you won't be able to hear anything behind you.

 

[Leslie]

I had the same setup in my GTS as well, kicker sub and amp with stock rear speakers, I put eclipse speakers up front. There is so much glass in the rear of the car plus the heat build up it wasn't worth it.

I ended up taking it all out anyway because of the weight haha.

 

[Fatboy 18]

This is a wind up right


Think of the Extra Weight!!!!!!

Dont give those yellow cars a chance to catch up

Mark



OK, OK, we all have a weak moment now and again, just dont do it

 

[dave6666]

I eat a salad every day, so the weight is not a problem.

Funny you should mention the yellow cars. I recently took some yellow modeling paint and put a few dots on the rear view mirror to simulate the effect of driving with a group of yellow cars. Very stimulating to always be "leading the pack" in my RED Viper.

Anyway, tired of crappy bass, am doing other things in the rear of the car like my twin camera system, and thought I'd add some sound while the CAD wheels are turning.

 

[paulsgts]

You could have something like I have done. I have had it for 2 years and its the best mod I have done to the car!

 

[DanielR]

I also wanted more bass than the factory speakers could supply. Below is what I decided to go with. I did very little research into box design. I wanted the sub where I wanted it and that dictated the box design. I figured a sub with a bad box design will still supply more bass than upgraded rear speakers (not used in my setup). The fit and finish is not quite what I wanted, but I was too far into the process to correct some of the errors I made. I'll fix it someday. I was not sure how it would sound, so I just wanted to get it built and get it in there before I spent a lot of time correcting the aspects I am unhappy with.

The design does retain the factory spare, but as you can see, it requires pulling everything out to get to the spare. Then, relocating the components to store a wheel and tire. Everything is held together by tension, so no screws or bolts to install or remove.

As for sound, it hits hard with the engine off. Sounds very good while driving, but does get over powered at higher RPM.

The sub is an 8" JL Audio 8W3v3-4.

[media]http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu242/dr95/Audio%20Installation/BoxUnfinished.jpg[/media]
[media]http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu242/dr95/Audio%20Installation/CoverUnfinished.jpg[/media]
[media]http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu242/dr95/Audio%20Installation/Finished1.jpg[/media]
[media]http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu242/dr95/Audio%20Installation/Finished2.jpg[/media]
[media]http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu242/dr95/Audio%20Installation/Finished3.jpg[/media]

 

[Dom426h]

Don't do it...... I tried a Bazooka and it just didn't sound right. The bass extension doesn't go down as low as a true subwoofer so it always sounded like something was missing.

It is possible that you didnt have it set up right(had the crossover set to high). Also, as with anything electronic there is the low-end, and there is the high end. A 6"-8" low RMS tube is going to sound like crap compared to a 10" high rms tube. Alot of people go with the cheap tubes because they are on a budjet wich leads to an overall bad rep about tubes.

The biggest plus i see to a self powered sub is that they are very easy to pull out for racing. You can literally show up to a trackday Bumpin and then remove the sub just like you remove the spare tire.

opps i think the link i posted was for the Basslink I,
the Basslink II is the step up:
Infinity - Car Audio

 

[GTSnake]

It is possible that you didnt have it set up right(had the crossover set to high). Also, as with anything electronic there is the low-end, and there is the high end. A 6"-8" low RMS tube is going to sound like crap compared to a 10" high rms tube. Alot of people go with the cheap tubes because they are on a budjet wich leads to an overall bad rep about tubes.

The biggest plus i see to a self powered sub is that they are very easy to pull out for racing. You can literally show up to a trackday Bumpin and then remove the sub just like you remove the spare tire.

opps i think the link i posted was for the Basslink I,
the Basslink II is the step up:
Infinity - Car Audio

Nope, it's not the cross over. The tube design has limitations as to how low the response can get. Have you ever seen an OE (except Scion) or a competition system use tube subwoofers? They just can't get down low enough. If you look up the spec on Bazookas the lowest it goes is 39hz. My midwoofer goes down that low. For a sub that's weak.

 

[RobZilla]

Get a real sub. Those tubes aren't worth their weight in plastic. My $0.02.