small sub

[smartski]

i think ineed a small sub to provide volume/bass in the saab. i have a louddddd exhaust and the existing system needs upgrading.
lots of people have fitted slim/small subs to the rear of the roadster seats and i think one of these will probably fit beneath the passenger seat?
what makes and models can be had for sensible money new or does anyone have a good used one for sale? volume is the goal more than quality so im thinking a cheaper model will be ok? thanks,john.

[Lady Muck]

Re: small sub

i think ineed a small sub to provide volume/bass in the saab. i have a louddddd exhaust and the existing system needs upgrading.
lots of people have fitted slim/small subs to the rear of the roadster seats and i think one of these will probably fit beneath the passenger seat?
what makes and models can be had for sensible money new or does anyone have a good used one for sale? volume is the goal more than quality so im thinking a cheaper model will be ok? thanks,john.

I have an Alpine SWO - 1600 in each smart.
Sound fab, but v heavy as made almost entirely of metal.
One is under drivers seat, other is where ashtray, cup holder etc usually is located ( upside down ) can send images if required
Hope that helps.

[137699]

Re: small sub

I also have the SWD1600 alpine unit - I don't think you can buy them new anymore (discontinued) but you can pick them up off ebay - I bought mine on there 4 yrs ago for £60.

[lalli_d1]

Re: small sub

i got a clarion 330, i think it is, for my forfour. for the price i payed im not complaining!

[ritzy roadster]

Re: small sub

What is your budget and how much work are you prepared to do? We also have the Alpine SWD1600 thingy in the Roadster I'm not overly impressed, its not very tight and I think the bass over-shadows the other speakers, that said the other-half likes it. We haven't bothered to replace the awful Grundig headunit, others probably have and hear the benefit. Alternatively, if your budget allowed you could look for a shallow sub, build a small enclosed box and power it via a small amp and the results would be much better. Obviously more of a faff to fit and pricier but if you bought 2nd hand and got a 4 channel amp you could also use it to power your door speakers too. I've had a set of components in the For2 amped and the quality is great, now thinking of fitting a small Earthquake shallow-sub too. In terms of current underseat active-subs, Focal or Pioneer would offer an alternative to the Alpine SWD, also the Clarion Lalli mentions gets respectable reviews and I've seen them go on ebay for around £99.

[weasle1uk]

Re: small sub

I got 2 "Pioneer TS-WX22A" in my roadie, one behind each seat. I do like them but still think of them as a compromise as i would prefer a Proper Sub lol

[lalli_d1]

Re: small sub

the Clarion Lalli mentions gets respectable reviews and I've seen them go on ebay for around £99.

i got mine for less than that from wilco motorsave!
i payed £59.99 for it! i had to ask the sales person if it was a joke sone one had done but it was official!

[smartski]

Re: small sub

hi,thanks for the replies,will these small subs require a power wire and ground aswell as speaker input? do they need phono lead input? i think the alpine unit i have does have a red and white output for phono on the back. do they need a lot of power or can i tap into the existing power-for example the seat belt warning lights or bum warmes wiring under the seat? thanks john.

[heinkeljb]

Re: small sub

Any power amp would work better and cause you less problems if it has it's own power feed firect from the battery via a fuse as near to the battery as possible.
Most power amps require low level inputs (i.e. phono type leads), some have the ability to be connected to high level inputs (i.e. tapped off normal speaker outputs).
All power amps will have a "remote" lead which is used to turn them on and off, usually taken from the power arieal lead from the radio. (I tend to put another switch in line with that lead, so I can switch the power amp off if I need to even with the radio running.)

John

[smartski]

Re: small sub

i just found one of those alpine swd-1600 subs on e bay so we will see how that goes. it looks what im after.compact and simple with a bit of extra bass to help out the rear shelf speakers. head unit is alpine too so its neat.thanks for the replies and i will be back no doubt when i cant get one to work!

[137699]

Re: small sub

What is your budget and how much work are you prepared to do? We also have the Alpine SWD1600 thingy in the Roadster I'm not overly impressed, its not very tight and I think the bass over-shadows the other speakers, that said the other-half likes it. We haven't bothered to replace the awful Grundig headunit, others probably have and hear the benefit.

Sounds very much like you've not set it up very well. I had it for 2 years with the Grundig and thought it was a very good setup - I only changed the grundig to a sony as I needed bluetooth hands-free - I can honestly say that the £600 Sony headunit I now have sounds no better than the Grundig.

If using with the grundig, make sure you set the bass at 0 or -2 on the headunit and turn the Loudness function off. Then use the gain and input function on the alpine to infill the bass that now no longer comes from the speakers (due to the headunit volume being set low).

This worked beautifully for me. The Grundig produces excellent sound quality - it's only the lack of features (bluetooth & line-level output) which lets it down. But on the upside, I've never heard of anyone having had one stolen from their car!

[problemchild1976]

Re: small sub

i had the swd1600 in my fortwo behind the seat and it just wasn't putting out the bass i wanted

...i had
Sony 6-disc multichanger
Hi power 4ch amp
Front base bins upgrade with alpine component speaker set

so ended up going for the 10" fli-trap active sub that i got off ebay for £30 and picked up locally (but obviously in the roadie you don't have the space for the fli sub - just stating that i didn't really find the slimline subs powerful enough)

JJ

[smartski]

Re: small sub

sorry people,i didnt say it was for the saab i needed the small sub. the pioneer one will be just the job if i can find one. anyone got one for sale? the exhaust is very loud and the stereo simply cant deal with the competition.

[NeilP]

Re: small sub

Any power amp would work better and cause you less problems if it has it's own power feed firect from the battery via a fuse as near to the battery as possible.
Most power amps require low level inputs (i.e. phono type leads), some have the ability to be connected to high level inputs (i.e. tapped off normal speaker outputs).
All power amps will have a "remote" lead which is used to turn them on and off, usually taken from the power arieal lead from the radio. (I tend to put another switch in line with that lead, so I can switch the power amp off if I need to even with the radio running.)

John

if your alpine deck has the rca's out, use them instead

you'll get better sound quality out from them and you'll run into less problems than trying to tap all the speaker wires


good luck with finding the gear, i personally would go for the:

TS-WX11A

recommended it to a customer with a 451, and the quality from the unit was amazing!

:silvertri

[madDan]

Re: small sub

You can still buy

Blaupunkt THb200A active subwoofer speaker key features

The easiest way to more bass - amplifier and speaker in a box!
Compatible with all types and makes of radio - accepts line level or speaker level inputs.
Active subwoofer in compact enclosure. Ideally suited to under-seat mounting.
200mm drive unit powered by integral 140W max power amplifier.

• Bassreflex subwoofer box with internal 140W power amplifier
• Accepts line level (RCA) or speaker level inputs, so can be used with any model or type of radio
• Automatic switch on - speaker turns itself on when audio signal is sensed. Turns itself off after 60 seconds without signal present
• RMS power output 70W
• Frequency response 25 - 500Hz
• 200mm speaker with IPP membrane
• Phase switch (0 / 180 degree)
• Variable low-pass filter (80 - 120 Hz)
• Input gain control
• Dimensions 340L x 71H (max. 79) x 225W (mm)
• Includes 3m long cable harness for connecting power supply, earth and speaker inputs
• Complete with cable set, 10A fuse, fixing screws & bracket, full fitting and operating guide