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subwoofer wiring help needed

1637 Views 30 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  spdfrek
i'm on the extreme side of novice, so bear with me...
I just bought a 3000gt and the previous owner use to have a subwoofer, that was stolen later from the car....
all he had left was three wires (see pic).... if I'm going to buy/install my own sub...what else do i need wiring wise?
Any help is appreciated....
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here goes

what you have here looks like a set of rca cables (for audio input from your radio to the amp) and possibly a power wire (judging by the gauge and color) you can check the red wire by lifting your hood and seeing if there is the same wire attached to your battery if so it should have a fuse ( if not install one before using it) and that fuse should be blown due to the wire shorting out against the body of the car.

you are missing a remote ( or turn on ) wire which should be blue in most cases and a ground wire which will be black and attached to the metal of the car some where close to where the amp was mounted.

i don't recognise the writing on the red wire some i can't tell what namebrand the power wire is but your rca cables are a basic stereo cable ( nothing special) . the rca cables should start behind your radio so you can check there for a connection.

let me know if you have any more questions no matter how "novice" they may seem.


pockets95
thanks...i'll look into it, and write back later....
thanks again...
and one last thing....
1 12" or 2 10"?
i know its been asked alot, i thought I'd get your opinion...
depends!

1 12" will give you slighly deeper base and more frequency range
also less air space is needed

2 10" will give you tighter and more base with a little more air space needed and more power needed . base is not as deep but it still sounds really nice.

it really depends on your music preference and space available

pockets95
just thought I would contribute a little... I would reccomend 1 12, that is what I have and I love it. (fosgate HE). You will need a remote wire and also a ground wire. Also one more thing while you are checking alll this cabling, make sure the rca plugs and the power cable don't run aside of each other in the car (creates a bad humm). And one other thing for pocket, the bass you are saying isn't like "first base" or "Stealth Base", It is "bass" Just thought I would help you out... not being a dick, just couldn't resist.
I have to second the above opinion, to me the lower in freq the better imaging. go with one twelve and cut it off low like 60-70 hz, this won't drag the image to the back of the vehicle, and tens just won't play that well below 80 hz...just my opinion
"1 12" will give you slighly deeper base and more frequency range also less air space is needed

2 10" will give you tighter and more base with a little more air space needed and more power needed . base is not as deep but it still sounds really nice. "

A common fallacy on both counts. Nothing is absolute.

The power wire may be Streetwires, not that it's really revelant.
what?????

sorry mobilebeatz

you are very mistaken with the same setup and appropriate power applied cone area and excursion equal bass performance.

no you can't compare jensen with jl audio ;however, 2 jl audio 10" w-3's properly setup will definatly ( or absolutley) out bass 1 12" jl audio w-3 in the same enviroment

so it is an absolute, and your opinion is a fallacy.

and just for the record 10" speakers are generally much better for imaging and sound quality , notice i said generally.

and thanks for the spell check!!!
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pockets95,

i would be very curious to hear the explanation behind your statement.......

"generally tens are better for imaging and sq"

what about the lack of output below 80 or 70 hz? I always try to keep the midbass (front portion of the vehicle) as low and as strong as possible, to me this really anchors the image to the front of the vehicle. having a driver in the rear playing very srtong up to 100hz as a ten can would smear the image and cutting a ten any lower than 70 hz would be waste.

not trying to flame, just curious as to your thinking

KC
Pockets bro. You're not even close. Only a fool or a neophyte believes that 10s are "absolutely tighter and better for SQ and imaging" yadda yadda.

Normally I wouldn't call someone out specifically, but you're posting dangerously incorrect info that is too commonly disseminated without proof. Take an 18" driver, cross it at 40Hz on a steep slope, and you'll get tight, deep bass too. It's all in the application, ace.

and no one said anything about:

"2 jl audio 10" w-3's properly setup will definatly ( or absolutley) out bass1 12" jl audio w-3 in the same enviroment"

Not once did I compare output. Read first.

And speaking of spellcheck, it's hard to take someone who types "base" seriously.
well put mobliebeatz....
two 10" subs will be louder than one 12" sub of the same type. There is hardly any sq difference between the two sizes if they are the same sub, 12" subs will just play lower. Also 10" subs can not play freq's under 70hz?????? Who said that? That is terribly wrong. If you want more output go with 2 10" subs.
Why doesnt anyone use 2 12's... IT doesnt take that much extra power for some extra low freq and more output?
i never said a ten would not play below 70, it is a matter of how well it does it, if you have your midbass playing below your subs will have image shift do to the same freq's coming from to different places, my point was twelves play more accurately in lower ranges and to have a good front stage one would want to play their mids as low as possible in order to anchor it to the front....

if you just want play loud :rolleyes: anything would work
Just buy one Perfect 12". It's PERFECT. Screw the science. Just look at it's stats and match them up with a box and a decent amp. 2 10's will be louder though, so if you don't wanna hear anymore get two 10's.
WHAT?

ok mobilebeatz:

1) 10's are absolutley tighter in fgrequency responce due to the weight difference in the cone and the shorter excursion. look at your specs.

2) 18's are not "tight" at 40 hz. nothing is tight at 40hz you idiot. that freq. range is not meant to be tight it is meant to be deep and hard. any bass c.d. or sound checking c.d. will only 40hz with some other bass freq. with it unless it is specifically for checking your systems responce to that freq.

3) no you haven't compared anything in any of your posts, you have simply typed dumb uninformed statements that i hope were meant to only stir up the topic and were not actually supposed to be taken seriously!

4) and yes i spelled bass wrong. so what. i never said i was perfect. i was in a hurry and just trying to help someone out with a question. i was not for a grade, promotion, or life threatening so what difference does a spelling mistake make

now sqhopefull:

1) the sound quality of ten's is usually better , in my opinion, you seem to better versed on the sound quality end of things and i admit that. i am no god of stereo like mobilbeatz, and i can be wrong. however i do give the best input i can and if i don't know i don't just make things up.

2) you are however very wrong about the 70 hz cutoff in a 10's freq. responce.

3) you are absolutley correct about the imaging blur from playing the same freq. from two seperate places in your car. i did not think about that , but who said it had to be crossed over at those specific points?

to anyone reading this, sqhopeful and david walden ( sorry david if i got your last name wrong) seem to be very knowledgable and helpful . mobilbeatz on the other hand seems to just want to offend people and make dumb statements, and if that is what makes him happy just let him live in his dream world because it probably isn't the last time he is going to make some childish or ignorant remark.

pockets95
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You insult my intelligence with this. I certainly hope you don't work in the industry because you're misleading a lot of people.

1) different drivers use different cones. I can find you ten 12" drivers that use lighter, stiffer cones than do 10s. Moreover, if their attack and decay is quicker, they will be tighter. Even more directly, there are dozens of 10s with greater excursions than 12s. Yet, or 12s with enormous surrounds that compromise cone area for excursion. You have a real problem with unilateral statements. I willingly and openly state that nothing is universal. you seem to have a problem acknowledging that. It stems from lack of exposure to different and innovative ideas.

2) A running misconception in all of your posts is application. Type of application governs things ultimately. I'll find you a pair of 18s to play tighter than 10s...hell, try Les Young's car for starters.


3) Fortunately I have years of time in the field and industry to confirm my misguided statements. And the support of those far more technically inclined than I.

4) I mocked your spelling because you accosted me in the same manner, first. What goes around, as they say. Read your initial post before crying about unfair play.

I really wish I had the energy right now to reveal just how deeply your fraudulence and ignorance runs, but it's been a long day. Keep rocking your pocket rocket and get back to us when you've learned some basic physics.

I have never lambasted someone as I have you, but you instigated this, and more to the point, you pass off your inaccuracies as truth. I cannot allow that on my watch. Had you couched this in terms of your own impressions, then that'd be at least passable. But when you directly contradict veracity in the name of opposing me, I can't back down. I don't pretend to know it all, far from it. Stop trying to villify me and concurrently overcompensate for lack of knowledge with volume.
Anyone who's come to know me within the duration I've been on this board knows I give helpful and constructive advice and I'm even jocular. I do make exceptions for those who gleefully and pugnaciously mislead.

I am absolutely being an asshole right now, but upon being provoked, especially with incorrect accusations, I'm allowed.
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I think anything with the right sized enclosure and massive amounts of clean power will be tight unless a retard designed the woofer.

Did you know one 18" has more surface area then two 12" phlip136? Yep, it's true. Sounds weird huh? I think 2 10" would be more surface area then one 12" which meands it can push more air.... Well it really depends on the whole setup...

Just buy a Perfect 12" in a sealed enclosure. Their tried and true. Every review I see is nothing but good news. You don't seem to picky and just want some decent bass. Find an amp with about 400-500 rms watts to power that too.
how about get 2 12"s???? or how about 5 18"s? lol just playin
ooh... pockets!

mobilebeatz is extremely knowlegable in all areas of car audio, i know this from looking at other posts on other boards such as sounddomain and termpro (not sure about termpro, mobile?)

to defend myself:

my point was that tens play stronger in a higher freq. range then do twelves (can't go as low), agreed?

with that said...my personal PREFERENCE is to cutoff the midbass no lower than 70 (more like 50-60) therefore i would recommend a twelve inch driver with play much better in that range than a ten. the original question was a recommendation on two tens or one twelve. I RECOMMEND ONE TWELVE, and i also tried to explain reasoning.

mobile: OT, what do you for a living? your last post was very nicely written. also, he deserved it ;)

KC
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