Powered Subwoofers

[CJM]

I'm looking to add a subwoofer to my truck and was looking for some opinions. I've been looking at stuff like the Infinity Basslink and bazooka tubes. I'm not looking to rock the neighborhood and don't want to take up too much room. Just looking to get a little more sound out of what I already have. If you have any opinions or experience with these subs, I'd like to hear them.

Edit: My truck is an '09 Dodge Ram 4 door (full size doors). The stereo is stock, not Alpine, with 6 speakers. 6x9 in the doors & 3" or 3-1/2" in the dash.

Tapped from a Nexus 6

 

[Jonny Kansas]

No experience with those per se. I had a nice 12" Pioneer back in the my high school/early college days. I get what you're saying about not wanting to rock the neighborhood, but wanting to add some low-end though.

I had the Pioneer in my Carolla and really had 'er cranked. A buddy of mine rode in the back seat and swears to this day that it changed his heartbeat. Haha!

Since you're not looking to blow out the windows of every house you pass, I think your options are quite broad. Keep in mind that the right head unit and amp make a difference in the sound/quality as well.

 

[CJM]

I plan on using the stock radio for now. For the amp, I was looking for something with a built-in amp. I was gonna call around to some local car audio shops and see what they say. But honestly, I trust your opinions more than a shop trying to sell me something

Tapped from a Nexus 6

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I always had a separate amp. Number 1, if one of the components blows out for some reason and the other doesn't, you only replace that component. Number 2, if you decide to get a better sub down the road, you've already got a standalone amp in place and don't have to rig something if the built-in one has the power to push it. Number 3, if you decide to add some 6x9's (been there) or other speakers that the head unit, especially the stock one, might have trouble pushing, you've again already got the amp in place.

Just my 2 cents. If you're happy with the sound you have now, but just want some extra thump, a sub with a built-in amp will take less work/knowledge to install and setup and take up less space in the truck. Really just kind of a matter of how far you may want to go in the future.

 

[cr6]

I've always had the work done professionally in all of my vehicles, so I don't have all the answers. But I do know that having a dedicated amp for your sub is the way to go. Of course it also depends on the amp itself. You "can" use the same amp for both your system and your sub, but it's paramount to use a quality amp to give you what you want (while still sounding good) and that can get quite spendy, REAL fast.
Hang in there, I know @Miller6386 specifically has a lot of experience in this area.....as well as @94lt1 I believe.
Good luck!

S5 tap'n

 

[Miller6386]

I owned a custom audio/accessory shop for 10 years. I'm heading into a service call now but will chime in later with my opinions.

Note 4Tified

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Oh yeah. Definitely. If you buy a separate amp and think there's even a chance you might want to add more speakers/etc down the line, make sure you get one with a dedicated sub woofer channel. It's not a huge deal, but it's one of those little things that you'll be happy you did down the line. The one I had was independent of the channel my 6x9s were on and had its own filter to filter out everything BUT the bass.

 

[mountainbikermark]

I owned a custom audio/accessory shop for 10 years. I'm heading into a service call now but will chime in later with my opinions.

Note 4Tified

Looking forward to this. I've been out of the industry since 98 and am interested in if/how the basics may have changed.


Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

 

[CJM]

I owned a custom audio/accessory shop for 10 years. I'm heading into a service call now but will chime in later with my opinions.

Note 4Tified

I'm all ears. Added some info about my truck to the OP in case that helps.

Tapped from a Nexus 6

 

[Jonny Kansas]

You'll likely need an adapter between the head unit and the amp. That much, I know. That's part of why I didn't hook mine up in my Dodge Caliber after I got it. That and the fact that it's a PITA to pull out all of the trim and such in that car to run the cables and I decided that I wanted to keep my "trunk space" in the hatch and that sucker would've taken up most of it.

 

[Miller6386]

What year RAM is it?

Note 4Tified

 

[CJM]

What year RAM is it?

Note 4Tified

'09

Tapped from a Nexus 6

 

[Miller6386]

Well we have a few options. My personal experience over the years says with what you are trying to do upgrading the head unit and new speakers will give you far more than a Bazooka tube will.

If you stick with just wanting to add a little bump to your music and still using the stock stereo the most important part is to invest in a GOOD line output converter. Most Bazooka tubes have a hi level input but you just won't get the sound quality that a true line output converter will give you. A line converter will take the output from your stereo and convert to a good usable low (bass low not volume low) signal.

Using a line converter also gives you good options for adding an actual amp if/when the tube isn't enough.

Another thing to look at is price. You will pay more for a tube and get less sound then buying a decent small amp with a single woofer.

Now let's assume you decide to go with a sub/amp set up as opposed to the tube. There are factors that come into play here. Mainly being what kind of music you listen to. Different size subs work better for different styles of music.

I've installed a few tubes and I'd say 95% of them came back as the customer just wasn't happy.

I can go more in depth if you have any questions. Just feel free to ask.



VIA SONY BETA MAX

 

[cr6]

Great information, thanks @Miller6386!

S5 tap'n

 

[CJM]

Using a line converter also gives you good options for adding an actual amp if/when the tube isn't enough.

Another thing to look at is price. You will pay more for a tube and get less sound then buying a decent small amp with a single woofer.

Now let's assume you decide to go with a sub/amp set up as opposed to the tube. There are factors that come into play here. Mainly being what kind of music you listen to. Different size subs work better for different styles of music.

I've installed a few tubes and I'd say 95% of them came back as the customer just wasn't happy.

I can go more in depth if you have any questions. Just feel free to ask.
VIA SONY BETA MAX

The line out converter makes sense. I haven't come across anything in my searches that suggested using that. My thing about getting a powered sub was they don't take up much room. So if I can get a sub in my truck without taking up too much room then I'm happy. Any suggestion on some good LOC's & amps?