Upgrading my I.C.E. - Saxperience

seisporting · 23rd May 2011, 22:11

Hey Guys

Currently i have JBL 525 GTO's up front, JBL 400 GTO's in the rear and a random amplified bass box in the boot.
I've just bought a Exil3 300w RMS 10'' Sub and some JL Audio TR525-CXI speakers for a bargain price so this should be a bit of an upgrade (JL supposedly quite decent?)
The Sub comes with a sealed box whereas my current one is ported.
Will the bass be a lot punchier with the sealed box as currently it seems very uncontrolled on certain note changes.
I will be running the Sub off of a 2x75w RMS amp bridged to one channel and the speakers off my headunit (50wx4 RMS) as im trying to free some space up (currently have a 6 channel JBL amp which has it's own postcode)
Will the headunit be powerful enough to sound decent? (i'm removing the rear speakers as they distort to shit) my headunit clicky.
Anything else i can add to my system?

Ashleyp · 24th May 2011, 09:16

headunit's do not have 50x4wrms. more like 50x15wrms (roughly)

can't say i've ever heard of that brand of sub...

depends on who built the box and to what specs. but generally, a sealed box is tighter, less boomy, and more precise.

JL audio is a good brand, i've never used their speakers so can't comment on the sound quality. looking at the name of them, theyre coaxial though. It's better to go for component style speakers ideally

the sub will be running around 150wrms i'd assume.

it'll be fine to run the sub off an amp and speakers off a headunit. not perfect. and don't expect any real sound quality.

i personally hate the use of subs, and would rather buy a good set of front speakers and a good amp; that alone will produce good enough sound quality.

seisporting · 24th May 2011, 11:41

The Sub has been imported from America, 1500w peak 300w RMS, I don't particularly like losing all the boot space but whatever front speakers i use there is no way i could get the full range of sound without a sub as they cant reach low enough, especially with the room available in the doors for speakers as i want it to look factory.
Everywhere is already fully sound deadened so that cant hurt either.

Ashleyp · 24th May 2011, 12:27

you'll be getting a "full range" of sounds from coaxials, but they'll never have the same quality of components.

granted you won't be able to hit low notes (between 20 - 40hz) but with decent components you can get a decent level of mid bass. The rainbows i've been running for 2 years can shake the mirrors, even just ran off the headunit!

as for sound deadening, good job on that front! most people over look it and don't see it as a good investment. IMO this is the one single thing that can enhance the quality more than any speaker.

seisporting · 24th May 2011, 12:57

Yeah the sound deadening made a huge difference, except i can hear all the bloody squeaks the dash makes now

I used to have Focal 5.25 Components in my last Saxo but they didn't seem to be that great, i only paid £21 for this sub and the JL speakers so a bit of a bargain! They were listed as a Sub no mention of speakers except in description so i dropped lucky!
Should be here this week so will report back once fitted with how they sound.

Ashleyp · 24th May 2011, 13:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by seisporting

Yeah the sound deadening made a huge difference, except i can hear all the bloody squeaks the dash makes now

I used to have Focal 5.25 Components in my last Saxo but they didn't seem to be that great, i only paid £21 for this sub and the JL speakers so a bit of a bargain! They were listed as a Sub no mention of speakers except in description so i dropped lucky!
Should be here this week so will report back once fitted with how they sound.

bargain to say the least.

probably worth installing mate. then if youre not happy, stick them on ebay or whatever. you could probs sell them for more than you paid!

seisporting · 24th May 2011, 13:27

YEah just had a ebay message of the guy to confirm my address, its cost him more to send than he got for the auction! Speakers are about £90-110 on their own and the sub retails at $300 in the US!

seisporting · 28th May 2011, 22:33

Well i fit the speakers today and removed the sub the bass tube came with and put the exile sub in it and got my unused Sony amp out.
Seem to have lost a lot of bass from the sub but gained a lot from the speakers which are absolutely superb.
If i turn the amp gain up over 1/3 it seems to get quieter? Any ideas?

Ashleyp · 29th May 2011, 08:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by seisporting

Well i fit the speakers today and removed the sub the bass tube came with and put the exile sub in it and got my unused Sony amp out.
Seem to have lost a lot of bass from the sub but gained a lot from the speakers which are absolutely superb.
If i turn the amp gain up over 1/3 it seems to get quieter? Any ideas?

check the LPF is on the amp running the subs.

as for gain, it's not a volume control, it's a signal matcher. just make sure youre turning it up not down by accident lol. i've seen amps where turning up is turning it anti-clockwise

saxomadryan · 30th May 2011, 21:20

hi guys at the minute in my saxo i am running a jbl gto 400 watt amp with a 600 vibe sub with a custom parcel shelf with 4x50 watt tweeters and a set of 490 watt peak jvc speaker so what do you guys think and what can i do next

seisporting · 30th May 2011, 22:16

Amp was blown, using my old sub at the moment (jbl basstube)

Sounds so much better than before though!