Question about my setup...

[jwpb00]

Here's the deal...

I have a 75W X 4 F345 Alpine amp. My original plan was to install Alpine components speakers in the front and 2 way coaxial Alpine Type R speakers in the rear and hooking up my 4 channel amp to the front and rear. I did not want to have a seperate subwoofer at all.

However, after reading many posts here, I think I may be better off with leaving the factory speakers in the rear (and having my alpine 9847 head unit power them) and purchasing a small 8" Bazooka sub with quick disconnects (in case i ever neeed the extra space) in the trunk. Then, I can have the amp power the front speakers and I'll bridge channels 3 and 4 to power the bazooka sub.

My question is, which set up should I go with? Does anyone have any other brand recommendations for a small 8'' enclosed sub? Also, if I don't plan on getting the sub for a while, will the system still sound good with just the amp powering the front component speakers and the head unit powering the rear factory speakers?

Thanks ahead of time for your input.

 

[Poseur]

ONe of the things to worry aobut once you're amping your front speakers is blowing them full-range. this is where the sub coems in. low frequencies will overextend your speakers if you're nto careful, so be light on the gains, or just go ahead and set the highpass filter to 80hz or so, and then worry about filling it in with the sub later.

As for the sub. umm. The bazookas are a plesatn shape perhaps, but you cna do WAY better fi you're willing to go with a standard box setup. I'd recommend a 10 atleast, though eitherway. not for volume, but for efficiency and extension. it'll allow you to play lower and cleaner.

 

[Solo2Protege]

I'd also recommend an enclosure as opposed to a bazooka tube. I have yet to hear a tube that sounded good.

A sealed enclosure will require more power to achieve the same DB levels as a ported enclosure (using the same power amp) but a sealed box has better overall SQ. Dosen't sound like you need/want to thump, so an 8" in a small (removable) sealed enclosure will provide you with the overall sound your looking for.

The sub can be added at anytime after, but as poseur said, go light on the gains or cut the freq off at 80hz.

Brands...JL, PPI, Image Dynamics, RF, MTX...

 

[chuyler1]

The JL 8W7 is pretty much the best 8" sub on the market right now...but it is pricey and requires a fairly large box even for an 8". The next best thing is probably the Image Dynamics ID8v3. Some guys on a different forum did a comparison test of all the 8" subs they could get their hands on and the ID8v3 came second only to the 8W7 in most of the SPL tests.
http://forum.soundillusions.net/showthread.php?t=45731&highlight=great+challenge

You can pick one up at www.sounddomain.com (make sure you get the dual 2ohm version so you can wire it in series for a 4ohm load to your Alpine amp).

 

[tsunami]

yeah if you want small volume i would also look at some boston acoustic 10' subs, the pro series (as i have not listened to the new G5 yet) sounds like its right up your alley, not really low, and has a "tight" feel to it. it won't play very loud but it will fill the bottom end out nicely with the wattage you have to play with....also these subs in a sealed enclosure don't take up a lot of room... something like .75 cubic ft or something pretty small package.