Hi, I am looking at upgrading the sound system in my ba. Nothing too extreme I am not a sound nut, I just want a good quality system. I have already upgraded the stock front speakers to alpine 6.5" and am now thinking about an amp and a sub. After a bit of reading on here and talking to people I am thinking about an alpine 12" s series sub at 350W RMS. I am also thinking about an Option Audio amplifier much like this one

https://shop.1wow.com.au/productcart/pc ... 4p3428.htm

I am planning to take the speaker wires from the back speakers as I don't really use them anyway and run them through a line level convertor ($50 from wow) and then into the amp and rca from there to the sub.

Is all this equipment good quality? What experiences do you have with alpine and option audio?
Will this all work nicely? Do you have any suggestions that will work/sound better?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to get it right first time.

i would go kenwood... amp and sub. I would def stay away from option amp, they say they get 500 rms at 14.4 v?? find me a car that runs perfectly on 14.4 v? maybe 13... but usually 11 - 12.8.

so that means ur rms power output is reduced. look out for that because cheaper brands market there products tested at 14.4 volts.... not the same volts u would find across the battery terminals in ur car thats for sure.

u pay a bit more for better quality, that lasts longer and saves u headaches later on, TRUST ME haha.
stay away from option amps.

go this sub...

http://www.ryda.com.au/Kenwood-KFC-W301 ... cw3012.htm

go this amp...

http://www.ryda.com.au/Kenwood-KAC-M615 ... cm615d.htm

and an option go this box, but u can build ur own, heaps cheaper

http://www.ryda.com.au/Aerpro-SPB12-12- ... /spb12.htm

u will much better off and u will be much happier with i guarantee it.

First of all don't listen to this guy ^^^ Because we dont know what YOU want he is telling you what he wants. And kenwood isn't any better than alpine. there are better brands than this around like Morel, Focal and many more.....

And buying a sub box is a bad idea because they are NOT designed for the sub your going to put in it!

And last of all my opinion is this
- New front speakers
- 4 ch Amplifier with high level inputs (2channels for the front and the other 2 bridged for the sub)
- Buy a sub in a box (this saves you buying or building boxes)
- 8awg wire kit for the amp
- 12 meters speaker cable (16awg)

Whats your budget?
What do you listen too?
Are you going to install it or are you getting it installed by a pro?

I have never heard or used Option amplifiers, so I won't comment on it as such...but for $200, that is a rather a cheap price for 500Wrms...however I don't think it will be reliable.

In saying that as mentioned above, that is calculated at 14.4V...better to get an amplifier with a reading at 12V. You will get around 400Wrms out of the amp at 12V @ 2Ohm.

In regards to sub and speakers, Alpine is pretty good if you just want to upgrade from stock and not burn a hole through your wallet. Bang for buck and sold everywhere.

You can run the rear speakers into a convertor into RCA, assuming you're not running an aftermarket head unit. If you are running an aftermarket H/U, then I would suggest running separate RCAs...but the convertor would do the trick.

Just make sure you set a budget out with a bit of room to move. Wiring kits can be pricey and make sure you if you run the cables yourself, to run the RCA cables away from the power cable.

lukas, what do u know?

ive been installing for yrs now and was only recommending what i thought would be best for this guy as he obviously is a bit lost on the subject, hence, why he posted here...

i couldnt give a s**t what he puts in his car, if i wanted to tell him what i wanted, i would have told him to buy all mtx, cuz thats my personal preference, american made, longest warranty, BETTER quality, BUT a bit pricey, but u pay for quality... I only recommended kenwood as a starting point, alpine is just as good, if he wants to go with them..

Now i dont know were u got the idea, morel and focal are better quality than kenwood or alpine, but i assure u, u are wrong..with 5 yrs of experience in the industry and this being my hobby, i can tell u, u are an idiot if u think focal and morel are just as good if not better than kenwood or alpine... check that morel and focal test there amps at 14.4 v aswell, kenwood test at 12.5 and alpine also at 12.8

and why is buying a sub box a bad idea? specifically the one i recommended, how do u know this sub box is no good for this sub? have u ever tried the combination? well i have, and i can tell u it pumps.. I can get into calculations if u want me too?

and most of the time buying sub/ box combos can leave u paying more for less... ie.. the markerter's, to save money and MAKE money, put a sub in a slightly smaller UN PORTED box, wen the sub works at max potential from a slightly bigger PORTED enclosure, which is what i suggested..

these big companies make money of peoples lazyness, by putting sub/ box combos on the market... fooling people like you into buying them, making people think that because its in a box and it comes from that company, it must the right box!! WRONG, u just got ripped off sucker.. trust me, im not trying to be a d**k, im telling u what ive learnt over the years and what ive been told from people in the industry.

for example, check out this sub/ box combo ( which is the exact same sub i suggested before)

http://www.ryda.com.au/Kenwood-3012BOX- ... 012box.htm

now checkout the price... $198 and the size of the box compared to the one i recommended before..

now check back at the separate sub and separate box, what does that price come to??
$99 + $64 = $163....You save money AND get bigger, louder, tighter bass...

and ur recommendations are stupid... if u actually read what the guy wrote, he already has fronts, 4 channel is dumb for this guy specifically because as he stated hes not a sound nut, and he may not want to spend hrs running speaker wire to the amp for the fronts... have u ever done that in a ba?? its a nightmare, and if u check the amp he was looking at, it was a mono block. too.. i already covered the sub/ box combo, the only thing i agree on is the wiring kit..

so lukas before u slander other people, next time think about it first they might actually know what there talking about!

tru.....

Mate,
You've been a member on this forum since the beginning of this month. Don't go flaming people for offering suggestions. The OP asked a question and all you need to do is offer suggestions. Its great that you know all about this sort of thing. Maybe you could have filled in what lukas missed out rather than making him out to look like an idiot.

In respone to the OP, if you look in the technical documents section, there are a number of sound system documents by PYROAY which can help you out greatly in regards to choice, size, placement etc.

I'd really hate to see this forum become full of abusive, know-it-all, ego tripping big shots like street commodores.

Cheers

Sam

If you are actually an installer, you've just shown you only know about the brands you install... Get out and about an experience some other brands.

Focal and Morel ARE far better sounding and quality than Kenwood.

Option Audio amplifiers are cheap but have been proven to be good quality and excellent value for money. I'd own Option Audio over Kenwood. Both brands wouldn't suit my stereos though. I opted for Audison amplifiers... Are you going to say Kenwood are better than those too?

To the OP... The Option Audio amp you linked to would run an Alpine SWS-1243D, with the coils wired in parallel, pretty well.

Nothing wrong with Option Audio amps (rebadged SoundMagus amps) IMO if you are on a tight budget. They are reasonably cheap amps that put out a decent amount of power. In my experience running SoundMagus amps in my system, the quality of both the build of the amp and sound reproduction is pretty good. So far, it's been reliable and haven't had any issues with it at all *touch wood . Obviously, there is way better gear out there if budget isn't an issue.

That Option Audio amp you have linked in your post puts out 500wrms @ 2ohm. The Alpine Type S is rated at something like 300wrms from memory, so that amp will be able to supply more than enough power to that particular sub, if that's what you wish to choose. With the sub in a suitable enclosure, it should sound alright and do what you want it to do. That's my opinion on the products that you have mentioned in your post, I'm not by any means saying you should or shouldn't use them, it's entirely up to you.

There's heaps of different sub and amp offerings out there to choose from, but it's hard to say that 'this' or 'that' will sound best because everyone is different. Maybe go into a few stores that stock car audio and see if they have a sound wall where you can view and demo the different products. Probably isn't the best way since the cabin of a car and the inside of a store are 2 completely different listening environments but at least you will get to see how the gear looks and hear how it sounds.

(1) Sorry if i seemed a little harsh in my answer, but how do you know what he needs without asking him questions about his budget and needs.

(2) Morel and focal are NOT better than kenwood that made me ROFLMAO
The voltages that audio products are tested at are not a reflection on their quality.

(3) most Prefabricated boxes are terrible, but buying a sub in a box is better than buying A sub then a premade box (unless of course the box is designed for that sub!)
And about the lazyness maybe he hasn't got the tools or time to build his own boxes.

(4) "MY recommendations" are stupid? They were not recommendations that was my opinion which is what the OP asked for.

(5) OMG 4 channel amps are for "sound nuts"? I should buy 10 of them then, i'm a sound nut.

(6)LOL you only got 6 posts! you need to do a little more research.

AND lastly i dont know what im talking about? "I" have never even worked in the audio industry, and i have just corrected a few of your comments.

Have a nice day sir.....

EDIT: Sorry to the OP for all the fighting and long posts in this thread.

EDIT2: Another point is how is buying a box gonna be better even if it is "slightly larger and ported" not all sub perform well in ported boxes, the port tuning will most likely be wrong AND the size of the box is probably wrong also.

Last edited by Falcon_92_EB on Wed Jul 08, 2015 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

hahaha...seems ive stirred everyone up!!

1st off, sorry to sam but i was only defending myself against lukas, he flammed me 1st for my suggestions... if u didnt notice that?

and ur right i took it a bit far and i apolagize, i would hate to see this turn into a street commodores forum..lol

2nd, to stone, i have had personal exp. with focal AND morel. I could type u up a novel right now about why they are not as good as kenwood or alpine, but im not gonna bother, eveyone has there preference, but i agree with u in the sense that audison are far better quality than kenwood, and alpine.. to be honest morel and focal arent THE DEVIL or anything, and infact to most, the difference would be un audiable to their ears.. but there are just small features that make them inferior to brands such as alpine and kenwood. I dont want to start fights with people, im only trying to help the op, this is what forums are all about? yes?

3rd, kwikxr, agree 100%, i should have written something like that..lol...save all the hassle

and 4th, lukas, i apolagize for slandering you and making u look like an idiot, but u did come across harsh in ur first msg, telling the op not to listen to me...?

i can guarantee u that the volts an audio company test there amps at is a 100% a reflection of the quality of the amp (or at least most of the quality, ie, rms power out put, ohm rating ect , read previous statement if u didnt get this..or check out this link and scroll down to Compare Power Ratings and Specs http://caraudiomag.com/articles/how-buy ... -amplifier

morel and focal are NOT better than kenwood or alpine, THAT made me ROFLMAO, if what i explained about the sub/ box combo didnt open ur eyes than, sorry for u, u obviously didnt read the whole paragraph properly about the 4 channel, uve taken it out of context, re read it... and u corrected me on nothing... congratulations.. SIR... but lukas all jks aside, like i said ppl have there own preference and i do apolagize for the fighting and bickering here, only stating what i know.. but i will say u do seem to know a bit on the subject and i was being stubborn and a bit excessive getting into specs and sub/ box combos ect, a sub/ box combo is easy, all was trying to say is there not as good... not trying to slander u now..lol, to the op, take all this in, and make ur OWN decision now.. if u havnt already made one...

could a mod please clean this thread up? all bickering resolved LOL

and also, for anyone interested, check this site out, answers ALOT of questions people argue about quite often, this site has been a life saver for me.. www.caraudiomag.com, and check out the guides and how to's section... very informative.

i agree lukas, i apolagize..

It's all good i'm sorry too

Last edited by Falcon_92_EB on Wed Jul 08, 2015 10:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.