I currently have a Pioneer head unit, Infinity speakers in the front and an Alpine amp but standard rear speakers in an RB5. Wondering about fitting a small sub in a box in the boot or one of the tube style versions. I don't want earth shattering sounds but a bit more thump would be nice.

Any thoughts/experiences on this?

Ta.

 

Did you have a particular product in mind? How small is small? If you don't mind a small box taking up a little space in the boot, and another amp, then an 8" sub will do the trick. Just check the vol of the enclosure required for any given sub as some need less space (ie smaller box) than others.

Prob looking at anything from £150 to BIG money for amp, sub, box and wiring kit.

 

And to answer your question, yes, it's definitely worth it.

 

I installed a Bazooka Bass tube in my wagon (http://img62.photobucket.com/albums/...ass_Tube_2.jpg), it has a 10" sub, 150 watt amp, built in crossover and it can be run of the preout of your headunit or speakers outputs, it has enough bass to shake my mirrors and yes it is worth it

 

Thanks for the info guys. So do all subs need their own power supply and amp? Or can I just connect the wires from the rear speakers instead?

 

Best with an amp as they generally need lots more power than the other speakers in your car.

Some subs (boxed or in a tube) come with an amp 'built in', or bolted to the box. Theses aren't that common, though most car hifi places will have at least one or two options. These also come in varying shapes and sizes and some are very compact designed for ease of installation (eg. under the front seat). Although you won't get really low bass out of these, they would definitely be a worthwhile addition to your existing set up. Check brands such as Infinity, Pioneer and Kenwood.

If you want the 'full on' option of a sub in it's own enclosure, with separate amp then check some of the websites for 'deals' which offer the speaker, box, amp and wiring kit packaged together. Theses prob start at around £100.

 

Here's some examples for ya.

Pioneer Active Sub
JBL Active Sub
Kenwood

 

There's a new, compact active subwoofer just come out from ALPINE.

It has just received a pretty good review in the June/July issue of "TOTAL CAR AUDIO".... pop into WHSmith, pick it up & turn to page 20.... wouldn't take more than 60 seconds to read

Not what you would call an "audiophile" product, but I have just ordered one myself from

Alpine active sub

£200 inc. VAT; RRP £250.

Hopefully will be a nice complement to my existing Alpine 9833R plus Infinitys, without drawing attention to myself, & keeping good boot space, which is what I want.

Will let you know what it's like when it is up & running

 

Depending on the power of your amp, I'd ditch the rears (they're just spoiling your sound at the moment) and bridge the rear chanels from the amp to the sub.

http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/vbb/forumdisplay.php?f=3 is great for advice