Do SQ subwoofers exist?

[06RTCharger]

SQ? Simple concept...

Keep the source as close to analog as you can. (CD recorded (AAD) Analog - Analog - Digital)

Head unit with 24bit D/A converter(s)

Head unit with no internal amplifier and shielded chassis

Quality amplifiers for ALL drivers

Quality oversized silk, silk like or textile tweeters

Quality mid-bass speakers in the 8" range

Quality mid-range speakers in the 5 1/4" - 8" range

Quality sub-woofer with fast transient response in the 8" - 10" range

A quality and well engineered TL (transmission line) sub-woofer enclosure (if done correctly, you should not know what direction the sub frequencies are coming from and it should reinforce the mid-bass speakers)

ACTIVE CROSSOVER

Acoustic deadening

Ideally all speakers including subs in front of the listener (not always possible in a vehicle)

A vehicle that has been quality engineered (Mercedes, BMW... higher end Japanese vehicles or any vehicle that is fairly silent when the doors are closed and windows are up) A 1992 Camaro with saggy doors is not ideal because saggy doors don't seal properly. Sound isolation is key.

Proper EQ settings

Quality interconectors

Proper sized power, ground and speaker wires. Proper chassis ground(s)

Correct power delivery. Find out how many amps your vehicle requires with all accessories being used (A/C, Lights, Wipers Ect...) then find out what the amplifiers require and add the totals together. Get an alternator to support that number of required amperage

Quality battery(s)

I think that about does it... anyone want to add anything or delve deeper?

I appreciate the attention to detail in ur helpful info, thanks man. If u personally could have any free 8-10 sub for your own SQ setup, what exactly would it be?

[Evilthx]

Free? If it were out of the 4 I listed, the JL. You can't really go wrong with that brand especially the W6 or W7. If it were free and ANY sub... Man, that's a tough call. It would depend on the vehicle but I don't know if I'd be too greedy. I'd probably go JL W6 10" in an elaborate enclosure 50hz and down. I'd spend the real money on the front speakers. I demoed some Hertz against some JL Z series and the Hertz blew them away. Sound quality is relative... I thought I knew what it was until I heard a serious Sq system. It comes down to to what sounds good to your ears ultimately. But you get what you pay for. The best Sq I have ever had the pleasure of hearing had a single 8" sub but the rest was all up front. Two 8" midbass, two 5 1/4" mids and two tweets... All Focal.

[06RTCharger]

Free? If it were out of the 4 I listed, the JL. You can't really go wrong with that brand especially the W6 or W7. If it were free and ANY sub... Man, that's a tough call. It would depend on the vehicle but I don't know if I'd be too greedy. I'd probably go JL W6 10" in an elaborate enclosure 50hz and down. I'd spend the real money on the front speakers. I demoed some Hertz against some JL Z series and the Hertz blew them away. Sound quality is relative... I thought I knew what it was until I heard a serious Sq system. It comes down to to what sounds good to your ears ultimately. But you get what you pay for. The best Sq I have ever had the pleasure of hearing had a single 8" sub but the rest was all up front. Two 8" midbass, two 5 1/4" mids and two tweets... All Focal.

Lol damn man, I already know, when i get to the point of choosing a sub (after my front is set up), im going to be so torn between the two methods. A 8-10 inch sub for a better SQ application, or a 12-15 for more SPL to show off a lil haha. Its easy to show off SPL while driving down the boulevard, not as easy to show off SQ that way. Idk lol, hopefully ive got a better idea of which i want when that time comes. Thanks again for the reply.

[Soccerballzs]

SQ? Simple concept...

Keep the source as close to analog as you can. (CD recorded (AAD) Analog - Analog - Digital)

Head unit with 24bit D/A converter(s)

Head unit with no internal amplifier and shielded chassis

Quality amplifiers for ALL drivers

Quality oversized silk, silk like or textile tweeters

Quality mid-bass speakers in the 8" range

Quality mid-range speakers in the 5 1/4" - 8" range

Quality sub-woofer with fast transient response in the 8" - 10" range

A quality and well engineered TL (transmission line) sub-woofer enclosure (if done correctly, you should not know what direction the sub frequencies are coming from and it should reinforce the mid-bass speakers)

ACTIVE CROSSOVER

Acoustic deadening

Ideally all speakers including subs in front of the listener (not always possible in a vehicle)

A vehicle that has been quality engineered (Mercedes, BMW... higher end Japanese vehicles or any vehicle that is fairly silent when the doors are closed and windows are up) A 1992 Camaro with saggy doors is not ideal because saggy doors don't seal properly. Sound isolation is key.

Proper EQ settings

Quality interconectors

Proper sized power, ground and speaker wires. Proper chassis ground(s)

Correct power delivery. Find out how many amps your vehicle requires with all accessories being used (A/C, Lights, Wipers Ect...) then find out what the amplifiers require and add the totals together. Get an alternator to support that number of required amperage

Quality battery(s)

I think that about does it... anyone want to add anything or delve deeper?

Lmfao.

No mention of how important a 3 inch mid is over a 5.25 to 6.5.

[Karkov]

[_paralyzed_]

That gave me a good laugh!

[_paralyzed_]

06RTCharger- Evilthx doesn't really know what he's talking about, I wouldn't listen to him.

Evilthx- You don't really know what you're talking about. You clearly have knowledge, but it seems to have come from noobs. What I mean by that is true SQ systems are about building a stage and having proper stereo imaging. Timbre and linearity. Accurate reproduction of sound across the entire bandwidth. Today's youth have made SQ about expensive equipment. (and according to you an expensive car, wtf?) You can build an sq car with any car and equipment. Does the sax sound like a sax? Is the singer front and center on the stage? Are the cymbal crashes as tight and defined as the mids and lows? Does the bass blend seamlessly with the rest of the music? You have a great start to understanding SQ, but you've taken some bad advice from noobs, and now you are passing it on here. Of course equipment choice matters, but being expensive is not a prerequisite. I could build an amazing SQ setup with inexpensive drivers from parts express.

I wish I had my little crutchfield guide from 1994. It had a great thorough explanation, and comes from the time SQ cars were real SQ cars. Today's "SQ"... just no...

[MrSkippyJ]

SQ? Simple concept...

Keep the source as close to analog as you can. (CD recorded (AAD) Analog - Analog - Digital)

Head unit with 24bit D/A converter(s)

Head unit with no internal amplifier and shielded chassis

Quality amplifiers for ALL drivers

Quality oversized silk, silk like or textile tweeters

Quality mid-bass speakers in the 8" range

Quality mid-range speakers in the 5 1/4" - 8" range

Quality sub-woofer with fast transient response in the 8" - 10" range

A quality and well engineered TL (transmission line) sub-woofer enclosure (if done correctly, you should not know what direction the sub frequencies are coming from and it should reinforce the mid-bass speakers)

ACTIVE CROSSOVER

Acoustic deadening

Ideally all speakers including subs in front of the listener (not always possible in a vehicle)

A vehicle that has been quality engineered (Mercedes, BMW... higher end Japanese vehicles or any vehicle that is fairly silent when the doors are closed and windows are up) A 1992 Camaro with saggy doors is not ideal because saggy doors don't seal properly. Sound isolation is key.

Proper EQ settings

Quality interconectors

Proper sized power, ground and speaker wires. Proper chassis ground(s)

Correct power delivery. Find out how many amps your vehicle requires with all accessories being used (A/C, Lights, Wipers Ect...) then find out what the amplifiers require and add the totals together. Get an alternator to support that number of required amperage

Quality battery(s)

I think that about does it... anyone want to add anything or delve deeper?

Lmfao.

No mention of how important a 3 inch mid is over a 5.25 to 6.5.

I also didn't realize you could only use 8" or 10" subs and only in a T-Line enclosure.

[Evilthx]

Both directions are fun. You have to ask yourself, do I want attention? What kind of attention? If you want to show off, spl. If you like to enjoy every note the artist recorded... Sq. A master installer in Florida once said to me, after I ask about making my car loud, he said are the people down the street paying for your system? To which of course I said no. He said why let them hear it? He told me to focus on how it sounds in the car and enjoy the money you earned instead of giving others a free show. It made sense to me though I have went both ways. The stereo I have now is loud but sounds decent. I paid $100 for the subs apiece, $95 total for the alpine amps and another $180 for mids and highs. But it makes me smile.

[Evilthx]

@paralyzed. Please don't assume I don't know what I'm talking about. I have been on and in the car audio scene since 1990. I never said "expensive" I said "quality" but a person serious about sound quality knows or should know it can be very expensive. As for the vehicle, if it is in good shape or a quality vehicle then you have a better platform to work with and shouldn't have to put as much into correcting the vehicle to put the stereo into... That money can be spent on the components to the system.

Yes, I know about sound. I know about timbre. I know about blending frequency. I know about acoustics. I know about crossovers. I know about sound staging. I know about mixing, crossfading, leveling, mastering... I have read, studied and practiced a great deal of audio related things in 20+ years. I'm not missleading or giving false information. These things are true. It's knowledge I am happy to pass on.

Sure, you can make a system sound OK with less expensive, easily affordable and lesser quality components but will it be true to the original recording. As you eluded to, will it be life-like? Probably not.

You can put anything you like in a TL. I suggested an 8 or ten inch sub because they are typically lighter and have quicker transients than 12's,15's,18's and so on. Space in a vehicle is usually at a premium so the larger box size required for a larger sub may not be prudent. Look at bose wave radios... 4" in a long folded labyrinth. 4" speaker. And they sound great.

Hobbies take money, a more refined, audiophile grade system, I'm sorry to say, can be expensive. Again, you get what you pay for. Furthermore, what one person deems as sound quality may be above or below another's preference. I'm just being as forthcoming and realistic as I can. Hopefully that helps and doesn't sound condescending or rude. Not my goal.

Forgot to respond to the TL comment. You can use any enclosure you like. Acoustic suspension, Bass reflex or ported, band pass of any number of designs, loaded horns, passive radiators, infinite baffles, TL's. Again, what's your preference, what will fit, what can you afford, what's your sound goal?