As loud as possible subwoofer system recommendations (Audi A4 B5 Sedan)

[Periculum]

7 minutes ago, Dafaseles said:

I don't recommend anything Power Acoustik. They straight up have no problem lying to their customers about power handling and about amplifier output power. Can those subs handle it? Maybe. But if their subwoofer ratings are anything like their amplifier ratings, then no. 

Watch amp dyno videos on YouTube on Power Acoustik amplifiers and you'll see what I'm taking about. 

This is just my opinion

Buying them used and the guy says they play good, he's had them for a good while. I guess worst case I have a decent enclosure?

 

Edit: Reading some reviews/forum posts and people are saying that they hit really well and get loud but don't sound great, which is just fine for me since I just want to make as much noise and bang bang bang as possible to be honest.

[Dafaseles]

2 minutes ago, Periculum said:

Buying them used and the guy says they play good, he's had them for a good while. I guess worst case I have a decent enclosure?

 

Edit: Reading some reviews/forum posts and people are saying that they hit really well and get loud but don't sound great, which is just fine for me since I just want to make as much noise and bang bang bang as possible to be honest.

Then go for it. I wouldn't. I think you'd be happier with that GZ sub. But it's your money. I'm not going to tell you no. 

[Periculum]

Just now, Dafaseles said:

Then go for it. I wouldn't. I think you'd be happier with that GZ sub. But it's your money. I'm not going to tell you no. 

Yeah, I would be happier with the GZ sub but my wallet definitely wouldn't be. If I buy a 3000w amp and good cables I can always just replace the subs right?

[Dafaseles]

Just now, Periculum said:

Yeah, I would be happier with the GZ sub but my wallet definitely wouldn't be. If I buy a 3000w amp and good cables I can always just replace the subs right?

You'll be spending money twice instead of once, but yeah, you can always replace the sub. 

Make sure if you're buying used that there are no cuts in the surround, cone, or spider if you can. If you have a digital multimeter, take it with you and measure the impedance of the subs and make sure the coils don't read something way off. If they do, their blown. Say they're dual 4 voice coils, if they read above 4.3 ish or below 3.4 ish, (each coil) the sub could be blown. Or, if they're in the box, measure at the speaker terminal. If they're wired say down to 1 ohm, it should read somewhere around 1 ohm. A little above or a little below is fine. 

In reality, to get the most out of any subwoofer, you take into account the specific T/S parameters of the sub, and how much power you will be sending to the sub(s). A perfect enclosure for one sub(s) isn't going to be perfect for another. And the enclosure is a good 75% of what makes a sub sound good. A custom built enclosure designed specifically for the sub and amp combo will always sound better than a pre-built enclosure. So you can keep that in mind as well. 

 

[Periculum]

4 minutes ago, Dafaseles said:

You'll be spending money twice instead of once, but yeah, you can always replace the sub. 

Make sure if you're buying used that there are no cuts in the surround, cone, or spider if you can. If you have a digital multimeter, take it with you and measure the impedance of the subs and make sure the coils don't read something way off. If they do, their blown. Say they're dual 4 voice coils, if they read above 4.3 ish or below 3.4 ish, (each coil) the sub could be blown. Or, if they're in the box, measure at the speaker terminal. If they're wired say down to 1 ohm, it should read somewhere around 1 ohm. A little above or a little below is fine. 

In reality, to get the most out of any subwoofer, you take into account the specific T/S parameters of the sub, and how much power you will be sending to the sub(s). A perfect enclosure for one sub(s) isn't going to be perfect for another. And the enclosure is a good 75% of what makes a sub sound good. A custom built enclosure designed specifically for the sub and amp combo will always sound better than a pre-built enclosure. So you can keep that in mind as well. 

 

Yep I see, unsure if I want to buy them then since it is still 300$  Guess I am back to the waiting game.

[Periculum]

22 minutes ago, Dafaseles said:

You'll be spending money twice instead of once, but yeah, you can always replace the sub. 

Make sure if you're buying used that there are no cuts in the surround, cone, or spider if you can. If you have a digital multimeter, take it with you and measure the impedance of the subs and make sure the coils don't read something way off. If they do, their blown. Say they're dual 4 voice coils, if they read above 4.3 ish or below 3.4 ish, (each coil) the sub could be blown. Or, if they're in the box, measure at the speaker terminal. If they're wired say down to 1 ohm, it should read somewhere around 1 ohm. A little above or a little below is fine. 

In reality, to get the most out of any subwoofer, you take into account the specific T/S parameters of the sub, and how much power you will be sending to the sub(s). A perfect enclosure for one sub(s) isn't going to be perfect for another. And the enclosure is a good 75% of what makes a sub sound good. A custom built enclosure designed specifically for the sub and amp combo will always sound better than a pre-built enclosure. So you can keep that in mind as well. 

 

Yep, decided to just get an amp and cables and if my current sub blows I can just save up for that ground zero sub and case.

 

This is the amp the subwoofer shop recommended me to pair with the gz sub:

SoundQubed U1-3000

 

They also sent me these cables: 4CONNECT 35mm2, but I am unsure if they are good enough for it? The description says that they are perfect for amps up to 1800w rms, while the amp is 3000w rms. There are some 50mm2 cables of the same sort that are more expensive but rated for 2500w rms. There is also the Ground Zero GZPK50X which is cheaper and also 50mm2. What do you think I should go with?

 

edit: Do you think this is a decent approach?

 

[Dafaseles]

On 6/24/2021 at 1:46 PM, Periculum said:

23 minutes ago, Periculum said:

Yep, decided to just get an amp and cables and if my current sub blows I can just save up for that ground zero sub and case.

 

This is the amp the subwoofer shop recommended me to pair with the gz sub:

SoundQubed U1-3000

 

They also sent me these cables: 4CONNECT 35mm2, but I am unsure if they are good enough for it? The description says that they are perfect for amps up to 1800w rms, while the amp is 3000w rms. There are some 50mm2 cables of the same sort that are more expensive but rated for 2500w rms. There is also the Ground Zero GZPK50X which is cheaper and also 50mm2. What do you think I should go with?

 

edit: Do you think this is a decent approach?

 

 

The amp requires 4 awg for the power and ground, I think that's 22mm2? If you can fit those 35mm2 cables in it, that's better. If you can fit 50mm2 in it, even better. I'm not 100% sure of the size conversion. 

I've never heard of cable being rated in watts. Only amps. So I'm not 100% clear on those measurements either. Sorry. But I'm sure it's based on some kind of proven math, so it should be fine. If you can find out if the cable is CCA (copper clad aluminum) or OFC (oxygen free copper) then that is a huge difference. OfC is miles and miles more conductive than CCA. In my opinion, CCA is absolute junk lol. 

 

[Periculum]

46 minutes ago, Dafaseles said:

The amp requires 4 awg for the power and ground, I think that's 22mm2? If you can fit those 35mm2 cables in it, that's better. If you can fit 50mm2 in it, even better. I'm not 100% sure of the size conversion. 

I've never heard of cable being rated in watts. Only amps. So I'm not 100% clear on those measurements either. Sorry. But I'm sure it's based on some kind of proven math, so it should be fine. If you can find out if the cable is CCA (copper class aluminum) or OFC (oxygen free copper) then that is a huge difference. OfC is miles and miles more conductive than CCA. In my opinion, CCA is absolute junk lol. 

 

No clue of the metals, guessing that ground zero is probably high quality though? (100$ for the cable kit 50mm2). The amp description says that it has 50mm2 power terminals. I found another site for the ground zero wires and presumably they have older packaging, which says "50mm2 / 0 AWG".

 

Edit: 35mm2 cables from "4 connect" say 2 AWG

 

Do you think this is a better approach then the bad subs?

[Arthur79]

7 hours ago, Periculum said:

 

I found something for sale used which might be good, but I honestly have no idea. 2x 12 inch power acoustik mofo 122x in what the owner says is a very good enclosure that has been put a lot of money into. Then I could buy a 3000w amp to power them? They are 1500w each, the guy selling said to connect them to a 2500w amp with 1 ohm.

 

Images: http://imgur.com/a/snBw1pZ

 

He was selling for 300$, I can probably get it down to 250$. What do you guys think?

I would pass.  I don't mean to descent, and I'm sure the guy selling them isn't trying to deceive you, but the enclosure doesn't look particularly expensive/quality and the subwoofers certainly don't look like they could manage anywhere near 1500 watts RMS each.  I'm also not familiar with current exchange rates.  Are you quoting prices in USD, Euro, Pound Sterling?  I assume not in Krone given the exchange rate.

 

The only reason I ask is if you are talking in Euro or Pound Sterling, that's a little more than USD, that said I don't have the faintest idea what car audio costs over there or what brands you have access to.

 

Like Dafaseles mentioned, I would steer clear of Power Acoustic, they have a pretty $h!t reputation here in the states for being cheap, unreliable and  horribly over rated.

 

Here is an example dyno video Dafaseles mentioned:

 

 

 

[Dafaseles]

6 hours ago, Periculum said:

No clue of the metals, guessing that ground zero is probably high quality though? (100$ for the cable kit 50mm2). The amp description says that it has 50mm2 power terminals. I found another site for the ground zero wires and presumably they have older packaging, which says "50mm2 / 0 AWG".

 

Edit: 35mm2 cables from "4 connect" say 2 AWG

 

Do you think this is a better approach then the bad subs?

If the amp description says it has 50mm2 power and ground, use 50mm2