I've never had a trunk mounted Sub. I want to put one in my Z3 but will I actually have some crisp bass response or will my trunk lid just vibrate? I don't know anything about this stuff.
Z3's are pretty small in the trunk. I might go with one 10" sub in a box or a 10" bazooka tube. Bazookas have pretty tight bass and not that boomy bass. Some models are active (meaning they have an amp built in) and some not. I'd go with the active 8" or 10" tube depending on your musical taste. They both put out good crisp bass at a good frequency range for most music.
How about a couple of small subs? In my Honda I've got two factory subs that install in the doors in place of the normal speakers, with the amp mounted under the passenger seat. Very stealthy and a nice thump. Not that tacky wigger thump, but good sound quality for the people actually seated in the car. lol EDIT: And yeah, I've have both 8" and 10" Bazooka tubes and they sound great.
i havent heard a real sound system since the early 2000's, i think alot of people around here quit with that trend or grew out of it.. most, like me, gave it up because sound systems were too easy to steal, quick easy money for thiefs. you'll do alright with an active bass box, a sub with an amp/xover already attached to the box.. im sure you can find a good one at bestbuy or online. heres a list from crutch (dunno if theyre worth buying from anymore) http://www.crutchfield.com/g_51000/Powered-Subwoofers.html?tp=114 dont forget about craigslist, but im sure alot of sellers are shady thiefs also, cars these days are soo well sound proofed to where bass from the trunk you'll probably not hear unless you remove the sound dampening between the trunk and cabin. you also probably wont hear bass outside the car (which is good for sound quality), doubtful of any rattles either. a 10"er would do you good, but if youre tight on money, an 8" will be alright. the mtx and infinity utilize a very tight, compact enclosure design, you might wanna consider that.
1. I want to change the head unit so I can play MP3 CD's. 2. Do I need to change the existing speakers for sure if I upgrade to a trunk mounted amp? 2 in each door, 1 behind each seat and the sub I'll just disconnect. 3. Do I need an amp with several channels and a crossover or not? 4. Single powered sub, dual speaker powered sub or......What? Ugh this shit gets confusing after awhile. I just want some good sound while the wind blows through ever lengthening hair! This frigging thing sounds like a 1980's Chevette system. Really disgusted with it.
This. Rubber grommets under your license plates. Back in the day I would pull up beside someone with a $3,000 stereo and their fucking license plate would just banging and rattling like crazy. :roll: As for all that other stuff, just buy whatever head unit you want and add one of these. The amp is built in, and installation is a breeze. Comes with all the hardware you'll need. http://www.bazooka.com/products/mob...-Series-10in-100W-Complete-Bass-Solution-P495 Install guide: http://www.bazooka.com/pdf/current/Tubesmanual trilingualforweb.pdf
depends on the vehicle also something that may be a killer to this whole plan - bass in covertibles tends to be shit for trunk mounted stuff. The super low stuff will carry, but the shop I worked at would also go for 6.5", 6x9s, etc. for because the mid range gets lost with the non-existant roof. 1. I want to change the head unit so I can play MP3 CD's. shouldn't be an issue, but I don't remember the dash setup in that car too well. Its pretty much 3-series right? 2. Do I need to change the existing speakers for sure if I upgrade to a trunk mounted amp? 2 in each door, 1 behind each seat and the sub I'll just disconnect. If you are running an aftermarket amp, yes. At least if the amp will be running the speakers as well. You can just do a sub, no speaker upgrade 3. Do I need an amp with several channels and a crossover or not? depends on if you want to power hte speakers. If you just want something for the sub, get a class D amp. It will only run subs, but they are cheap and high powered compared to most amps. Class D will have a built in crossover for a sub 4. Single powered sub, dual speaker powered sub or......What? Ugh this shit gets confusing after awhile. I would go w/ a single sub w/ box and a discrete amp. The bazooka stuff is ok if you want something small, but its really for saving space and money. The actual unit isn't too hot in comparison to anything else decent few more notes: re what torx said, I don't think the z3 was too deadened, shouldnt be an issue. if you are looking to save space, there are shallow mount subs. Although on that note, see if you can step down a size for the same space requirement. ex: 8" standard versus 10" shallow, go with the 8"
see this is the problem with getting into car audio, you probably have a sufficient stock setup, and you started out wanting just a sub.. now you want a headunit, new door speakers, all this other useless shit, LOL. This is the problem with getting into car audio, you end up spending more money than you really need. ok, with that out of the way... lol 1. I want to change the head unit so I can play MP3 CD's. heres your options.. (A) buy a new headunit with mp3 capable reading off cds AND an aux input on the front(who uses cds anymore?), also buy a headunit install kit and wiring kit for your car model.. pay someone to install it, or do it yourself. (B)Buy a aux input adapter and have it installed into your stock radio and connect your mp3 player up to it, save lots of money and you can take your mp3 player out whenever, dont have to worry about someone stealing your new headunit. (this was probably the best investment i made to my lincoln, AND the safest/cheapest. 2. Do I need to change the existing speakers for sure if I upgrade to a trunk mounted amp? 2 in each door, 1 behind each seat and the sub I'll just disconnect. NO. if you upgrade to a new headunit that pushes out more watts, it'll make your stocks sound much better, so you can save some money there until youre really serious about upgrading. 3. Do I need an amp with several channels and a crossover or not? If you want to future proof yourself, by adding additional speakers or to replace your stocks with higher wattage speakers, then you need to buy a nice 4+ channel amp, im sure theyre up to about 10+ channels by now(havent been into car audio in a long time). most amps have a "crossover" but its limited, but you dont need an external one, thats just more money.. you can tune whatever you like on your new headunit or mp3 player. my advice, save your money and skip on a crossover, more hassle, more power draw, and something else for someone to steal. 4. Single powered sub, dual speaker powered sub or......What? Ugh this shit gets confusing after awhile. you want a single powered sub. dual powered subs are two subs in a box.. HEAVY, more expensive, more power consuming. esp if your car is small, you dont need two subs, thats SOOO last decade. Stick to one subwoofer tell us your budget, a strict budget and maybe we can put together a system package for you.. or go into your local audio shop (ugh), and tell them your budget, what you want, and see if they can work with you.. if they try to raise your budget, walk out. everything can be bought online super duper cheaper. and you dont want to invest too much into a sound system just in case it gets stolen. if you end up keeping the stock speakers/factory radio.. you can adjust your door speakers to only play in high frequencies, and leave the subwoofer for the low bass frequency.. that way you can take the bass out of the door speakers and only allow them to play high treble sound (saving any stock speaker rattle and busted sounds) door speakers set for high treble/low bass. subwoofer is low bass only. it'll mix well and sound reasonable enough until you can buy a real door speaker setup.
Thanks to all of you guys. As I said I'm ignorant about these things. Torx: this stereo sounds awful. Like I said, this sub is for Shit for a Bimmer!
treble for door speakers only, and let the sub handle the bass notes. should sound good. you wont win any competitions, or respect from audiophiles, but it'll be good enough for you. there wont be any crackling or rattling out of the door speakers since you wont be running bass through them. unless theyre all busted physically or voice coils burned out.
My budget plan was around $400-$500. I want a good head unit with a detachable face. I wanted to replace the factory sub but that looks rather limited plus expensive. Look it up 2000 BMW Z3 Sub.....Yikes! There are 2 speakers behind each seat that possibly need replaced but I don't know. Each door panel has a speaker just below the vent window and then there is an additional speaker in the kick panels. 7 speakers all together including the shitty sub between the seats if my count is right. Like I said, I'm not looking to win any contests or let myself be heard by my neighbors but damn.....just something better than this. My 2005 Dodge Magnum has a Boston Acoustics system from the factory. It's no "Boom" car but when I'm outside doing yard work, I open the rear hatch and it sounds phenomenal. I've never had a car that sounded that good. I'm really surprised BMW scrimped so poorly on this. BTW: Thanks for all the help so far from MSP, Tex and, Torx.
