I was looking at all the awesome setups from the "Show pics of your subwoofer install" thread, but I didn't want to hi-jack the thread with this question.

For those of you with aftermarket subs installed, have you found a point where the bass level gets to be too much?

I see pics like MaxMini's setup (absolutely amazing, by the way) and I can't help but think that my head would probably explode, should I turn the volume up past 1/4. (though, what a great way to go )

I would think something like Bonz's setup would be perfect size for the cabin space of the MINI.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, as I'm going to run off shopping next week for my little setup. I want to find something that will be cost effective. No reason in spending the extra cash on power that I will never be able to use.

 

Even with just thw two 6" subs in GBMINI, I can turn up the "bass boost" so that there is no music any more, just ugly deep bass - the sort of thing you "feel" when a tricked out Subaru drives down the street.

But with any install there's no need to run the subs at max - the advantage of having more than you need is that in normal use you aren't anywhere near the limit of performance, minimizing distortion / stress / etc.

 

Don't forget about the harmonic trunk and license plate rattle all those Subarus have with their bass.
(in Milwaukee,WI it's usually Civics or '80s rusty Buicks with 20in rims)

 

Our cars are built very, very well. Most of the bass stays in the car without dynamat or other sound deadening material. That being said, my setup(in the other thread now ) will pound if I want it to. It's really gonna depend on what kind of music you listen to as to wether you have too much bass. I have a level control on my amp I'm still trying to get set right. I can't find a good middle ground between rock and hip-hop.
-G

 

i noticed in the other post you put the amp under the passenger seat, does that minimize dirty noise at all? I've heard complaints from having the amp in the trunk since it is so near to the battery.

i'm an all over kind of guy, rap/rock/hip hop/pop/classical/jazz... i was thinking of wiring a remote level control from the amp to the blank I have in my switches (where the rear fog would be), so I could adjust for each kind of music.

 

Not sure I know what you mean by dirty noise... You mean like static or hum? No I have no problems with that at all. Only problem I have with the amp is my wife has to be a little more cautious about putting the seat down.

Now there's a thought... I hadn't thought of doing that. My HU has a "Media Expander" that I tend to use for Rock music. The quality is not the best but it really opens up the music so you can actually hear some bass. Without it the high's are just too high without the bass to match. I need to truly play with the HU's user settings but I haven't had a chance. I mostly tend to listen to hip-hop in the car so it's set up for that. The bass isn't too overpowering, but booming enough. My amp's level dial is a pain to get to so your idea of a remote could be sweet.
-G

 

I wouldnt worry about too much bass, you can always turn it down. I still have the stock head unit with insane sub set-up for the time being. There are 2 reasons I like it. One, I dont worry about theft as much, and 2, you can set different bass levels for the 3 different modes. So I have the bass at max for the radio, at about 3/4 for CD, and at 1/2 for the aux input (ipod). There's some tweaking to be done, but this keeps it close to being where it should be.

Other head units have options like this, but more than likely whatever head unit you use you will just get used to adjusting the bass level every once and awhile depending on the genre or even song that is playing.

Probably the simplest solution actually, is if you have a bass **** conected to your sub, which gives you a very simple and effective control, so you don't have to be distracted and push buttons to adjust the bass control. In my MC I had a Rockford Fosgate amp and had the bass **** where the parcel shelf would be whatever that is called. Wasnt very visable but was very easy to tweak the bass while keeping my eyes on the road. Very effective.

 

I plan on keeping the same head unit as well all for the same reasons you listed. (plus I'm one of those weirdos that really really enjoys what the H/K system can do and wouldn't want to replace it ever.)

When you say you put the bass **** by the parcel shelf, was that included with the Fosgate amp, or did you wire that yourself?

 

It was a mono sub-amp and the bass **** came with it. Wish I had one now.