Some Questions :)

[chevychic]

1.) What size subs are you guys running?
I'm starting to plan ahead for my list of things to do in the next year. One of which is sound system. I've had 12" subs in other vehicles but have heard that 10s can give more punch only not as deep as 12s. I know a lot depends on the enclosure and I'm thinking of running separate sealed speaker compartments within one box. I don't need the sound to win awards or rattle the neighbor's windows. I listen to everything from rap to metal so I'd like something that does well with whatever I have in the CD player that day.

2.) Have any of you installed your own security system and was it difficult? Installs around here run about $100 and I would rather put that $100 towards my sound system.

[Russell]

I personally would go with two 10" subs rather than a single, or even two 12" subs... In my opinion, a pair of very well powered 10" subs will put out the sharpest, clearest bass that you feel in your chest more than you hear, which is a very good thing in my opinion. Anyone can go to radio shack and get a system that will rattle the windows two blocks down, but a real system takes skill and planning, and always outdoes any other system hands down.

Its all about a good mix of highrange, midrange and lowrange to produce a powerful, but linear sound... Those types of system are very hard to produce, but work well with any style of music.

Expect to pay a decent amount of money for a decent sound system, the phrase "you get what you pay for" rings very true in the sound industry...

[old Rusty C10]

i know absolutely nothing about sound systems but living in the NYC area i do know something about alarms
Most alarms come with some kind of install guide and as long as ya have some electrical experience anda wiring diagram youll be fine putting it in by yourself, however if there is any problem that arises from the alarm, most times anyone ya bring it to will ty to blame the install ont he problem thus voiding the warranty. In addition you must make sure you properly ground the alarm and make sure you connect it correctly to the circuts or you will kill your battery overnight and the alarm will not work
If you are truly concerned with someone robbing your truck, id conside the pricey but much more effective LOJACK system, but you will not be allowed to install that yourself as that is a GPS kind of system that is activated if your car is stolen the cops follow the signal to your vehicle . It claims a 90% recovery rate and usually with minimal damage to the vehicle. The downside is that you cannot be told where they hide the unit or they void your warranty ( apparently theyre concerned of people that insurance job their vehicles and disconnect the lojack to collect the $5000 offred by lojack) in my area lojak goes for about $895 installed at a new car dealer, but i understand that its only $395 at an authorized dealer
hope that helps

[1974StepSide]

First off Chevychic,

I think you've already received two great responses from Russell and Bob. But I just wanted to "second" their replies.

I have two 10" subs in my truck right now, and agree that they sound just as good, if not better, than 12"s. It all depends on the quality of the subwoofer and the amount of power provided by the amplifier.

As for alarms, I will probably install LOJACK on my truck when I can afford it.
My girlfriend has Lojack on her F@rd and it has the early warning system. That means that if anyone even moves the truck without the keyfob, lojack calls you and lets you know within five minutes. It's the best bet for vehicle recovery. IMO no alarm will stop someone from stealing a car if they really want it. BUT with this you can recover the car within hours if not less.

[Ric83]

I had a single 12" and it rocked. The only thing I didn't like about it was that when my ex-gf was w/ me, I could never have the volume about 10 or she would sit with her hands over here ears the whole ride.
It does really all depend on getting everything set up properly for the brand you go with. I like you listen to everything, from rap to rock to country to anything else. I never had any complaints about how it sounded while playing anything.

[swervin ervin]

As a builder of home stereo speakers and my truck system, remember one thing. The larger the sub, the lower in the frequency range it will go. For nothing but rock and rap (who listens to that crap anyway), a booming sound is fine. But if you are like me and like to hear every range of every musical note, larger is better. IMO, the biggest thing that comtributes to great sound is your amps. This will make or break the sound. Don't get trapped in the power thing these companys rate their amps at. Most of it is hipe.

Personally, I love my two 12" subs. I recommend getting the best amp you can afford to power whatever subs you decide to use. You do get what you pay for, you know??

[gldevall]

I would go with the 2 12's. To me they sound alot better than 10's bc they can get "lower". And being that you now have the buckets in you shouldn't have any problem getting a pair in there. My personal favs are Kicker and probably JL in 2nd.

[Mike76251]

I installed my own alarm system.
I got it off eBay for $20 or so and it listed for $300.
It could have been done in a day but I spent 4 days on it 'cause I wanted to make it unlike any other.
It still works great after 8 years.

[chevychic]

Thanks for the input guys.

I used to run 2 Kicker 12s in my MX-6. They sounded good, but didn't have the greatest quality because of my amp. Kicker makes a really good speaker and I was happy for what they did even with my sorry amp.

I have a better amp now but will check to make sure it will be powerful enough to provide the sound I want.
I'm looking into some Audiobahn speakers. I've been doing some research on different speakers, comparing reviews, and visiting audio forums. Everyone seems very impressed with them and I've found some pretty good deals on Ebay for new, so unless I start reading some bad reviews, I'll most likely go for a couple when I'm ready.

But security system comes first.
I will be doing a starter kill switch...either one I wire in myself or one that comes with the alarm.
I'm more worried about kids breaking into the truck. We have more of that around here than trucks being stolen, and I feel the starter kill switch will deter the people that would target my truck. I definitely want something to make some noise if someone tries to get in and take something though.

[apstguy]

I have 8's powered by a 300 watt amp. It works. My friend has 2 10's powered by a 1000 watt amp. Sounds great. It would be hard to get 12's in the truck without losing lots of leg room. 10's work great. Just get a higher- power amp. They just work plain better.

Alarm: I had my alarm installed for $300 out the door. I had it professionally done because this alarm had a guarantee that if the truck was stolen the first year with the alarm set, they would give you what it was worth. It also has other guarantees associated with it and allows me to go to the guy anytime and have him take out his computer and modify the settings in my alarm.

[swervin ervin]

Heather could put two 15's in her truck. Leg room is not a priority to her. She's only 3 foot tall. :p

Not really. Really she's 5' tall, so leg room won't matter.

[phantom dually]

DEI is the largest alarm manufacturer in the world. They will sell there products out the door in some cases BUT if you dont buy them installed by a authorized dealer your warranty goes from lifetime to a year or less. I had a alarm installed by a dealer even though I worked at a shop and did installs myself. Now I dont work in the industry and I had some problems with my alarm. That was 6 yrs ago when I had it put on and I just had it fixed for free. If you put it in yourself it will take you longer, your warranty sucks and if your out of town an it acts up you cannot not fix it. DEI has a nationwide warranty which any dealer will fix it. Spend the extra $100 its well worth it!!

[phantom dually]

Btwwhen considering a sub for your truck remember that it will only sound good if you get it in the right amount of cubic feet recommended. You can go with a 15 but its not likely to sound good if it dont have the right airspace.

[1985K10]

Im running a DHD POWER CRUISER I got for $70. Its 600W. You can find it at justamps.com. I have 2 12's from home speakers(when I built the box I couldnt afford good subs), I have a single box thats 2 separate chambers, sealed. For rap the bass is REALLY nice inside the cab, but you can barely hear it outside. For my usual music(skynyrd of course) they sound great too, with my 6x9's and stock 3.5's it can get loud while still being nice and clear.


Still needs carpet, and Ill be upgrading my subs soon.

[chevychic]

Originally posted by swervin ervin
Heather could put two 15's in her truck. Leg room is not a priority to her. She's only 3 foot tall. :p

Not really. Really she's 5' tall, so leg room won't matter.

3' tall...HA...I haven't been 3' tall since I was like, 17

Naw, believe it or not, I was always the tallest kid in class through elementary school. I remember being in 5th grade and we did this measuring thing where we recorded our heights and I was the tallest of all the girls and the second tallest of the entire class.
BUT that is pretty much where it stopped. I measured just shy of 5' then. I grew another 1/2 an inch or so and never grew anymore than that.

There is a benefit though...I can wear the same shoes that I wore in highschool....not that I'd WANT to, but I CAN

See, there are times when being small is a really really good thing

Like, I can SIT under my truck. Now THAT is pretty cool

You guys make a really good point about the alarm warranty...you may have convinced me to let someone intall for me.

[old Rusty C10]

Originally posted by chevychic



There is a benefit though...I can wear the same shoes that I wore in highschool....not that I'd WANT to, but I CAN

Hold onto them shoes my old lady is older than i am and she whines everytime we go shopping how the stuff thrye selling now she used to have when she was younger and if she had only kept them... so in another few years those old h.s. shoes will be back in style and youll be a fashion plate LOL

[79BIG10]

Might PM Tracy Focht and ask him since he does this as his work

[cochino12]

my $.02 is to use one or two 10" subs. The human ear can only hear down to about 20hz anyway. So if you get 5-10hz lower with a 12" sub it's not going to be audible. I don't think you'll feel much of a diffrence either since it will be in a truck. A 10" sub can play well below 30hz while using less space than a 12" sub. Spend the $$ on the amp and you can get by with an average sub.