Subwoofer for '08 Prius - thoughts?

I will watch this thread. I went with the basic stereo in my 08 Prius on the theory that I can use the money saved to get an iPod, an iPod interface, and a subwoofer. I must say, for my purposes the installation location shown in your link is not useful. I need to have most of that area in the back available for other things. So, other types of subwoofers and mounting locations would be of interest to me. But I like the idea of spending just $250 including installation - that appeals to me.

 

With Nav, a sub under seat is not possible.

The cleanest solution is to get one specially built for the right rear cavity. Do a search for a poster named HIDASUB.

 

I don't have nav. So is an underseat installation a good idea? What models are recommended for an underseat installation?

 

Kenwood KSC-SW1 is what I have. I like it.

BOSS Bass600 is another that looks like it'd fit nicely too.

Do some homework. Shop around. Good luck.

 

You people need to listen to a good pair of component speakers with 75watts/channel of clean power available to drive them. You'll reconsider whether you need a subwoofer at all, or whether that is where you should be spending your money. IMNSO good component speakers and an amp give a much bigger improvement in overall sound quality than adding a sub.

 

I have JL ZR650 components and JL 300/4 amp. They're not bad.

But I still think that a sub would be a good investment for those who don't want to go all out but just need a decent boost. (It's also one way to get started down the road of going all out...)

 

Here's my reasoning:

1) Keep the stock speakers, no amp, and add a subwoofer. Well, the sound still sucks since most of what you listen to is still coming out of the crappy stock speakers, and w/o equalization (at least on a JBL system), your frequency response below 200Hz is anything but flat. So you've still got crap.

2) Get some decent component speakers for the front, give them plenty of clean power. Well now you've got decent sound, and if you add equalization, you've fixed a lot of what's wrong with the low frequencies. A sub is only going to enhance what the components can't reproduce. So the sub is only going to add a small incremental improvement.

This is why I think a sub should be the last thing you add, and in many cases, it's not even necessary. The upgrade order IMHO should be:

1) Speakers
2) Amplification
3) Equalization
4) Subwoofer

 

I'm not a fan of tubes at all. I think you can get much better sound using a real sub and a real amp. They will cost you of course.

A nice set of mids and highs is great but unless you are listen to the system at low volume you'll never get that "forcefull" sound like you can with a sub. Believe it or not the stock non-JBL system sound pretty decent with a good deck and a sub. This is how I'm currently running my system. I plan on adding mids and my Diamond D9 amp once I find a set that of speaker I like (and that we carry).

 

I may do nothing. Just run my iPod with an aux cable and call it good. I am a middle aged guy listening to a lot of jazz, traditional, clean rock at moderate to low volume. Every time I have modified my car stereo from stock in the past I have been disappointed. Both times the installer did what I consider a poor job and left me with problems to deal with later in the form of rattles or poor connections and the like. If I was confident that the tech at one of the shops in the area was a real pro and did a terrific job I might consider it. But I don't have that confidence.

 

I looked at a Bazooka tube but could not give up the floor space in the hatch. I decided to build a custom fiberglass enclosure so I could tuck the 10" subwoofer out of the way. This was my first attempt at a fiberglass box and I'm quite happy with the results. The low end is greatly improved and has a very minimal effect on the storage capabilities of the Prius.

 

This may be a little over the top for you but here are some pics of the sub I just built for my 06 Prius. The woofer is a 10" JL Audio 10W3V-4 ohm driver. The amp, which is under the driver's seat, is an Alpine 2.150 operating bridged for 300 watts into 4 ohms.

Anyway, the sub box is slot ported and puts the driver in an SBB4 alignment with a theoretical f3 of 30 Hz. I originally had it in a sealed box with an f3 of 43 Hz and found it to sound johnny-one-note. I'm very pleased with the low frequencies after the change.

The box sits above the spare tire (which is still there), the woofer facing down into the tire well, the port facing rear on the passenger side. There is 1/2" left to fill which I did with a piece of plywood I cut using the original cover as a template. I've got an OEM logo cargo mat on it's way which will finish this off nicely and leave the trunk fully available. The box with woofer weights in at 48 lbs. The box took me all day Sunday to construct, I'm no Norm Abrams (New Yankee Workshop) but I'm fairly handy with a table saw and router.

Only to-do is securing the box to the vehicle; it's not something I want to become airborne if I get rear ended

Let us know what you end up doing...

 

Subwoofers are to sound what your 1 wood is to golf. Everyone overpays and buys one to improve their sound, but what they really need is a good set of full range components. Just as everyone overspends for their Driver in their golf bag when they should have bought a good putter. That being said. Here is a picture of my Sub

 

What's the old saying? Drive for the show, putt for the dough. Nice analogy.

 

Nice job! That enclosure looks great!

I wouldn't compare a sub to a 1-wood in golf (which I don't have in my bag nohow). It's more like a good driver. Not that you can't play the game without one, but once you've gotten used to having one, it adds more enjoyment, flexibility and power to your game.

For someone who doesn't want to spend a lot or mess around with the install too much, something simple like the Kenwood powered sub that fits under the driver's seat is not a bad option. After that, perhaps a decent set of tweeters to enhance the highs.

A good set of components and an amp, on the other hand, can cost quite a bit more up front (both money AND time). I'm not sure if that'd be the best choice for some individuals.

 

I'm pretty green on this stuff - when you say a good set of full range components - what specifically are you referring to? A long long time ago I installed an inexpensive equalizer in a van and I must say it did make a big difference in the system. I do think the stock system in my prius is a bit on the "thin" side.

 

well just about every speaker company has two and sometimes three lines out, one is their entry level (usually just paying for the name and not quality as in my experience the lowest end of the "best companys" still play like crap Scratch all these off your list) buy at least a mid priced line of speakers and put about 75 watts per channel behind them for the front and it will sound as clean as a set of decent headphones but will also have some kick.

 

So you mean speakers and an amp?