Hey guys, I have a sub and an amp that I was hoping you guys could tell me if they are worth keeping and putting into my blazer or selling and getting something different.

The sub I have is an 12" Alpine Type-X, it was the 1200RMS model of a few years ago, before they changed them to 1000RMS.

The Amp is a Soundstream Tarantula TR880/2.

So my question is should I keep those or get something different? Is that amp any good, would I be better off replacing the sub with 2 10" to put in the blazer or use what I have?

I currently have the amp and sub in my Honda and they sound OK, but I know the sub could do better than it is in there. However for the blazer I am not looking for anything crazy or radical I just want something that sounds "good" I am much more about sound quality than I am about sound level.

Sorry if I sound like a noob with this stuff but I kind of am. Thanks for any imput.

 

I don't see anything wrong with using that sub and amp. The Type X is a fine sub and the 880wrms the amp is rated bridged into 4 ohms would be fine to run that sub on IF the voice coils on the sub allow for a 4 ohm final load (such as being a single 4 ohm coil, or dual 2 ohm coils).

A pair of 10" subs have more cone area than a single 12 and have the "possibility" of offering more output, but that depends on SO many other things. The Type X should sound real good and give plenty of output so if you're not completely satisfied with how it sounds there are either some settings on the amp and HU that need to be looked at or most likely the sub isn't in an optimal enclosure for it.

In my opinion, unless the current stuff you have just doesn't meet the goals you're trying to accomplish with them then I see no reason to spend more money on new equipment. Sure, you could buy other stuff and maybe get louder or something like that, but the question to keep in mind is if it's worth it. That sub in an optimal enclosure on that amp should be satisfactory for the goals you've spelled out in your post. If it's not then you can upgrade something on it later but for now I would start with making sure the enclosure is perfect.

 

Man you are fast, lol. I really appreciate your input as well thank you. I know the enclosure that it is in is terrible lol.
One other thing I want to do is keep as much room as possible in the back of the blazer, I do IT work and am constantly driving around from site to site and taking equipment, computers or tools with me, sometimes all of those things.
I plan on making a raised platform in the back and would really like to be able to build the sub into the side area in the back to save as much room as possible. Do you think there would be enough room there and would having a raised platform like that hurt the sound at all?
And I have never built an enclosure before, so I dont even know where to begin on that. I can get ahold of all the tools that would be needed like, table saw, router, etc, but would have no idea about air space and tuning and things like that.

 

Yeah if it's in a terrible enclosure then you're getting comparatively terrible results. That sub would probably really shine for you in a good enclosure.

A single 10, or 8's, or something along those lines fits in that back corner pretty easy. A single 12 will be a bit more difficult but I don't see why it wouldn't be doable. The only issue I see is that because you don't have any experience designing or building an enclosure it's going to really be an uphill battle for you to stealth that thing in the corner.

Most of the time people use wood and fiberglass to construct an enclosure for those corners so they can get a great fit. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you don't have any experience with fiberglass either. That will mean it has to be done all out of MDF and you're going to need a top notch design to make that work and not be afraid of really taking your time to build it. All those tools will be necessary, even for a simple enclosure and it's good you have access to them.

The other problem with that sub is mounting depth. I can't find any information or model # on the older 1200wrms versions, but all the newer ones both the discontinued model and current models rated at 1000wrms are over 8" deep. That alone will make the enclosure pretty tough to be very stealthy.

I still have all the measurements from where I designed my amp rack to go in the same location. I'll see if they would even begin to allow for something that size to go there and we'll go from there on design or the fact you may have to go with another sub for space reasons.

 

Is the truck a 2 door or 4 door?

That will probably affect the depth, or length.

 

Man thanks again for all your help, my truck is a 99 zr2. I dont have experience with fiberglass, however I can get help from people who do have experience with it. I learn pretty fast and am will to take the time to do it right.
I had even thought about possibly cutting part of the plastic in that back corner if it would allow for more depth for the enclosure. I am hoping that if I do things right and do a good job this will be a pretty permanent addition to the truck.
I also want to do a bit of soundproofing while I am at it. So all plastic and trim will come out anyways, could that net us a bit more room do you think?

 

Well, I went by the design on my amp rack and believe it or not It's possible to fit a sealed enclosure for a single 12 in that corner. I've got to take a few more measurements in the rear to see how everything would actually fit up, but it looks pretty promising. The enclosure would net right at 1cuft of space and would be perfect for most subs sealed.

Here's a pic of my amp rack for reference on the fit in the location.






Here's a couple of pics of the design on the enclosure.















So if you didn't mind it being above the window line then it's doable without fiberglass. I think even if you were using figerglass it would still be above the window line, there's just no way around that.

 

hmmm, I am tuned in man, this looks pretty promising. Thanks for helping me again. You are the man lol

 

Well I was finally able to get to measuring things out for more certainty and 14" height is below the window line! The corner of the enclosure that would be in the corner of the truck will need to be rounded all the way around and the fit would be extremely tight but it would fit.

I can draw up and give you plans for it if you're interested.

 

Man, that would awsome if you could draw that up. I think I need to get that part done before I can start on the raised platform in the back.