how much am I looking at?
 

first of I have no experience with car audio.

I want to get my self something for my bday :) I'm a basshead, more bass the better so I'm contemplating getting a bumpin system put into my ride. I just want to add a 10-12 inch sub into the trunk (size depends on how it will fit)

I don't know if I need an amp or anything else and this is not a project I want to diy

so my guess to what I need:
-the bass itself
-amp?
-misc items to hook it up
-labour
-custom enclosure

my trunk looks like this
http://image.automobilemag.com/f/200...arge/trunk.jpg

I'm thinking of putting the bass inside the groove on the side and the amp on the other side because my dog needs to ride in the trunk also and he's a big boy.

I know its impossible to get an exact quote on the forums but I want to know approximately how much I will have to drop for a setup like this, If its too over my budget I would rather save the money toward my rims and do the system at a later time, I don't want to be a douchebag going to one of the sponsor wasting their time only to tell them its too expensive atm lol.

my ride comes with 11 speaker bose system, I believe the same one is offer in the g37. Do I need anything special to hook up the whole system?

Can I control the bass/amp with my stock headunit?

You really should go see a sponsor to give you a better idea of the options of installations you can do plus the selection of product. They may offer many different alternatives to suit your budget. When you're a customer inquiring about installation and products, you are NEVER wasting their time, regardless if you were ready to buy or not.

you need an amp to power you subs... no sub will work with no amp... if you use ur stock deck you need a LOC(line output converted)... if you dont use a LOC you have to get a aftermarket deck, unless your stock deck has the right RCA outputs... if an aftermarket deck will fit in ur car, get it... line output converter with stock deck isnt as great as an aftermarket deck cuz it doesnt have the real bass notes i beleive.. you also need wiring kit that goes from the battery to the amp.. hope u got enough cash cause its not gona be cheap. oh yeah almost missed out, obviously you need a subwoofer box..

if ur a tru bass head then ul prolly get a 10' for a few months until u realize u need more bass and get a 12' for a few months and realize u need more bass then upgrade ur amp to 1000watts and still need more bass.....not gonna happen with ur 16awg from xs cargo....my word of advice GET BETTER THAN HALF DECENT WIRING in case u wanna upgrade (which everyone always ends up upgrading:P)

is an aftermarket head unit absolutely necessary? money aside I would like to keep the cockpit area as stock looking as possible. If I stay with stock headunit will I jsut be wasting my time and money?

how much will an amp + bass + enclosure weight?

Not Necessary to change the head unit. IDEAL but not at all. Newer cars are harder to integrate now, times have changed but so have products!
You may or MAY not need an external line out converter ( LOC ) Some amps have them built in.

You can still get decent quality bass with the right products.
check out some of products that will help with integration:
http://www.audiocontrol.com

I'd probably suggest JL Audio if you want quality bass but if you just want the thump, there's tons of other subs out there.

^ thanks. I would thanks you if I could.

Is it possible to also hook up my stock woofer with whatever aftermarket ones I get and amp?

Futureshop sells JL subs, since I'm able to get a discount there right now which one would you recommend or some I start away from big chain retailers?

Futureshop does not sell JL Audio www.jlaudio.com
Futureshop sells JBL <----- entirely different.

Try Soundworks they carry JL Audio and they have a demo board where you can hear their subs.

Usually smaller independent shops have MORE experience, go the extra mile on installation, more technical and better customer service and usually better pricing for Better Equipment.

If you are already going to be using an aftermarket amp and sub, I would usually disconnect the factory sub. Factory sub plays muffled poor quality bass compared to an aftermarket amp with an aftermarket sub.

Plus your new sub would outpower it to the point where you wouldn't hear the factory sub anyway.

^ thanks alot, so I guess I can just remove the stock sub to shave some weight. how much more weight approximately am I looking at with all the extra equipement int he trunke?

well, its hard to say, depending on the choice of equipment you pick. Unfortunately, with bettery quality products usually comes with weight.

Reason behind it is things like for subs: bigger magnets, cast baskets versus stamped aluminum, bigger voice coils.

For amps: Bigger Heatsink, heavier better quality chipsets, internal power supplies.

What you can do to try and shave weight is things like shallow or low profile woofers, and things like Compact amps.

Check out JL Audios 13TW5 woofer and JL Audio HD750.1. These are both compact but high powered which will put a little less weight in your vehicle, without sacraficing quality of bass and power.

Also, the density of your sub enclosure, choosing fibreglass over MDF would lighten your enclosure, Fibreglass requires less material and is just as strong as MDF. If you want to go the extra mile, you can use carbon fibre versus fibreglass mat to lighten it but keep the integrity of the strength required.

All that can be done, just wheather or not you can justify the $$$.

very informative, I can finally thank you now lol.

with JL amps + bass is it likely that I will be able to have it all set up for $1000 give or take? Don't need it to look fancy as long as it blends in well nicely the the OEM trunk.

Going to look up sponsors and pay them a visit when I got time.
Will any of the sponsor install equipment I purchased elsewhere?

I definitly recommend an REQ for your line out converter. They are amazing and especially with premium systems they work wonders. I just finished my buddies BMW M6 and he loves the REQ it works nicely with all the factory speaker amps.

We install customers own gear. We also carry products to compliment your existing system, like Audio Control and Digital Designs. These are HUGE names in the industry for quality and making your eyes wiggle. Check it out...

http://www.ddaudio.com/dd/caraudio.asp

http://www.audiocontrol.com/t34/Mobile-Audio.html

if its your first system, id probably hit the buy and sells and grab it used. you will screw it up, blow things out, and under estimate expenses. Better to get a good used one that didnt cost you an arm and a leg so you wouldnt care to much if you mess it up, then a preemo system that you put your hear into and destroyed.

dont worry about still looking baller. even getting everything used you will def still drop more then a grand.

I disagree, get it done once, get it done right. Most shops will install customers own equipment but keep in mind of grey market or fake equipment online.

also when issues arise things like faulty equipment you may get ding'd by the install shop because its not THEIR fault your equipment failed or you brought them faulty equipment and you would get ding'd (charged) every single time you have to bring back for service due to your own faulty equipment.

Buy quality products backed up by warranty, get it done once, get it done right and not have to fuss with it again!

True, go get it installed by the sponsors here, they don't cut corners and explain everything to you once you get it installed. By the looks of your FX trunk, it'll look like you need and FG enclosure if you want both the sub and amp on the sides, that's where the skill of the installer plays a huge part as to how it'll sound and mounted on your car.

Good gear + crappy install = mediocre sound. Sort of just wasting your money on the gear you spent.

Big box stores just rip you off and do crappy installs, oh and not to mention their skills aren't the best.

not necessarily, 10" subs can pound harder and/or better depending on a lot of factors.. (i.e. sub model, wattage, enclosure design, yada yada...)

not true either, i know of a few great installs from futureshop that i could recommend highly, but i mean usually they are harder to come by in Big Box stores. But I could almost recommend every independant shop as they do usually provide better service and most tech's are highly skilled and well experienced.

$1000 can go a long way but if its a custom fit enclosure your after it wont be enough unless you cut corners and really sacrifice product quality.
Generally when I do what your asking it averages a cost of about $1500-$2000 parts labor materials and taxes included.
A LOC is not needed in your car as it is already factory amplified all thats needed is a multimeter some patience and a pair of RCA cables to tag the factory pre amp signal from the factory head unit. Your factory headunit also has a remote signal output to control the amplifier turn on/off.
If your after a shop to do this and your willing to up your budget give us a call and we'd be more then happy to help you.

I would recommend talking face to face with one of us sponsors. Remember that years of experience, personal interest in car audio, product knowledge and a salesperson that actually listens to what you want are what you should be looking for.

Having demo vehicles on hand will also show you what to expect for your hard-earned dollar. If you are ever in Coquitlam, please swing by and talk to me (Mike) or installerz (Keith) and we'll show you some really cool stuff.

:thumbsup: