My Passion For Noise
When I was about 14 or 15, I got in to home audio because a neighborhood friend was a designer and audiophile of sorts. So most of the money I could scrape up went to HiFi Buys near the oil change place where I worked… and Crutchfield.
I had so much stuff I don’t remember it all but at its best my system had a pair of Cerwin vega 15″ 3-ways and a pair of Advent 2-ways, driven by a Carver Integrated amp/tuner with a Soundcraftsmen 3rd octave EQ looped in. No CD’s back then, then so cassettes were played in a Nakamichi deck… or we jammed FM stereo.
The Eagles “Take It Easy” and Dire Straits “Money For Nothing” would bring tears to your eyes. The high’s were crisp yet buttery smooth. Mids were present, natural, and well-balanced. And the bass would knock pictures off the walls, you could feel it in your soul with no muddiness or dead zones to speak of. It was a great combination that took lots of buying, selling, bartering, and experimentation.
When I started driving, I wired a system in the first, and every subsequent ride I had, except the motorcycles. The most radical autosound system I had was a wall in a 2 door sentra with two 15’s and four 10’s. I bought the box from a friend I met at Nashville Tech who had won a few shows with it. I cut enough of the Sentra out to make that box fit and loaded with with Rockford Fosgate’s that specd similar space requirements as the drivers the box was made for. I drove each 15 with a Punch 150 amp and I drove the four 10’s with 2 Sherwood 240’s bridged to 2 Channels. Talk about some heaters! LOL but hey, they were BANGIN!
Now I’m 50 something and I have as close to a bulletproof combination of speakers and amp that you can get at the price point. I settled on this configuration after blowing probably 12 or 14 subs and 6 or 7 amplifiers. So i like to drive my bass to the extreme. I like to feel it. And I may tend to sacrifice some of that smooth and buttery sound for a hard slap on the back at ~100Hz and below.
So if you are in the market for two 12’s and an amp at the lower price points that are well paired and proven to be reliable in my book, here is what I am running:
Skar 12″ SDR Series Vented Subwoofer Enclosure SDR-2X12D4
Taramps SMART3 3000W Class D Monoblock Smart Amplifier
If you want quality over quantity and the best sound possible and/or are an audiophile (and have deep pockets)… this combo may not be for you. You probably want brands like Focal, B&W, B&O, McIntosh, Audison, Brax/Helix, etc… and design a fully augmented system specific to your vehicle, needs, music taste, etc…
NOTE: It’s critically important that you have adequate and proper power for these amps. This means you will probably want 1/0-gauge power and ground wires. A high output alternator, Additional batteries, and/or caps may be required. Be sure to consult the equipment manufacturers and/or certified autosound professionals for power requirements, etc… and STAY FAR AWAY FROM CCA POWER WIRE. If you want the best bang for your buck on good copper power cabling, welding lead is not easy to pull, but its flexible, tough, and capable. OFC copper is nice, but for power, just ‘plain’ 100% copper stranded wire of proper gauge will be fine. I do use OFC for speaker wires, i think it makes a little more difference there.