If you plan on building on your own box, you may have wondered whether or not you can install two subs of different sizes in the same box. In this article, we are going to take a look at how this might be possible and the reasons why you probably shouldn’t do so.

Can You Install Two Different Sized Subs in the Same Box? 

Technically, yes you can install two different sized subs in the same box. For example, let’s say you are making your own box and already have a 15” subwoofer and a 12” subwoofer. Rather than going out and buying a second woofer that matches one of those sizes, you might think about just installing the two different subs in that new box you are fabricating. 

If you make the appropriate cutouts you can install both sizes. The main question to consider is should you actually do so and what impact having those two different subs will have on your box’s performance.

Should You Install Two Different Sized Subs in the Same Box?

If you asked around to car audio experts, they will likely all say that you should not mix the subwoofer sizes or different brands in the same box. Although it is obviously possible to do so, you need to consider the effects of having two different sized subs in the same box will have on your car audio system. 

What’s the big deal? Won’t the box still work and sound good? When boxes are manufactured, there are numerous things that are taken into consideration. For example, a 15” subwoofer will not only handle more power than that of a 12” woofer, but it will also require more air space as well. Mixing those two subs together will make your box “out of tune” in a sense. 

The two subwoofers would be operating together in the same air space although they would run differently. The larger woofer would also be noticeably louder than the other and have a bigger presence in your vehicle.

If you really want to build a box or use one with two different sized subs, it would be highly recommended that you add a divider between the two so each has its own, separate chamber versus one open air space for both to share. Furthermore, you would also need to get two separate amplifiers that would correctly match the power handling of each woofer.

To conclude, while it is possible to install different sized subs in the same box, it is not recommended and will not help the sound of your system. Instead, it will likely lead to an in-balanced sound in your car. We always recommend to our customers to purchase identical subwoofers when installing two or more, that way the specifications will be perfectly matched.

If you are looking to save some time, take a look at our pre-built empty subwoofer enclosures. For even less labor you could also take a look at our loaded enclosures as well. Still have questions? Reach out today to our in-house experts for additional advice and tips!

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Make Sure You Have the Appropriate Wiring

First off, it is very important that your car audio system (or any audio system for that matter) has the appropriate wiring and that the wiring is in good condition. It is crucial to your audio system that your wiring and connections have good quality wire, good grounds, good tuning, as well as good RCAs. It is also important that you have matching wire and ground sizes, and that your wiring sizes are True to Size. Our experts suggest that if you want a solid connection, you should use Oxygen Free Copper wire instead of Copper Clad Aluminum. Following these tips will ensure that your amplifier, speakers, and subwoofers have a solid connection and are getting the adequate amount of power to run without failing or clipping.

Install Car Speakers So That They’re Flush With the Door Panel

Second, it is important for your car audio sound system, that your car speakers are installed so that they meet with the door panels. The way our experts accomplish this is either by making a baffle or spacer ring out of MDF and seal it with a foam gasket where the back of the speaker meets that plate or the door panel itself. On the front of the speaker where you have the rubber surround, you will want to isolate the exterior with foam. This will make your car speakers have more directional sound toward the outside of the door panel. This, in turn, will make your car speakers’ sound a lot better. Unfortunately, if your aftermarket car speakers aren’t sealed off with foam, there is a chance that your sound is going to feed into the door panel instead of coming out of the speaker’s grill, which will not provide good sound.

Add Sound Dampening to Your Vehicle

The next tip our car audio experts have for getting the best sound out of your system is to add sound dampening to the vehicle. It is important to your sound’s quality that you add sound dampening to the door panels. This will make your car speaker’s sound much more solid than it would sound without sound dampening. Since the door acts as an enclosure for your midrange frequencies, so the more sealed off the door is, the better midbass you will get in your system.

Make Sure Your Subs Have the Right Enclosure

It is crucial for your car audio’s sound, specifically for those lower frequencies within your system, that your subwoofers have the correct type and size of enclosure. Pay attention to the box specifications that your subwoofers need and make sure that your prefab or custom built subwoofer enclosure comes as close as possible to those specifications. In addition, make sure that whatever box you do get, that it is going to fit your vehicle and that it will sound good in your vehicle. If you are building a custom subwoofer enclosure, it is always a good idea to tune the sub enclosure for your specific vehicle.

Have Adequate Power for Your Audio System

It is incredibly important that you have enough power running your system. First, you should make sure you have the correct type and amount of car batteries (also called power cells) running your audio system. In addition, your system may require that you invest in an upgraded alternator or a secondary battery.

We hope these car audio sound tips helped some of you guys out there! Until next time, we’ll cya later!

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The post Optimizing an Aftermarket System For the Best Sound appeared first on Sonic Electronix Learning Center and Blog.

Products Used

• Alpine 6.5″ 2-Way Type-R Series Component Car Speaker System

Tools Used

The installation process for this BMW required your typical car audio installation tools like wire crimpers/cutters, pry tools and wire connectors as well as some more specialty tools such as an air grinder to create new speaker brackets and mounts.

• 18-Volt Lithiumtech Lithium-Ion Cordless Electric Impact Driver Drill
• T-20 Torx Bit
• Phillips Bit
• 2″ Mini Air Angle Grinder – 3/8-Inch Hose Compatible
• 9-Piece Silicone Soft Plastic Pry & Chisel Tool Set
• Universal Door Pin & Wire Remover
• Heavy Duty Electrical Wire & Cable Cutter/Stripper
• Blue Female Bullet Connectors
• Pro Nylon Blue Butt Connectors

Want to install an aftermarket system into your BMW E46 M3? Here’s what you’ll need:

The 4th generation E4 BMW M3 has a non-standard dash opening that can accommodate a full size, double DIN stereo or a smaller single DIN stereo with the proper dash kit. It has speaker locations in the front door panels for tweeters and midrange speakers as well as speaker locations in the rear and rear deck.

• Aftermarket Stereo
  • Single DIN Headunits
  • Double DIN Headunits
• Dash Kits
  • Single DIN Dash Kit for 1999-2005 BMW Vehicles
  • Universal Double DIN Housing Installation Dash Kit
• Front Speakers
  • 1″ Tweeters
  • 5.25″ Coaxial Speakers
  • 5.25″ Component Speaker Systems
  • 6.5″ Coaxial Speakers
  • 6.5″ Component Speaker Systems
• Rear Speakers
  • 6.5″ Coaxial Speakers
• Wiring Harnesses
  • Wiring Harness for 2002 BMW M3

The post E46 BMW M3 Component Speaker System Installation appeared first on Sonic Electronix Learning Center and Blog.

Join installers Allyn R. & Anthony B. as they walk you through the 2007 Dodge Charger SRT 8 install, complete with Clarion NX602 GPS Navigation Receiver, Kicker ZX Amps, Alpine Type-R Speakers, Kicker CVR Subs, Viper 5904 Car Alarm, and a Blendmount with Escort radar detector.

The post Sonic Installation Bay Updates & Photos appeared first on Sonic Electronix Learning Center and Blog.

In order to fully power four door speakers and a subwoofer, you’re more than likely going to need more than one amplifier – a 4-Channel Amplifier to power the door speakers, and a Monoblock Amplifier to power the subwoofer. Not interested in two separate amplifiers you say? Not a problem. That’s where 5-Channel Amplifiers come in. These amps have their benefits and can really save a lot of time and hassle in an installation, not to mention valuable space.

The multiple amplifier configuration previously mentioned with two separate amps can present a couple of potential issues. First, in order to install two amplifiers, you’ll need to carefully plan how you’re going to wire the amps. Without the proper hardware and planning, you’re not going to be able to adequately supply power to your amplifiers, which can lead to low performance in your brand new audio system. A huge benefit to 5-channel amplifiers is just the ease of installation. Instead of dealing with multiple amps, now you’re just running one wire from the battery to the amplifier. This can be huge depending on your installation experience, and can save you money when you’re browsing for an Amplifier Wiring Kit.

Practically all 5-channel amplifiers are designed to emulate a 4-channel and Monoblock configuration. On 5-Channel amplifiers, it’s common to find the front four channels producing power similar to a four-channel amplifier. The all-important 5-channel is like an added bonus, as it is capable of pushing enough power to run one or two subwoofers. An amplifier like the Kicker IX1000.5 is a perfect example of a high powered, space efficient 5-channel amplifier.

So the next time you find yourself in the market for amplifiers, don’t forget how beneficial a 5-channel amplifier can be. These marvels of manufacturing can help you save time, space, and make tuning a system much easier!

The post Why Consider A 5-Channel Amplifier? appeared first on Sonic Electronix Learning Center and Blog.

1. Lack of Planning

Before you buy anything or pull off any vehicle panels, make sure to plan out exactly what you want. The better the initial plan is, the better (and easier) the installation will be. Ask yourself these questions to help you plan:

• What do I want in my car?
• What is possible to install in my car?
• How much am I willing to spend?

These simple questions will help you have a vision of your upgraded car, provide a realistic outcome, and establish a budget for the project.

2. Not Disconnecting the Battery

Whenever you do anything with the electrical system of a car, always remember to disconnect the negative battery terminal. This will prevent an electrical short within the system and allow you to safely work on the car.

3. Mismatched Subwoofer and Amplifier

Installing incompatible equipment can cause all sorts of problems in a car. Aside from the possibilities of damaging the vehicle’s electrical system or ruining the new equipment, mismatched audio components don’t sound as good as they should. Double check the subwoofer to ensure that it is the correct impedance and configuration for the amplifier. Make sure amp does not under power or overpower the subwoofer.

Learn More! Read the Article “How to Match a Subwoofer and an Amplifier“.

4. Improper Ground

An improper ground can cause a wide variety of problems with an aftermarket car audio system. Typically, this is the first question that is asked when the Sonic Electronix techs troubleshoot a system over the phone.

Learn More! Read the article “How to Create a Proper Ground“.

5. Running Power & RCA Signal Cable Next to Each Other

To the first time installer, running the power cable and the RCA signal cables next to each other seems like a convenient and time-saving solution. In reality, this is a bad practice because it will create noise. The end result is degraded sound quality.

Learn More! Read the article “Wiring RCAs opposite side of Power/Ground“.

6. Not Upgrading the Car’s Electrical

The stock electrical system is not designed for the power demands of high-end aftermarket audio systems. When installing multiple or high-powered amplifiers, but sure to see if a new car battery is needed. Larger batteries can be installed to provide more power to the system. Another solution is to do The Big Three upgrade. That involves upgrading the wire under the hood to allow more efficient current flow to the electrical system, specifically the upgraded car audio system.

7. Not Using the Proper Tools

Tools can make or break the installation. Having the proper tools for the installation can save dash panels from snapping and prevent door panels from breaking. Spending a few extra dollars for a tool can prevent spending hundreds of dollars if the installer has to order a new part from the dealer.

Installing a new car audio system can be a lot of fun. However, that fun can be ruined when problems come up. Learn from the mistakes of others and follow the advice above. Following these 7 points will save you time, money, and a major headache.

The post 7 Common Car Audio Installation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them appeared first on Sonic Electronix Learning Center and Blog.

There are two types of meters, auto ranging meters and manual meters. Auto ranging meters have a few selections on the dial; the meter will guess what your using it for based on the information it receives from the probes. Then there are manual ranging meters that make you select the input range it is going to use. The auto ranging meters still have the same functions as the manual meters; except auto ranging meters guesses the input range for you. This is similar to how automatic and manual cars essentially do the same thing, except one requires more user input.

The first thing you will normally see on all multimeters is the circular mode dial. The mode dial allows you to choose from many different measurements. The most common are AC/DC voltage, resistance and current. Occasionally multimeters test continuity, and they may also have diode testing functions.

The next thing you will notice are the input jacks. The black jack is called the common. It never moves from its slot. Then you have two red jacks, you choose the jack based on what you’re going to do. Measuring voltage and ohms tend to be on one jack, while measuring amperes tends to be on another jack. The reason amp measurement requires a different jack is because it lets the electrical signal flow through the meter to test it, whereas voltage/ohm measuring sends the signal out from the meter. A red and black probe connects to these jacks on the multimeter. These probes will be used to collect these different measurements. Higher end meters will have more measuring options and jacks.

Lastly, at the top of most multimeters is the display. The most important function of the display is to show as much information as possible. Some show just digits and decimal points, some show the unit of measurements as well, such as volts (V) or milivolts (mV). Higher quality units display much more information.

Now that you have the basic idea of the various components of the multimeter, lets dig a bit deeper into the mode dial and explain what all of the numbers and symbols mean. The picture displayed is a basic multimeter which I will reference throughout this article. Multimeters come in many different configurations, but all serve the same function and have similar symbols. The standard user should be able to pick up any standard multimeter and use it without a headache.

DC Voltage (V with a straight line and a dashed line under it): In the meter pictured, DC Volt is written, not expressed as a symbol. The range of this meter is 200 milivolts to 1000 volts. The 1000 is highlighted in red to remind you that working with voltage is extremely dangerous. The Car DC Volts setting is commonly used to monitor a circuit to see how it’s working. If you reverse the probes you will get a negative measurement. You can measure DC voltage while the circuit is working. The most common use of this setting is to test remaining battery voltage, alternator output, power to a car radio, amplifier, etc.

AC Voltage (V~ with a wavy line): In the meter pictured, AC Volts is written, not expressed as a symbol. This meter has a 200V setting and a 750V setting. The 750 is highlighted in red to remind you that working with that voltage is extremely dangerous.  The Home AC Volts setting is used to measure wall voltage, unregulated power supplies, etc. AC voltage has no polarity; if you reverse the probes you will still get the same reading.

DC Amperage (A with a straight line and a dashed line under it): In the meter pictured, DC Amps is written, not expressed as a symbol. To test amps, the red plug needs to be removed from POWER and plugged into the slot above it. Other multimeters might have this slot labeled or in a different location. This meter measures from 2000 microamps(µ) to 200 miliamps(m).

Resistance(Ω): In the meter pictured, resistance in ohms is expressed as a symbol Ω. This setting is used to measure the resistance of a circuit in ohms (Ω). Ohm measuring is typically used to determine the resistance that a subwoofer is wired at. Make sure the device is turned off before taking a resistance measurement to avoid damage to your multi-meter.

Continuity(>+): In the meter pictured, continuity is displayed with a symbol. Continuity is used to measure the resistance of a closed circuit; a beep will sound to indicate solid continuity. Think of it as a way to test if a wire or circuit is continuous, meaning electricity flows from one end to the other. If there is no continuity, the circuit is broken or you are not on the correct circuit.

Here are a few examples where a multimeter proves handy and how exactly to use the meter. Once you understand the basic concepts, you can easily start working on more than what is listed here.

Testing Batteries: Testing batteries is a great way to practice with a multimeter and it is useful in this day and age considering all of our electronics have a thirst for energy that is quenched with battery power. The most common battery types are AAA, AA, C and D, all of which will have different voltage ratings usually listed on the battery.  Some meters have a 2 Volt DC setting for the lower voltage batteries. If your meter does not, start high and work your way down. So if you’re testing a 9V Alkaline battery, put your multi-meter on 20V DC and place the red(+) probe on the positive side of the battery (usually marked) and the black(-) probe on the negative side of the battery. If it’s a new battery and your reading higher than 9V, let’s say 9.53V, that is not a mistake. The voltage listed on batteries is the average voltage you can expect from it, as it dies it will slowly drift down past 9V. When it reaches its lower operating range it is safe to assume the battery is almost used up and that it’s time to replace it.

Testing a Wall Socket: This is originally what a multimeter was designed to do and is the easiest test. Make sure you have a house rated multi-meter that can withstand 120V. House current is 120V AC, so switch your multi-meter to 200V AC. Usually the narrow prong in the wall is the positive (hot) and the wide prong is the negative (neutral). With AC voltage it does not matter which probe is plugged into which slot. Plug one probe into the hot and one into the neutral, the meter should read between 110-120V AC. If your wall socket also has a circular prong, that is the ground. If you test the hot and the ground with the same 200V AC setting, it should read 110-120V. If you test the neutral and the ground, it should read 0V.  Readings that deviate slightly from the average are ok.

Testing Speaker Wires: You have your dash open and the radio pulled out with the door panels off. You removed your speakers, but as you get ready to put in new ones, it doesn’t say which is positive and which is negative. Multimeter to the rescue! Simply turn your radio on to low volume and pull the speaker out, and you are ready to test for voltage. Turn your volt meter to 20V DC and put the negative probe on a chassis ground and put the positive probe on one of the speaker terminals. The one that has a voltage is going to be positive. Most vehicles have a black or white stripe on the positive wire, but there’s always the chance that they are incorrectly marked.

Determining Subwoofer Ohms: You bridged your subwoofers together, then sit back and pray, hoping that they equal the ohm rating the amplifier needs. If you connect the positive and negative speaker wires from the sub to the amp, it could end in disaster if you did not wire them correctly. A multimeter can tell you exactly the ohm level those subwoofers are at. Connect the two ends of the multimeter to the speaker terminals of the amplifier. Set your multimeter to 200 ohms (Ω) and connect the red probe to the positive and the black probe to the negative speaker wire.

Testing a Car Battery: If you have a sneaking suspicion that your car battery is running low on juice, a quick test with a multimeter can put your suspicions to rest! Wear safety glasses and gloves to protect you from any harmful chemicals on the battery. Locate your battery under the hood and follow the manufacturer’s directions to properly disconnect the cables from the battery. Set your multimeter to 20 Volts DC to give an accurate reading. Connect the red probe from the multimeter to the positive battery terminal. Attach the black probe from the multimeter to the negative battery terminal. After a few seconds read the meter, it should read at least 9.6 volts for the battery to accept a charge if you have a 12 volt battery. Even then it may not be worth keeping. A fully charged 12V battery should test at 12.4 – 12.7 volts when it is not attached to the car.

Testing a Car Alternator: You tested your battery and it’s functioning properly, but your car’s electrical components are having problems. It’s time to test the alternator. Wear safety glasses and gloves, and keep away from moving components. Set your multimeter to DC 20 Volts. Leave your battery connected to the car, and with the car off, connect the red probe of the multimeter to the positive lead on the battery. Then connect the black probe to the negative lead on the battery. With the car off, it should read 12.5-12.8V if your battery is good. Now start the engine with the multimeter still hooked up. It should now read 13.8-14.8V if the alternator is working properly. Finally, have someone turn on the headlights and heater blower on high. The volts will drop slightly at first but then return to 13.8-14.8V if the alternator is working properly.

The post How to Use A Multimeter appeared first on Sonic Electronix Learning Center and Blog.

Installing a car audio system in smaller cars can sometimes be a challenge.  For those that have a Volkswagen Bug, you know that there is not a ton of room to add large subwoofer boxes or a double DIN car stereo.  Even with the space limitations, there is still the ability to upgrade your audio system.  Recently the head Sonic Electronix Installer put a system in a Volkswagen Bug.  Lucky for us, we had a cameraman there to film the installation.  In this video, watch as Brendan installs a pair of Kicker COMP subwoofers, a Kicker 10ZX300.1 amplifier, and a JVC KDR-610 car stereo in the VW bug.  Once installed, the audio system sounded much better than the original system that came in the vehicle.

The installation consisted of removing the factory monsoon radio and replacing it with the JVC head unit.  The video shows how Brendan went about doing this.  After the wires are run and the new stereo is installed, he moves to the rear of the car to work on the amplifier.  He attaches a Kicker 10zx3001 car amplifier to the back of the rear seats.  With the amp mounted, it is time to work on the subwoofers.  He takes the two Kickers dual 4-ohm Comp subs and wires them to an impedance of 2 ohms.  The lower impedance allows the subwoofers to get more power from the amplifier.  With the radio, amplifier, and subwoofers all installed, this Volkswagen installation is complete!

The post Volkswagen car audio installation – Kicker subs and Amp + JVC stereo appeared first on Sonic Electronix Learning Center and Blog.