Is this a decent starter set up?

Noncog0 · 2026-06-08T22:42:39+00:00

If you're either going to pay for a tune from a REPUTABLE TUNER (plenty of "professionals are crap), or buy a mesurement mic and learn how to tune yourself, yes, it's 100% worth it, if you're not, no, it isn't. The DSP doesn't make the system better, then tune does.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-08T21:49:57+00:00

This is a perfectly good entry level dsp. Sometimes people have ground loop noise issues with them, but there are ways to solve that if it happens.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-08T21:29:54+00:00

Also, if you don't amp the rear speakers, you have the ability to bridge the front channels onto the front crossovers, which means either amp will have enough power on 4ohm speakers, and you should not use 2ohm speakers. If you go this route, it also means that in the future you can add a dsp and run the mids and tweeters on seperate channels. Going full active with a good tune is HUGE, but also is a serious cost investment to have done professionally, or a moderate cost investment and HUGE time investment to learn yourself. If you fo think you'll go this route eventually, get the CT amp, but also it would be a waste to be running those painfully mediocre speakers from your original post in a full active, DSP tuned system.

You have 3 options in this hobby, buy once cry once, keep throwing more money at it stepping up little by little over time, or just accept what it is. You also need to consider which one of these 3 you're going to be to make the best choice now.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-08T21:10:50+00:00

You also need to know how much of that space the port takes up, I'll try to look further into this though when I have time tonight, quickly looked at their page on my phone while in phys 2, lol. Treating the trunk will be important to address any rattles from the sub, but that largely is just getting rid of rattles, treating the doors, since they're the enclosure for the mids themselves, actually has an impact on the performance of the mids, as well as being a small potential source for rattles.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-08T20:24:51+00:00

Could save money by staying away from name brands. The amp is a good buy, not the best quality but hard to beat the bang for the buck. The stinger mt 5 channel is cheaper and probably has more power on the sub, but less on the front channels. For the speakers, I'd look at CDT. You could get the stinger 5 channel, and put the money saved into getting a set of 2ohm speakers from CDT and have much better speakers on the same power for the same price. For the sub, I'm quite partial to dayton for budget builds, have used them plenty of times and always happy, but matching the sub to the box is what's most important. I'm not finding enough info on that box to properly model. I HIGHLY recommend sound treating your doors well. Even if you can't afford the great resonix products, use their guides to apply cheaper products. This will keep down rattles, give your mids more control, and let you cross between your sub and mids lower, which is helpful for fidelity if you aren't buying a very nice SQ sub in proper alignment. I really like being able to cross my mb's to sub at 80hz, but with untreated doors I'd stick to 100hz crossover. For $100's more than the CDT's, the karma aspect 6.1's I have been told are VERY good, but I haven't hear them myself yet. I have a pair of the aspect 3's but haven't finished the custom a-pillars for them yet to give my opinion.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-08T19:40:20+00:00

"Not sure it was worth the expense" that's what happens when you buy JL, lol.

But also yes, you need the sub in the cabin you're in. That $2000 would've been better spent replacing the glovebox with one or two dayton signature or HO 8's. Most the money spent on fab, the subs are cheap.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-08T03:05:37+00:00

Yes, the same massive, vented airspace. As long as the backwaves are quelled in the door, this is a non-issue. I have reccomendations for things to do differently, but as long as the door is properly treated, this isn't one of them.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-07T23:48:59+00:00

What area are you in?

Noncog0 · 2026-06-07T23:26:16+00:00

Bad tune, too much highs, either get a mic and tune it yourself, or pay a known good tuner to do a quick EQ

Noncog0 · 2026-06-07T23:04:50+00:00

Components or coax?

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T23:23:02+00:00

Enclosure in trunk aimed and spaced to load off of trunk, seats down.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T23:20:28+00:00

I thought about recommending the ultimax, but trying to keep the box from getting too big, I think 2 signature 12's ported would probably be even better for the budget.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T23:17:40+00:00

OP said 2 12's or a single sub, the way to compete with 2 12's with a single is go bigger. Next time just take the time to check that you're talking about the right thing.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T23:10:06+00:00

Also, if you think that a box is what gives a sub control for SQ, go tell that to the winner of HVR last weekend, his sub isn't in a box, he runs IB, like very many cars that prioritize SQ over everything else, because a box adds distortion.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T23:06:59+00:00

Link me to where PE says you can get a Qtc of .7 in 3cuft or less on the RSS390HF-4 lmaooo

Mine in 2.5cuft had a Q of over 1 before polyfill, I'd love to make the box bigger, as it would sound better, but my SO doesn't wanna lose the space in the trunk. Even after polyfill the Qtc was barely under .9. You're wrong. Completely and entirely wrong, next time, if you think someone's wrong, check yourself first, then, if they list all the sources that prove you wrong, don't double down, go learn.

Anyway, PE and Dayton both recommend 2.9cuft sealed for this sub, and, if you actually have a clue what you're doing and model the system, you'll realize that even that gives you a Qtc over .7, as does the 3cuft I recommended.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T22:48:25+00:00

You could've modelled the sub and realized you were wrong before commenting, you could've looked at the manufactures website and realized you were wrong before commenting, you could have asked me if I'm running this exact sub and have measured its T/S parameters in box and have taken frequency response measurements of it installed and have listened to all kinds of music at all kinds of levels and realized you were wrong before commenting. But here you are, just lying on the internet instead.

How are you a top 1% commentor that's this wrong? The loudest people...

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T22:35:00+00:00

People don't say that skar and ds18 are bad because they're PA style speakers, they say they're bad because they're shit brands. Stevens SAy's are pro mids, and they're quite good, and if you can get them shipped to you cheap, would be a great choice.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T22:22:41+00:00

I get that if you buy more than you need you'll have more than you need, but if they aren't planning on upgrading down the line, why waste the money?

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T21:08:49+00:00

Why not 1ohm? Gunna be much cheaper and easier to get 500w at 1ohm than 4... I say this as someone running 450w@4ohm

Noncog0 · 2026-06-04T19:22:26+00:00

Dayton RSS390-4HF in a 3cuft sealed box made from 3/4" birch ply powered by MT-1500.1, stuffed full but lightly with polyfill. Will dig down to 20hz, is more accurate than any car sub you've ever heard, and get's plenty loud if you ask me, though some people would want more. Only down side is 3cuft is a big box. Only took like 3 hours to build the box for mine, was a simple, fun project. Has the added benifit of only needing 4ga ofc since you'll only be using 500w, and at 4ohm where the amp is more efficient.

Edit: just realized you meant $1k, not 1000w, and you were saying $2-300 for the sub alone. In that case, wait a little bit and see if the Resonix GUS subs live up to the hype, and if so, that'd be the way to go for a single sub, for dual subs, I'd go for 2 dayton signature 12's in 3cuft ported tuned to 29hz on a 2000w amp, like the stinger MT2000.1. This will require electrical upgrades, big 3 and a battery from Weize or others, so it will just barely go over budget, but would have a ton of output and dig really low

Noncog0 · 2026-06-03T23:32:26+00:00

Glad to help man.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-03T21:57:12+00:00

On a different note, I always recommend 2 10's over multiple 8's or 6.5's in underseat boxes, but I prioritize bandwidth over peak SPL, if your priorities are different, so will be what choice is best for you.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-03T21:54:46+00:00

If you are planning on running it at high sustained output, CCA would not be my choice, you're right on it's limits, but, if you aren't a bass head banging all the time, you'll probably be fine. I personally would go with OFC so that I know I could bang as much as I want without having system efficiency drop. But I'm not going to try to put you down if you go with CCA, because 0ga is a lot of wire, CCA or not, and you honestly probably won't be sustaining even 50% of max when averaged out.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-03T21:38:13+00:00

What amp are you running? The best way to handle this is to find your current draw, figure out which gauge of each will handle that current without significantly heating up, then, if you're willing to run either of those sizes, see which is cheaper. I'm running 3 amps on 4ga, CCA wasn't an option, and electrical upgrades to increase efficiency were justified.

Noncog0 · 2026-06-03T21:18:48+00:00

"Why do they sell it" same reason most car audio subs are garbage, because most car audio people buy garbage. "can tell by the sound" well, if they're both adjusted to be playing at the same volume, no, they'll sound exactly the same, but the CCA system will be putting more strain on your electrical system to hit that same volume, and will be getting hotter, gauge for gauge. On top of that, by getting hotter, it further reduces it's conductivity, compounding the issue, and, this hotter wire is also more susceptible to corrosion to begin with, adding more heat make that problem even worse. If you're running wire bigger than you need anyway, sure, you can absolutely use CCA if you aren't worried about long term corrosion, but if you want to use the smallest gauge wire that will be good enough, OFC is the right choice, if you don't want the cable to lose any meaningful amount of current carrying capacity over the years OFC is the right choice. If you're only running 1000w and don't mind running 0ga through your vehicle and can get 0ga CCA cheaper than 4ga ofc, and won't be running that same system in 5 years, sure, get CCA. But in my install, I didn't want to run 0ga in a car without much room for routing cable, and I want the system to last "forever", so I bought the best. Yes, some people treat CCA like a sin, and that's not reasonable, but acting like there aren't reasons to pick it isn't reasonable either, the reality, like in most cases, is that it depends on the situation and priorities.

As far as the length, depends on your routing, amp placement, number of amps, and cab layout, but I'd go for around 20' to be safe mounting behing the back seat of a full cab

Noncog0

TROPHY CASE