disc108

I currently have a Soundstream Lil Wonder 4 amp powering 2 12" RF Punch XLC's... Im thinking of getting rid of the box because:
1) Its heavy
2) The trunk is so well insulated that when I finally hear the bass, its out of phase. (Is this what causes it?)

I dont know a whole lot about sound systems but from what I know, a free air sub will sound looser than an one in an enclosure. I know some people have a single enclosure in the trunk and that works pretty well. Will it always sound out of phase when you put it in the trunk?

What is an average 10" (free air) sub around $150-200 that will bolt right into the stock deck? Sound accuracy has a 60/40 bias to power. I want something thatll bump my trance nicely.

The exact specs of the lil wonder 4 arent posted anywhere so I dont know the exact wattage of it to match it to the woofer. What happens when a woofer is underpowered? Is it possible to overpower one? I also believe its a 4-channel amp so I'm also guessing that its not possible to power a lone woofer... What to do?

Thanks in advance.

Mean Gene

Disc - Went to www.soundstream.com to try & get some specs but those guys R real hilarious!! Probably could get the true power specs from a downloaded owners manual. My vote for a free air is still JL Audio & their IBU subs are all 8 ohm so I doubt that U could overpower it with the Little Wonder. Underpowering will hurt a speaker quicker than overpowering it unless U WAY overpower them. Underpower brings clipping & distortion which brings the real enemy of speakers into play - HEAT! Just concern yourself with rms ratings & not so much peak power - I've had 300 watts on a JL free-air with no problems. As far as the out of phase thing goes - just swap your positive & negative wires at the sub & see if there's a change. Might not swap things after trying this. Good luck!

disc108

what JL audio sub would u recommend? i havent been able to find the exact specs on the amp anywhere but i'm guessing its 50w per channel.

my main question: can i hook up my 4 channel amp to power just 1 woofer? (i dont really understand the whole channel, ohm, etc thing )

Mean Gene

Disc - If U haven't torn the original 10" mounting area up, then a JL 10IBU-4 will work in the same hole. U will be able to bridge two of the channels of the 4-channel 'Lil Wonder & use those 2 channels as one to power the JL. However, if the amp only puts out 50 WPC like U suspect & because the JL is only offered in an 8 ohm impedance, I'm not sure that that'll be enough power. What R U using the Soundstream amp for right now? The way I figure it is if the amp makes 50 WPC into a 4 ohm load & U bridge two of the channels, then ( in theory ) U now have 1 channel capable of 100 WPC into a 4 ohm load. Since the JL is an 8 ohm sub, U're right back to putting 50 watts thru it & that's not enough to make it worth the effort. Not enough of an electronics guru to know if ya can make a 4 channel amp into a mono amp - never tried it & don't think it's possible but maybe Master Percy will jump in here.

disc108

I havent torn up the original 10" mounting area so Im sure i can mount the JL sub there.

I'm using it to power 2 RF Punch XLC's. 2 channels, bridged, per sub.

Are there any decent free air subs that are @ 4 ohm? Supposedly, my amp is stable down to 2 (i think). SUPPOSEDLY.

I dont think you can because most of the time, on 4 channel amps, they say 4/3/2 channels... If I can only bridge 2 channels into the JL sub, what would I do w/the 2 extra channels?

This would be so much easier if I could just hook up all 4 channels into 1 sub.

I found something that might be of some use:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1249848825

Mean Gene

Disc - I've used Pioneer free-airs before with some success. Try Pioneer #TS-W254F - that's their 4 ohm 10" free air & is rated for 250-500 watts. Why not run 2 of those??!!:eek: Seriously, it'll be a shame for those other two channels to be left unused - what else ya got we can hook them up to or maybe swap another of your existing amps around so that the 4 channel is running some components & whatever 2 channel amp U have can be dedicated to the sub ( just a thought ).

disc108

I'm thinking of maybe just selling my amp and box and getting a more powerful 2 channel amp and only 1 sub mounted in stock position. As stated before, I only want 1 sub cuz a box is just too heavy and I think 1 250-500w sub will be sufficient.

disc108

I've decided to go w/the #TS-W254F that you recommended. Is the bass clean and tight on that speaker? Now I need a recommendation on a 2 channel amp. I found a pioneer one GM-X952.. continuous power 300Wx1 (4 ohm)... Is that a decent amp? Or do u have another in mind? When looking for an amp, do you just match the wattage to the sub you're going to power?