Hi there,

I am thinking to buy a second hand subwoofer and amp, I would really appreciate if you would tell me from my list which one to pick up and if the price is okay, as I am a total beginner on car sub sound.

Current car Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDI year 2001 (has already all cables installed as last owner had his own sub system) thinking later to switch sub+amp to vw passat b5. Question - would that really affect sub power etc after I change from one car to another ?

List of links:

1. http://www.gumtree.com/p/in-car-audi...mp./1088282552
2. http://www.gumtree.com/p/in-car-audi...amp/1087244342
3. http://www.gumtree.com/p/in-car-audi...ier/1087172546
4. http://www.gumtree.com/p/in-car-audi...kit/1086310959
5. http://www.gumtree.com/p/car-tuning-...new/1087840289
6. http://www.gumtree.com/p/amplifiers/...bt-/1085698855

What do you think guys ? I am looking for cheapest and best one.. (I hope). I contacted with seller on number 6 he said that the amp is PKT110-18w, sub hasn't got a model no but it says 1900W on the box. and also pioneer MVH-350BT in 100GBP pretty good deal ? What about W and sound quality ?

Thank you!

Totally impossible to tell you which one is best simply from an advert on Gumtree.

You have no idea at all what sort of condition they are in. You have no idea, for example, if the suspension of the speaker cone is shot to pieces, (which will completely knacker the sound quality), or not. If the speaker has been driven to extremes by a too powerful amp or by a too low powered amp driven into gross distortion the speaker may well be damaged.

The only way to be sure what you are buying is to go and listen to them. Which could be difficult if they have been taken out of the vehicle.

yes, you are right... so you would suggest to buy a new one or test this out before I buy..

At least with one bought from a car audio dealer you have some comeback if it is faulty, ie a guarantee plus the law. With buying from a private individual you have zero comeback if it turns out to be a pile of carp, other than their willingness to take it back and refund you (which cannot be guaranteed).

So either go to a dealer or make sure you inspect carefully and preferably listen to any second hand kit.

Personally I would steer clear of any of that stuff you have linked to from Gumtree, the subs which are named brands of Pioneer and Kenwood are low powered units, and the amps of Boss and SPL are low quality at best.

For subs and amps, before you look at getting anything, you need to find out what grade of wiring you have in the car already from the previous owner. Then you will know what sort of kit it will run.

The power and earth cables are measured by 'gauge' and will range from 8 gauge for low power subs and amps, to 0 gauge for the big power units.

Also you have to decide what sound you want.

Are you just after a little extra bass to add a little extra low end to your music?

Or are you wanting something to give you a lot of extra bass?

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/ - who I use for car audio, great prices and great advice, they also have a great audio forum where there are lots of very experienced folk who can give you great advice, and there is also a 'for sale' section, where you could pick up some great deals.

Be careful when looking at specs on some of the lower brand units as the figures are quite often over inflated, and its rare that the subs or amps deliver what they state.

Acoustics in cars all vary, so while the sub may sound nice in one car, it might sound worse in another car. Also with subs, multiple subs doesn't always mean better as 1 x good quality 12" sub will sound lots better than 2 x poor quality 10" subs.

I'd disagree with 'some', and with 'quite often' - and even 'over inflated' (as it sounds minor).

I would say that MOST in-car gear (often even including the good makes) almost always VASTLY exaggerate the output and handling power.

For example, a supposed 1000W system might only be 50W per channel RMS, and that's probably not the highest exaggeration either

If you comparing powers or handling, look for ratings in RMS continuous power, and PER CHANNEL - obviously a sub on it's own is normally only one channel anyway.

And as c00kiemonster72 says, you need SUBSTANTIAL power cables to feed any kind of high power amp - assuming a 'real' 1000W (and 100% efficiency), you're looking at 83A down the cable

So assuming a cable resistance of only 0.1 ohms (bear in mind it's both cables in series), you'd lose 8.3V out of your 12V So BIG, BIG cables.

The sub in your first link is phenomenal. Focal are to speakers as BMW is to cars. A Focal Utopia sub is the equivalent of an M3. The Pioneers and Kenwoods are the equivalent of an Astras SRI.

Most (or probably all in reality) of those power amps are cheap garbage.

"Best" and "cheapest" do not go together. Pick one or the other