New 8” Sub Worth it?

[Strider]

Yo!

I have the 2003 setup with the JBL synthesis system. I’ve been looking to do a receiver upgrade and have read all the threads on stripping out all speakers wires and starting over vs. keeping stock. I will most likely just keep what I have an upgrade with a Pioneer multi entertainment unit vs. starting over.

I’ve read some on the sub upgrade to a 2 ohm Pioneer or Rockford for $80-100 with about 1-2 hrs. of work. My question is if this is worth it? Does it really sound that much better if I left the existing wiring setup? What sucks now is I cannot turn up just the sun, it turns up the bass on everything which is annoying. So I don’t want to spend $100 to upgrade with no return.

Thanks!

 

[super.secret]

unless you are adding a separate amp to power the new sub, just changing the sub isn't good enough.

 

[Strider]

Thanks!

Thanks for the info! I was reading reviews on Amazon and those posting there had replaced as theirs had been blown. This is helpful. Mine isn’t blown.

 

[0verland]

Yo!

I have the 2003 setup with the JBL synthesis system. I’ve been looking to do a receiver upgrade and have read all the threads on stripping out all speakers wires and starting over vs. keeping stock. I will most likely just keep what I have an upgrade with a Pioneer multi entertainment unit vs. starting over.

I’ve read some on the sub upgrade to a 2 ohm Pioneer or Rockford for $80-100 with about 1-2 hrs. of work. My question is if this is worth it? Does it really sound that much better if I left the existing wiring setup? What sucks now is I cannot turn up just the sun, it turns up the bass on everything which is annoying. So I don’t want to spend $100 to upgrade with no return.

Thanks!

So speaking from experience. My stock sub blew on me about 2 months ago. I went through the debate with myself upgrading the sound system from the current JBL Synthesis system. I finally settled on just replacing the blown sub with a Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8.

Let me tell you for not upgrading the amp, wiring, head unit, nothing.... this sub sounds smooth and hits hard. Even before I had the chance to hear it the installer mentioned to me how crisp and hard it hit for a little 8" shallow mount. Personally I think the stock JBL Synthesis system does the job and now with my new Rockford it sounds great. I got the sub from Crutchfield for $120 and $65 to install in the stock location. So to me for the price it couldn't be beat and personally I didn't want a box or anything else taking up space in the rear.

Now I think others may feel differently if you "need" the highest clarity sound, but I don't drive it everyday. Long story short, if it were me just replace the sub with your choice of aftermarket sub (highly recommend the Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8) and see how you like the sound. You can always replace more things after the fact, as its not permanent.

 

[riverwolf]

Yo!

I have the 2003 setup with the JBL synthesis system. I’ve been looking to do a receiver upgrade and have read all the threads on stripping out all speakers wires and starting over vs. keeping stock. I will most likely just keep what I have an upgrade with a Pioneer multi entertainment unit vs. starting over.

I’ve read some on the sub upgrade to a 2 ohm Pioneer or Rockford for $80-100 with about 1-2 hrs. of work. My question is if this is worth it? Does it really sound that much better if I left the existing wiring setup? What sucks now is I cannot turn up just the sun, it turns up the bass on everything which is annoying. So I don’t want to spend $100 to upgrade with no return.

Thanks!

OP, you say yours isn't blown, but I have a hard time believing your surround hasn't turned to dust, especially if you're talking about the '03. Now, a driver will still play without the surround, and depending on your choice in music, it may not rattle.

Mine finally started to rattle last Spring. Replaced it with the popular RF Punch (dual 2 ohm, can't remember model #). Anyway, the JBL's surround practically vaporized just from looking at it hard when I pulled it from the truck.

This won't be a popular opinion, but it's sheer physics. Like comparing new tires to old tires and claiming the new is night/day better. I think that's what some folks are doing when they compare the replacement Pioneer/RF/etc. to the tired JBL. Especially with a sealed enclosure, as long as the parameters are correct for the enclosure, which we can assume JBL did with the factory system, one driver is not going to be signficantly louder or play lower than another if you stick with the stock amp. A newer driver may have more power handling and thus be capable of playing louder if you swap the amp, but the efficiency is governed by the enclosure so for a given watt, you're going to get the same SPL.

Good luck.

-Brent

 

[jreask]

Does anyone know the "depth" dimension of the factory sub woofer ?

 

[riverwolf]

Does anyone know the "depth" dimension of the factory sub woofer ?

Sorry, meant to get back to you sooner since I still have the factory driver in the garage.

Depth from magnet back plate to the bottom mounting flange (top mount depth) is 3.5". There's also a 1/2" deep spacer\grill that sat on top of the driver flange between the flange and the interior trim panel. So, if you made a similar spacer from MDF or ply, you could use a 4" deep driver without fear of hitting the back of the box. The R-F Punch 8" shallow mount 2+2 is actually a little shallower than the factory driver even ignoring the spacer.

What you're really looking for is how deep is the box from the mounting surface. I think I actually measured that, but didn't bother to write it down. Someone else may have. Some folks have also cut out the strengthening ribs directly behind the driver to gain a little more clearance, but I can't imagine that giving you more than another 1/2" or so.

Search should turn up a number of different drivers folks have used in the factory box. By looking up their specs, you can probably get a good idea of what might work depth wise if you want to venture away from the proven R-F and Kicker 2+2 drivers that are drop-in replacements.

Good luck.

 

[markymark191]

Just by updating the receiver you should notice better sound quality. I added an aftermarket sub and amp. Keep in mind, depending on what your rms watts is if you add a new sub, you may need to get an amp to go along with it.

 

[Muskoka4runner]

Does anyone know the stats of the factory sub? I recently bought a RF 5 channel amp and door speakers but I'm planning on running the factory sub off of it for the time being. I just want to make sure it will work with the new amp.

 

[jreask]

Sorry, meant to get back to you sooner since I still have the factory driver in the garage.

Depth from magnet back plate to the bottom mounting flange (top mount depth) is 3.5". There's also a 1/2" deep spacer\grill that sat on top of the driver flange between the flange and the interior trim panel. So, if you made a similar spacer from MDF or ply, you could use a 4" deep driver without fear of hitting the back of the box. The R-F Punch 8" shallow mount 2+2 is actually a little shallower than the factory driver even ignoring the spacer.

What you're really looking for is how deep is the box from the mounting surface. I think I actually measured that, but didn't bother to write it down. Someone else may have. Some folks have also cut out the strengthening ribs directly behind the driver to gain a little more clearance, but I can't imagine that giving you more than another 1/2" or so.

Search should turn up a number of different drivers folks have used in the factory box. By looking up their specs, you can probably get a good idea of what might work depth wise if you want to venture away from the proven R-F and Kicker 2+2 drivers that are drop-in replacements.

Good luck.

Thanks

 

[riverwolf]

Does anyone know the stats of the factory sub? I recently bought a RF 5 channel amp and door speakers but I'm planning on running the factory sub off of it for the time being. I just want to make sure it will work with the new amp.

Not sure what parameters you're looking for. Factory JBL is a dual voice coil unit rated at 2 ohms/coil...so you can either show your amp a 1 ohm or 4 ohm load if using a single channel to drive the JBL.

Power wise, each channel of the factory JBL amp is realistically about 15-20 wpc into 2 ohms based on the chip used (IIRC), so the sub was likely given enough excursion to handle 45ish watts without bottoming. However, with a little self control, you could use a 2,000 watt amp if you wanted. Do some proper level balancing to the main speakers and then stop turning up the volume if you start to hear bad noises.

 

[riverwolf]

{snip} Keep in mind, depending on what your rms watts is if you add a new sub, you may need to get an amp to go along with it.

Not really. Power handling doesn't dictate power requirements. With subwoofers, the enclosure ultimately dictates efficiency, regardless of what the marketing literature tries to claim. Impedance does determine the voltage drawng from the amp. So, put a driver with the same 2+2 ohm nominal rating and it will produce the same SPL* as the stock driver, even if it's rated to handle 1,000,000 watts RMS by marketing.

*Say withing +/- 1dB given the "nominal" rating. It's unlikely that two different driver will have exactly the same dynamic impedance profile. Impedance varies with frequency among other factors.

 

[Rishi3]

Go on Amazon and buy boostaroo, mini amp that plugs in through aux. Sounds better than my friends car with a 10'. Best $25 I ever spent lmao

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