Getting into some I.C.E.

I recently got an Orient Blue 330ci, and it came with the premium sound package. The mids and highs are good for now, but I was looking for a little more bass. I would be most happy with a single sub, either 10" or 12" would be fine. I have heard that JL Audio is one of the best makers for decent mid-level subwoofers.

Basically, I am wondering which of the JL Audio subs I should get, and what Amp I should get to power the sub. I don't want any obtrusive sub enclousures, and I would be really happy with one that went in that little slot on the right side of the trunk above the battery.

If I got the amp and the sub, how would I wire it to the existing head unit? Would this even work with the stock "Business CD" head unit? As you can probably tell, I'm an Audio newbie, so I need some help!

Any suggestions/comments/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

-Jeff (giambi77)

Hey Jeff,

I've seen some posts on this forum of people selling pre-fabricated enclosures to fit over that space above the battery. Its not so big, so at the most you'd be able to fit a 10" sub. Mind you, not all subs would work in those enclosures because of the limited amount of airspace. It all depends on the sub.

To get it to work w/ the existing headunit, buy an RCA convertor and tap into the speaker leads to the existing subs (this is the signal AFTER the HK amp). Then run the RCA cables from the convertor to your new sub amp. Power that up and voila..

Originally posted by giambi77

Basically, I am wondering which of the JL Audio subs I should get, and what Amp I should get to power the sub. I don't want any obtrusive sub enclousures, and I would be really happy with one that went in that little slot on the right side of the trunk above the battery.

If I got the amp and the sub, how would I wire it to the existing head unit? Would this even work with the stock "Business CD" head unit? As you can probably tell, I'm an Audio newbie, so I need some help!

Any suggestions/comments/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

-Jeff (giambi77)

For what you're asking for, you would have to have a custom enclosure (must likely fiberglass) made to fit that space above the battery. Not cheap.

Thanks for the informative responses so far; I'll have to look more into finding enclosures that would fit in the trunk space.

If I found a decent 10" sub, with around.....150-200 watts RMS, and I happened to find the trunk enclousure for it, would I still need another amp?

bimmers are realy very good sealed with steel

You need at least a good power amplifier for 1 woofer 6OO watt at 2 ohm installed

Yes - the stock HK/nonHK amp probably does not pump out that much power to drive an aftermarket sub.

As for how much power - its a misconception. Yes, typically more is better, however you want to find the sweet spot given your particular subs' specs. ie: if the sub can handle 150-200 RMS, get a 300 amp. A bit more power will allow you to turn down the gain on the amp and let a cleaner signal come through. While it IS possible to put too much power into a sub (ie; driving 1000watts to a 8" sub w/ 100 RMS handling), typically subs blow due to distortion in the signal, not too much power.

Originally posted by giambi77
Thanks for the informative responses so far; I'll have to look more into finding enclosures that would fit in the trunk space.

If I found a decent 10" sub, with around.....150-200 watts RMS, and I happened to find the trunk enclousure for it, would I still need another amp?