If I buy the factory subwoofer compartment and change the actual subwoofer speaker inside it to one that's stronger or newer, will I need an amplifier as well to hook it up to my CD player. I'm new to this sound system thing. Will the subwoofer speaker act like an extra speaker or...? Also, is installation complicated. This the seller's page:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymot...dZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Any suggestions of Websites will help me out before the auction ends.

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1986 GT Fiero Owner & Enthusiast

you will need an amp for it. either a replacement stock or a small after market sub amp.
use the search there are a number of threads on this with links to the installs with the factory amp and what you need to do for an aftermarket amp.
IMHO, if you don't have the stock amp and a stocke radio made for the stock amp, or the overhead adjustment control, it is probably easier to just put a small aftermarket amp behind the passenger seat. With the available speakers that fit the stock enclosure's power handling, a 150w rms subamp will likely be more than enough. the original amp was about 30-35 watts.

try using "more bass" for a search argument, and subwoofer. and you;ll be reading a while.

I'm doing the same thing right now, I'm installing the factory performance sound sub housing with an aftermarket amp. I originally had the stock sub as well, but blew it in about two days. I have a new Tang Band sub to go in shortly.

I will also be modifying the Performance Sound overhead unit so I can use it to control the volume of the amp. My amp is overkill for the stock sub housing, as I planned on adding larger subs in the future.

Here's my build thread:
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/069143.html

Edit: Also if all you need is the housing, since you plan on upgrading the sub, you can get a brand new one from FieroStore for $32.95 + shipping. The housing is still a readily available part, so no need to gamble with ebay if you don't want to. Part #69862

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[This message has been edited by Xanth (edited 02-06-2008).]

And for those who really want to test the strength of the stock sub enclosure, you get one of these. Made by Pyle systems and rated at 200watts

quote Originally posted by IMSA GT: And for those who really want to test the strength of the stock sub enclosure, you get one of these. Made by Pyle systems and rated at 200watts

That's the One I am planning to buy as the rest of my system will be from Pyle. Thanks Xanth also for the suggestion.

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1986 GT Fiero Owner & Enthusiast

i have the whole set up with the amp set up i was sellingit nin parts but you can pm me if your interested

quote Originally posted by marios86gt: i have the whole set up with the amp set up i was sellingit nin parts but you can pm me if your interested

pm sent, need more info.

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1986 GT Fiero Owner & Enthusiast

By installing the stock amplifier (yes I prefer the stock unit) + a new 5 inch subwoofer to a Sony CD player, will this produce a moderate amount of base? Has anyone done this before?

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1986 GT Fiero Owner & Enthusiast

I just installed the factory subwoofer box with the Tang Band upgrade. First, the Tang Band for $18 was a no brainer. I really like the sound. There was a time when I liked hard hitting bass. Now that I am older, I just want bass to make the sound better. Replacing the stock speakers, adding the subwoofer and getting a new deck turned out great. I am very happy with the set up. Plus, I did this for under $500.

I did make the mistake of getting an HD radio. The difference between FM and HD FM is incredible. Now when I lose the HD signal, it goes back to FM and sounds terrible.

Brastic, don't feel so bad. They both sound like sh*#2.

I disagree that the sub sounds like crap. I have not heard the factory subwoofer nor the Rodney Dickman upgrade. I have only played with the Tang Bang. I still have to say that I am impressed how well it works. Sure, I am not going to out boom the Integra next to me at a stop slight with 12s in the non insulated trunk. (PS, I hate trunk rattle) But, this sub rounds out the lower frequencies to make a pleasant sound.

My expectations were not high. For instances, I love the clean sound of Boston Acoustics speakers, but I would not get them for a Fiero. The cabin is too loud, and the doors do not seal well. If I had a Lexus, that would be a different question. With the Fiero, I wanted a stereo that sounded better than stock (not very hard to do) and cost less that $500. Pioneer 5 1/4" component front speaks, Infinity plates in the rear with the stock subwoofer inclosure with a Tang Bang speaker fits the bill. I would that that the system sound good to very good, but not great. To me the difference between good and great is the difference between $500 and $2000.

quote Originally posted by Brastic: I have not heard the factory subwoofer nor the Rodney Dickman upgrade.

When I purchased my 1988 the factory subwoofer was blown. I put the Rodney Dickman unit in and it has so much distortion I just keep it turned off. Believe me, I am not an audio snob. At the volume you need at highway speeds, it sounds awful. I just accepted it as what you get in a 5" woofer. If there's anything better that fits into the stock location, I'm interested.

Neil

quote Originally posted by sspeedstreet: When I purchased my 1988 the factory subwoofer was blown. I put the Rodney Dickman unit in and it has so much distortion I just keep it turned off. Believe me, I am not an audio snob. At the volume you need at highway speeds, it sounds awful. I just accepted it as what you get in a 5" woofer. If there's anything better that fits into the stock location, I'm interested. Neil

finally an honest opinion. There is one selling on ebay right now and I thought it would be a nice fiero project, now I have somehwat changed my mind. I have a 4 new powerful speakers and a sony cd player. I thought it would look cool to have some stock equipment though

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1986 GT Fiero Owner & Enthusiast

I changed mine to a 6 1/2 speaker and it works great but woth the 5 inch that comes factory it is just a distortion box no matter what speaker you put in there. you have to remember when that was made the demands of music as a whole was alot less as to what it is today. SO with old none bassy music it might be fine but all recording have it so pumped up now and for the past 10 years that it kicks the crap out of the little woffer.

here is the link to my install

http://www.fieronews.net/fu...cle.php?article_id=2

Tom

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Indy#64~FieroNews~Boots~Bag s~Wallets~Headliner~Spare Cover

i agree with a lot here but if you dont want to spend any more money then you have
to then you could get away with no amp. because the new speakers of today are
much more sensitive than that of the crappiest of the 80s. so no amp would get some decent sound
but dont expect a rock concert.

Brastic, I was referring to both FM and HD FM both sounding like dookie. Not the other stuff. This is of course, only my opinion. I also think, for example, that all MP3 sounds like crud, but that's merely my opinion; if you like it, good, glad you are happy. Not trying to pick any fights.

Oh, you were talking about the FM HD FM thing. Then I agree. Lucky for me, my hearing is not that great also.

My test for quality of electronics is the wife test. If she can hear a difference, then it was worth it. We upgraded the home stereo to DVD-Audio. We then played the Fleetwood Mac CD and DVD-Audio, the difference is amazing and she agreed. The only issue is that the room had to be quite. Now that we have kids the difference is not important.

Read the reviews on this sub set up. Its small, and would easily fit in a fiero. It has a 4 out of 5 star review. I have not yet read a negative review on it. I am going to try it myself when I get some money. It's very popular in 911 Porsche's. KENWOOD KSC-SW1

here is a Amazon link to it.
http://www.amazon.com/Kenwo...id=1211427768&sr=8-2

[This message has been edited by NickD3.4 (edited 05-21-2008).]

I installed my factory sub-woofer system with a Rodney Dickman speaker. I am not an audiophile at all, but what I get out of it is useless. I am the one to blame. I had lots of good help from the guys here on the forum, but just never got it to work right. Due to having to work on everything else I opted to leave it alone for the time being.

Symptom- Little or no decent sound out of sub speaker. What does come out at peak sub volume is nasty sounding and very muffled. I am still not in a position to work on it, but for future work can someone give me a troublshooting hint?

[This message has been edited by sjmaye (edited 05-22-2008).]

I have heard the dickmans sub set up uses very cheap sub, and magnets. You need to have the sub rebuilt with a quality sub, magnet, and amp/ there are company's who will do this for about $30.00. remember, you get what you pay for. I would seriously look into dropping the factory sub, and going with the above stated for ease of mind, and good sound.

Just to be clear, I have bought a lot of Rodney's products and have always been very pleased with the quality. And for a "stock" replacement speaker it's probably as good as I could expect.

quote Originally posted by NickD3.4: Read the reviews on this sub set up. Its small, and would easily fit in a fiero. It has a 4 out of 5 star review. I have not yet read a negative review on it. I am going to try it myself when I get some money. It's very popular in 911 Porsche's. KENWOOD KSC-SW1 here is a Amazon link to it. http://www.amazon.com/Kenwo...id=1211427768&sr=8-2

I have this speaker, in a Fiero. It is ideal for a Fiero, and it sounds very good for what it is. It will not rattle your windows, move your hair, or irritate your neighbors, but it does deliver decently clean bass (not sub-bass) from a compact package.

Note: although this speaker will fit easily behind the seat (meaning you can use two, even), it sounds like crud if you put it back there. I tried every way possible to make it sound good from the back and it just won't. I now have a single one mounted at the feet of the passenger. Unless you have a passenger with really long legs and big feet, this should not be a problem. It sounds way better in that position than any other, and I have tried everything, both with one and two of these units.

quote Originally posted by Fierotoyboy: Brastic, I was referring to both FM and HD FM both sounding like dookie. Not the other stuff. This is of course, only my opinion. I also think, for example, that all MP3 sounds like crud, but that's merely my opinion; if you like it, good, glad you are happy. Not trying to pick any fights.

It's because HDFM is mis-marketed. HD in HDDFM is Hybrid Digital not high definition. It's a little lower bitrate than Sirius has on channel 100 (the highest bitrate Sirius channel) One of the local NPR stations sounds better in analog than HDFM, it's because they dont transmit with compression and have high end audio shaping equipment, stuff that rock and metal stations dont bother with.

The factory sub with the Tang Band 5.25 driver sounds fantastic WITH a decent amp. you need to buy some poly fill and losely fill the factory speaker box, then cut 2 inches off the port tube and lightly stuff some poly fill into the tube. this will tune the box for the tangband speaker. I also stifffened the box by wrapping it with a fibeglass strip and resin a few times.

The stock amp is pretty much garbage with a high THD rating. you want low as in 0.05% THD like you find in a decent amp. get a small decent amp (bridgeable is best) no more than 100 watts RMS and wire it in following the instructions. you'll be happy as it fills out the sound nicely. you can poke through the front firewall and put the amp in that section, if you find one of the tiny Blaupunkt amps you can easily fit it under the dash. (THA275 is small enough at about 6"X7")

Will it thump hard and make the windshield wipers bounce and annoy the neighbors 5 houes down? no. will ti sound good? yes. If you gotta have butt shaking bass, slap a couple of chair shakers to your seats.

Here's a comparison of the Rodney's replacement sub to the larger Tang Band subwoofer


I made a mounting ring from 3/4" MFD. The edges were coated with silicone (to seal) before slipping it in and attaching it through the sides with screws. Pre-drill the holes or the MDF will split.


The housing is slightly undersize, so loosely stuff it with poly fiberfill (cheap at Walmart) to make it work better. The subwoofer attaches to the front. The stock grill will no longer fit, so I used the mounting ring and grill from the Infinity speaker (sanded and painted Satin Black) to protect the subwoofer.


More on this here https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/076432.html


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3.4L S/C 87 GT www.fierosound.com
2002/2003/2004 World of Wheels Winner &
Multiple IASCA Stereo Award Winner

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 05-22-2008).]

And where does one get a decent 2 channel bridgable or mono amp rated at 100W RMS or less... other than the Xtant1.1 which is pretty much unavailable.

quote Originally posted by carbon: And where does one get a decent 2 channel bridgable or mono amp rated at 100W RMS or less... other than the Xtant1.1 which is pretty much unavailable.

I don't understand why "or less" should be a problem. There are plenty of stereo amps that can be bridged to give 150 or 200 mono, and a few mono amps under 175. More power is always better and will cause less damage to speakers than underpowering. If you have a little extra power, just limit your gain. Remember, twice as much power on average only increases volume (weighted dB) by about ten percent. Remember too, amps are rated with 4 ohm loads these days. Ten years ago 8 was the standard. Don't worry about having a few extra watts. Today's 100 watt amp is yesteryears' 40 watt amp.