putting mobile subs/amps in home theater?

[corndogggy]

I have been wondering about this for awhile. I picked up some home subs awhile back, and I simply wasn't happy with them. Since then, I've noticed that most home subs just don't sound good. I like the rest of my home theater, but can't find the low end that I want. Most drivers are pretty pathetic and the cabinets just aren't thick enough. So basically what I'm getting at is that it seems that you could build your own sub system with a car sub and come out way ahead. I don't see why it wouldn't work if you did it right. Anybody ever done this? Separate home amps are really expensive too, and for powering a sub, I just can't see paying that much. You could get twice the amp with similar specs for half the cost if you went with a car amp.

[sasquach01]

I donno how you are going to get power to the car amp unless you use a converter, but I took a couple of old mtx blue thunder 10s I had and built a big speaker box with a couple of 6x9s, 41/2s, and a tweeter and put them in the living room of the trailer I was in and they sounded great. Packed the boxs with polyfill.

[Reggie87]

Its not recomended to use a sub built for small closed spaces (i.e. car)in a home entertainment system. Mostly due to a potiental Ohm load issue. They just aren't made to be used to excessive volumes or time periods as a home subs. I have seen car subs blow up and catch on fire. Just be careful and double check. I'm just saying its not recomended.. cause ur going to blow ur sub.
Mike

[corndogggy]

Ohm load issues eh? Fire? Wow. smile.gif I can see how you're not supposed to just run a regular home amp output into mobile subs because of that, but not if you're running a mobile amp as well. Most home receivers are rated at 16 ohms I think. I doubt they'd like a 4 or 2 ohms load. Still though, that's not to say that something couldn't be wired to match. If all else fails, use a resistor. :D

But yeah, I don't see why you couldn't just use a power supply and run a mobile amp as well. All the car audio places do it, so I don't see why I couldn't as well. But to tell the truth, I have no idea how much a good converter would cost.

Anyway, that's the first time I've ever heard anybody say that quality mobile subs just weren't meant for excessive volume! Especially as when compared to the pathetic but still expensive home subs I've been looking at. The ones I originally had was Wharfedale's. They were 10's with a 150 watt amp. MSRP is $600 each. I got two of them. They sounded like poopola. Wharfedale isn't a knockoff "back of the van" brand either. So then dad got a Sony 12" with a 200 watt amp, which helps, but I still want more. I know that room acoustics is a big part of all this, but still, these subs get overexerted way too easy.

I think I want two downfiring 12's, maybe 15's, in a very well built sealed box, and stick them under my pool table in the back of the room, and feed them about 500 watts. I just think I'd get much more bang for the buck if I tried to use mobile stuff.

The best bass I've ever heard from a home system was from one 18" in the corner of a concrete room. I'd love to reproduce that. That thing cost almost $2K though!