Subwoofer question.

[VVC-Geeza]

If i were to buy an "active" subwoofer for use with my DD, and then at a later stage bought an amp to connect to the DD itself,would the active sub still be suitable for use with this set up?

[Jakg]

No, or at least not without modifying the box (drilling a hole, running a wire through outside of the box and sealing it up).

[VVC-Geeza]

Ok thanks.

Still tempted to go down the active sub route initially.

[VVC-Geeza]

Would any 2/4 channel amp and passive sub work with the DD?

[MisterTomez]

If the sub has the correct amplification then it will work fine with our DD units, I've tried it myself with my mates kit, but it took up so much boot space it got annoying. You can just plug straight into the two of the multitude of sockets on the back.

If it were me and you don't fancy fitting H/K then I'd go with a decent active sub out of the way so it doesn't compromise in car space.

[VVC-Geeza]

If the sub has the correct amplification then it will work fine with our DD units, I've tried it myself with my mates kit, but it took up so much boot space it got annoying. You can just plug straight into the two of the multitude of sockets on the back.

If it were me and you don't fancy fitting H/K then I'd go with a decent active sub out of the way so it doesn't compromise in car space.

I'm certainly swaying towards an active sub, for the time being anyway,boot isn't in regular use so space not really an issue.

Did the sub that you connected to you DD make much difference to the overall sound quality? I'm assuming you have standard car door speaker set up?

What cables are required to power an active sub?

2 X speaker cables from DD RCA's.
Power cable to sub.

Anything else?

[MisterTomez]

I'm certainly swaying towards an active sub, for the time being anyway,boot isn't in regular use so space not really an issue.

Did the sub that you connected to you DD make much difference to the overall sound quality? I'm assuming you have standard car door speaker set up?

What cables are required to power an active sub?

2 X speaker cables from DD RCA's.
Power cable to sub.

Anything else?

I've got the Harman/Kardon setup and I find this excellent with the DD, really very good quality; then when I added the sub it predictably increased the bass - I have to say it didn't really increase the overall quality, I expect that's down to H/K already being good in the first place. If you've got the base speaker setup then I would recommend it however as they're not really up to the job as regards bass.

Those items you mention will be fine to fit your sub with.

[Jakg]

Would any 2/4 channel amp and passive sub work with the DD?Yes. The DD has pre-outs (just like most other headunits) so it'd be fine.

...then I'd go with a decent active sub out of the way so it doesn't compromise in car space.You won't really save that much room with an active sub - an amp doesn't take up much space, and can be mounted out of the way on the back of the rear seats, and you never need to remove it. You can put a quick-release connector on the side of a sub-box and remove the sub in 10 seconds. Despite how massive my subs are, I can have a totally empty boot ready to load-lug in 10 seconds...

However for an active sub, your going to have a lot more cables going in (2x RCA, power, earth, remote), and it's going to be a lot larger cable so you wont be able to have something quite removable. And you can't just unscew the cables, as you'll then have a whole load of perm-live cables loose in the boot.


This is why I just don't see the advantage at all (even though I can blatently see what your going to buy already ;))2 X speaker cables from DD RCA's.
Power cable to sub.2x RCA's, power, earth & a remote cable.

[MisterTomez]

You won't really save that much room with an active sub - an amp doesn't take up much space, and can be mounted out of the way on the back of the rear seats, and you never need to remove it. You can put a quick-release connector on the side of a sub-box and remove the sub in 10 seconds. Despite how massive my subs are, I can have a totally empty boot ready to load-lug in 10 seconds...

However for an active sub, your going to have a lot more cables going in (2x RCA, power, earth, remote), and it's going to be a lot larger cable so you wont be able to have something quite removable. And you can't just unscew the cables, as you'll then have a whole load of perm-live cables loose in the boot.


This is why I just don't see the advantage at all (even though I can blatently see what your going to buy already ;))2x RCA's, power, earth & a remote cable.

It depends on what you use the car for. If you want to fill the boot up with stuff then the amps are going to exposed mounted on the back of the seats and are liable to something collapsing on them, even more so if you wish to fold the back seat down. With an active sub wired in permanently under the seat for example, it is never going to get in the way so there's no need for it to be removable. It doesn't have to be mounted in the boot.