So as part of my possible project to add some nifty toys to my current 2000 Volvo S80 a subwoofer is one of them. I did some homework and talked to one of the guys at Circuit City. Here is what he told me and please let me know if I (or him) were off anywhere

A) To add a subwoofer would mean I need a new amp as the factory BOSE amp that comes with the S80 will likely not support any aftermarket subwoofer and runs the risk of blowing it out.

B) The power of the subwoofer would have to match the capabilities of the amp-or as the terms are I guess if I buy say a 200 watt amp then my subwoofer can be no more than 200 watts because the amp feeds the speakers and has to be able to control the output to the subwoofer to prevent blowing it out.

C) If I were to replace the radio/cd deck I lose the ability to use the steering wheel radio controls. This can be corrected with the aftermarket remote accessorials but that of course entails more money and time.

He has recommended I look into Kicker, Eclipse, and Alpine and avoid Sony and Genson. I am especially intested in the Alpine Type S subwoofers but am open to other good ones out there.Any thoughts or feedback on those who have also upgraded their Volvos with aftermarket subwoofers and amps as well?

 

eclipse and alpine both make very nice woofers alpines prices are very reasonable how much are you looking to spend is the big question
you know what size you want?
also look into jl audio ive had there speakers/amps in my cars for years never looked back

 

yes...you would need a new amp. Factory amps don't put out near enough power to push sound out of a an aftermarket woofer. Blowing it out? eh....maybe but probably not. Factory amps don't use the relativly low voltage output/input that come from using RCA preamp channels which is where this theory comes from. They use the higher voltage wires typically hoooked up to the regular speakers. However, you're not going to high wattage out of a factory amp so chances are it would come out in the wash. Anyway you look at it....it won't work well enough to try.

That's true....but when you buy an amp for a subwoofer (or any audio electronics) you need to look at the RMS wattage rating...not the max Wattage. The RMS wattage is the level that an electronic component will opporate at 80% of the time. Depending on what class amp it is a 200 Watt amp will have an RMS rating of about 75 Watts. Depending on the brand sub you go with a 10" single coil sub will have an RMS rating of around the same (twice that for dual coil). the bigger the sub the higher the RMS rating. will a 200 watt amp push a 10" woofer without blowing it out? Absolutly....but you'll be limited to how much bass you can get out of it and how many subs you can hook up to it.

Here's where the myth gets twisted. people blow out sub woffers running on under powered amps when they decide to use the gain settings as a volumn control. The gain setting is ment to MATCH the ampage coming out of your CD player, not to increase the wattage out to your subs. When you do this and hard hitting bass hits all the unmatched amps get thrown into the sub and it clipps to the point of blowing out. It really has nothing to do with unmatched watts.

eh...I guess it depends on how important it is to you. most aftermarket players come with hand held remotes anyway.

I've nothing but good luck with Pioneer...it's not the best but it is durable and it sounds fantastic when tuned correctly

 

Thanks guys that helps alot......I've learned alot in the past few days already.....

 

Hi there, I'm living in Chicago and I'm new in US... I bought an S80 1999 and I'm searching to do the same thing with my sound system (add an amp and a subwoofer). Do you guys know where I have to go to do that? Is there some well known places specialized on that??

 

in chicago there are without a doubt many places that specialize in that. big name stores like best buy can help alot for basic info

 

I have also Alpine with 200 sub woofer and runs great with clear sound. But whenever im trying to increase it upto high pitch, it sounds like creep at very starting but runs cool after some seconds.