assuming you have some basic tools, you should be able to make your own box for something on the order of $75.

that leaves us $325 for amp and subs.

the Elemental Designs e12k.14 or e12k.44 is $135 and will perform well in a .6 to 1.2 cu ft enclosure... (choose the best sub based upon your amp's minimum load)
the recommended enclosure might sit a bit taller than the tool well, but would still fit on the tools. if you build one of b-man's trapezoidal boxes and get .8 cu. ft., you could put the tools in the spare tire and still use the whole well for the sub...

so, now we're at $190 for an amp.

• the Avionixx AXA 400.2 which outputs 400Wrms x 1 @ 4 ohms is $185. it should also fit nicely on the back wall between the spare and the trunk hinge. you'd want the e12k.14 for this amp.
  
• the Rockford Fosgate Power 351M goes for $142 on Infinitecaraudio.com, but i'd pricematch it over at sounddomain.com. http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/ROC351M you'd want the e12k.44 for this one and run the sub at 2 ohms. this amp should also easily fit on the back wall between the spare and the trunk hinge.
  
• or you could get the HiFonics Merlin (i believe this is a good amp.. check around) at sounddomain.com for $179.99. http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/HIFMERLIN you could probably price match it as well on the net. you'd want the e12k.44 for this one as well and run the sub at 2 ohms. again, i believe this amp could easily mount between the trunk hinge and the spare tire.

hopefully, b-man will throw more stuff in than this...

 

Sorry I missed this one. Gotta love 4-day weekends

I haven't been keeping up with audio prices these days but in general you really can't beat JBL for lots of sub power on a budget.

Avionixx and Tsunami seem to be on everyone's lips in terms of value amps but I'm holding off until I hear lots of long term reviews...probably wouldn't be too unsafe a risk though...

Actually, if you're looking for a bargain on more power than you'll ever need, see if you can get someone to pricematch these guys:

onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=12303

Yup. 880 watts @ 4 ohms for $179 shipped...That's unheard of

Soundstream is definitely reputable but I've seen very few installs of the Picasso line.

For the sub, the ED 10K would be too deep for a Lucid box unless you add some sort of baffle on top...The Lucid box has a total mounting depth of 5" and the 10K's rear mounting depth is 5.25"...Check out the FAQ for inexpensive subs that work in small boxes. Any of those would really be great.

Also, you say that money's not really a big issue but how big of an issue is space? And are you more concerned with keeping useable trunk space or keeping a stealth look?

 

thanks b-man

yeah, i saw that Soundstream deal a bit later in the day... that's huge!

i just don't know of many good bargin subs w/ any sound quality and that is half my problem.

 

Well, price, and space are big concerns. This is my daily driven, and only car, so space is at a premium. My mindset is to have enough money to buy everything at once, and go for it, but I guess thats stupid and would be better if I just started to piece together a system now. Getting rid of the center depression is do-able, but ditching the spare most definatly is not.

I think it would be easy enough to buy an Infinity Basslink, and call it a day. Cheap, sounds pretty good, and is small. But then again, I love custom work, or atleast would rather piece together my own sub system.

So, with all this in mind, if you guys dont mind, just use your own discretion and tell me what you would order, from where, to the tune of say 350 for sub/box/amp. I would prefer a box that utilizes the center depression as opposed to a side pocket, like Lucids, but if possible, I would like the sub centered.

If any of you sell this stuff, I would be happy to buy it from you in return for your help.

Thanks alot.
gmoore

 

FYI- I have a Visonik mids/highs amp going where the tools are, another problem we face if we go for a box in the depression. Gah, so many limiting factors!
gmoore

 

since you're over in the basslink thread currently running, i'll just post some basslink info and answers over there.... hope that's ok.

 

Ok, so the Basslink doesnt fit well in the trunk, and it seems that many people are not pleased with it. So, lets scratch that.

My needs/wants boiled down...
1) Keep spare tire
2)Need to hide a Visonik mids/highs that originally was supposed to go in the trunk depression, along with whatever sub amp.
4)Cant spend more than 350.

Or, we could do the Lucid box, small Audiobahn sub, and whatever amp, and place either the sub or mids/highs amp to the left of the sub ontop of the box, while the other amp goes inside the spare tire, or around it.

What do you think? If that doesnt work at all, use your discretion, and my guidelines to throw together something that would work.
gmoore

 

Update, the amp for the mids/highs I bought can be bridge to 500 watts to 1 at 1 0hm. So, we could use this as our sub amp, and purchase a diff mids/highs, but the problem is this amp fits perfectly within the depression in the trunk, which is where I planned to put the sub box.
gmoore

 

In bridged mode, it's 1 ohm stable? Anyhow...your needs, answered[list=1]
[*]Easy enough. Roll up the tools in a towel and stick them in the spare.
[*]Is hiding important to you? There are very few places to completely hide amps unless you're willing to build false walls or mount your amps in tight spaces like under a seat or in the spare tire
[*]Wait, what happened to three?
[*]Hmmm...if you get the Lucid prefab ($100), you've got $250 left for sub and amp and a pretty shallow space to work with, not to mention a desire to have a hideable amp...hmmm...this is a tough one...a saucer type sub and a tiny amp for about $125 each...[/list=1]Off the top of my head, the shallow subs worth mentioning are the Phase Linear Aliante Si, Falstaff Alto (might be wrong) series, CDT MS series, Illusion Audio ND series, Blaupunkt Overdrive (could be wrong on this name) series, Planet Audio Neo series, and Lanzar's neo series

The first two aren't readily available stateside and are way outside of your budget anyway, the next two no longer exist and were a bit over your budget, the Blau never existed (couldn't find a buildhouse), and the last two I've never heard in person or read a firsthand review of but everyone swears that a friend of a friend has one and loves it with the buzz about the Lanzar one supposedly stronger...

The three tiny amps I know of are the Blaupunkt PA series, the Xtant 1.1, and the Soundstream Angina

People report problems with the Blaus, the Xtant is too expensive, and the Angina is impossible to find. I know because I've looked...

 

how's this for an idea...

looks like most Visonik amps are Tri-Mode capable... so, tri-mode the amp, mount it in the tool well, use it to drive your highs, and then we can spend $350 on a WLaurent sub setup and an inline sub crossover...

not pretty, but compact and w/in budget. also, it lets you still keep the function of the spare.

i realize you're not overly fond of the WLaurent subs, but w/ an amp that size (that you have listed above) there aren't many places you can mount it except in the tool well...

i've found a few Visonik amps that match your dimensions, but none that are 1 ohm stable... what model are you working with?