I was looking at some nice JBL 12" subs at best buy, and I was wondering if the car can handle all that on its own It might be powering some underglows, and a navigation system too. And if it needs a new alternator, anyone know how much that would run me?

I've got a single JL 10W6 in a non-ported box (JL calls it a ProWedge), and the punch is so tight. I love it. Don't have a capacitor, either. It fits perfectly behind my driver's seat, with the spare tire directly in front of it.

A new alternator will run you at least $1k, plus some intense labour, as the entire engine has to come out.

-Iain

Pretty nice looking subwoofer you got there I know one of my friends had to get a new alternator for all the stuff he's got, but it's a pretty comon truck so it only cost him about $700, I didn't know about smarts

It all depends what kind of power you need to push and how often. If you have a pair of JBL 12" subs but you've hooked them up to a 100WRMS amp, then it doesn't matter what you do, you'll never need to upgrade the electrical system. On the flip side even if you spend the big bucks and get a super powerful monoblock amp at like 800WRMS, if you only ever turn it up and try to bust the windows out every once in a blue moon you might still be ok.

IMHO anything you're putting into a car like the smart will be ok if you're just looking to listen to music when you're driving and occasionally turn the bass up every now and then for no longer than a song just to show it off to your friend in the passenger seat. The stock alty is strong enough that to listen to music loud enough, long enough, to need an upgrade, you'd have to be nearly deaf.

If you want to have your system set up loud enough so that you can park the car at a party and then walk away and turn the music on so that everyone can hear it, then you will for sure need an alternator upgrade (which BTW I don't even know if there is an upgraded alty for the smart that you could install even if you wanted to).

i used a different bass option. got a boss audio systems bass600 8 inch low profile self powered sub.fits perfectly under the passengers seat and kicks super well

I want enough bass that if I pull up in the driveway, everyone in the house can hear the subs. I have a 10" powered sub for my home theatre and it's enough to shake the house... I dunno how much you'd need in the car The only people I know that spent the money on stereos went big, so all of em have 12" or bigger
If the alternator wasn't good enough to keep up could it be possible to use a regular car alternator, or is there no way to hook that kind of thing up?

The alternator should be fine if you pick your components wisely. If you are just looking for bass, a Class D mono amp should be good enough to run a pair of 12" subs. I have had two 10" subs (and then one 12" sub) in a 1990 Civic Hatch and that was more than enough for that car; a single 12" should be plenty in the smart, you'll hear it and feel it inside pretty easily. Remember efficiency is your friend, more bass with less power will yield less drain on the car's electrical.

Just be careful that someone else doesn't hear it and steal it...

Yeah, I'm not the greatest with stereos... I can hook my home theatre up fine But I don't know anything when it comes to car audio. I'll have to bring one of my friends with me when I go to buy the stuff. Probably have to have an alarm installed too. Was looking at some of those Viper security ones that they sell at Futureshop

I didn't know anything at all, so went with carefully suggestions from friends and various audio shops I visited. Installing it was fairly easy, becuase the battery is in the passenger compartment on the smart.

-Iain

Cool So did you install anything else on your car other than the stereo? I was thinking underglows and a stereo... That'd be about it likely unless someone came out with lambo door hinges for smarts

Hi to you Bass Nuts, for a real tight low end may I recommend the Aura Bass Shakers
No cone to move, just a mechanical mass that reacts to the speaker signal
Bolt or secure the unit to the seat frame, < 1 per seat >, and hang on
About 5 inches in diameter, 3 inches thick, usual + & - hookup, polarity not critical
Much more electrically efficient than an signal moving thru an air gap of a conventional speaker

We use them in live sound by clamping one to the drummers seat
Gives the feeling of huge sub based side fills/ drum fill, to the drummer
Without washing the stage with low end and muddying up the mixes

The mfg used to be in El Segundo, been out of business for awhile
I find them occasionally on ebay, or one of the pro sound classified sites
Never had one fail, & have done some real nasty gigs using them
< when the level on stage approaches the effect of an iron lung, run away >
Will take some pix of a car install we just did using them, & add them here
Good luck & practice safe sound, like we try to do
CM

That sounds kinda cool Does it make any noise though? I mean, theres still notes coming outa the subwoofer, it's just an added bonus that it shakes the car Or do you still buy subs, then add the aura thing for more vibration?

That sounds kinda cool Does it make any noise though? I mean, theres still notes coming outa the subwoofer, it's just an added bonus that it shakes the car Or do you still buy subs, then add the aura thing for more vibration?

Hi, in my regular car, I use tweets & midranges as the only speakers, makes placement easy
The Aura unit just bolts/ fixes to the seat frame, I used the seat back, more space than the bottom
The mids, JBL alnico magnet, full range, I just let taper off naturally, around 100Hz of so
The Aura's work up to 125Hz, but they are cleaner if crossed out of by around 100Hz
The net overall result is like a horn loaded sub, very tight, very defined
No actual sub speaker needed

We played around with a car using both Aura's and subs together
Sounded cleaner without the subs, mind you while sitting in the seat
if not in the seat, of course, you don't have the sub effect
By the way, it doesn't take much power to drive those Aura's
As to noise, you are certain to find loose hardware & fittings thru out the car
Including the glove box contents, a cut bit of thin foam sheet works good here

In other words, no-one knows about it unless they sit in the seat. So it won't meet your need of "I want enough bass that if I pull up in the driveway, everyone in the house can hear the subs.".

They're meant for people who like to feel the bass and not lose their hearing.

In other words, no-one knows about it unless they sit in the seat. So it won't meet your need of "I want enough bass that if I pull up in the driveway, everyone in the house can hear the subs.".

They're meant for people who like to feel the bass and not lose their hearing.
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UNfortunately, I have some neighbors in a rental unit, that exemplify this to the extreme
At around 1AM to 3AM, the arrival of several vehicles is heralded by a low frequency pounding
That is usually a sign of an earthquake or incoming howitzer rounds
I had thought their CD player was stuck on the same song
Some musician friends explained that the entire disc is like that
It's a tie as to what part is most annoying,
The rattling body panels of their vehicles, or the buzzing my bedroom window makes on some notes
While I have nothing against knuckle dragging Neanderthal rhythms
Heck, our ancient ancestors practiced it for thousands of generations
A little consideration would go a long ways
Thank you

Well those Aura things sound neat, but ya I'm looking for the noise. I got a few friends with pretty nice setups, and we're all pretty competetive so... It's gotta be big or there's no point in trying rite? unfortunately for them I have the advantage of knowing what they own before I go buy mine :D Lol - Luckily alot of stuff has come down in price You can get some qualoty stereos and speakers for not a whole lot, if you don't mind making your own speaker boxs.

Hi, have not sourced any more Aura sub units, but here is a company using the same technology:

http://www.soliddrive.com/solid-drive.html


And the original pioneers, with their latest sub:

http://danleysoundlabs.com/pdf/DTS%2020%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf



If you have been following the developments in Cern:

http://www.doobybrain.com/2008/08/18/rap-v...adron-collider/

http://www.doobybrain.com/2008/08/10/this-...-hole-on-earth/

Sorry, how is this related to subwoofers in a smart car???