[VAL] Re: Adding a subwoofer

[jon fitz <fitzjo1@xxxxxxxxx>]

You could do the whole system with a 2-channel head
unit and an external sub-woofer crossover.  I used
that approach in an older car I had and it sounded
fine.  The crossover and sub are still in service
almost 20 years later as a sound system for a
television.  

You may have to hunt for the crossover, since most
folks are installing multi-channel amps with the hi/lo
pass filters between the head unit and amps (this is
usually the best-sounding arrangement).  The one I had
was fully packaged with speaker terminals for all the
inputs and outputs and had a 120 Hz crossover point. 

If you use a four channel system, what you'll really
be looking for is a filter.  You could skip the filter
on the subs and just use a hi-pass filter on the small
speakers.  This approach has the advantage mentioned
by a previous poster, which is the use of the fader to
control subwoofer levels.  

Finally, be sure to use only 4 ohm speakers for 12V
apps.  You will get only 1/4 the output (6 dB less)
from 8 ohm speakers on the same head unit (Ohm's
law--V=Ri).


Jon in SC
68 Overlander