Big shout out to bassheads who began their life as an audiophile using home speakers in the trunk. ✌ EDIT* Extra shout out to all of you out there who dropped a comment like you drop bass.*

This is wonderful information my og grandma can now correctly install her 2 18" subs into her hatchback and listen to her classic tunes of a timeless era.

Even though I'd been into stereos since the late eighties, I still watch a lot of these videos. You're never too old to learn something new or possibly see something you've overlooked or even forgotten. Not to mention things have changed over the years. Not drastically but enough that it does make a difference.

I won’t lie , this is one of those expensive hobbies

Enjoy this video? I also do complete build videos, basic and advanced tutorials, and reviews. I also just finished a ported subwoofer box build that you can watch here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/m7qBmLiX25fIdIk.html Thanks for watching!

I'm actually quite impressed by this video... this dude actually knows what he's talking about(which I've found, somewhat lacking in the car audio world).. and He's good at communicating what he knows in plain English without confusing people by the more maths heavy aspects of Thiele/Small parameters that bamboozle many folks.

Thanks for the videos man. I used to install professionally, but that was 20 years ago. Some things have changed, some hasn't. But watching your video's is giving the confidence to tackle my new project. I am doing a custom install in the floor of my cargo area of a 2004 Ford Explorer, while still having full use of the area by not having an enclosure just sitting there.

Hey, I made it to the end of the video. Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to explain car audio. I learned much of it through trial and error as a kid. I'm now 52 but still love my music LOUD! Loud isn't enough though. It has to be very clean and have enough bass to rattle my old bones. I've watched several of your vids thus far and the only thing I'd add is this....Be careful when upgrading your alternator. An alternator that has too much output can destroy your car battery and lead to overcharging issues. So, if you upgrade your alternator and end up replacing your car battery a couple times a year, you likely have a overcharge issue.

I’ve been doing installs in my own and some in vehicles for friends for over 20 years. I recently did an install with around 2400W/RMS... I was having cutouts and cutoffs on bass. I watched a few of these videos and totally forgot to do the Big 3 upgrade 🤦🏼‍♂️ Thanks for the videos man 🤘🏼

Great video. I watched the entire vid too. 😂😂😂 I tell everyone about your channel that is looking to upgrade their ICE.

Just want to say thanks for the videos... Took out my Mach speakers in my Mustang convertible, upgraded the head unit, upgraded speakers and did it through two different installers; I realized only after that I needed to do much research before jumping in (Planning phase of your other video), as the sound is lack luster... With COVID freeing up my time, decided to jump back in to make a great sound experience in my car and your videos are helping the path.

Not only did I make it to the end, I loved every second of your explainations. I am a 40 year old confessed basshead. I had multiple "systems" in my teens and early 20s. I made a lot of mistakes then and after 20 years of missing that chest pounding bass I am planning to have a bit of a 'mid-life crisis and reinstall some window cracking thump. However, this time I will do it right and your videos are extremely helpful in my journey. BTW I am thinking of starting with a single 12" sundown nsv4 (properly boxed and powered) to start. I think that should be enough.

I was tryna learn about speakers, I think I’m just gonna learn Chinese instead

I always watch your full videos. They are very insightful and extremely informative and helpful. Thanks for the awesome job Mark.

I appreciate every video u do! I follow a lot of different people on KZfaq, but you keep it real. I always keep coming back to you and exocontralto! You guys are the best! Still learning about routers and wood work. Exo shows what he is currently doing, and you show how it’s possible to get there! You’re work with details and the router are amazing! I have to remember to take it slow and plan it out, like you do. First box I built in the dinning area we don’t use, with a circular saw and jigsaw. Wife was pissed at the dust everywhere, lol. 1/2 inch mdf that was left over from furniture. I now use it as a table in my man cave. Learning is key with each build! Thank you for what you do for all of us!

Made it to the end! We can always pick up a tip here and there. Besides I like hearing someone who is educated! I’m a long time bass head (just turned 50), but still watch your videos. My first system was 2 Stillwater Designs (Kicker) 10’s on a Punch 45 (Rockford Fosgate) behind the seat of an s-10. My last was 4 X v.3 18’s (no wall) on an SFB 8k @1ohm, lots of highs and mids on 3k, 320 alt, 4 AGM’s, and 2/0 in a Tahoe.

Rule #1 for bass - there is no replacement for displacement. Cone area and XMax are critical. If you want big bass, the largest woofer you can fit into the car is the approach to take. But consider sensitivity as well. Some subs have great specs, but sensitivity so low you are going to have to put huge power into them to generate the same SPL as a lesser woofer. Rule #2 Adding subs is not as effective as having a good sub in there the first place. Double the subs is NOT double the bass. You get like, 3-6 dB more output. So, generally speaking, I'd rather spend about $200 on an awesome sub than $100 on two OK subs in a car environment. You save room and money. In a home environment, the logic shifts - 2 good subs are generally better than one great sub, because you can get more even in-room response even without EQ. Rule #3 Double the power is NOT double the bass. 100 watts to 200 watts gleans 3 db or so if the sub can handle it. 200 to 400 gains another 3 db, again, if the sub can handle it. Yes you want to match amps to speaker capability to the greatest extent possible, but in my experience you mainly just want to be sure you can achieve the volume you'd like to listen at without clipping anything. Rule #4 Marcus forgot to talk about a very important spec - Sensitivity! Assume you have a sub that can do 85 dB @ 1 watt. Then you have a sub that can do 95 dB @ 1 watt. All other things equal, the higher sensitivity sub will play louder with less power than the less sensitive sub. Remember, the "first watt" is really important in the speaker world. With 100 watts, you can drive another 20 dB or so, so speaker A is at 105 dB and speaker B is at 115 dB! For the next 10 dB, you need 1,000 watts, and not many speakers can take that kind of power. A lot of subs out there can do something like 82-86 dB/watt, so cone area and stroke become the next predictors of achievable output. A speaker with 3 dB greater sensitivity is like being able to cut your power in half for the same output. That matters planning your system (AND your budget). Yes Yes I know - cars routinely can hit well over 100 dB, and even 120-150 dB. But for the "average" guy like myself, I need a system that can probably play 70-80 dB on average, with 95-100 dB peaks. It will be vastly easier to get there with more, not less sensitive speakers that make better use of less, not more power! I mean how many of you have a 150-200 amp alternator? Exactly. Rule #5 This I am less sure about. In a car, you get crazy amounts of cabin gain. So, assuming your subwoofer measured perfectly flat, at what frequency, and rate, should the bass be allowed to roll off? "Full range" music generally reaches down to about 40 hz. Do you need incredible output at 20 hz? No. Do you need some response in the 30hz range? Yes, for the synthetic bass stuff. What is a good rule of thumb, or "target curve" for an in-car subwoofer? According to Audiofrog, you can expect a good 5-20 dB of cabin gain from 60hz down to 20 hz (increasing gain for decreasing frequency). That's a ton. You can easily be down 5-10 dB from 60hz down and still expect to hear good output in the sub-bass frequencies. If you are all about sound quality, a slow roll-off will be rewarded with a "natural" bass boost. IF you build a ported box, which roll off at 24dB/octave, than only a bigger box will generally let you achieve extension. But then the extension might increase the "boom" so much you'll need to play with levels / EQ to get a proper integration. Rule #6 - Group delay. Yes you can build any box you want, designed for output or convenience, or sound quality or whatever. But having a lot of group delay (above 400-500) probably leads to a "slow" "muddy" sounding bass. Not all woofers are going to like being ported. And not all ported woofers are going to sound stellar unless designed a certain way. Sealed boxes tend to have low group delay, but less "slam", and the "tightness" can sometimes take a bit of the fun out. Personally, in a car, I lean toward ported boxes that allow for some added energy in the 30-50hz area. I hate to plug a company, but the JL Audio Microsub, the 8 inch, truly impressed me with Bass that had some guts, could ALMOST reach all the way down in the songs I played with the most bass, and still managed to sound pretty tight and well behaved as if it were designed for sound quality. If WINISD is correct, it had a pretty slow roll off, and low group delay down to 30 hz or so. A great design, in other words. No one cares. But I am sharing anyway! Thanks.

This helped me make the right decision about everything!!!

I made it to the end. I'm an old fart, but I do appreciate the fact that youre cool, know your stuf, and most importantly - put that info in a cohesive, digestible format that makes sense to the listener. Well done!

I watch every video until the end. I have learned more in 2 months from this channel then I have in the 10 years prior. You and Steve Meade are the places I go for my car audio fix. Lucky for me I live in the same town as Steve so I can go by the shop and pick up what I need.

Thank God someone that knows what they are talking about

Awesome vid and almost 200k subs! Congrats, keep them coming

You are a true audio genius, I've seen a few of your videos and you are very correct. I'm 36 but when I was a teen I had good boom in my car, I had two tens sealed box, affinity speakers, I installed two amps cause for each speaker cause I couldn't find the right mono block, I eventually did but before that one of the amps kept blowing a fuse and than it finally went up in smoke, that's when I got the mono block and my clarity changed and base never distorted. But I've seen other dudes with bad setups and it made feel smarter cause mine was right and they were doing silly things like what you said on your video about adding other subs from a buddy. To end it you truly know what your talking about and I would absolutely share these videos

I don't think your videos are monotonous at all. I think your videos are exceptionally informative and easy to watch. Thank you!

Made it to the end and I'm glad I did! 👌🏽 You dropped some nice jewels. Made me realize how I'm all 4 mistakes. Lol. Geez I need an upgrade.

I made it to the end thank you very much I'm taking it in and having it tuned but now I know how to ask for what needs to be done because I know they have the right tools but I want to make sure I have the right language so they do me right thank you man you rock

Soooo much knowledge on this channel. Great job my man

I'm a new be but watching and listening to the words of wisdom from you helped me big time .I am hooked on this and thank you for doing what you do and I have watched your videos to the very end every time and will continue to do so most importantly. Your videos have brought me closer to my little brothers and now we talk about car stereo system every day .I have a boat that I want to be heard from space I already have leds so I can be seen from space. I wish you could help me with the system so that could be my number best thing for myself and this helps me with my depression and has helped me deal with drugs that I have been battling my whole life. I'm 53 and drugs use is a problem because of my father taking his life in 1981. Cocaine is the problem and no matter what or who go drugs are everywhere. Music has always made me feel. And the last couple years. Have been hell .the videos you post have given me back some purpose in my life. Drugs have taken everything that made me happy away once I got the stereo fix from your videos. Life is different. It has even made me clean my life. My home. My car and do on thank you so much .. only wish one thing. Please help me with my boat this spring. Unfortunately I live in boring bay City Michigan. Blocks from the Saginaw river. In NA I learned this what are you gonna do when drugs don't work anymore .... Your words and wisdom. Is better then any drug I have ever done. That's the truth. Thanks and I sure hope you read my story. I would feel again I don't have feelings anymore .the only thing I do love is water. And u don't want to lose that. Like everything else in my life

11:35 I have watched all your videos to the end. I have learned so much by watching your videos. Thank you very much for your time that you put into your content!

Made it all the way to the end of your video lol Most of your videos are very helpful to my intended purpose on my build.

Every time I start working on my stereo I always go back to your videos just to make sure I do It right. Love your videos!

Thanks for the information! Yes, I did watch the video to the end. Its been a long time since I have installed an audio system in a vehicle, and I've been watching your videos to pick up a tip or two, and to remind me of something that I may have forgotten about. Thanks for another great how-to video.

I personally watch all your vids till the end!! Would love to see an episode on altinators and even multiple altinators!! Thanks for all the sweet vids man!!

Honestly I wish the videos were longer. I learn alot but I'm always itching for more

Super informative! This is probably one of the best videos I've seen on car audio. You can tell this guy REALLY knows his stuff!

All good advice, this guy clearly knows what he is talking about. I've been running sound systems for 19 years.

Thank you. After this video. Reverse polarity. Sounds so much better. Am dropping bass like my name is Gravity.

Id be real interrested in that future planned video. Also, thanks for covering everything simple but complete

Hey man, you videos are absolutely amazing, full of detail and well said!!. I've been in the audio world for about 15 years and doing car audio professionally now for 5 years. i cant thank you enough for these videos as the 3 I've watched so far gave me some knowledge i didn't quite understand before.i love audio and I'll continue to watch your videos to support you and to learn more about this wide world of Audio!!

Hey Mark, I really learned a lot from your videos. I am attempting to build my dream audio system. This is my first time without any real prior knowledge. I'm planning to make the system simple, clean, and with sufficient power to accomplish the objective, which is to enjoy a real nice acoustic blend from the tweeters, mid ranges, and bass speakers. Because of my lack of knowledge in this area, everything, all your videos, other videos, and equipment research are very important. You are doing a great job!!! Thanks to you, your team, and your sponsors for the knowledge.

Also, new speakers and especially subs have a break in period. The difference in sound between the day you install and tune and a month or two later is noticeable. Be prepared to retune your settings several times in the first year of your install.

Damn it now I have to check to see if my subs are correct from factory. I was trying to figure out way am I not getting much bass even though everything is hooked up right. THANK YOU FOR THE HEADS UP!!

Made it to the end ; ) It's easy to make it to the end when your videos are so informative and interesting. Thanks man!

Thanks for the video. I have been doing my own home built systems since the 80s. Never professionally just for myself and family and friends. Just built my first sundown system for me new f150. Thanks for the video again. And yes. I watched till the end. 😊

I watch to the end. your welcome. for me watch. And a thumbs up for you my good man. Prost

You are a wise man and offer good advice. Keep up the good work!

Love it as usual. And I always watch to the end!

I like to watch all the videos to the end as I am extremely detailed on almost everything I build. Keep it up!

Mistake 5 the gain and bass boost on the amplifier should not be cranked all the way up. Seen too many subs get clipped to death because the gains weren't set properly.

I made it to the end! Very informative.

I made it to the end. As a matter of fact, this is my second attempt with an amplifier and subwoofer system. Now mind you I bought everything from Walmart. The first time I had a thousand watt amp 1200 w 12-in subwoofer. Amp kept getting hot it sounded terrible. By watching some of your videos and others I learned about the RMS value and other things and my little cheap pioneer get up, with a kicker 360 4channel amp , & 300 watt 10-in subwoofer which I bridged. It sounds great. I'm pretty close to matching Rms values, and it's in a 96 Ford ranger regular cab. Definitely thumps and will make your ears ring . So therefore thank you for the education 👍👍

I made it to the end. I like the info and builds you put out. I'm about to start my own build, you're inspiring!

Good stuff ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

I like that you focus on economic, Because as we all know, students can't afford those extra items just to make the sound "closer" to "perfect"

Made it to the end. I appreciate all the knowledge. Helps me a lot. Much Appreciated. Have a good one bud.

I also made it to the end. Just bought a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee and totally not impressed with the stock Alpine 9 speaker stereo. I used to be a DJ back in the day. Also has a kicking Alpine stereo with JL Audio 10” subs in my YJ in the 90’s. I know what sounds good. These videos are helping me make the decision to upgrade to something that is going to satisfy my ears. Keep’ ‘‘em coming Mark.

Another good way to test the polarity of your speakers if they are labeled wrong is to take something like a 9v battery and see where the + and - of the battery is when the speaker moves and stays up.

I am 46 now, have installed audio systems since 17. These videos are great. Not only learning more they remind me of things I have forgotten

Made it through the whole video. Very Insightful. Thanks man!

I absolutely love your videos. I've been out of car audio for a while and these have actually motivated me to build/install a custom system in my 17 f250

Bro your polarity topic helped me. Thanks

I made it to the end!

Man I have loved all of your videos. They’re incredibly informative. I’m a research guy and I always like to know as much as possible about something before I spend money on it. You help me with that quite a bit.

I watch all your video's till the end you have helped me fix a lot of different problem's I've had with my setup

I watched to the end, cheers mate!

thanks for making this video, liked it a lot, good info!

Very informative.. There's something so gratifying about watching someone in their craft.

Awesome info, Mark! Thanks for all of the information in your videos!👍

When I was 16 (just turned 39) I hooked up my first sound system just some cheap junk I bought from a friend but I used some old computer cable for my power and ground lmao it was from my high school left over from a renovation! It worked but barely!!😂😂

I watch every video all the way to the end.

This man is an absolute book of knowledge. Im not exactly new to all this wiring shit but trust me any1 struggling to understand it all in 1 hit, this shit is tuff, not impossible to eventually learn enough to do bits n bobs but if boggles my mind. Thankyou for posting

You sir are a legend. Many thanks for all your advice and tutorials. I always end a viewing with all questions awnserd. Cheers bro👊

👌👌👌👌😎😎😎

Another way to prevent box flex is after building your box with 3/4" material, build another box around it with 1/2" or 3/4" material. Even the front that the subwoofer is mounted to. The depth of your port makes more air but also more boomy bass.

Love all your videos. They are definitely helping me with my system upgrade

Good stuff!..... Every little bit of solid information helps!! Thanks Mark.

I make it to the end of every video because I'm always tryna squeeze out a few more db

CAF Dust cap on that sub huh? Pretty cool my man. And I always watch the whole video. I've seen most of them too. Can't really have too much knowledge.

I make it to the end everytime, your very informative and explain all aspects of car audio very a well....thank you

Outstanding presentation Mark ! Precise and easy to understand. Thank you.😎

I need you to install my stuff from now on lol

I watch them two and three times myself just soak it in my head

I love watching these and learning

Watched the whole thing...excellent coverage of good bass considerations. Thanks.

Moar tips for Moar bass: If you are doing a vented enclosure, make sure your sub is meant for it, same for sealed. Some subs can do both fine. I use the Efficiency Bandwidth Product: EBP= Fs/Qes If EBP =: 0-50, sub best suited for sealed enclosure, 50-90, could be used for both. 90-200, better go ported. Some bass amplifiers also have a "slope" adjustment for the roll-off of the bass at the crossover point between the sub and the mids. The type of enclosure will dictate slope after F3, (Low end). Make sure that is set right for your install. I.E., if your sub is in the trunk, you might want a not-so-steep slope (6db or 12db) to blend in better with your mids up front, since the back seat basicly adds an acoustic order. Steeper slope if the sub is right behind you, and you feel that the bass seems muddy around an octave or two within the crossover point. I think my old JL bass amp had selection for 6db, 12db, and 18db slope. If your sub is ported, don't put the port side right up against a car panel.

Doing my own system, so trying to get all info I can

.I really enjoy your videos and have learned different technique to my system. And as a side note I to watch from beginning to end each video to make sure I understand fully what your explaining. When I build or install I read the instruction manual First, before emptying the equipment.

This is the stuff I came here for. Thanks for posting this very useful information.

You may not want to totally seal a sealed enclosure. Hot and cold cycles inside a trunk can cause significant pressure differences inside and outside the box. I drill a 1/16 hole on the bottom where it contacts the carpet to minimize any noise and let the pressure equalize. Your foam surround will thank you.

for cheep way to check speaker polarity i use "old" 9v battery.

keep up the good work my man! I learn so much from your videos.

Built a box from your website…. It works really well thank you

Great video! Very good, now I'll go set my audio player. It has DSP but I didn't know how to set the delays for all speakers. It's just trial and error or a way to find out before?

Is this the Fab-Kitchen I keep hearing about?

I made the phase mistake. I had everything installed right and in my last car it sounded fantastic and hit the back of my seat real nice. But in my new car it seemed like all the bass was just soft and not powerful. I had it forward firing into the rear seats. However when I opened my trunk up it immediately started pounding like it used to. Not sure why. I decided to turn my box around so that it can fire backwards towards the taillights and that solved my lack of bass. Super simple. Made me really happy with my install.

Thank you! very informative and i did watch till the end LoL!! Very clear and well explained.

Please do a video on speaker power and watts. People go around the internet with 20,000 watt audio in their car. And I come from a professional audio background in theater and concert. and know for almost certain fact that this is not possible in a car running off 12 volts DC, and maybe 250 amps if they really went all out on their alternator. I don't think that most people realize that a normal auditorium system runs off of maybe 600 watts. And most concert systems use maybe 5000. Full on ampitheaters use at most 40,000 and that's to broadcast deafening audio to 15,000 people. And these settings practically need their own transformer stations to do it. Not to mention entire rooms of professional grade amplifiers to accomplish this. Even auditorium systems that run on up to 5000 watts typically run off of 6, 50 amp circuits. And systems larger than that typically get into three phase or parallell three phase current to feed all this amplification. That adds to 416 volts. And yes I know that is alternating and not direct. But there is a disconnect here. I cannot see how a car can legitamately power audio past around 5000 watts rms. The math just doesn't seem to check out. And if these systems are actually running true 20,000 watts, why aren't these people having blood come out their ears? As 20,000 watts can deafen you from 100 yards. And provide bass to rattle your bones from even further. Hell back in school I made panels fall from the ceiling in an auditorium running 14 inch subs at 2000 watts at 4 ohms. But if I go out and buy 2000 watt subs for my car running at 4 ohms each it barely compares. Where is the disconnect? Not to mention if I tell any audio engineers I have 4800 watt subs in my car they laugh. Because if I ran 4800 watts in a couple JBL M Pro's in my car, I would probably break a window. Not to mention go completely deaf. If you actually read all this I'm impressed because this seems to be an avoided topic between these two professional audio worlds. And I have yet to find someone that will actually explain it.

Can you do a video on speaker wire...the best brands, differences, and type of gauge necessary.

Love the vids. Very thorough and knowledgeable.

I watch to the end on every episode I watch. Very informative and detailed. Figure if I keep watching some of this stuff will get through and stay in my brain. Ive worked in the pro AV world for almost 10 years. All of it mostly in SoCal, Orange county. Car audio is certainly another world to me. Although It does give me more of a head start as a beginner and I know specific details about wiring that many beginners may have to learn from doing themselves to find out.