i like the rockford name but i hear little rumors here and there that theyre cheap and stuff (i guess cheap meanning crappy) i always liked the Punch series sine the late 90's just because of the look and all and recently ive beeb seeing 2 way door speakers. are the door speakers new? how new are they and does anybody have them on here. im putting two 12's in a band pass box. i know nothing about stereos so im buying the package at best buy. is it cheaper there than a Rockford dealer. i wish i knew stereos more than car repair

so is rockford worth it or something more pricer. im not going into a sound competitioin ever

 

I have a pair of RF 8"s in my wife's car and they work great. I've never heard anything bad about RF. They are still well respected to my knowledge. I met a gentleman this past weekend who had a pair of 10s and they put out enough pressure to crack the front seal on the rear windows (the ones with the antenna built in).

I suggest checking with your local car audio dealers before buying a bandpass box at Best Buy. First the sales staff at Best Buy is just trying to get you to buy something and may try to push you towards more expensive items that might not meet your needs. Your local shops will help you pick out the pieces that you need and put them in a package that is suited for your car and lifestyle. Second, there's a good chance you can get a better price at the local shop vs. Best Buy. I know I can here. Third, local shops can install for you or help you if you run into problems. Does BB have any type of install shop? I know CC does and I constantly here complaints about them.

On a note about those bandpass boxes; they aren't that great. The plexi panels they put in them aren't nearly thick enough so the flex and color the sound plus they can leak over time and leaks cause all kinds of wierd noises. I'm also not a big fan of bandpass boxes because they only play a very limited "band" of sound which doesn't go nearly low enough for my taste and will sound quite bad if the music is outside its range particularly with lots of power applied. They get whooshy sounding.

 

cool thanks for the info

where are you in SC?

 

BB and CC normally have install shops. But I would never in my life get something installed by them unless I personally knew the installer.

Small shops can be nice if they aren't dicks trying to get your money. Most shops will try to take advantage of the unwary customer so shop around quite a few shops to see what kinda vibe you get off of them. Small shops can be cheaper too but sometimes way more expensive. Just gotta know how to bargain.

RF does have a bad reputation, purely because BB installers don't know what they are doing and there's so much of it on the internet that people buy and install unproperly. Their Punch line is CRAP. Their higher end equipment is nice for the money.

Bandpass boxes get LOUD but sound nasty and have no sound qaulity to them. If you want ghetto bass then go for it. Sealed boxes generally sound better for all types of music but just don't get as loud, in GENERAL.

 

al ive heard is that over time RF subs "pass air"... 'pending on what i eat, i pass air too

 

My general understanding is that the RF of late is generally garbage. I have heard that you can do better for the same amount of money. I also remember the Punch stuff from the 90's (always wanted an old school Punch amp, or a PPI art series for that matter) but am pretty sure the new stuff is not helping their rep.

I don't know much about bandpass boxes other than they are quirky and may not really sound that great with a variety of music. I'll bet a 35hz test tone would sound good, but that may be it. Check www.bcae1.com. it has good tutorials and explanations of box design.
I have had stuff installed by BB and CC both. It all depends who is installing that day.

I suggest you look around mobile audio sites (www.sounddomain.com or www.the12volt.com) for more feedback on RF and other stuff.

Good Luck

 

I agree with you 100 percent except the comment that BB dont know what theyre doing. True a majority of them dont have a clue but some of us do. The punch line is definetly a low end consumer level these days. I had a kid bring me a pair of Power series 12s the other day and I was in heaven.

 

I wouldn't say rf is crap, its not the best but its great for people on a budget, I dont compare my tc to a 911, I would rather have the 911 but the tc is great for the price.

I had best buy intall navigation dual 12s amp and a ps2 under my seat. Did a clean job and charged me $190 less than local shop quoted me.

 

Ask the salesman what he has in his car. If he says factory he is just working there for christmas and find someone else...lol

 

Best Buy is awesome on installs on my last car they installed all my stuff subs xm radio everything i had in it well thats all i had in it but they do a great job but like he said ask what the guy has in his car if he names some nice stuff he knows what hes doing and if he says he will make this look clean and somewhat talks "install lingo" dont know if thiers such a thing but when i talked to the guy at best buy i knew he would do a good job and yes alot cheaper installed my xm for 50 bucks the next cheapset that i had a quote on it was 90 so alot cheaper just my 2 cents
ohh and while on the subject about speakers is it possible to put a 10 inch sub under the front or passenger seat i am talking about and xB just to let you know

 

focal, dynaudio, jl and the likes - smooth

mb quart, boston, and the likes - bright

rockford, punch and power series, kicker, memphis, are in the same class in my opinion - loud

Rockford is great stuff.. but it should be what you want... listen to someone who has the stuff in there car and see if it's right for you...

 

I hear that MBQ comment a LOT, but I find that it is a generalization and depends a lot on setup. Their QSDs, overpriced yes, but very bright is another thing.

 

Small shops can be nice if they aren't dicks trying to get your money. Most shops will try to take advantage of the unwary customer so shop around quite a few shops to see what kinda vibe you get off of them. Small shops can be cheaper too but sometimes way more expensive. Just gotta know how to bargain.

WOW to bad i work for a small shop with ten employee's and rent and power and phone to pay for not to mention the years of training and experiance i have but that must not be worth anything any more. But hey I'm a dick because i need to make money to pay those bills.

And most shops don't try to take advantage of the unwary customer, if we did
how in the hell would we build a customer base.

RF does have a bad reputation, purely because BB installers don't know what they are doing and there's so much of it on the internet that people buy and install unproperly. Their Punch line is CRAP. Their higher end equipment is nice for the money.

Bandpass boxes get LOUD but sound nasty and have no sound qaulity to them. If you want ghetto bass then go for it. Sealed boxes generally sound better for all types of music but just don't get as loud, in GENERAL.

You are just full of bad answers Rockford has a bad rap because they had some bad equipment and they where whored out to any jack ___ shop that had a pulse so you had people that had little or now experiance doing install or just crappy work.
The new punch line which has been out for a year has great products now and they are priced very well and for the most part our price is generaly lower than cc or bb we all have a set price from the companys we buy from on how low we can sell for. If times are bad or slow you can find that the box stores will sell there soul to get rid of old inventory.

NEXT I hate it when people who's experiance with a bandpass enclosers is limited to prebuilt generic boxes! There are a number of bandpass that will sound fantastic but you cant just buy some damn box with plexi on it throw some 4" ports in it and call it a bandpass. WHEN built properly a bandpass can be used for SQ and still do spl
i should know i didn't get the nick name Bandpass Bill for nothing.

OH yea a sealed box with the right power and enough speakers in it will stomp on a bandpass for sheer spl . You can put more speakers in sealed boxes with a lot more power and take up the same room as a bandpass, most bandpasses limit power handling of the driver.


Sorry i just had to vent.

 

I'm in Hartsville, SC. I'm about and hour south of Monroe, NC.

Bandpass Bill, you are absolutely correct about bandpass boxes. They can sound good. My comment was directed towards the prebuilt stuff at the stores and the cheesy ones that come in home entertainment center packages.

 

so what would i get for sound quality for a sealed box? compared to a band pass or what not. i had a sealed box before but it didnt have enough punch for me to rock out my metal tunes. it was a cheap box i purchased at best buy which i installed myself. (too easy dont know how BB and CC mess this S*** up) it was a pair of sealed 10's i think with an amp. Lighting audio. im not a brand name person. though i do stay away from the cheap stuff (dual) i would like to keep a theme and brand name label through out the car (door speakers, amps and box/subs) i like th rockford look and price but wanted to know if i should get something built custom or not.

i have a problem of gettin flat tires all the time and i want something i can quickly disconnect and leave at home when im going on vacation.

well gettin to the piont. im looking for realiability and good looks without costing me crazy money i can put toward a supercharger or wheels

this is very informative and i respect all your opinions. if any of you have pics that would be neat also

sorry for the novel i just wrote

good holiday to you all

-Paul

 

Tripertripp- It is possible to put a 10" under the driver or pass side seat. A number of people have bought premade boxes (made specifically for the xb) and have worked out fine. You will have to remove a bracket or two regardless of which side you choose. For instance, the seat belt dummy light sensor has a bracket that easily removed. You can also make your own as it seems the premade boxes don't use all the available space as a custom might.

The pass side is much easier as the driver side has the jack and bracket under the seat and it is not fun, but possible to remove the bracket. You will also have to bend the air-bag sensor or whatever it is upward.

You may want to look at subs that don't require more than .75 cuft and 5" of mounting depth.

 

Listen to as many systems as you can and pick out what you like. A custom setup is usually better than premade items because you pick what goes in it. You don't have to worry about poor components. Also the box will be made to fit where you want it and not just sitting in the back taking up tons of space.

I wouldn't suggest trying to get everything from one brand because you miss out on what each company does best. That's why you hear certain names more than others for particular applications. When someone asks about subs RF, JL Audio, and Kicker are common. If someone asks about mids and highs, MB Quart and Focal are common.

Your ears and wallet are you guide. Remember one tried and true rule for any audio application, buy quality speakers. If you buy poor speakers you will ALWAYS have poor sound.

 

my ex had RF 12s....punch Zs i think....they were loud as crap...but the fluttered a lot...course she got them at BB..lol go figure...anyhow ive never had an ear for RF but the new stuff looks nice..and its not cheap for a reason...so maybe they are good?

 

i have the same philosophy as many of u do towards RF. its not the greatest, but i also have learned over the years u can make cheap stuff sound pretty decent building the right box sizes and etc. i mean, its not gonna make pyle sound like diamond audio but building the system correctly can help make hte speakers sound much better than what most people think. I use to run all focal audio and top grade european brand stuff in my old car so i know im spoiled for SQ. Well that was in a luxury car lol. in my scion its my dailygrind so i didnt invest heavily into the audio. I do have their new punch line and to be honest, it sounds decent to good. not the greatest, but does a good job for what i paid for them. U can ask victor (phaze23lbc) who is an active SQ sound competitior w/ his xB how clean my system sounds for a RF system. I'm not brggin or anything, but they are decent providing you setup it up correctly =) now pyle audio..not thats a pyle of s**T. lol but yeah of course your never gonna be able to compare RF to high end brands. which its not. A lot of audio companies product quality going to crap ismainly because a lot of these companies are now getting their stuff made overseas compared to made here in the USA like before. A perfect example of this would be precision power. Their graphite color amps was the last of its lineup to be made in the USA. Now its all made in korea, and ive had firsthand experience in the drop in quality of the amps. It's not that much worse, but noticible. Other companies have done this as well, BUT their product consistency has not changed at all. okay everyone im off to vegas woo hoo lates!

 

Moral of the story: don't rely on buying all speakers and amp(s) from one manuf. as you may be disapointed. Buy good quality(for the money) stuff and you will be happy. Listen to "chadfo". Just because a company makes great amps does not mean their speakers are up to par.

Fosgate was the sh#t in 1992, but that was over 10yrs ago.

do some research, figure out what you want whether it be SQ or SPL and design accordingly. If you have skills and tools, build your own box and install all the speakers and amps yourself. You will save some cash which could be applied towards getting better speakers/amps/wiring.