Hi,
Just got my new ride, a 2002 SE-R (non v-spec) :disappoin , but in anycase, its still a pretty sweet ride. So far i love everything about it, except the stock sub (180watt sound system one) is making a poping noise whenever i am listening to tracks with the bass pumped all the way up, especially in rap or dance music. It only happens on the heavy hits of bass. Is this just a problem with the design, or should i take it to my nissan dealer to have it replaced, as it is still under warantee? If it is just a problem with the design (ie. it is a crappy sub) what do you recommend for a direct replacment one from the aftermarket?
Thanks.

I haven't heard a stock sub yet that can meet my bass standards. I would just go aftermarket, but I'm an audio freak too.

any recommendations for something that will fit nicely into the stock location?

That sub is a worthless pile of shit, I ripped mine into several pieces and then lit it on fire (not kidding)

Nothing will fit in the stock location, since the stock "sub" is only 6.5" and actually hangs below the rear deck. There are countless aftermarket choices if you're willing to sacrifice a small portion of your trunk though.

Yeah, i was looking at a Pioneer 600watt 1, which has a pretty small box, and looks like it would be pretty good. Will I need a new amp though, or can i just hook it up to the existing sub wire? And, very importantly, will it void the warantee on the other parts of my sounds system, or other parts of my car, by installing it?

The factory amp probably wont do you much good. I'm not familiar with the setup in your car, but most factory amps are sub specific, anyway it wouldn't do much for that 600 watt sub. As for your warranty, if you cut into the cars electrical system you void your warranty.

The factory amp puts out 80x1 @ 1ohm peak, which means it's more like 20-30 rms, and it's not exactly the most clean power either. If you upgrade the sub you need to get a new amp, and doing so will void the warranty on your alternator, battery, and....yeah that should be it.

Pioneer subs are decent for ebay prices, but I would look elsewhere. Check out:
www.edesignaudio.com
www.adireaudio.com
www.respl.com
www.imagedynamicsusa.com
www.stereointegrity.com

cool, thanks for the info guys.
So basically, if i install just the sub, it will not void my warantee, and then when my warantee is up in February i can add an amp and all will be good?

You can't add a sub without an amp, you'll have nothing to power it

Ok, thanks for the heads up.

yeah it will, you can add a bigger sub without upgrading the amp at first
it will still hit harder and not pop when the bass is too hard. It just won't be shaking your teeth like an aftermarket amped one will.

yeah it will, you can add a bigger sub without upgrading the amp at first
it will still hit harder and not pop when the bass is too hard. It just won't be shaking your teeth like an aftermarket amped one will.


I would never trust that stock amp to power anything. For one, it's a circle that's about 3" in diameter, even the smallest normal amps are larger than this. Second, I can't imagine the sound quality coming out of that amp to be any better than a squirrel with gas.

You can't get any kind of bass response on 20rms no matter what sub you have (and not many extremely low power subs can be run at 1ohm either), and 20 horribly crappy watts at that. I dunno, I'd just be too afraid that the amp would crap out and send a pure DC signal to the sub and end up thermalling the coil. It's so so so much better to just get a new amp and sub all at once.