Long post but help appreciated. Just installed subs, having sound quality issues

[jwood]

Recently a friend of mine sold me his 1200 watt alpine amp and alpine stereo because he wrecked his car and had no use for them anymore. everything i bought is barely a year old. I got both for 300 bucks, after doing a little research and finding out that a wreck shouldnt have messed up either of the parts too badly. i decided to try and put them in my car with two 10 inch subs.

i had a friend help me install everything. the speakers arent working on the new stereo, which im told is probably just a burnt wire on the stereo which im going to have fixed this weekend, but the subs do play. the real problem is that the subwoofers have a very poor sound quality, and seem to not be able to get very loud without the quality dropping significantly. i was wondering why.

few important notes -
-the subs are very old, probably about 10 years. i hear that the rubber can dry out and ruin subs after awhile. i havent used them before, got them cheap for 50 bucks.
-i also figure a 1200 amp is probably wayyyy to much power for the subs, which might be causing the poor quality as well
-the subs are installed of the trunk of my car, a 94 accord ex. ive heard putting a sub in the trunk can lower sound quality a bit
-besides the speakers not working, the stereo works 100%
-my friend who installed the system for me works at a body/audio shop so im confident he didnt mess the wiring up.
-the subs have not blown out

my friend offered to sell me his dual 12 inch subs, fully housed, that came originally with the setup for 400 bucks. again, these subs are almost brand spanking new. im thinking that putting in the 12 inch subs, which are meant for the amp, will fix the sound quality. any thoughts on if upgrading the subs will help, or what the problem is?

thank you for taking the time to read this long post, i appreciate any help

[jwood]

scratch that about the amp, its an alpine mrp-m500.

[chu]

have you asked your friend/installer to hook up the subs to a different set of amp to see if the sub is actually functioning or vice versa with the amp?

[forcatalogsss]

i want to get 2 10 inch subs either in a box or with a box and an amp to power it all for a decent price and i would have to get it installed.
i was looking at future shop at 2 10 inch mtx subs already in a box but they didnt fit in my trunk. and everything else they had was pretty much crap for a high price.

what i am asking is where can i buy 2 10inch subs, box, amp and get it all installed in 1 crack for a decent price?

i also have a 7 inch touchscreen cd/dvd deck that would have to be installed with it.


can anyone help me?

[JimAckley]

i want to get 2 10 inch subs either in a box or with a box and an amp to power it all for a decent price and i would have to get it installed.
i was looking at future shop at 2 10 inch mtx subs already in a box but they didnt fit in my trunk. and everything else they had was pretty much crap for a high price.

what i am asking is where can i buy 2 10inch subs, box, amp and get it all installed in 1 crack for a decent price?

i also have a 7 inch touchscreen cd/dvd deck that would have to be installed with it.


can anyone help me?

What car are the subs and head-unit going in? What head-unit are you choosing?

Doing a car stereo install is actually quite easy. If you really think you can't do it, then pony up some extra dough for an installer. If you go that route, have your installer install at least 4-gauge wire for your power to your amplifier. Remember, the lower the gauge, the larger the wire.

Personally, for any install I ever do, I run 1/0-gauge wire to a fused distribution block in the back of the car so that additional amplifiers, capacitors, CD changers, etc. can be added with ease. In those instances, I typically add an unfused distribution block for the grounds.

I typically use Monster Cable because I get a discount on it through work. Stinger, Tsunami, and Rockford are a couple other brands that quickly come to mind who make good wires. You want brands that meet the AWG spec and use copper wire, not CCA (Copper-Clad Aluminum). CCA carries current about half as well as copper, so it's important that you buy the real deal. You'll spend more, but in the long run, you get what you pay for.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling and let you get back at me.