Bazooka EL8A-hp

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $60.00 from Circuit City

Year / Model Reviewed:
2004 Bazooka EL8A-HP

Strengths:
Good bass for $60. You won't find a deal like this in many other places!

Weaknesses:
None so far!

Summary:
After blowing the factory speakers in my 2000 Jetta GLS sedan, I spent about a month researching subs and speakers. After comparing prices and quality, I decided to get the EL8A. I went to circuit city and the salesperson suggested the EL8A-HP, because it is more poweful, and it was only $60. If you bought the cheapest sub, amp and box available, this sub would still be about $50 cheaper. So I decided to get that and 2 pairs of pioneer 6.5 in. speakers. The cost of everything was about $500. This included installation, insurance, cables, parts, etc. After what seemed like days, I got in my car and pumped up the volume and felt like crying when I heard the quality of the sound. After realizing that someone had messed with the bass and treble, I set them, and was still a little upset with the sound. Now, about 3 or 4 months later, I love my EL8A-HP. Of course, I don't knock people off their feet when I drive past, or have every cop within 15 miles after me, but it definitly puts some thump in my trunk. My rearview and drivers side mirrors vibrate to the beat of the bass, and my parents are always telling me that they can hear before they see me pull in the driveway. I recommend this sub to anyone who has a small car, and just wants to get a little bump. If you have this, or a similar sub and want louder noise, try folding down your rear seat (if possible). The bass hits harder when your driving, and makes your mirrors shake more.

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $80.00 from Circuit City

Year / Model Reviewed:
 EL-8A

Strengths:
saves lots of space, never overheats because amp is in tube, so it gets cooled

Weaknesses:
not worth MSRP

Summary:
I bought this sub-amp-box combo For $80 in an after thanksgiving sale at circuit city. For eighty bucks this thing is a good deal, it performs well. It hits hard and puts out pretty good sound, especially for an 8". It''s nice that there is no guessing work since the sub, amp and box/tube are all matched. When it comes down to it, its a good sub and pretty easy to install. But don''t spend more than $150 on it, its not that good. I should probably add that I have it in a 1991 mercury tracer, and this is a very small car and on top of that, I really only get good sound if I fold the rear seat down. If you cant open your trunk to the rest of the cabin, you wont get good sound. Overall, its good but not worth more than $150.

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Ubid.com

Year / Model Reviewed:
 2000 / GMC Pickup

Strengths:
Price! Got this for $100 including shipping at Ubid.com. New in box! Sells at Crutchfield for $249. Easy installation with current system. Just ran speaker level inputs parallel from rear speakers.

Weaknesses:
Not a powerhouse. Not tight hard bass at higher levels. Still doesn''t sound as good as a separate head unit/amp/component speakers, but I was looking for something easy - and this was a cinch to install.

Summary:
For what I needed, this was a steal. For an open vehicle such as a hatchback, suv or pickup, it fills things out nicely. I wasn''t looking to knock the rivets out of my chassis! I don''t think this thing would really suffice in a trunk installation. Too underpowered.

Similar Products Used:
I have an advent 15" sub which has a Bob Carver Sunfire 1000 watt amp in my home theater system. It will rock the pictures off the wall.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Circuit City

Strengths:
Not too expensive, compact, great bass fill. Can''t believe this is an 8" speaker.

Weaknesses:
None really. I put mine behind the seat, so it takes up footroom, but it sounds so much better than in the trunk.

Summary:
I hope this is the right designation for the speaker. Mine is an 8", powered subwoofer, but I have no idea the model number. Anyway, I am very impressed with what this 8" does. It''s just enough solid bass to fill out music nicely, especially if you have a good head unit to begin with. No, it''s not a ''thumper'' to hear outside the car, but it will hold it''s own.

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $165.00

Strengths:
cheap, small size, and portable (so you can remove it from the car so it doesn't get stolen).

Weaknesses:
muddy sound, as compared to a very expensive home subwoofer (is this really a weakness?)

Summary:
This is my first car subwoofer ever. I can only compare it to my Definitive Technologies 250 watt 8" sub in my apartment that costs about three times the Bazooka.

Compared to the Def Tech, the Bazooka sounds muddy.

However, since the Bazooka cost very little money, and it takes up very little room in my little microcar (it's a Suzuki Swift), and it's got an onboard amplifier, I can't complain. I'd say that it's "good enough."

It pumps out sufficient thump and fills in the bottom end quite nicely.

I also installed capacitors (which roll off at about 85 Hz) inline with the 4 satellite speakers. This works well since the built-in crossover of the Bazooka is fixed at 85 Hz.

Similar Products Used:
None