Recommended Speakers?

[NeoMishMoo]

Hey jcb, I like that setup.

Could you send me another pic of the unit from inside the trunk/boot? It looks like if you didn't have that hole for your amp then you would have a completely stealth setup!

I've been working on a stealth anti theft setup, because unfortunately I live near a shit ton of crack heads.

[StereoInstaller1]

or byob, like i did
seat angle 75 degrees pretty much all u need to know, just measure dimensions of ur boot to size it up (i also put 12" in mine instead of 10")



all the space!!!


not too hard to make, i used sum random pvc 90. pipes for ports, which worked well
and i get good bass into the cabin with minimal trunk rattle.
well alot more than when i had 2x alpine type s kicking around in there

Wow, nice first attempt! You should find a way to get all of your woofers output into the trunk, as you obviously have no seal into the car at all...you will find MUCH better bass if you do.

You will also find that there is no trunk rattle at all if it is a 100% seal.

If you haven't glued the tubing together, you can try shortening or lengthening the ports to hear the difference...you might be surprised!

Do you have a picture of one of these sub/box/amp combos installed in an e30? Are the boxes tuned for a specific pioneer sub because you know that different subwoofers have different airspace requirements.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=100820

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?p=971955#post971955

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=136425

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=136785

And (decent pics) http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...7&postcount=25

So yeah, about that "different airspace requirement" stuff...

The 10" box is 1.5 cubic feet, tuned to 34Hz. In the 100 cubic foot (roughly) interior of the E30, pretty much any woofer with a Qtc of under .4 will work well. but a Fs under 30Hz is necessary...fortunately, this means 95% of all 10" car audio woofers work well.

The cheap-o Sony at WalMart just happens to be dirt cheap, has a great motor structure and works incredibly well in my boxes.

The 12" is similar. The V1 has been discontinued, now I only build the V2. That thread shows both, but if you find the pics of James Crivellones ADS install, that is the start of the V2 design. That car sounds nothing short of stunning...the box is 2.0 cubic feet, but tuned to 32Hz.

Both designs recess the woofer into the box, making a stronger front baffle and preventing the woofer from slapping the car/seat, plus the front baffle is covered in a foam gasket to make a 100% seal into the cabin.

Luke

[NeoMishMoo]

I really like both your boxes jcb and luke. I was wondering how the bass compares to rear facing subwoofers? I have tried some forward facing setups in the past but the bass always sounds so much better when you bounce it off the rear of the trunk.

I've got two 10" subs (blaupunkt thw1000) to install so the ski hole setup is out of the question.

Also how did you get the rear piece to fill the trunk hole so nicely? It looks like that is where the trunk is supposed to end! That is exactly what I am trying to build!

[StereoInstaller1]

I can tell you for an absolute fact that IF you get 100% of the bass into the car, you will get more bass out of 1 10" than you will out of 2.

The seal is the critical part. The first rule of physics is energy will take the path of least resistance, so bass (energy, duh) will go out of your trunk rather than into your cabin.

If your goal is to "boom your hood", rear firing woofers do a much better job of that.

[NeoMishMoo]

Care to share the secrets of the 100% seal? Is it all in the foam between the box and the ski hole? Well when I was 16 and first got the car I may have cut two holes on either side of the ski hole, probably not the best decision but I was young, but I am setup for two forward facing 10" speakers. Plus I already bought 2 and my amp has too much power for the 1 speaker.

What is your comparison between front facing bass vs rear facing "boom your hood" bass? Same as sealed enclosure bass vs ported enclosure bass? Quality vs Quantity? (ported enclosures are more boomy and "hit" harder, but sealed enclosures have more acoustically accurate bass)

I do like boom, but trunk rattle is embarassing. (especially with the trunk vent flaps being so prone to rattle).

I am enjoying your diy post, very informative!

[StereoInstaller1]

Care to share the secrets of the 100% seal? Is it all in the foam between the box and the ski hole?

No, if you look carefully, you can see there is a MDF panel behind the foam, so the box is contoured to the car.

Pop that trunk liner panel off and you will see the two vertical braces, The panel fits between them precisely, even to the point that they are angled on the sides. Add the layer of high density foam and you have an excellent seal.

My boxes are so precise that they cannot be installed if the trunk tar is still in the car!

Plus I already bought 2 and my amp has too much power for the 1 speaker.

Seems to me those are a SVC 4 ohm woofer, right? If so, a basic 2 channel amp is perfect. Too much power rarely blows speakers...it is when you are asking 1000 watts out of a 100 watt amp that bad things happen.

Besides that, if you want serious boom, you should do a single 12. My car has some pretty serious bass, especially considering it has only 600 watts, RMS, on bass.

What is your comparison between front facing bass vs rear facing "boom your hood" bass?

The real difference is in clarity. Firing woofers into a separate chamber (your trunk) causes resonance nodes all by itself, adding to the resonance of the box and the cabin of the car...plus, it is STILL firing to the outside of the cabin, right?

The difference is like hearing a bass guitar string being plucked, versus just hearing a "thud", like 99% of the car subwoofers out there.

Same as sealed enclosure bass vs ported enclosure bass? Quality vs Quantity? (ported enclosures are more boomy and "hit" harder, but sealed enclosures have more acoustically accurate bass)

Damn...I am SO tired of this misconception!

The reality is that MOST high-end home subwoofers are ported designs. Especaily the ones known for sound quality!

Porting can do so many things...it can re-enforce the weak areas of a cars' natural response points (read up on "transfer function") and can flatten the impedance curve that the amp sees...meaning far more linear power delivery because the amp sees a better load!

The reality is that (again) 99% of the ported boxes out there sound like ass. Most are just aiming for big stupid boom, mostly because they are not bothering to design for the car, nor the woofer...in fact, rarely is there any sort of "design" at all, just build something that can be shoved into the car.

That, BTW, is why I just can't work for other shops. Design requires time, and that time does NOT pay...so the boss gets all pissed off, and then wonders why all of his customers follow me to the next shop!

I am enjoying your diy post, very informative!

Thanks, man. I have nearly 30 years as a truly high end installer, so I have absorbed much and built so many things...sometimes I think I should write a book!

I still love what I do, but my installer days are numbered. I hurt too bad to continue this forever. I am just too damn old, at only 46!

Luke

[NeoMishMoo]

Damn...I am SO tired of this misconception!

The reality is that (again) 99% of the ported boxes out there sound like ass. Most are just aiming for big stupid boom, mostly because they are not bothering to design for the car, nor the woofer...in fact, rarely is there any sort of "design" at all, just build something that can be shoved into the car.

Luke

See Luke, it is not really a misconception, every home sub that I have seen is ported but like you said 99% of ported subwoofer enclosures in automobiles today sound like garbage. So my comparison of sealed vs ported is accurate when we're talking about automobile enclosures, especially the amateur DIY ones.

And that is what I unfortunately am, an amateur. I've been looking at your subwoofer pictures and I would like to build a box like this, but I believe that it is beyond my ability.

I agree with you and like your style of high design enclosure setups. I know all about oversized boxes going into trunks. I was the only kid trying to make space saving 10" subwoofer setups while everyone else that I knew was throwing in dual 15" enclosures into their little Hondas, one of them even has a kid. I always ask "where you supposed to put that stroller?

Maybe I might get lucky enough to get one of your boxes before you "wither away" (lol @ your "old" age).