Want better bass for almost nothing?

[Stephen]

Craving better bass, and aren't lucky enough to have a sweet armrest rear seat? Port yours.


First youll need to cut some foam from the rear seat (recommended to do this to pretty much all luke boxes unless you havea seat you dont want to cut into)

Trace with a sharpie using the skipass:



Cut it about an inch deep, or roughlyone utility blade:



Doesn't look like this? put the knife down and step away:



Shear the rest of that shit out and get a holesaw the size of your port.



twist it and make a hole:



in fact, make 2:



Carefully align and cut into your seat. Cut out a circle a little smaller than the port and slot it a little farther past that, being carefiul not to go to far and have a slit showing or loose fit



Heres the ports just sitting in there after cutting. You will want to tweak it as you please. When i remove my seat again finishing up my install I will try some adhesive to get it to lay 100% flat, and update the thread







As far as sound, this makes a hell of a difference getting the bass into the cabin, as opposed to firing through a shit ton of seat foam. Enjoy

[devon.818]

/saved.

will be doing this.
looks sick too by retaining a classy look.

[StereoInstaller1]

As an interim step, it is a HUGE success.

Those meaty paws are mine, BTW.

[IminDiegoTriick]

this is genius !

[jquirit]

How large a ports are you recommending? Two 3" or 4" ports for a 12" Lukebox?

[gp.plus]

Use a hole punch at the end of your slits, it will ensure they dont tear any further.

[KenC]

What woofer/amp setup are you guys running? I have an Eclipse DVC running on ~200watts and high volume dubstep makes my head hurt. I don't have any of the foam cut out. I also have one of Luke's sealed boxes though (maybe the only one?).

[Ryann]

Serious question here: what is your guys' definition of "better bass"?

[StereoInstaller1]

Serious question here: what is your guys' definition of "better bass"?

I am about all things: depth and clarity, transient response and accurate frequency response plus overall sound quality.

Of course the thing has to play fairly loud too, but terrific SQ is far more satisfying than simple "loud". In fact, my red car barely does 120db, but it is entirely satisfying to listen to, even with the windows down at 70.

Personally, the first thing I listen to when testing a new design of box is String Bass. If I cannot hear a proper "pluck" and all fingerwork clearly and with great detail, it just isn't good bass. The attack, the sustain, the accuracy of pitch matter most to me. Listen to "Penguins" by Lyle Lovett as an example.

Ultimately, I hear this as "effortless". There should be no "bottom", the subwoofer should be able to play virtually all of the depth with no audible cutoff. Of course, in synthesized bass there are notes below a normal 10" woofers ability, but all natural instrumentation should be reproduced completely.

That is why I build larger than average boxes, with double the port area that most manufacturers use, round ports gently curved for best airflow, tuned to interface with the car rather than a computer screen...thus the reputation for excellent sound, not just big stupid boom.

Luke

[jasonsnoddy]

but they work pretty damn well for big stupid booms too ;)

[5Toes]

So Luke, just curious whats some good string bass tracks?

[325ix]

So Luke, just curious whats some good string bass tracks?

Most anything Metallica! Orion and Master of puppets are good.

[StereoInstaller1]

"Salamander Pie" by Jay Leonhart on DMP is a great start, find the CD, but the title track alone is a stunner for SQ.

Most anything by Lyle Lovett. Especially "Lyle Lovett and his Large Band", but that is an older recording, and while quite well done, does not have the sonic impact of his newer stuff. Do listen to that track I mentioned earlier, "Penguins" (ya ADD spaz) off of "I Love Everybody", it is live to 2 track Digital, an amazing recording.

Do keep in mind that Electric Bass is by a HUGE margin my favorite instrument. I can go on for days about great bass lines in lots of genres and hot solos ("Cold Cuts" live by Albert Collins. Listen to Johnny Gayden just tear it the hell up, LIVE, in 1973!) but am really not all that into string bass. I just have 4 or 5 tracks I use as reference.

[Stephen]

If you were at the picnic, i bumped norah jones like nobody's business

[Ryann]

I am about all things: depth and clarity, transient response and accurate frequency response plus overall sound quality...not just big stupid boom.

Luke

Cool.