Cabrio subwoofer question>

[cochran]

cabrio sub

NLCarII,

Can you supply any more info on the JL Audio box? I need a solution too.

StereoInstaller, your input would be great here as well - is downward firing going to do anything better than firing toward front of car or rear of car?

I have no issues with building my own box (no idea how to design it, but putting it together should be okay). I don't need "windows blown out", just want good clean bass and no rattling license plate.

Also, the box needs to allow for stock placement of the spare tire (needs to fit under top boot as described by NLCarII.

[bmwpower]

You can do it without cutting anything, you just need more power.

[CorvallisBMW]

Subscribed. I am thinking about how to get more bass in my new vert too. I like the idea of slim woofers underneath the front seats, but the idea of putting a steel tube through the rear bulkheads and welding it up also sounds pretty good. Thankfully StereoInstaller only lives 45 min from me so I can go bug him.

[cochran]

Add'l. question

How would this work out:

Build a panel that blocks off the section of the trunk under the top boot, and mount subs to that panel, firing toward rear of car.

Is this area well enough sealed to act as a box? Would free-air type subs be required for this type of application?

BTW, measurements of this area are roughly 36"W at narrowest point, 12" high at lowest point, 12" deep at top and ~8" deep on floor (minimum intrusion into spare tire well). These are measurements with the gray trunk lining material moved away.

[StereoInstaller1]

You can do it without cutting anything, you just need more power.

Sorry, man...wrong answer. Wattage is never going to make it sound better or play much louder. Bad physics!

If it sounds shitty at 10 watts, it will still sound shitty at 1000.

Wattage is logarithmic, so twice the power of 100 watts is 1000, not 200.

Getting the pressure wave inside the cabin is simply not going to happen in a 'vert by adding more power. Not feasable...unless you don't care about sound quality.

Maybe I can get CorvallisBMW to drop his car off for a week or three so I can design and build a box in my spare time that actually works in a 'vert.

Luke

[CorvallisBMW]

Maybe I can get CorvallisBMW to drop his car off for a week or three so I can design and build a box in my spare time that actually works in a 'vert.

Luke

You got it. I'll buy the parts if you install it, the car will be a garage queen for the winter anyways.

[bmwpower]

Who said anything about sounding better? And since when does wattage not come into play? I though he was merely trying to get low end sound in the cabin. Sure it's not going to sound like it would if the box was sitting in the back seat, but it still works. If you are trying to overcome the sealed nature of the trunk, you need to add more power.

Sorry, man...wrong answer. Wattage is never going to make it sound better or play much louder. Bad physics!

If it sounds shitty at 10 watts, it will still sound shitty at 1000.

Wattage is logarithmic, so twice the power of 100 watts is 1000, not 200.

Getting the pressure wave inside the cabin is simply not going to happen in a 'vert by adding more power. Not feasable...unless you don't care about sound quality.

Maybe I can get CorvallisBMW to drop his car off for a week or three so I can design and build a box in my spare time that actually works in a 'vert.

Luke

[CorvallisBMW]

If you are trying to overcome the sealed nature of the trunk, you need to add more power.

No amount of power will 'unseal' your trunk. Like was pointed out, if 10 watts sounds bad because of a sealed trunk, 1000 watts will still sound bad. The only thing that can overcome the sealed nature of the trunk is an unsealed trunk :)

[steinbachphoto]

I have a vert and was going to maybe put in a MTX 7500 in my trunk(or if i have enough money i'd put in a 9500) will I still be able to hear it decently with the top down?

[bmwpower]

I have a vert and was going to maybe put in a MTX 7500 in my trunk(or if i have enough money i'd put in a 9500) will I still be able to hear it decently with the top down?

Not sure of that system, but according to everyone else, the answer is no - no matter how much power you put to it. You will lose even more output with the top down.

I've been doing fine with mine for years. Go figure.

[steinbachphoto]

Not sure of that system, but according to everyone else, the answer is no - no matter how much power you put to it. You will lose even more output with the top down.

I've been doing fine with mine for years. Go figure.

do you have a vert as well?

the 9500 is one of the most powerful subs out there. its more powerful than 2 12" JL subs.

[bmwpower]

do you have a vert as well?

the 9500 is one of the most powerful subs out there. its more powerful than 2 12" JL subs.

Yes. I actually have 2 at the moment. :)

That's another way of getting around the problem...a bigger sub.

I have a single 10" running 600W mono and it does ok. You really have to push it to get any kind of acceptable volume with the roof down AND my trunk is stock. I probably could have gone with a bigger woofer, but I wanted trunk space.

[steinbachphoto]

Yes. I actually have 2 at the moment. :)

That's another way of getting around the problem...a bigger sub.

I have a single 10" running 600W mono and it does ok. You really have to push it to get any kind of acceptable volume with the roof down AND my trunk is stock. I probably could have gone with a bigger woofer, but I wanted trunk space.

i have toooons of trunk space so I'm not worried

[bmwpower]

i have toooons of trunk space so I'm not worried

Toooons of space? What are you driving? Once of those special Canadian models or something?

Cabrio trunk is smaaaaall, boy.

[StereoInstaller1]

That's another way of getting around the problem...a bigger sub.

I have a single 10" running 600W mono and it does ok. You really have to push it to get any kind of acceptable volume with the roof down AND my trunk is stock. I probably could have gone with a bigger woofer, but I wanted trunk space.

So, what I am hearing is basically that the sub sucks, but you are OK with it because you don't want to do the extra work required to make it better...basically it, right?

So just to explain how that whole "add more power" bullshit would kick your ass in a bad way if you wanted to make it louder, consider this:

If you are getting 120db using 600 watts, and you decided to go only 3db louder, you would need about 1500 watts (roughly)...and your sub cannot handle that, nor could your box, nor could your alternator.

However, if you could actually pass the bass you have now you would likely gain as much as 10db.

That is why adding more power does not work.

Luke