sound system upgrade + custom sub enclosure

[hyo silver]

Originally Posted by F8L

...Funny thing is, they sound awesome with rock music...

Well, I would hope so. No point going to all that trouble and expense to listen to Willy Nelson.

Ashe, that's a very nice setup. Too bad we can't hear how it sounds.

[patsparks]

Would the larger volume available by using the space in the storage box on the left rear make a 10 inch sub sound better? I know you would lose the storage but that would be a small price to pay I would have thought.
Did you put any ports in the sub box?

Sorry, I know nothing about car audio.

[hyo silver]

Originally Posted by patsparks

Would the larger volume available by using the space in the storage box on the left rear make a 10 inch sub sound better?...

Yes, so I'm told. I don't know much about car audio, either, but I'm learning. The bigger the better, for bass, assuming a high quality speaker. The airtight enclosure has to be sized to the speaker to give it the right amount of oomph. And yes, that's a technical term.

[PriusLewis]

Originally Posted by hyo silver

Yes, so I'm told. I don't know much about car audio, either, but I'm learning. The bigger the better, for bass, assuming a high quality speaker. The airtight enclosure has to be sized to the speaker to give it the right amount of oomph. And yes, that's a technical term.

The minimum size is more critical than the maximum, and there are marginal diminishing returns past the optimum size (going bigger won't have much effect). Ported enclosures need to be bigger. If you get the paperwork with your sub it should have a chart/table for these sizes. If not check their web site.

EDIT: I just checked Crutchfield's site and they list the following enclosure sizes for your sub:

sealed box volume: 0.3 cubic feet
ported box volume: 0.35 cubic feet

That's nice and SMALL! You should be in great shape for the enclosure you have.

If you want to measure the volume of an irregular enclosure (like yours), or any enclosure for that matter, take out the enclosure, take the sub out and fill the enclosure with something like packing peanuts until completely full. Then poor them out into something to measure the volume. If you use something like a large kitchen measuring cup, you will need to convert cups, pints, or liters to cubic feet (look up the conversion you need on the internet).

As for ported vs non-ported, most sites say ported gives more bass, but it isn't as crisp and defined as non-ported. I prefer the sound of a non-ported enclosure. If you like the trunk-rattling, buzzy type of bass, use ports (that buzzy sound is distortion, and ports usually add some distortion).

EDIT 2: Here's the enclosure volume for a similar JL Audio Sub in 10":

sealed box volume: 0.65 cubic feet
ported box volume: 1.125 cubic feet

You might want to measure your enclosure volume - it will be close for this. Also check the depth to make sure a 10" will clear before cutting out the front!

[usbseawolf2000]

Sneak up someone on EV mode and blast it off. That would be fun!

[PriusLewis]

Originally Posted by usbseawolf2000

Sneak up someone on EV mode and blast it off. That would be fun!

What an idea! Now I want to go find a CD of various dragsters launching. Pull up in EV mode, open all the windows, and fire off a Top Fuel Dragster soundtrack as you accelerate! That should take care of the "bell the hybrid" crowd! I gotta find one - it will be lots of fun for this summer's hot rod cruises here in Colorado!

Oh! Oh! For burn-out competitions, I need to put smoke generators in the front wheel wells (or better yet, the BACK wheel wells) and kick them off with the burn-out soundtrack! Hmmm - where to find smoke generators? Gotta go surf the web!

[Presto]

The JL subs are good with a smaller than recommended box volume. Their own enclosures are smaller volume than what they recommend.

[ashe]

Originally Posted by patsparks

Would the larger volume available by using the space in the storage box on the left rear make a 10 inch sub sound better? I know you would lose the storage but that would be a small price to pay I would have thought.
Did you put any ports in the sub box?

Sorry, I know nothing about car audio.

hyo silver is correct. the left cubby would actually allow you to customize a larger enclosure. if i had used that space, i would most definitely had gone w/ a 10". i didn't want to lose the small storage tray hence the decision to go w/ right cubby.

my jl audio 8w3v3 requires sealed box volume of 0.3 cu.ft., while a 10w3v3 would require 0.625 cu.ft. i went w/ a sealed box since it requires smaller enclosure than ported. sealed enclosures tend to produce tight, accurate bass & have a flat frequency response. ported box will produce louder bass. depending on the sub you pick, be sure to check the required net enclosure volume.

[F8L]

Additionally a ported box will usually play louder at a lower frequency until you go below the port frequency, at which point volume drops drastically and you tend to get more port noise. This is easily fixed with a subsonic filter to cut frequencies below that point. For playing ultra low frewuencies like whale songs then you would wish to stay sealed since the drop off frequency is quite low, well below our effective normal range of hearing.

Most ported boxes are tuned to 40-58hz or so and since most music is recorded above those frequencies you won't be missing much with a ported box but you will get much more volume overall. Just have to choose your port size and style accordingly to reduce potential port noise. If you like listing to speed metal or tight jazz then seal is a better idea.

[ashe]

Originally Posted by PriusLewis

You might want to measure your enclosure volume - it will be close for this. Also check the depth to make sure a 10" will clear before cutting out the front!

my enclosure was customized to provide close to 0.3 cu.ft. so unfortunately i would have to rebuild a new one if i were to change the sub. i'm very happy w/ it so far.

i specifically went w/ the 8w3v3 coz it required the least amount of box volume of all 8" jl audio subs. the 8w3v3 has a low frequency response of 28 hz. the 10w3v3 would have provided 25 hz. my untrained ear would probably have a hard time telling the difference.