Savior
CEG'er
Heh... OK. No ricer grill. I should have just bought one of those spikey black Kicker grills or something, they look aggressive in a high-quality/classy sort of way.
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Look at my new Sub/Box Setup!
- Thread starter Savior
- Start date
CarpePoon
Hard-core CEG'er
"Looks aggressive", so do racing stripes on a Cavalier or Neon... I think you see where I'm going with this one.
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THETACHIchris
CEG'er
hahahaha! thats awesome
Savior
CEG'er
Well I just don't want something that looks "tame" or bland, that's all. Maybe not super-flashy, but something that can stand on its own merits both aesthetically and performance-wise.
So yeah. Here it is so far. No ricer grill and no neon light string or anything. It's only illuminated by my blue LED trunk lights...
So yeah. Here it is so far. No ricer grill and no neon light string or anything. It's only illuminated by my blue LED trunk lights...
THETACHIchris
CEG'er
looks good, but id be willing to bet it sounds like assWell I just don't want something that looks "tame" or bland, that's all. Maybe not super-flashy, but something that can stand on its own merits both aesthetically and performance-wise.
So yeah. Here it is so far. No ricer grill and no neon light string or anything. It's only illuminated by my blue LED trunk lights...
Savior
CEG'er
And I gotta say, you hit the nail right on the head. :nonono:
First sign should have been that the sub's magnet is actually about 1/4 inch too long/deep to fit into the small shallow box. I had to go to Lowe's and buy a couple square feet of thick, dense carpet underlament, cut out two seals about 10.5"in diameter, and lay them around mouth of the sub mounting hole, serving as spacers to let me actually install the sub. Ugh. Should have gone with the more shallw-mounting Kicker Comp VT sub, it was silver too. Dammit. That's what I get for being an impetuous shopper.
And it does indeed sound like crap. I hits very hard and loud, but rather than the nice, deep, reverberating sound of a good box, I get this sort of dull, flat thud noise. Also, it is only capable of uttering a couple of very low notes, nothing in the upper-frequency range of bass. Sounds very weird.
It's alright though. It's definitely only a temporary situation. It irritates me waaay too much to leave it this way. I have some plans to modify the box very soon... You might find it interesting. I'll keep you updated on my progress.
pre98zetec
Veteran CEG'er
i've never heard a good sound prefab bandpass, mostly because they are 3 times to small and usually tuned in the 50hz area. They are garbage and a waste of money. I would build a cheap sealed box for now just to get decent responce.
THETACHIchris
CEG'er
good call, on the previous page i posted your best response curves.
i believe i said you could go with an infinte baffle setup which could look cool depending on what the back of the sub looks like
Savior
CEG'er
Actually, the back of the sub is fairly good-looking (see first page), and I really would not mind showing it off... Can you explain to me what an "infinite baffle" setup is? Is it something you have to have specially made or custom-built? Is it expensive?
I love the look of bandpasses, but given what you just said, I'm thinking one of these infinite baffle things might look and sound good...
THETACHIchris
CEG'er
infinite baffle setups are essential setups where the entire trunk is the box.
then entire trunk must be sealed from the ouside and cabin then a mdf board must be put in place between the rear seat and trunk with the sub facing the rear seat. not all that hard to do, and not to expensive either. someone else who has done and IB setup can probably give you more info on it
pre98zetec
Veteran CEG'er
doing an IB setup with that sub would be a giant waste of time and money.
CarpePoon
Hard-core CEG'er
ok, a couple of things here..
1) making a sub spacer ring out of carpet underlayment = bad idea. You bascily mounted your sub to a sponge. This will allow air through completely ruining the design of a bandpass. It will also allow the sub to move and vibrate. Both of these things spell death for SQ no matter what kind of a box you are using. You would be just as well off by taking the sub out of the box and setting it by itself on your back seat. You need to make the spacer out of something SOLID. Make the rings out of wood, peferably MDF You will make that box sound a little better\.
2)
I'll admit, MY FIRST car audio system was actually a dual 10" bandpass box. I had looks on my mind but at the same time sound was what I was after so I got subs that would work perfectly (JBL's) and tuned the port tubes perfectly. It was also in the back of 1989 ford escort hatch back which sounds quite differently than in a sealed trunk. This is why I never jumped on the bandwagon with the others here to say that bandpass by rule sounds like crap. Because built correctly, they can sound pretty good. They can also be very loud. But they have major draw backs, especially their limited frequency responce.
3)
With #2 being said, let me also add that I was 16 years old when I got that bandpass, I think most of us go through the phase of wanting to show off to our friends on a limited part time job budget. We see it here on the boards all the time. But your 24, I would expect you to be past this stage but through the course of this thread it seems like we've made very little impression on you other than we have been proven correct about that sub not working in that box. You keep saying you stayed away from the ricer grill and lights. But think about what a ricer is.. all show and no go. You are still talking about show! You say the back of your sub is impressive. But all that is actually just plastic dressing up a rather small magnet.
4)
if you want to show off, Why not get the best of both worlds and get creative. Build a unique amp rack and show off your amp/wiring etc. But leave the sub for what it was designed for and get or build a box that will allow it to do what it was meant to do.
1) making a sub spacer ring out of carpet underlayment = bad idea. You bascily mounted your sub to a sponge. This will allow air through completely ruining the design of a bandpass. It will also allow the sub to move and vibrate. Both of these things spell death for SQ no matter what kind of a box you are using. You would be just as well off by taking the sub out of the box and setting it by itself on your back seat. You need to make the spacer out of something SOLID. Make the rings out of wood, peferably MDF You will make that box sound a little better\.
2)
I'll admit, MY FIRST car audio system was actually a dual 10" bandpass box. I had looks on my mind but at the same time sound was what I was after so I got subs that would work perfectly (JBL's) and tuned the port tubes perfectly. It was also in the back of 1989 ford escort hatch back which sounds quite differently than in a sealed trunk. This is why I never jumped on the bandwagon with the others here to say that bandpass by rule sounds like crap. Because built correctly, they can sound pretty good. They can also be very loud. But they have major draw backs, especially their limited frequency responce.
3)
With #2 being said, let me also add that I was 16 years old when I got that bandpass, I think most of us go through the phase of wanting to show off to our friends on a limited part time job budget. We see it here on the boards all the time. But your 24, I would expect you to be past this stage but through the course of this thread it seems like we've made very little impression on you other than we have been proven correct about that sub not working in that box. You keep saying you stayed away from the ricer grill and lights. But think about what a ricer is.. all show and no go. You are still talking about show! You say the back of your sub is impressive. But all that is actually just plastic dressing up a rather small magnet.
4)
if you want to show off, Why not get the best of both worlds and get creative. Build a unique amp rack and show off your amp/wiring etc. But leave the sub for what it was designed for and get or build a box that will allow it to do what it was meant to do.
Savior
CEG'er
Yes I know the carpet underlament spacer ring was a cheapand horrid idea, but it was only three dollars, and it was either that or no system at all. It serves strictly as a very temporary solution. I don't like it.
I am taking the advice in this thread into consideration, or else I wouldn't have ditched the neon wire and grill. It's just that I had alread ordered the offending equipment beforehad. Also, I did concede that maybe a bandpass isn't the best way to go, primarily since I'm going for space-saving here, and bandpasses are generally bulkier than regular boxes, having two chambers and all. So I may well ditch that idea altogether... Sounds like the infinite baffle thing might be a no-go too, based on the sub's specs...
So I may just resort to a standard sealed or ported box and dress it up somehow (in a non-ricerish way)... A box that is large and roomy for a single box, but still considerably smaller than that gargantuan behemoth of a dual-bandpass I had in there before... Would this be a good idea? And shoulld I go with a sealed box or a ported box?
As for an amp rack... It sounds awesome, but I'm definitely not much of a carpenter, and lack any serious wood-designing tools (precision saws and such). Can you buy pre-made amp racks?
I am taking the advice in this thread into consideration, or else I wouldn't have ditched the neon wire and grill. It's just that I had alread ordered the offending equipment beforehad. Also, I did concede that maybe a bandpass isn't the best way to go, primarily since I'm going for space-saving here, and bandpasses are generally bulkier than regular boxes, having two chambers and all. So I may well ditch that idea altogether... Sounds like the infinite baffle thing might be a no-go too, based on the sub's specs...
So I may just resort to a standard sealed or ported box and dress it up somehow (in a non-ricerish way)... A box that is large and roomy for a single box, but still considerably smaller than that gargantuan behemoth of a dual-bandpass I had in there before... Would this be a good idea? And shoulld I go with a sealed box or a ported box?
As for an amp rack... It sounds awesome, but I'm definitely not much of a carpenter, and lack any serious wood-designing tools (precision saws and such). Can you buy pre-made amp racks?
pre98zetec
Veteran CEG'er
Go ported if you know how to build one. if not, sealed.
Savior
CEG'er
OK... I bought this sealed box:
WIDTH 22"
BOTTOM DEPTH 15"
TOP DEPTH 10.5"
HEIGHT 13"
APROX. AIRSPACE 1.2CUBIC FT PER CHAMBER
WOOD THICKNESS 5/8"
BOTTOM DEPTH 15"
TOP DEPTH 10.5"
HEIGHT 13"
APROX. AIRSPACE 1.2CUBIC FT PER CHAMBER
WOOD THICKNESS 5/8"
A sealed slant-face box with 1.2 cubic feet of space, exactly what is specified for this sub for best response time and frequency. I hope it does better, and I think it will. Plus since it is so much wider, Ican mount my amp on the back of the box so I can display it by putting my back seats down. Now, however, since I have a boring black box with no plexiglass or chrome ports or anything, I'll need a grill and some neon to soup it up. Oh well, more opportunity to be creative I guess. Maybe I will take the neon light-wire and glue it all over the outside of the box in pretty shapes like flowers and unicorns!
Yeah.... Mabe not....
...Anyone want to buy a tiny single bandpass box..?
Wait I just thought of something cool... What if I took both boxes to a stereo shop and had them merged? Like, had them cut a squarish area out of the back of the new box and install the bent plexiglass window (from the tiny crappy box, below) on the rear-top side of the new box, making the magnet visible? Then I could have a blue light illuminating the magnet, and mount the amp just below the window... That could look slick with the brushed silver and blue-lighting theme of the sub and amp. But would the installation of the plexiglass window damage the bass reflex, response time, etc.?
pre98zetec
Veteran CEG'er
why are you so worried about how it looks? function over fashion, unless your going to shows and don't care how your stereo sounds go ahead and add all this fancy chrome and neon grills and stuff.
Savior
CEG'er
...I was being sarcastic about the neon and such for the most part. If I only cared about the looks would just keep my current flashy-but-crappy-sounding setup instead of going for the simpler, plainer box that sounds better.
Now that I'm pretty sure it will sound very nice though, I will go ahead and decorate/illuminate it a bit (tastefully, and with no unicorns).
I like the window idea though, but would that hurt performance?
pre98zetec
Veteran CEG'er
no putting a plexi window wont hurt anything.
Savior
CEG'er
Sweeeeet.... Then I believe I have put together my ideal system. I will construct it and post pics when I have created my very own Frankenstein box.
CarpePoon
Hard-core CEG'er
As long as the glass is thick. If its thick then your fine. I thought Bob would be here to post pics of his famous system. So I'll do it for him. Everytime I see this thing I drool.
