Lee3333

As anyone who has followed my posts knows, I am trying to get a sub working well in the stock location as well as building some type of less intrusive sub enclosure for added bass and car shows.

I have already modified the rear panal to accomdate a 10 inch, installed plywood behind the plastic panal so the sub would securly mount and provide a good seal, and lined the entire space behind the speaker with Dynamat.

I have 2 Kenwood subs, one in that opening and one is a sealed enclosure. In comparison, there is more oomph from the sealed sub. My latest plan is to build an enclosure for both of these subs, and get a freeair speaker for the stock location since it is not perfectly air tight. In my research, I discovered that subwoofers for boats do not need to be in a box. Do you think this would be a good choice? Would it get good bass? Am I crazy?

prod

The factory speaker box is only around $80, you could try modifying that for your 10". #5 in the illustration:

quest51210

going IB or infinite baffle are very hard to do with limited knowledge. looks like u need to build a fiberglass enclosure in that side location. I am answering off my phone and can give you better insight when I get home.

I have done as much as 6-12" subs in a boat and never without a box.

tahenke

Two of the same speakers in different enclosures is a recipe for disaster! You should go the fiberglass route. You have to be very creative with the fiberglass but you should be able to get a 10" in there all sealed up and hitting hard :)

Lee3333

Ijust ordered what I hope will be the best solution. An Infinity Kappa 108K1047W. It can be used freeair, handles plenty of power, and can be either 2 or 8 ohm with it's dual voice coils. It is much higher end than my Kenwoods, which I am returning.

For the record, I was not going to use the 2 same speakers in different enclosures-they were both going into 1 box that was going to fit like this:


This is a cardboard model of what I was going to make. The speakers would fire down, so the top could be used for carring things, as well as under the box. It would rest on a piece of plywood with blocks on each side to fit perfectly in the existing plastic cutouts for the factory tray. To balance the sub, I was going to use 2 cables attached to the box and to the 2 D-rings in the rear of the cargo area. Assuming it didnt rattle, it would be the perfect way of not losing too much trunk space and still having a nice sized box. (Sorry for the crookedness of the photo).

Now, hopefully, I wont need any other speakers or boxes. Although I removed the small plastic box the 8 inch went into, the space is pretty well sealed so it is more like a ported box than just totally freeair. If need be, I could always work on sealing it off better.

tahenke

Here is a couple of pointers that may help you out. The key to good, great or fantastic bass is the box construction and not what's in it. A subwoofer box should be rock solid and not be able to move. My fear for your design is that it might be able to move/vibrate up there and that will take away bass. Maybe fit it to the floor and have it fire back (always popular). Maybe a bandpass type box so the subs are not exposed, that way you can set stuff on it and not have to worry about them getting damaged. I can see you are trying to do something different which is cool but you have to be a little careful about what you do or it could lead to just the opposite of what youre looking for BIG BASS! lol My ideas are definately not "outside the box". If you do go with your last idea try to figure out how to really mount that box up there solid (like part of the car solid).

quest51210

if you truly believe that about the area you are talking about you really have no clue. for one Infinity subs are not the same quality they were 10 years ago, the area behind the factory sub is not "like" a ported box at all, and you make professional installers look stupid with your assumptions.

Lee3333

Good point, Tahenke, about the box being solidly mounted to the car. My idea would have it partially attached with cables, so it would be hanging like a suspension bridge. And the base thump would be lost due to vibration. I was trying to avoid anything on the floor since I use the large compartment for storage and like easy access to it. Having a heavy sub on it makes it kind of hard to lift up. But, if I can get good bass out of the Infinity in the factory location, then I wont need any box at all, hopefully.

Quest51210, how am I making professional installers look stupid with my assumptions? First, I dont have any personal experience with how free air subs sound-I am just basing it on what I was told by several professionals that I spoke to on the phone. Second, while the quality may not be as good as it was years ago, the same goes for most items. Products today have built-in obsolescence, plus there is less pride in workmanship. Still, from what I have been told, Infinity Kappa is still one of the better speakers available. Third, it is marketed as being capable of providing good bass in free air, as well as sealed and ported enclosures. I realize that the area behind the panal is anything but air tight. But, the speaker is not supposed to require that. And, the Dynamat that I applied to every nook and cranny should help direct the sound waves. A ported enclosure is a sealed box with a hole in it-otherwise known as a leaker enclosure. Obviously the size, dimension, and tube length are all supposed to be precise, but the speaker should not require that since it does not require an airtight seal. And finally, I have witnessed some 'professional' installs and they make themselves look stupid with their sloppy work and poor designs.

quest51210

sloppy work and poor designs=not professionals

"free air"=Infinite Baffle and you just dont throw dynamat in it and call it done. you have no clue, ask for advice, yet dont take any advice.

all subs need an air tight seal...even "free air" enclosures need an airtight seal from the front and back waves. you are not creating an IB enclosure in which front and rear waves are isolated from each other. that is a no-no.

you really make this more difficult than it has to be.

i have a quote that fits you well...."if you dont have the time to do it right the first time, how did you find the time to fix the problem the second time?"

Lee3333

I am not making it difficult. As I said before, I will try the speaker in my 'less than perfect' enclosure and compare how it souinds to my other sub in a sealed box. Then I will go from there. Unfortunately, nobody makes anything for the side panal of the HHR so it would have to be custom built. I have built speaker boxes before and they worked great, but it would be a lot of work to get it to fit behind the panal. According to Infinity, the speaker is designed to use a smaller enclosure than standard-just .75 cubic feet. What I would love to do is make that size box and mount it securly to the car behind the panal, then just put attach the panal back with speaker fabric or a grill covering the hole.

But first I want to see how it sounds as is.