Subwoofer

[Niall]

Just fitted a sub to my car. I'm good with audio but when it comes to subs I'm a bit clueless.
It's a 12" splx sub (cheap but will do for now). I've got it set quite quiet for now as I don't like big bass. What I want though is for it to be more punchy. It's in a ported box and personally I think it might as well not be in a box!
What are my options for building a new box? If I have it sealed it should make it a bit more punchy shouldn't it?

[Jonny b]

Wouldn't know bud but it sounded best in mine facing the rear of the car not side ways on

[Niall]

Wouldn't know bud but it sounded best in mine facing the rear of the car not side ways on

Would make sense. i saw you had the gain up all the way on that sub. I've got it on about 30% lol.

[Jonny b]

Ha ha probably was though come to think of it someone borrowed that amp for a couple of weeks

[Ian]

IIRC a 10" sub will always be punchier than a 12"

Doesnt help I know but an enclosed box should do the trick

[Niall]

Yeah I had heard that. Will see how much my rebuild costs this month and might just go and buy a sub

[devils_fuel]

My sub ain't that great (10inch 400watt cheapie & a Sony 250watt amp), it's in a ported box side-on in the car and sounds ok I just wanted some sound definition in mine, the lot for £40 I thought was a bargin 2 yrs.

What you running Niall?

Do you think the back of the sub facing into the car would make a difference jonny?

[Jonny b]

It certainly did in mine bud

[Niall]

Focal components all round with 2x alpine amps and a splx sub

[devils_fuel]

Maybe the same make of sub as mine, will check as I don't know the make of mine

[Toby]

One thing you could do is fiddle around with the LPF (low pass filter) on the amp connected to the sub, if it has this setting of course..

If the LPF is set too high, then the sub will play back frequencies over a broader range, potentially making the bass notes sound too 'mixed up'.

If you have enough component power, set a low LPF and the sub will only play the low lowwwww notes, and this can create a more punchy effect.


This is what I do in my installs anyway, it may be complete hog wash

[Grant]

An enclosed box will make the sound quieter, but with more clarity and 'punch'.

If you look at my sub, it is completely vented. Couldn't get any more so if it tried, I need sort that. But back on track you watch how much the cone is moving about during bassy tunes. This will be minimalised by a sealed box as any air behind the subwoofer cone is constantly changing to + or - pressure depending on the frequency the speaker is receiving, and the direction in which the cone is moving. Because of this, the subwoofer naturally will want to sit at its 'resting' position, giving shorter punchier, 'tighter' bass. Which from the sound of it, is what you are after.


On the other end of the scale, a vented box (such as gurjs') will displace more air, giving louder bass as there will be more displacement.

[Niall]

An enclosed box will make the sound quieter, but with more clarity and 'punch'.

If you look at my sub, it is completely vented. Couldn't get any more so if it tried, I need sort that. But back on track you watch how much the cone is moving about during bassy tunes. This will be minimalised by a sealed box as any air behind the subwoofer cone is constantly changing to + or - pressure depending on the frequency the speaker is receiving, and the direction in which the cone is moving. Because of this, the subwoofer naturally will want to sit at its 'resting' position, giving shorter punchier, 'tighter' bass. Which from the sound of it, is what you are after.


On the other end of the scale, a vented box (such as gurjs') will displace more air, giving louder bass as there will be more displacement.

Where did you copy that from? :mrgreen:

[Grant]

The inner depths of my intellect! :violence-stickwhack:

[kingy]

for most 12" subs the internal volume is near as dam it 1 cubic foot. if your making your own box the dimentions aint to hard to figure out. i would use 18mm mdf.
take into concideration the thickness of the wood when doing the dimentions. them splx subs are cheap but dont sound that bad really. has it been put into a different box?
think most of them came in a sealed box. as for your amp, make sure you have it wired right, is it bridged? should be. make sure you have your low pass filter on. have your gain on half to start with and on your hu have your bass on 2/3 from max and make sure your loud button is OFF. carnt think of anything else. to much bass will make it sound crap and distorted.

[Jonny b]

Sub was got from the shop in that box , the amp should be set for bridged and lo pass switched