MDF is very heavy but i have only ever heard of people using MDF and some birch. It has to do with the size of the pores in the wood and the way that it can bond together. Im thinking that something like this http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...7C10VT2&tp=111
will allow you to have a smaller box. I prefer kicker for the price. If you are going to take on this project, 1 10" with ample power and correct dimensions will function much better/efficiently without the spacial issue of a 12". Most people dont understand that a 10" subwoofer is a much better speaker than a twelve in that the range is wider and it is much compact/lighter. BTW i like the seat delete idea and the battery sidewall idea with the spare tire mount on the opposite wall. It would make your interior look really clean.

 

a few things here. that sub is deep at 4.25". It's also 2ohm. running one = 2ohm mono load, a tough thing for inexpensive stereo amps. it requires a minimum box size of .8 cu/ft. That's huge given the woofer is shallow and meant for tight places (it's Solobaric cousin works in .66cu/ft). It's also $150.

The Elemental Designs SQ10's I referred to earlier are $70/ea, 3 inches deep and work in .3 cu/ft. That means you can run a pair of them for in less space and with less $$ spent than the Kicker. I'm as much a brand snob as anybody, but these are most likely both made in the same factory in China. The brand name gets you just that...a brand name, not performance nor proper fitment in this car.

 

Indeed, I saw the price tag on the SQ 10 and though "damn that is cheap", the question is, does it sound any good? I suppose I should make a mock ups of various box sizes so I can start to get an idea of what I am working with. Now is one of those times where I which I knew how to use CAD programs.

 

I just prefer kicker from past experience. I know that there are much better brands out there. My next post was going to entail that i have owned solobaric subs and loved them. I understand the china thing, someone explained to me once how kicker, mtx, autozone brands (rampage), etc., etc., are all made in the same factories in china. Fiberglass might also be a possibility if he is comfortable with it. Amp wise, just as long as he is a mono amp that can handle 2 ohms like this http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...MRPM450&tp=115 will work for a similar application.

 

so, you choose a brand over performance? two quality 10" drivers will work better than one quality ten inch driver.

 

At this point the woofer I go with is going to work around my AMP. Going with a Rockford Fosgate 325.2. Thats 2 seperate channels, but bridged it runs 325 @4-ohm, which is perfect. I would go bigger if i could but so far that is one of the best amps I have found in the sub 150 range. Still it really only has enough to power on 10 incher. Plus I love the fact that I can pick up a remote bass boost module the not only lets me control boost, but the frequency where it is boosting, I dont think many amps let you do that.

Otherwise this is the other choice:
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...9HA1000&tp=115

No idea how it is as a brand, but the review average is pretty good. Plus it has the power to run two slightly less powerful 10in 2-ohm subs (albeit slightly underpowered).

Again the, I am really shooting for just some more bass to help round out my bottom end (and fill it) than what the stock system is currently giving me. I am not shooting for super loud (for now at least ).


Edit: Now that I have done some preliminary drawings, I think both the Alpine and JL are both going to be a bit too deep. I suppose I could get creative but that still leaves the overall volume to contend with. I need some concrete measurements though, most of what I have is just X's and Y's at this point.

 

don't confuse power handling with power requirements. two completely separate things

Profile is crap. That RF amp is 100x better.

 

No, there is still a difference in quality even though they are made in the same place. I know for a fact that bose is makes speakers in my hometown (Yuma, AZ) and they subcontract for materials/parts from Mex. Event though they are made in the USA, the components are from Mex or China. I like Kicker b/c i hav yet to hav any problems with my kicker equip. I would suggest looking up the specs in the stock speakers so that you can fit your sub to a complete sound system.

 

Def. agree, RF amps are good quality and another brand that i have had good experience with in the past.

 

what do you mean here?

some pics of my install - http://www.motoringunderground.com/f...ead.php?t=9738

 

The range of the system. I know that minis have components in the front but i have never taken a look at the back speakers. maybe a "well rounded system" is a better way of saying it.

 

Just read your post on the motoringunderground site and that answers my question about the rear speakers. BTW thats looks like a job well done. Have you had any heating problems with the amp though? I was considering that spot but decided that i didnt want to decide untill i got an amp that i could fit.

 

Alright, that is sorta new to me. So what am I trying do to when taking an amps output and finding what speaker I am supposed to pair it with? I guess there is more to it than match RMS values? Or more accurately, is there a better way of doing it than directly comparing RMS?

Edit: going to bed before my typing gets any worse.

 

you don't need anything in the rear. a set of front components and a single sub driver in the boot is sufficient. that said, I'm pulling out the 6x9 subs and doing 8" midbasses there with dedicated subs in the back. I like to be able to feel kick drums...6's don't cut it and I can't fit my 8's in the doors.

no issues, despite three hours roadtrips, jamming the whole way. I'm running 4ohm stereo front and 2ohm mono rear on that amp.

power handling on a speaker is twofold - thermal and mechanical.

thermal = how much heat can the system handle before melting the voice coil(s). an amp with 4x the max power of the speaker won't melt the coils, but one with 1/4 the max power driven into distortion will. setup is key here.

mechanical = how much the cone can move without damaging the driver itself. more power = more excursion. this varies with box size and design. a well built speaker can handle temporary overload. again, setup/design is key.

the main thing you want to look for is sensitivity (ie 90db) and xmax (excursion in mm). higher sensitivity = more output per watt. this gets tricky...small box woofers are notoriously inefficient (extension = slow moving cones, so, small box = heavy cone).

the last variables.....sound quality, impact, extension (how low and at what sound level?), ability to blend well with main speakers, etc. I generally run double rated power on my subs....for impact and dynamics.

I had an incredible sounding 15" driver from Alpine many years ago. Probably the best subwoofer ever made (6015). It needed an obscenely large box (3 cu ft), could only handle 150w max and didn't play very loud (low xmax). All bad things, but it sounded incredible. Killer impact, very musical, never like there was a sub, but more like a proper set of home speakers.

with that, I'm off to bed. there are no absolutes here....some things just work better than others.

 

YA. GET A YELLOW TOP OPTIMA BATT.

 

So lets compare subs for a second, just with specs. The pioneer is out do to it's really low xMax (6mm)

Kenwood v. ED v. Alpine

The Kenwood has an Xmax of 7.5mm, which isnt that bad, plus the space requirement is pretty small as well. Price is kinda high though. A sensitivity of 90db is very good however and would nicely with my amp when comparing max power handling to amp output (my amp would still have nearly 25% of it power in reserve). Again though, that is if I ever max the sucker out. Frequency response of 35-800 is alright.

The Elemental Design is an awesome value at just $70, and I may go for it just because of that simple fact. No idea about the sensitivity but the xMax of 9mm is pretty good given the overall size and volum requirements (3in and .3cu-ft). Power handling is about the same as the Kenwood, which is a good thing I guess. Also have no idea on the frequency range, but given where it starts to resonate and the performance of their other models its probably pretty good.

If I am willing to sacrifice the space needed the Alpine looks pretty good. Huge excursion (compared to the others at least) of 13mm would certainly create some loud base. Dual voice coil, which at this moment in time isnt any particular advantage or disadvantage. Sensitivity of 84db isnt great, but it could be worse. Frequency response of 30-700 is pretty good on the low end.


Based on all that mumbo jumbo up there I think a 4-ohm Elemental Design is going to be my best bet. There stuff looks quality and the price is great. I can mount just about however I want it thanks to the almost stupid low volume requirement. And for $70 I think it should make a good first sub for just rounding out the bottom.

So I guess the big question for me is; Does anyone have any first hand experience with Elemental Design speakers or subs and if you do, how are they?

 

Anybody have any ideas on what gauge speaker wire I should be using?

 

Whateve size the amp suggest. It will say and you can go out and get an install kit that is rated for he wattage.

 

Just found this yesterday - a possible choice for a box:

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...hp?fit_id=1413

 

10awg should be good.

 

10awg should be good.

 

we have a stealth JL box in our 06 but keep in mind it still takes up a bit of room......they are build nice, and sound great