It's pretty simple actually, if you are not using a subwoofer, and you are able to plae your music loud enough for you and it sounds undistorted in the low end then no you do not need a subwoofer.

If you are hearing your 6x9's break up at the volume you are trying to play your music...then yes you ned a subwoofer to achieve that level of sound.

 

Werd

But karma was at work or something, I got t-boned by a drunk running a stop sign last night. Car's probably written off, gotta see if I can recover all my audio equipment.

 

:dislike:

Sorry Eirhead, that sucks. Are you okay?

 

Ya, just my left arm is a bit scraped up. Car had 4 people in it, my scrapes and a couple soar backs was the worst of it. Car took the hit like a tank tho and deployed the side airbags, mini never fails to impress.

Got a chance to check it out again today, not sure it'll be write off??? I'm not an adjustor. The car that hit me pretty well crumpled their front end.

 

ouch!

Now I'd feel bad telling you how ridiculous some of the audio stuff you posted sounds.

Glad everyone was "ok"!

 

First, there's a ton of mis-information on the internet. Sorry, but the beginning of this post is exactly that.

The only way I can see a 6x9 replacing the subwoofer route is if you can find a free-air (infinite baffle) type of 6x9 subwoofer-ish driver to stuff in those factory locations and to sound dampen the heck out of the walls. Vibration is one of the worst enemies of car audio. IF your speakers are vibrating bits and pieces in your car, those vibrating surfaces have turned themselves into a radiating noise source as well. Sound is the movement of air. Vibration is a boat load of fun in loud SPL systems but is a nitemare in SQ setups.


The whole original statement about bass from the back of the car versus the mid-point is a bag of poo-doo. I've judged in IASCA and heard vehicles with trunk mounted subs that sound like the bass is coming from infront of you!! There's a whole science to car audio sound reproduction and a bag of tricks to create the illusion of proper staging and imaging from the front. We could fill pages and pages discussing this.

Of note, DLS Audio (out of Sweden) had a fun Mini demo car many years ago. I believe it was a first gen car. I don't know if they still have the build posted up on their site (www.DLS.se) but it's an interesting SQ build. I got to listen to it one year at CES in Las Vegas. Pretty cool.


BTW, sorry to hear about the car crunch. That sucks.

 

Link to this car. A little over the top as it's a demo......... but

http://www.dls.se/econtent/171/submarine_001.html



Another nut-bag install. The euro people are CRAZY with their minis!!!

http://www.dls.se/econtent/411/dls_revolution.html

 

I have the subwoofer amp in my car turned all the way up to 11. Why? Because it's louder than 10!

 

Why don't you just make the loudest volume 10?

 

Wow, there BS was free-flowing in here for a while. Kevin was absolutely spot-on and factual in his rebuttals.

Only things I have to add is, placement of a sub or a midbass driver playing under 250Hz or so, in a car, is absolutely meaningless. We can't localize these frequencies (before anyone screams shenanigans, I know this from experience building competition and demo cars) and under about 100Hz in most cars (significantly higher in a Mini) the sound wave is too long to form so all that's happening is the interior is being pressurized. You won't "hear" anything under the lowest freq. that can at least form a half-wave. Knowing this opens up a TON of options for midbass and sub placement in a car, especially one as small as a Mini.

If you want to use a TRUE 6x9 sub you can try to source some old Kicker Freeair 6x9s (but make sure you deaden the living hell out of the mounting surface and the area behind it) or the Tang Band W69 (partsexpress.com). Neither of these options will outperform the IA solution, or any number of other things that can be done, but it will retain 100% of your cargo space and be better than the OEM setup.

 

I know you posted this almost a year ago, but I was hoping to get a little more detail on your setup. How did you build the box for the sub? I am looking to build a box taking up the spare tire well and a little more for two 12w3s.... Like to see or hear about your box. Thanks...