15'' Sub question

Hey guys! So I got a 15' sub in my camper and it sounds pretty good. My only complaint I have is that it rattles. I know of course that its going to be rattling but I want to know if there is anything I could do to minimize it? Thanks in advance!

 

pics?

 

A 15 foot sub?

 

To lazy to go out and take a pic of my truck, but heres another I found online tha looks exactly what I have.

http://images.craigslist.org/5Y25K55F43Lb3I23lbc4b19d3369b332f1c0b.jpg

 

Haha yeah, I was going to get a simple 12 but everyone said I wouldnt be able to hear the bass if I were to place it in the back so they suggested a 15. Most of the rattling noise comes from the window inside the shell that is in between the truck itself and the shell (I have no idea if that makes sense)

 

Yup its the window in the shell that lets me throw stuff in the back haha. I dont think I can remove it and there is no rubber seal. Pretty much between the shell window and the factory back window is a gap where air flows through and stuff like that.

 

This sounds to complicating for me god damn... haha

 

I dont think I have any room inside the cab! Where would you suggest I place it if I were to down size

 

Here is the concern with your issue... The only way to effectively reduce or eliminate rattle is by using some type of sound deadening material, however, keep in mind that this material does exactly what it says it does: Dampen Sound. When the source of the sound is already inside the cab, such as behind the back seat, then using sound deadener (ie: Dynamat, Raamat, Hushmat, etc etc etc) works great. First, and perhaps most obvious, it will kill the vibrations, which will reduce panel distortion and strengthen the area around the speakers. Less vibrations means less unwanted noise and a more stable environment for the speakers to perform in. Second, it will increase the volume of your music by keeping the acoustical energy in the car rather than letting it escape through the vibrating panels. Volume inside the car increases while nasty panel resonance outside the car is eliminated. Third it will also keep unwanted road and engine noise outside of the cab making for a more quiet and luxurious ride.

BUT, that last part right there is where the problem lies! Deadener KEEPS SOUND OUT as a byproduct of eliminating rattle. Since your driver is located in the camper, sound waves MUST travel freely into the cab in order for you to hear them, and more importantly for them to sound acoustically in tune.

Since you have a camper, I am going to take a wild guess and say that your bed is carpeted. That right there eliminates sound waves by absorbing them, and much of your bass is lost right away. If it is not carpeted, the sound still has to travel not only through the composite bed liner, but also through the metal wall of the cab. Both materials are difficult for sound waves to successfully penetrate, and when they are, the result is rattle. To make things worse, your sealed camper shell creates a pressurized chamber for your driver, almost like a box outside of a box. A 15" driver delivers a high amount of SPL, or sound pressure level, and that pressure needs a place to go. The sound is going to travel through the easiest possible material first in order to relieve pressure. The easiest material to penetrate is glass. This is why your window is what rattles the most.

Now to answer your question... If you purchase a product like Dynamat or Raamat, etc. you can only apply is to the inside wall of your cab, and possibly the bed, if it is carpeted (it would be applied between the composite bed liner and the carpet... These products have sharp aluminum edges that will cut anything if left exposed, especially in your bed) By doing this, you will inhibit sound waves from successfully penetrating that cabs interior and drastically reduce acoustics and sound quality AND make your window rattle even MORE than it does now because more pressure is ported through a smaller space (the window.) Even foam or weather stripping as some have recommended will not fix this. Every material has what is called a "Resonating Frequency" (the frequency that it vibrates at) and unless you cover the majority of the surface to change the physics of it, the resonance can not be altered. Therefore the only way to eliminate window rattle is do cover the entire glass in sound deadening material, or simply remove the glass itself.

Your ONLY ideal solution is to redesign your box, and have it ported into the cab itself. You will need a technician with the knowledge of how to calculate port size, and have a boot connecting your box port through the bed into the cab. Once that is done, a lot of sound deadening material must be used on the remaining portion of the back wall, as well as inside the bed and around the boot. You will need more than just sound dampener like Dynamat though. To keep the sound inside the cab and out of the camper, both should be insulated with some type of paste Deadener such as "Spectrum" by SecondSkinAudio.com or "OverKill" which is a CCL (closed cell foam) also by Second Skin. They also sell "Luxury Liner" which is an MLV Noise Barrier.

From Secondskinaudio.com:

Basically there isn't a simple solution to your problem. If your window is what is rattling most, which according to the physics of acoustical sound waves, it probably is, then spending a few hundred dollars on dampener will only add to your problem... AND put a dent in your wallet.

It would be cheaper and easier to get one or two 10's or 12's and put them inside the cab behind the back seat like 99.9% of most other truck owners do. A JL Audio Stealthbox can be purchased for about $600-650 if you find it on sale and I bet will sound way better than your 15".

The larger your sub, the higher surface area and the more sound is moved resulting in incresed SPL and deeper bass, but also makes it sound more sloppy and distorted. I ALWAYS recommend two 10's for practical everyday use and quality. 15's are for show and competition, its just overkill for and everyday system.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks! I was falling asleep typing this, but car audio is what I do best, so I like to help whenever I can. I saw a bunch of responses that really werent helping much and I would hate to see the OP spend $100-400 on materials to stop rattle just to find out that his window rattle will get worse. Im going to sleep too. Glad I could be helpful, and hopefully it wasnt too difficult to understand.

 

Bump because I'm curious as to what others will say

 

I got a double cab 2004!

 

Perfect if you have a DC then as I recommend downsize to one or two 10's and put them in a box behind the back seat. Will sound just as loud as you have it set up now, and way less rattle. Refer to my previous gigantic post for details and explanation

 

My first idea was to have two 8's behind the back seat before I got my 15. I dont think I can fit one 10 behind the backseats. Do you have any pics where I could check them out to see if it was possible?

 

I have a 2nd Gen so I don't have any pics or info on 1st Gen spacing behind the back seat but I'm sure its easily possible

 

My question is, why did you put a sub in the bed? That doesn't make any sense to me :huh:

 

Only place a 15'' could be placed in, and many people with subs in their bed have suggested it.

 

And it still sounds good as hell might I add

 

Well I did spend almost 30 minutes writing a response so if you read my page long post then you will have your answer. Either leave it and live with it, or downsize, or port it into the cab

 

That post covered about everything I wanted to know. Thanks for that. I was looking at the Stealthboxes that you recommended and unfortunately they only make them for 05 and up (Mines 04). I am now looking to downsize to either one or two 10's or just one 12 and im also looking to put them behind my backseats. Any more suggestions?