Let’s see some subwoofer setups!

Oh awesome! How’s it working for you?

 

With the plastic off the seat , it sounds good. Not booming bass but it covers the lows pretty good. I still haven’t really cranked everything up , but it gets ear piercing loud.

 

Yeah something seems off somehow. Glad to offer help and ideas. Lots of guys are getting plenty of bass output in these trucks and I know sometimes small spaces can do weird things with bass but generally all that cabin gain that is yielded from being in a vehicle can eliminate problems like nulls and other issues that are found in home setups that then tend to be because of sub placement and corners trapping bass. Overkill is probably better to have in vehicles because it just offers more headroom. I'd rather have to EQ levels down 10 db from 20-70 HZ then have less than what is fun to bump music with....Also here is something you might want to consider changing your amp. I learned this after buying an Audio Control LC 1.800. Audio Control and Kicker as well build into their amps a non-Adjustable HI Pass filter essentially an undefeatable subsonic filter or "safeguard" around 27-30 HZ 24 db slope. This is done supposedly to save peoples subs who don't know any better when they build ported boxes and get a little greedy with gains and volume knobs to keep them from blowing voice coils. I talked to a number of guys on other forums about the issue and it is confirmed. It actually does limit quite a bit of bass down in those lower 30 HZ areas ( the range of bass I really like). One guy did a sine sweep test with his Audio Control amp vs a JL amp and with the Audio Control amp frequencies below 30 HZ were essentially non-existent but with the JL amp he was getting down into 20 HZ and lower with useable output. https://www.diymobileaudio.com/thre...ation-nonsense-and-tomfoolery-lc1-800.444020/ You gotta watch out these days still with companies that are ever increasingly trying to turn profits with cheaper quality shit. I've been in this game for a long time and while there are still some good brands out there lots of them are cutting corners.

 

That is probably almost 100% the cause. I can get the roof to flex and volume to become uncomfortable above 45(ish) hz, but it drops off really quickly below that. My subsonic is off, as well. I have a RF Power 2500 on the shelf in my garage from an old vehicle that I will try out tonight! The electrical is stock other than the big three on my truck so I will be careful with the gain, just want to check and see if the Kicker EQ is what's messing with my response. I miss having a sedan where I can just toss in some 12s in a ported box and brute-force my way through nulls

 

Yeah man a simple amp change will likely be a big improvement and provide you that missing low end you want. You also won't have to spend a ton of money doing it. These days the amps I run are certainly not Gucci shit but just do what they are supposed to do. I do run a Gucci HU (Pioneer DEXp99rs) Gucci Tweets (ScanSpeak Berylliums) , mids, midbass, and subs to some degree but power these days is getting more affordable and if the amp does what it is supposed to by simply amplifying signal with rated power and less than 1% distortion for a given frequency range I think the biggest impact on a person's sound quality will be quality source and quality drivers.


At the moment I'm running a $170 sub amp but my subs are almost 6x that cost. I was skeptical at first at buying what was considered a budget amp (Stinger Mt1500.1) but figured what the hell since it was not much money. I remember back in 2001 if you wanted 1500 real watts it was going to cost you at least a dollar per watt ( yes I'm getting up there in age a bit and have been in this a while) and the amp you purchased was literally going to be the size of a skateboard that certainly wasn't going to be tucked away under a seat. I've owned some nice SQ amps in my time (ARC XXK4150, PPI PCX 480, Zapco C2k 3.0X, Zapco Reference 1000.4).....Anyway this current sub amp for months I ran it on a 13 volt 100 amp AC to DC power supply at 2 ohms with a pair of twelves and also with four twelves at 1 ohm in a home theater setup before I installed it. It absolutely was awesome on movies like Interstellar. The bass was crazy low...I figure since it passed the test for that period of time with just 13 volts then it should be fine in a vehicle with maybe about 13.5 volts or higher....Let us know if the amp change made a difference. That Rockford btw sure as hell isn't going under a seat...lol...Keep us updated. We can find a solution.

 

I've watched reviews of the Stinger amps from Williston Audio Labs and they perform excellently! The price per watt has 100% gone way down. With the efficiency of class D amplifiers, you can get your foot in the door for cheap! It's really interesting how everything has evolved. I'm just testing with the Rockford amp, its sitting on my backseat at the moment. The Kicker definitely attenuates certain frequencies, but the good news is that most content I listen to doesn't reach that low. I really appreciate all of the help so far.

So, I ended up swapping out the amp last night and gave it a listen this morning. The low end has definitely improved, but with the windows down the bass is at least 75% stronger. I don't really know how to describe it but I'm sure you know how when the bass hits a certain volume you feel it in your eardrums? Like the tone changes? Not sure the description. When the windows are down I can constantly hit that decibel level but with windows up it just shakes everything with very little audible output. I am still using my stock head unit with an LC7I Pro as I wanted to keep everything as OEM as possible. Accubass on or off, still the same issue. I have played frequency sweeps with the windows down and can get down to ~28 hz, peaking at 36hz. Windows up, bass below 35 is pitiful. I am sure there is enough airspace for the subs and the box is indeed sealed so there couldn't be any port tuning issues. This one has me thoroughly stumped.

 

That Skar enclosure looks nice. Wish it would fit in a 2nd gen 2010 DC. I need to find a sub that fits behind the passenger seat without cutting the plastic or removing it entirely. I have an OEM JBL box that I am debating on throwing a CompRt in it. It will be ran off an Audio Control 4.800. An 8" may do ok if i can make that box solid.

 

My friend has the Skar enclosure in his second gen, but he did need to remove the larger bin.

 

@Pwakchop
Any pics by any chance and what did he use to mount it? Was hoping to not have to store the plastic anywhere since i have the plastic and the OEM JBL box i already bought being stored incase i use that. Which sub did he use in the SKAR

 

So, I don't have any pics on me but I will shoot him a text in the morning to see if he can send one my way. He got the pre-loaded one and said that it provides plenty of bass for his needs. There are some slots near the child seat anchors that he used a couple of washers to mount an L-bracket to. After, he drilled into the box and mounted it with wood screws. My skar box arrived today (I love instant gratification and one day shipping) and while it's not as loud as my old setup, it is a hell of a lot cheaper. I can send a pic of it in my 3rd gen if you'd like but I am not sure if it would be of much help.

 

@Pwakchop thanks! Any pics will help. Wish I could find a skar box locally to test fit just in case it’s an easy mount without many mods

 

Anybody jam a shallow Mount sundown into the Skar box behind the rear seat?

 

The Skar box has a maximum mounting depth of 3.75" and the smallest sub Sundown makes in a 10 inch size is 3.9". Unfortunately Sundown gear won't fit in the box, but you can get much better results for the price from other brands.

 

the Sundown SML 10 lists a mounting depth of 3.78. I was hoping it would juuuust fit.
Whats a better sub to put in that Skar box?

 

Are you looking for a similarly priced sub? I must have missed the 3.78" depth. Personally, I'd choose the Kicker CompRT 10 while it's on sale. I've used many of them before and they're great little drivers.
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-tc8tS...pla-1185332549678&awmt=&awat=pla&gad_source=1

 

I’m looking for an alternative to the JL 10in TW3. Something that can handle a little more power with better sensitivity. Something that sounds tight and crisp.

 

Used these in a Jeep install last year and they slammed: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575T1S102/Rockford-Fosgate-T1S2-10.html
Should be about 1 db more sensitive than the TW3.
The sensitivity isn't a big deal, especially once placed in an enclosure. You won't notice much and can compensate with more power.

Hertz makes excellent products as well: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_301MPS2504/Hertz-MPS-250-S4.html

 

I’m using the RF 10” shallow

 

Sound Waves custom. just out

 

I have an AC LC6.1200, with 3/4 and 5/6 bridged each to two JL 10W1v3s. The enclosure is a bit tight, and I know those subs don't have the greatest xMax. But the volume drop at lower frequencies is pretty dramatic and seemingly artificial. And I have been wondering how much that subsonic filter has played a role in it. Really stupid design, especially considering they even put it in their monoblocks. I was thinking of building a different box, probably ported, with a 12" driver, but this makes me think I probably need to look at changing the amp. Thanks for this.