My Audio Setup - Technical Opinions

Go big or go home 'eh?

 

Ahh ok, I will say the enclosure I am getting is a Ground Shaker and is 1.36 cubic ft which should be plenty of room.

 

Lol. Ever since I got into car audio I've always had this problem! It gets very expensive, and like you, I'm also a hoarder!

 

Have you considered a custom box made by Mr. Marv?

 

I would but already ordered the box because of the 3-4 week delay right now. The ground shakers got great reviews and didn't want to get too held up on the enclosure.

 

Got it. Yeah the wait for his box does come with some delay but it's worth the wait. He uses 1/2" birch I believe which is lighter and stronger than 3/4" mdf and gives you more space in the box for a deeper sub or more air space.
I hope the ground shaker box works for you. Welcome to the madness!

 

This one? https://ground-shaker.com/index.php...acoma-double-cab-2005-2017&Itemid=104&lang=es

On the bigger side, but it will work and will get you better extension. But 5/8" MDF is not adequate for those IMO.

 

Yeah had I known about his custom boxes I would have inquired at the start, but unfortunately I ordered the box up front because it has a 3 week shipping delay right now. They were one of the best, non-custom box makers I could find and have been in business a long time.

 

I thought 5/8" - 3/4" MDF was pretty standard for boxes. I know you can get better but I was just looking for a well built standard box. If I have any real issues I will look into more custom boxes.

 

3/4 is not 5/8. Really no standard, but in MDF I personally don't like to get below 3/4. Even then I use double baffles and braces. Just hope that enclosure has some bracing in the center.

If it were me, I'd wait the month and get it done the right way. Go ahead and get everything else done - do your deadener, wiring, doors, everything else then when the enclosure shows up it's ready to install. Marv's birch enclosure will be WAY better than that thin prefab.

 

Well the box is already being fabricated, and I did research box thickness before I purchased and the difference is negligible until you start reaching over 1000 watts and get flex. Even if I have to put in a cross brace myself it isn't a big deal, ez. I didn't know about Marv, but I did research custom boxes and they were expensive. This was the best non-custom box manufacturer I could find. Unfortunately the box is not up for debate, it was only posted to say what I am using. If I have issues with it I will look into something else.

 

I should clarify, it isn't that I wasn't willing to wait for Marv to build me one, it was that I didn't know about him. There was a 3-4 week delay on the ground shaker box so I ordered it because of the wait, had I known about Marv I would have looked into him. Other custom box makers that I looked at were just too expensive for me so I made a decision as Ground Shaker was one of the only companies to actually make a pre-fabbed dual enclosure for behind Tacoma seats and made in the U.S. (there are actually cheaper knock-offs from their design). If I don't like this box Marv will be the first place I go .

 

Hahaha he didn’t convince me. The speakers did. I had him do a install for me. Wasn’t a Tacoma surprisingly but it was what made me go with this set when it was time to upgrade from my other set

 

So yes, I know that I definitely prefer a 4 ohm load over 2 or less. Obviously there are other factors but your amplifier simply has more control over the movement of the voice coil with higher impedance. At 2 and 1 ohms the amp is essentially helpless to dampen the momentum and natural resonant vibration of the diaphragm. For the same reason I prefer more power and sealed boxes. YMMV depending on how technical and specific your box is engineered to match your sub drivers.

Also, while yes, you make more watts at lower impedance, you are still squeezing the power balloon, there are consequences built into the equation, like your amp will run hotter, make more THD, and draw more current from your truck’s electrical system.

DVC drivers have been standard issue in car audio more recently simply due to the flexibility they give you for wiring into the load you want based on the number of drivers you plan to use, though originally that’s not why DVC speakers were made.

Many of today’s amplifiers were designed with 2 ohm loads in mind so its not necessarily a bad thing to run 2 ohms, it just depends on what kind of system you are trying to put together. Obviously if you listen to a lot of hip hop it doesn’t matter if your sub is flapping because lil Wayne isn’t trying to provide ultra precise bass in anything he makes, most of it is just constant LF droning with soft attack.

Since I mostly listen to metal, jazz, fusion and music with very high quality production value, I’m going for as much punch and accuracy in bass production as I can get. Consequently all of my source music is FLAC or directly from CD. If you use Bluetooth and MP3s, it won’t matter if your subs are running at lower impedance because lower bit rates and certain compression algorithms just have muddy bass in general.

In terms of DVC wiring, yes you want to wire the coils on a DVC in series and then parallel the drivers rather than the other way around. This ensures that both sub drivers don’t “argue” with each other in the circuit. You can series a DVC without consequence because you are essentially making them into a single voice coil due to the fact that they are mechanically connected by being wound into the same tube. If you series two speakers however, you can see the effect one has on the other by pressing one of the cones and observing the other one move in the opposite direction. It’s more efficient if they are wired in parallel at the amplifier, or a distribution block.

So yeah, how you run depends on a lot of things. All things being equal, 4 ohms will be more accurate than 2, but there are ways to compensate and sometimes the difference is indiscernible or it doesn’t even matter depending on your goals and tastes.

 

Super helpful information, thank you for the thoughtful post. I listen to primarily Metal, classic rock and rap so I want that punchy bass over drawn out (punchy with two 10s can still be plenty of thump). I plan on getting this head unit at a huge discount that has built in active crossover w/ CD player, so I will have the option for a more pure sound. Is this a good receiver? Gets HD radio (important for me as I like to tune into the radio for a change up every now and then) and has the crossover. I'll be running a Kenwood Excelon 5 channel with 600 watts for the subs so it should provide plenty of power (I plan on getting 300 - 400w subs).

Head Unit: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DNX696S/Kenwood-Excelon-DNX696S.html

Amp: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113XR9015/Kenwood-Excelon-XR901-5.html

 

The Excelon units are nice, I recommend them. I chose the XR model for my truck. Definitely consider installing a Maestro with it.

 

I installed Kicker 6x9 in front doors, Subaru Kicker tweeter upgrade, Kicker 6.5 back doors. I have a JL Audio box on order. I just had a car audio shop install a 5 channel 2ohm Alpine Top of the line amp.

I am getting a Hummmmmm from my speakers. It’s loud enough to hear even with music at volume 20. And even with the radio and truck off. I called that shop and they claim it might be a gain adjustment. I have to take my truck back but I’m thinking it’s more of a ground issue, given it’s making this hummm even w the radio off. Open to input.

 

Could be ground or gain problem

 

If you do not mind another opinion, I believe TacoJova is on the right track - It sounds like a ground loop - a grounding strap from the radio to
the amplifier ground may be the cure.

 

If gain is set too high it also causes that