6x9 SUb

[PoorManQ45]

I know some of you have been looking into 6x9 subwoofers to replace the rear speakers.

WEll, here is an excellent one.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe...4-837

It's from tang Band, which is a reputable company. THat pric eis per driver, so figure on ~$100 total.

You'll need an amp to power them.YOu can either go with using the trunk as the enclosure. THis gives you ~103dB anechoic(add atleast 12dB fo rin cabin) at 40hz, 98dB at 30hz, and 90dB at 20hz. Note that the lowest radio goes is 30hz, and that's already 3~6dB down. Even on cds, unless you're listening to classical, most music doesn't go below 30hz.

Now, you can also put these things in a 1ft^3 enclosure each. Tuned to 30hz. (note, best response is with both in same enclosure.) You'd get 107dB at 30hz, and 109.5dB at 40hz.

THese things are perfect for those people that don't want to take up all of their trunk space.

*edit* I personally would go with just mounting these in the regular 6x9 holes and sealing th etrunk from the cabin. THis would give you a very large sealed enclosure, but not quite free air. SO it'd automatically limit th elow frequency exclusion(read no low cutoff), and it will still give a very high output.

Couple these with a good pair of components in the front and you'd have a very clean sounding system

[PoorManQ45]

FOr those people that have 6.5s in the back you can use these: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe...4-832

[BlackHat]

interesting. I'd like to hear what that kind of setup would sound like.

I take it this is applicable only to coupes? The rear brackets on the hatchbacks are 4x6's. Not to mention no where near enclosed properly for a sub.

[PoorManQ45]

I beleive the coupes use 6.5s all around, so that'd work in them.

[BlackHat]

Not in the front though... right? I was under the impression all s13s were 4x6's up front?

[PoorManQ45]

Hmm, maybe i'm thinking of the S14. SOrry

ANyways, i was just using this as an example of alternatives to taking up your entire trunk space with subwoofers just to get decent low end response.

I think these would be a perfect addition to a stock system.

[Simmsled]

The "free air" 6x9 setup is good... you can even run a solid amount of power to them with no troubles. Just remember to sound dampen (dynamat or your favorite flavor of dampening material) or else you will hear buzzing and rattling.

[PoorManQ45]

SImmsled: I think it's more of a matter of securing things then deadning them. In trunks you already have alot of deadning in the liner.

YOu just need to stop things from rattling.

I've found that once you identify a rattle you can find it and stop it with Rubber in a can.

Much cheaper then just putting deadning on the whole trunk to stop a few rattles

[Simmsled]

By sound dampening the body panels you reduce the amount of energy radiating to parts like bolts and plastic panels. The metal is what absorbs the sound wave energy and translates it to vibration. It is what is connected to those panels that rattles. If you want to have a significant dB loss of sound in your car and a higher noise floor, by just "getting by" go ahead. If you want to do it the right way and not have to go back and rework new rattles... do it right and use sound dampening material. Nobody wins IASCA competitions by doing a hack job.

The forces on the parts that rattle never change and therefore could start rattling again over time. If you stop the source of what causes the parts to buzz... then youve got a proper setup. If you want the most benefit out of your system, you must sound dampen all you can. Thats the proper way to do it, not just the way to get by.

[BlackHat]

I think a lot of it depends on what you want in the end. I was more concerned with performance from the car, but also wanted a nice system (or rather, one that could keep up with road noise). I have been doing a lot to lower weight on the car and other modifications

Personally, I would rather stop a specific rattle than dampen an entire compartment. But then again, I'm not going into a competition for car audio. Just because it is done that way I don't think "hack job" is the correct term. It's just a way to a different goal.

[Simmsled]

Thats fine. Im simply saying that if you want to have the best sound, use sound dampening. The weight of sound dampening material is a non factor if you are dampening a set of 6x9s. It is just that simple. The applications for dynamat go way beyond car audio.

[BlackHat]

Removing all the sound dampening included in a stock 240sx equals almost 40Lbs. That's not really negligable. You can't get that much by removing all of the A/C equipment.

Don't get me wrong, I think the dampening stuff is great. But everyone has a goal for their vehicle. Adding 6-1/2" speakers doesn't mean you're entering IASCA competitions. It also doesn't mean their entering race tournaments. Good info though, for anyone interested in a better audio system.

[Simmsled]

i said in my last post non factor "negligable" to dampen 6x9s, not the entire car. the stock dampening material is crap anyways. If you want to use powerful 6x9s as free air subs, you need an amp to properly power them... more weight. if you stuff 6x9s in those 4x6 panels, you are going to have problems if you dont sound dampen them. if you are going lightweight, why would you even have rear speakers? If you want lightweight, no dampening material, optimal and accurate full range sound, and little or no rattles there is only one way to do it. Components in custom kickpanels amplified with a lot of power.

[PoorManQ45]

By sound dampening the body panels you reduce the amount of energy radiating to parts like bolts and plastic panels. The metal is what absorbs the sound wave energy and translates it to vibration. It is what is connected to those panels that rattles. If you want to have a significant dB loss of sound in your car and a higher noise floor, by just "getting by" go ahead. If you want to do it the right way and not have to go back and rework new rattles... do it right and use sound dampening material. Nobody wins IASCA competitions by doing a hack job.

I'll compare this to home audio.

WHen you first get a powerful subwoofer(not a Big Box company one)... Do you turn your room into an anechoic chamber? That would eliminate any possibility of a rattle, right? Yes, it would, but it's absolutely overkill.

What we do is find what's rattling, and secure/remove it. WE don't coat the whole wall to treat a few rattles.

Same thing goes for the mid/high frequency range. We only put absorbers at the first, and possibly second, reflection point.

The thing about a car, especially is you have cloth interior, is that you have a ton of absorbtion already. Adding dynamat will increase this absorbtion, while doing very little to improve bass.

The dynamat basically causes the whole panel that it's on to become one. So nothing moves seperate to cause a buzz.

It does not in any way reduce panel flex, which is the number one cause of dB loss.

The ONLY way to reduce this panel flex is through extensive bracing, or adding mass.

[BlackHat]

Again, I'm not arguing against dampening sound. Just the idea that not doing it is a hack job. Dampening material adds up to be a good amount of weight. Of course one piece isn't much. I didn't use any dampening material, in fact, I removed a lot of what was there. Does that make my setup a "hack job"?

That's my point. I'm behind you fully that adding dampening will create better sound. Also that just dampening one speaker will add negligable weight. I'm just trying to show the other side of the coin.

I will admit I didn't think of the kickerpanel idea. I may look into that but I think when I get into the fiberglass I'll achieve something pretty close to that. The speakers took the place of the rear seat and point a little forward anyway. They ended up closer to my head that if they were in kickerpanels (and pointed toward the seats). I'd welcome any critiquing on my setup (link in sig).

[Simmsled]

hack job, the way i was using it referred to trying to solve rattle problems with just securing bolts and fasteners better to remedy noise/vibration/harshness (rattling). If you were to go for optimal sound, dampening must be done as well. im not knocking your setup at all. your box is really a really cool idea. My critique of the setup would be to change out your 4x6s to a 6.5 because oblong speaker shapes are not as good at producing sound as circular speakers. i like it.

[BlackHat]

I agree with you on the 4x6's... That was an accident. I will probably go with 6's when I redo the setup with glass.

Might be easier to get covers for 6's too. I haven't been able to find any covers for my 4x6's...