calling sound system experts... help me get a sub in here- is it possible?

[NickD85]

Hey guys. I work in a boatyard, and do custom woodwork and stuff on the side. I'm always loading the Qx4 up with lumber, tools, etc. In many cases I need every square inch of the ample cargo area. It's vital that I be able to fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood- and that just barely fits as is. I have no room to spare for a big sub/box. So I was thinking- I don't use that little storage space in the passenger side of my trunk. What is available these days in the realm of low profile subs? This is not my area of expertise, but I've measured, and will be able to fit a ten inch by ten inch by five inch deep box by cutting out some plastic. It can be slightly larger if i cut the plastic a little more, but I can't gain much more than a half inch in any direction. I have very little knowledge on this subject, and dont know much about what goes into making something like this work. I appreciate any help, even with explaining the super basics.Thanks in advance. I know there are some audio guys on the forum that will be able to figure this one out
Modified by NickD85 at 5:23 PM 6/7/2009

[W O T]

You can fit an 8" in there i guess, if youre looking for a decent ammount of bass, DD makes a good 8" driver, the make a kicker L7 in 8" aswell

I dont know the depth of either, nor how deep that pocket goes

You can always build a shallow enclosure 4-5" deep for some low profile 10-12" subs (clarion has a nice slim sub line) and mount it on the ROOF

I did that with 4 tens, but they were full depth subs. You can make a fiberglass (or wood if your good) enclosure and mount that sucker to the roof

[NickD85]

thanks WOT... one thing though, when I said i was a noob when it comes to audio I meant it. Whats a kicker? a driver? I'm looking to put whatever I can in that compartment that will have the most drastic and notable improvement on my sound system. What would that be? Im pretty set on going with something real unobtrusive that will go right in that compartment. I have plenty of experience with wood and glass (it's my job) and I want to make a box that will fit neatly in there. thanks again,-Nick

[NickD85]

oh and one more stupid question... does this just get wired into my existing system or does it need its own designated controls?

[KyooX4]

Kicker is a brand. Driver is another word for a speaker. You'll need an amplifier to power it. How it works is, you have audio cables running from your head unit to your amplifier, then from your amplifier to your subwoofer. You can make adjustments on the amp and/or head unit.

[K03sport]

thanks WOT... one thing though, when I said i was a noob when it comes to audio I meant it. Whats a kicker? a driver? I'm looking to put whatever I can in that compartment that will have the most drastic and notable improvement on my sound system. What would that be? Im pretty set on going with something real unobtrusive that will go right in that compartment. I have plenty of experience with wood and glass (it's my job) and I want to make a box that will fit neatly in there.

Kicker = Brand name (Makes a square sub - L8, L10, L12)Driver = another name for a speaker

I'm sure you can incorporate a custom fiberglass enclosure into the cubby area in the back. There is also the small storage bin located under that door, so you will have extra air space (volume inside the enclosure) if you choose to use that space.

Several things to keep in mind...the size of the sub you want to use, the air space needed for that sub, the power for that sub.

The best bet is to remove that panel and work on it outside the truck. If nothing else, you could extend the enclosure an inch or two from the panel itself.

A long throw (distance the woofer cone moves) 8" may provide the bass of a regular 10, however, if you rebuild that panel, a 10 would fit in there without issue.

As far as power is concerned, it is best that the sub have its own designated power source - amp. Make sure the amp matches your subs ratings. Example = a 2ch amp can be wire in to mono (1 channel) to produce 200W@4ohms. You will want your sub to be able to handle this 200W so you will want a sub that can handle 200W RMS. Most car audio parts are designed around a 4 ohm load.

There are also tricks to use when using a small driver. You can fill the air space with baffeling material, basically cotton fill, to slow down the air movement which mimics a larger size woofer.

In reallity, your possibilites are endless. It just depends on how much like stock you want your hidden enclosure to look. Designing and building is fun stuff, just work it out on paper first to minimize your mistakes.

[NickD85]

thanks for the responses guys. Can anyone recommend a good speaker/amp combo for me to go for? WOT, you mentioned kicker, clarion, and DD. Thoughts on those? I think I want to go with an 8", as shallow as possible, but like I said, I don't really know much about this stuff. I wont have a problem building a box, and making everything look like it belongs, but I just need somewhere to start.

[W O T]

Heres the L7 8" kicker I recomended.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/KICKER-S8L7...%3A50

You can also get there lower model L5 model, for cheaper, but the L7 is there best sounding, highest output woofer. It has 4.3" mounting depth if you can fit that.

And its square, so itll fit that whole perfectly with a nice sealed fiberglass enclosure.

Gimme a sec and Ill find you a good amp deal and a link to the DD

The DD is a higher quality, better speaker, but I know there pretty expensive.

[W O T]

DD seems to have discontinued there 8"s but Im sure you can still find them online, DD= digital designs. Id probly go with the kicker though for how small your enclosure is gonna be.

As for an amp, youre going to need an amp with a 250-450rms 1 ohm rating. A monoblock amp.

I'll help more later if knowone chimes in, in a bit of a hurry to catch a movie lol

Its very useful if you can fiberglass and make a mould of that pocket though, I wouldnt tell someone with no experience to attempt it

[WINNIPEGS_MOST_WANTED]

What would the sub enclose be mounted to? If it was mounted to the plastic I think there would be a tendency for undesired vibrations in the plastic resulting in an awful noise..

Has anyone mounted a sub here before? If so, does it sound clean? Something to consider before jumping head first into the project.

[Adnan]

I second on the DD those subs are amazing!i've heard a 8" DD i think 9512 in 8" though lol in a aeroported box and it sounded just as good as a single 12! the kicker should hit just as hard that

You will definetly be able to fit your sub in there perhaps stick out about an inch or two.Amp wise the Alpine mrp m500 (500w rms) would get the job done and they're affordable...if you want more power for about the same price you could get a hifonics tx1005d (1000w)

1.Alpine MRP M500

2.Hifonics TX1005D

[NickD85]

What would the sub enclose be mounted to? If it was mounted to the plastic I think there would be a tendency for undesired vibrations in the plastic resulting in an awful noise..

Has anyone mounted a sub here before? If so, does it sound clean? Something to consider before jumping head first into the project.

thanks for the advice guys keep it coming and no the plastic is all getting cut out, and the box would be mounted to the same metal of the body of the car that the plastic is currently mounted to

[longhornsqx4]

I wouldnt cut any of the plastic away, just make a mould of the innards of the pocket. and put very thin foam between the enclosure and the plastic, would be just fine

[NickD85]

well I'm trying to get as much volume as I can right? I at least think that corner sticking up in the bottom left has to go- theres nothing behind it as far as I can tell.

[Adnan]

yeah that should work just fine however like longhornsqx4 suggests I would using foam between the sub enclosure and the plastic and also sound proofing at least that entire quarter panel.I would also apply foam any other sections that could potentially rattle like the edges of the panels where it meets the glass

[longhornsqx4]

Dont cut the left piece out either, you can pull the bottom piece of that cubby out, and extend the enclosure down there if you want. If this box is gonna be sealed, dont worry about airspace, it doesnt make much of a difference with a sealed box like this, especially for an 8"

pm/email (if we can) W O T about it, he knows his s*** and is very helpful

[NickD85]

you can pull the bottom piece of that cubby out, and extend the enclosure down there if you want.

Yeah thats a good idea, I don't know though... if the airspace isn't super important I was hoping to mount the amp down there- I had to remove the black cubby thing anyway when i was wiring in my trailer harness, and there's a decent amount of room down there.

Once again thanks you guys I appreciate you taking the time to fill me in a little. I still have plenty of questions but we'll work them out as we go

[NickD85]

and I dont know about the kicker subs, not sure if I like the square shape or not. Have you guys heard of any of these? http://www.crutchfield.com/g_5...p=111

[NickD85]

ok i've been looking for a little while... i see kicker makes a round sub- the C8. Is that any good? http://www.hifisoundconnection...30046

the dimensions seem perfect... only 4 1/8" deep

[W O T]

K. Basics of car audio, to be loud you need/want more:

Cone AreaPower (watts)Airspace

You dont have cone area, and you have fudge all for airspace. The L7 with its $140 price tag will 100% be the best driver for this enclosure we have been talking about. Its square design offers the absolute most cone area of any 8" sub.

It also is rated at 450rms watts ( dont know if you know this, but PEAK wattage rating, on any car audio product, is a 100% useless number). You wont find any other subs in this price range that can take near that power (check out the 10-12's in the link you posted, most can take 100-250). So you can throw a decent ammount of power to this woofer.

Like I mentionned you have fudge all for air space so your stuck with a sealed enclosure. I would definetely go fiberglass and mould that cubby (defientely cut nothing, its not worth it), pull out the pocket and extend the box down as far as you can. Youll probly end up with .5 to .75 cubic feet total. Which is PERFECT for this sub in a sealed enclosure.

You mentioned mounting the amp putting the amp down there below the cubby. Wont happen, I dunno if youve never seen an amp before, but there not the size of a credit card. An amp with the wattage youre looking for will be no less than 12" X 7" X 2.5". Plus theres moisture down there, best spot would probly be in the cargo area under the rear carpet, or under the rear seats.

You posted a few other subs, the kicker c8 for example, which is a fine quality sub sure, but it only takes 100 watts. My door speakers take more than that. If youre looking into only throwing a 100 watts at whatever woofer you do choose. Scrap the idea of having a dedicated substage, it wont be worth the output. Upgrading door speakers would be more worth youre time.

In short, the L7 8" is the woofer for your alotted enclosure.

Mind you, you never said anything about budget, or desired level of output.

More talk when Im sober

[NickD85]

Mind you, you never said anything about budget, or desired level of output.

More talk when Im sober

thanks for all the advice WOT. Regarding budget and output... budget is tight, and I'm of course looking to spend as little as possible, but still get the most bang for my buck. I'm not looking to go crazy here, just to have a little added bass in the back, something noticeable but not ridiculous. Is there a decent, low price amp/sub combo package out there? Anything you might recommend?

[KyooX4]

Hey guys check this thing out!http://www.crutchfield.com/p_5...p=111

[W O T]

Well the Kicker L7 8" is there only 8" woofer Ive ever heard that was worth a damn, and I did a quick search for used ones in NY on the forums and craiglist and came up blank. $140 for a 8" is kinda steep even for ebay, but it is a quality new woofer. Thats upto you

There are no companies that offer a 8" sub/amp combo out there though, its just to rare of a combo.

If you find the room for a 10" driver soomewhere else in the car, there are TONS of complete kits including sub/amp/box wiring (everything youd need), on a budget for $100-$200 depending on quality and condition.

If youre on a tight budget, theres nothing wrong with used aslong as its guaranteed working, still when buying used I only buy from locals, so if there is a problem, your only solution isnt just being able to send an email, you can knock doors down lol

[nnorton44]

JL 8w7

[W O T]

JL 8w7

USD$ 439.95 + shipping

He said he had a budget, great advice though...

[NickD85]

haha yeah....

[naladude911]

Why not get thishttp://mobile.jlaudio.com/prod...d=356

[slickroger]

that is awesome just depends on how it sounds and how much it is.

I threw my power cap in that little door you wanna throw your sub in.with a stealth sub on the other side it would look great.

[NickD85]

Why not get thishttp://mobile.jlaudio.com/prod...d=356

No man i think I'd loose the ability to carry 4x8 panels in the back.... as is they sit on top of the wheel wells and just barely squeeze in. Besides, I'm really set on having a nice, clean looking sub built right into that cubby that is currently just wasted space.

[KyooX4]

Plus they're pretty expensive.