Sub education

[Tom Wiley]

I want to get a sub to go along with my mids and tweeters. I don't know where to start or what the numbers mean. Boxes as well. I would like to do something like North Shore Brick did with his extra tire well space, but want to get the best sound for the money.





Thanks ahead of time.

[.t.i.m.m.y.240]

Well, picking the right subs depends on a few factors: How much bass you want, what kind of sound is desired, and of course how much money you have.

The first two tend to go hand-in-hand. As a rule of thumb, 12" subwoofers are going to project a much lower, typically louder bass note. This is b/c there is more surface area pushing the air around the cone. 10" subs are not quiet per say, but do tend to maintain a "tighter" bass note than 12s. Essentially volume comes from the amplifier driving the sub, which is why it is imperative that proper power pairing is done. Also, 10s are typically associated with acoustical music (not electronically made) such as jazz, rock, country etc. where the equipment that originally produced the music was an acoustic instrument. 12s are good for synthesized bass that results from genres such as rap, techno and the sort. These music selections usually created sound by means of wave compression and synthesis (there's not an instrument actually making the sound). As far as money is concerned, bigger is not always better. Yes the high dollar equipment has the potential to rip the skirt straight off a broad, but that doesn't mean mid-grade equipment can't either.

Since this is going (I'm assuming) in a wagon, you really don't need much power to really notice the difference in sound since you are sharing the same air space as the woofer. I would probably invest most of my time in the final appearance, you can go for a pre-fab box that will stick out like a sore thumb, or you could opt for a custom design that has the potential to blend in better. Hope this is good enough of a general start but my hands are hurting from typing so feel free to ask any other questions as they come to you.

[Tom Wiley]

That helps a ton. I listen to 50/50 acoustic and synthetic music. I assume it would be good to err on the enough than not enough. What do the numbers mean? Coils, ohm, Response etc

[lysolvolvo]

go to "www.the12volt.com"

[.t.i.m.m.y.240]

go to "www.the12volt.com"

+11111 Infinite amount of information there. If you listen to a good mix of everything, I would personally go with two 10s (which is what I'm about to run.) Dual 10s will commonly give you the equivalent of a single 12, so you get the response and added volume. I think that dual 12s over power a lot of the mid and high range.
As far as numbers are concerned:

Ohm: measurement of resistance in a given circuit. The higher the number (load) the higher the resistance => Less power available in the circuit.

Coil: Magnet structure that uses opposing polar forces with the electrical current to drive the cone structure (at least I think thats close enough). The more coils, the more (for lack of a better term) electro-kinetic energy available. Typical grade products will have either one or two. Two (of course) being able to handle MOAR POWER

POWER self explanatory however, there are differing kinds of power
PEAK/MAX: Total system power available, in subs; this amount of power is able to flow through the system.......and immediately blow the speaker. The same goes for amps, this amount will blow the circuit.
RMS/CONSTANT: The "safe" amount of power. If you have an amp that will deliver 500 watts RMS, the speaker will gladly play that if the rated RMS power is in that range.

There are you're basics, anything else, go to the12volt.com and read

enjoi!

[Midgie245R]

Tom, this is the 10" i"ve got in my wagon...

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/Midgie245R/volvo/rear.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/Midgie245R/volvo/sub.jpg

Perfect bass levels for a wagon I reckon.

[YLD244]

freekin sweet midgie. what sub is that??

[amargill19?]

I heard brickster151 is an excellent sandwich artist.

[Midgie245R]

freekin sweet midgie. what sub is that??

It's an old 600w marathon. It's a bit hard to tell from the photos, but the side trim goes around the outside of the box, as the box goes back in over the extra wheel well on an angle. That's why it sits a bit higher than the base panel.

[Bricknoob]

So, does it occupy the wheel well? Did you have to do anything to prevent any moisture getting in there?

[84 Blue 240]

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z77/stansbca/Volvobox.jpg
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z77/stansbca/Volvobox2.jpg

Two tens and 400 Watts sounds amazing in my car.

[Midgie245R]

So, does it occupy the wheel well? Did you have to do anything to prevent any moisture getting in there?

No, I've still got the space in the wheel well for storage. Never had any issues of moisture in there as it can still get ventilation through the drain hole at the bottom of the well and side vent.