Okay, I've NEVER used filler in any of the boxes I've built... Usually because I'm able to build a box that is sized optimally and I don't feel it's needed. Well, I've been thinking about an issue for about six months now and I'm really undecided on what route to take; maybe some of you with plenty of box building experience (who've used filler) can give me some input.
Here's the deal; I installed a stereo in my boat this past summer... All Kicker Marine... KM620 6" coaxial (2pr), KM10 10" sub (1ea), MX 700.5 5 channel amp, and a Clarion CMD-5 marine CD head-unit (set up with XM radio of course). I intend on putting in a wake tower, two KMT6 wake tower speaker sets and a MX 350.4 amp to power them... but the issue at hand is the sub.
I've got limited space on my boat for mounting a sub; my options were, ditch my built in cooler under the left rear jump-seat and build my enclosure in there... or, build it under the right rear jump seat and shift my battery back a little bit as this is the area where the battery sits. I opted for option #2... Can't sacrifice cold beer for more enclosure volume... it just isn't going to happen.
Well, I built the box as big as I could given the area I had to work with and the need to be able to still remove the battery and get to the electric pump and reservoir for the out-drive tilt/trim motor. This ended up giving me a volume of... I'd say right around 0.9 cubic feet NOT including the volume occupied by the driver itself. Kicker advises a minimum of 1 cubic foot sealed enclosure volume for this particular sub. So I'm already 10% smaller than advised minimum, not factoring in the speaker displacement.
So there's my issue, do you guys think some acoustical filler would help offset the smaller box? If so, what would you use and where would you get it? I'm VERY hesitant to tear this build out and install a correct size box where my built in cooler is... number one, it's finished and fiber-glassed in, number two I'd have to build a patch for the speaker hole (not that big of an issue, I'm re-carpeting this spring anyway)... but like I said in my third paragraph... I'd hate to loose my cooler!!!
Hell, while we're on the subject... My amp is rated at 420watts @ 2ohm (so it should be about 210watts @ 4ohm)... the sub's max is 150w @ 4ohm in a sealed enclosure... how many think I should just add another box where the cooler is at and run a 2nd sub?
I'd appreciate input at the minimum on the filler...
Thanks gentlemen!! (PS... I'm only going sealed; no way I have room for a correctly built box of any other design)
BTW... for those of you who've not installed a system in a boat... PITA; hard to mount speakers in good locations for imaging, the only ground on the boat is the battery or engine (meaning LONG grounding runs), location to mount amps is very difficult, and finding suitable sub locations is virtually non-existent.
Here's the deal; I installed a stereo in my boat this past summer... All Kicker Marine... KM620 6" coaxial (2pr), KM10 10" sub (1ea), MX 700.5 5 channel amp, and a Clarion CMD-5 marine CD head-unit (set up with XM radio of course). I intend on putting in a wake tower, two KMT6 wake tower speaker sets and a MX 350.4 amp to power them... but the issue at hand is the sub.
I've got limited space on my boat for mounting a sub; my options were, ditch my built in cooler under the left rear jump-seat and build my enclosure in there... or, build it under the right rear jump seat and shift my battery back a little bit as this is the area where the battery sits. I opted for option #2... Can't sacrifice cold beer for more enclosure volume... it just isn't going to happen.
Well, I built the box as big as I could given the area I had to work with and the need to be able to still remove the battery and get to the electric pump and reservoir for the out-drive tilt/trim motor. This ended up giving me a volume of... I'd say right around 0.9 cubic feet NOT including the volume occupied by the driver itself. Kicker advises a minimum of 1 cubic foot sealed enclosure volume for this particular sub. So I'm already 10% smaller than advised minimum, not factoring in the speaker displacement.
So there's my issue, do you guys think some acoustical filler would help offset the smaller box? If so, what would you use and where would you get it? I'm VERY hesitant to tear this build out and install a correct size box where my built in cooler is... number one, it's finished and fiber-glassed in, number two I'd have to build a patch for the speaker hole (not that big of an issue, I'm re-carpeting this spring anyway)... but like I said in my third paragraph... I'd hate to loose my cooler!!!
Hell, while we're on the subject... My amp is rated at 420watts @ 2ohm (so it should be about 210watts @ 4ohm)... the sub's max is 150w @ 4ohm in a sealed enclosure... how many think I should just add another box where the cooler is at and run a 2nd sub?
I'd appreciate input at the minimum on the filler...
Thanks gentlemen!! (PS... I'm only going sealed; no way I have room for a correctly built box of any other design)
BTW... for those of you who've not installed a system in a boat... PITA; hard to mount speakers in good locations for imaging, the only ground on the boat is the battery or engine (meaning LONG grounding runs), location to mount amps is very difficult, and finding suitable sub locations is virtually non-existent.
