subs and amp

well i went to my local audio shop and got a quote...300-350 for a box.3/4mdf 38w/16h/10d equals out to a 4 cube mono chambered box, they aproximated a 25" long port about 2-3 inches tall... and they gave me some free 0g and 8g wire too :D pays off a lil bien a frequent flier ;) Also thats nailed screwed glued and caulked.... guess you can never be to safe :D its a lil much but the risk of gettin a ebay box or other cheapy box is how well it was constucted too. could just be glued or nailed.... wouldnt wanna find out. it brings back a memory of my buddy pickin up a nice box for cheap..... 5 min into tuning it he practically blew the box apart (air leaks out the wazoo)
 
Made sure when mine was built that it was 3/4 HQ MDF and liquid nailed along with 1 1/2" cabinet screws every 5 inches all over. I bet I have 5 pounds of just screws in my box but I know it ain't coming apart. I almost had the front done in 1" MDF but I knew I would never be pounding enough power for that type of reinforcement. I just wanted a good box that was built to specs and built to last.

I am taking it out today slick. I ran the 2 gauge wire last night till 3 am and that :q:q:q:q was no joke. I put both of the new Kicker battery terminals in and the Kicker fuse box and my wire is also loomed complete, front to back. Today and tonight I will install the JL dist block that accepts the 2 gauge and has outputs for the 4 gauge.

I feel for you when you go to run that 0 AWG. I never want to do that again. I still have to finish up the back but everything under the hood is complete. The new terminals fit like a glove and they were put onto a new battery. I put a new battery in because I had pulled the 2 caps off and 3 of the 6 cells were bubbling after being on a charger for over an hour. Checked new battery while connected to a charger and all 6 cells were bubbling.

Anyway, I'll try to get you some inner pics of the box because I will get back to it this evening or tonight to finish it up.
 
Definatly like to see some inner shots.. and i thought you saw these pics already :D

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Laser, the tan ones if I'm not mistaken are the rear air line tubes. Mine has 2 of them running along behind the back seat. slick can check but I'm almost positive they aren't wires.

slick, I remember seeing the pics now. What is the little red wire for? Looks like 8 gauge.
 
Yes they are airlines. and ive got the 8 gauge and 0- gauge ran, the guy already had it ran so i figured hell, free wire mind as well make use of it and ran them together... and stupid me has to take the interior back apart because some part of me thought i wouldnt need 3 rca's ran.... i had 3 and only ran 2... hmph... guess thats what i get for working on my car with no sleep every weekend... i work 5pm-3am mon thru fri and on fridays when i come home i dont sleep till saturday night.... its my spend time with son time and work on car time .... since my week is always shot i only get to see him a handfull of hours a week...
 
Alright, I ran the 2 gauge all the way back into the trunk tub and into a JL Audio distribution block. Out of that there are two 4 gauge outputs. I pulled everything out completely. I also made my own ground in the tub and both amps are grounded in the same place with 4 gauge wire. I wired the subs into the 6 ohm load with all new wire. All 3 subs are wired with 8 gauge on the inside and to the amp. I took the caps out because they just get in my way and with the bigger wire I have now, I don't feel like I need them.

I got some shots of the box while the subs were out and some measurements. The size that you see is hell getting in and out of the trunk so be careful of the size you have built. If you go bigger, you might need to have some built inside the trunk. Wider is ok but it's the depth that catches me when I try to get it out and back in. It's like that thing weighs 150 lbs or more. Anyway, everything sounds very good and the wiring is a lot cleaner, especially without the caps being in there.

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35" wide
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Port is 14" wide
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and 2" tall
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right at 14" tall
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almost 18 1/2" deep
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12 hours to complete all of it.

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Now it's time to get the boy ready for school lol. I have been in the garage all night while he slept. The bus picks him up in front of the house and when they do, I'm OUT for the day.
 
Looks aloot better, the caps were a neat touch but im sure theyve cause some frustration when puttin stuff in the trunk.... whatcha doin with the caps? And im sure by the time you read this youd already got to listen to it, soundin and poundin better?

Also i am still thinkin of buildin my own box, but my one of two questions is can i pick up mdf at at Homer De pots house? (home Depot) or lowes? Ive half heartedly looked while i was there a time or two but never actually noticed it. If not where would be the best bet to find it, preferably not online, aside from the fact of the crazy shipping that would come about.

And figuring out the port if i were to build would be my next question, the port calc on the12volt.com is a lil confusing.

What im gettin from it is that if i have a box 38w/16h/12d with a 25" wide port 2" tall my port would be 30.4 inches long So would that mean my port would pretty much go all the way back, up the backside and toward the front on the top? or if the port was 14 wide like nolimits it would be 15.9 long as in deep and up the backside?

And would it be best to have a bottom face port, top face port,side face port, top top port?
(face as in face of box)
 
slick, it's hitting way better and the engine whine is gone now because of the tub ground I have now and I guess all new wiring but anyway, your port if done like mine would be only so wide in the opening, width and height. You would make that port go to the back and then go upward with it.It would go about 1/2 way up the back.

MDF can be bought at Home Depot or Lowes in 3/4 or 5/8 and it runs about $30 a sheet, depending on the thickness. Call before you go to make sure it's in stock. Also, if you could get all your dimensions figured out completely, they will even cut the sheet however you want it. So, you would be walking out with the 4X8 sheet but it would be all cut for you and ready to assemble when you get home. :) The cutting is free btw and as for the caps, I don't know yet what I'm going to do with them. They might be added back but I really don't know yet. Nothing ever goes in my trunk so they wouldn't be in the way of anything.
 
I love seeing the old Orion HCCA stuff. Glad I didn't sell any of mine so I can still use it when I get around to putting a bigger system in my 2nd Gen :D
 
Im gonna build my own box, im gonna get out either tommorrow or friday to get the materials needed, have most but gonna double up.. 2 4x8 sheets outta be more than enough right? I just need to know where the best location will be for the port.

And would it be best to have a bottom face port, top face port,side face port, top top port?
(face as in face of box)

I was thinkin maybe a 14inch tall port on the front side (top to bottom) 2-3 inches wide.

What is the mininmum distance the subs need between each other. I know there outta be 3 inches minimum from the sub to port. or is that just from the back of the sub?
 
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@ LaserSVT and nolimit94VIII, i just purchased one of those spg555 and im gonna be adding a second one soon. now since you two seem to have some exp with that sub i would like to pick your brain a bit. first let me run down my system:
premier 800 head unit
2 kenwood kac-x4r
2 kenwood kac-x1r (for now)
1 pair of alpine spx-pro tweets powered by channels 1/2 x4r
1 pair of peerless full range 3" powered by channels 3/4 x4r
1 pair of peerless sls 8" in the doors powered by one x4r bridged into 2 channels

now here is my question. I'm thinking about using 2 of the new passive radiators that are tunable in a sealed enclosure. that would allow a smaller box than one required for 2 vented spg555. do u think that's a better option or should i go with a design like nolimit94VIII setup (except i would use separate chamber for each sub, but both vent out to one single common port)? i also wanted to mention, my rear deck has been modified with an opening that spans about 3'x1.5'. so if i did the passive radiator should i line them up on the same baffle as the drivers, giving the look of 4 spg555 or should i go with the spg555's on the front baffle and the passive radiators on the top part of the box? just wanted your two cents.
 
Got real bored and even tho it was raining yesterday I couldn't help but get rid of my stock head unit and replace it with my Alpine so I could have my Sirius :D
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Almost hate the look cause the side gaps are a bit big but love having it otherwise. That and there doesn't seem to be enough room depth wise to make sit flush :(
 
heres 2 mock ups i did a few minutes ago, the dimensions on them are 38x16 The first is with the side port which is 14x2 and the second is like nolimits but with a 16x2 port. Keep in mind the marker i used has a 3/4 inch tip on it.... the sharpie magnum! compliments of work :D

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No not at all lol! I had some wood lyin around so i figured id get a couple mock ups done. Thats just to give me a couple ideas. Believe me i kno better ;)
 
manish said:
@ LaserSVT and nolimit94VIII, i just purchased one of those spg555 and im gonna be adding a second one soon. now since you two seem to have some exp with that sub i would like to pick your brain a bit. first let me run down my system:

now here is my question. I'm thinking about using 2 of the new passive radiators that are tunable in a sealed enclosure. that would allow a smaller box than one required for 2 vented spg555. do u think that's a better option or should i go with a design like nolimit94VIII setup (except i would use separate chamber for each sub, but both vent out to one single common port)? i also wanted to mention, my rear deck has been modified with an opening that spans about 3'x1.5'. so if i did the passive radiator should i line them up on the same baffle as the drivers, giving the look of 4 spg555 or should i go with the spg555's on the front baffle and the passive radiators on the top part of the box? just wanted your two cents.
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I don't have any experience at all with that sub but if I had 2 of them, I would have a box made with 3/4 MDF with a 1" front side. I would have a divider in the center and each would have their own slot port on the bottom and running up the back, just like my mono box has. As for using passive radiators with that sub in a sealed enclosure, I don't think I would try it because if they have the power that they really need, I'm not sure the radiator could handle them. Now, with the box I have mentioned above, there would be enough pressure in the trunk to maybe line up some passive radiators along the top deck for added deepness of bass and also for looks. Two separate boxes is something I would not do. It would have to be one with a divider or inside a mono box slot ported/vented on the top or bottom and one amp with the "true power" to run both in a parallel configuration at 1 ohm, meaning the amp would have to be 1 ohm stable.

Now, seeing the size of the box that is designed for just one of those subs, I don't see enough room for a box to accommodate 2 of them, fitting inside the trunk. The box would almost have to be built inside the trunk. Mine is 35" wide, 14" or so tall and 18 1/2" deep. I play hell getting that thing to go in my trunk. It's not easy at all getting it to go. Anything deeper than what I have or taller would require removing the trunk lock actuator just to get it in. I almost have to do that for mine but with a little side to side pushing, it finally slips down into place and pushes back with ease.

The sub with it's original box that it was intended for with the power that particular sub needs would be sufficient IMO. That's my 2 cents. :)
 
slickemhoundd said:
No not at all lol! I had some wood lyin around so i figured id get a couple mock ups done. Thats just to give me a couple ideas. Believe me i kno better ;)
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slick, be careful with the size and I already know now that you will have to remove the trunk lock actuator to get it in. The subs you have are more powerful than mine. Granted, you are going 3" wider than me is good because it's allowing more air space but be careful on the height and depth or it won't fit. If you seen me fight mine, you would understand. When you finally have your measurements laid out, build a simple cheap box out of that wood that you're drawing on. Just use some nails or something to hold it together and see if you can get it to fit before you build the real deal. I like my height because it covers top to bottom for the most part but it's a task to get in there. Just test before you actually build and waste wood & time.
 
I am gonna make a test pilot (mock up box) But this is all for personal satisfaction to see if ill be happy with the final result of the layout of the subs. Just keep in mind the previous owner hacked out the crossbrace behind the rear seat so that will be my point of entry. Im still fudgin around with the box/port calculators to come up with final dimensions.

As i am goin to collect all the materials tommorrow and start tommorrow night/sat morn i need to clear up a thing or two... For instance if the port calc calls for say a 12" deep (long as calc term) port and my box is saaay 16 or 18 inches deep, all will be well with havin no upward curve to the port? Like how nolimits box has it ride up the back wall.

With it being a mono chamber design do i stick with the multiplied cubic footage "requirements" that boston reccomends? And as long as the box is tuned correctly do i have some room to play with as far as more/less airspace?


(P.S. When i refer to nolimit its not as if im talking like your (nolimit) not here but am sayin it in a manner to where its not directed to only you ;) :D When i type it i feel weird so i figured id clear it up, for personal satisfaction :p)
 
Alrighty well look up one to answer some questions... please.... and i think i came to an answer 38w/16h/16d 4.44 cft 16w/3h port at 34hz with the port 19.5 deep. Ithink this will be the final measure..... until i double check exact measurements in the car lol i think i can finagle 39"w which will help me space the subs out a lil more. any additional input would be sweeet i wanna make sure im not doin all this to make a poopy soundin box
 
Are you sure 39" wide will fit? Have you thought about a mono chambered box with upward facing round inserted ports? Also, if you do vent one, the slot port will start somewhere and have to make a turn. The inner size and port height and length is where tuning comes into play + the total inner air volume.

I wouldn't go for 39" wide. Maybe 37"W-14"H-18"D with 15" X 2" slot port. I really don't know slick. Box designing isn't easy if you want correct sound. That's why I took mine to a friends shop and let him build it to JL specs. It was an after hours build and really didn't cost me anything. The only part of the box that was air stapled was inside on the port. Everything else was liquid nailed and cabinet screws, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long with coarse threads. The holes for each screw were pre-drilled by me with a small bit to keep any wood from splitting.

As for calculations, I would use what is recommended for the sub. Try giving Boston a call and ask them about a triple mono box. Maybe they would prefer all the to have separate chambers, sealed, ported, vented. I would really ask them before doing an actual build. A lot of money can be wasted on what seems to be the dream box, just to find out that it all sounds like chit. I have seen subs that were laying around in his shop where people had built their own boxes and got ports wrong and left out dividers when needed ect., and some were missing center caps lol and cones were damaged. That's why I just let him get it off the CD from JL because they had a setup for three 10-W0's in a mono box. That same box is still working perfect, if not better for the new 10-W0's. Laser said they had better specs now compared to the original ones I had but everything is so much tighter now and clean. The shop you got in contact with about the Bostons is who I would ask. Tell them what you want and see if they recommend it.
 
manish, The Bostons Passive radiator setup works very very well and gives some very deep bass that way while allowing for an even smaller sealed enclosure. Yes you could make a box that would fit under the deck and hold two fireing foreward and two fireing up. If you turned the sub around 90* then you could prolly fit all four firing back but it would be a tight squeeze.

In any case it will slam like nothing you ever heard before and please be careful cause two with passive radiators will be loud enough to cause severe hearing dammage. You will also be able to make people nauseous if you play a bass cd that hass allot of bass oround 28hz. These subs will vibrate your soul! :lol:
 
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