Single 12" subwoofer ideas.

[mahoody83]

As of now I have:


Rockford Fosgate T112D4 12"


Hifonics BX1500D Brutus



Rockford Fosgate 1 Farad Capacitor


I've read up on the subject of whether to face the woofer towards the front or towards the back and I haven't really come to a decision because as important as sound is to me, so is the cleanliness and 'feng shui' of the trunk . I'm looking for any ideas as far as pre-made enclosures that would have a nice fit with the 65 degree angle of the seat, having the sub face towards the seats, sealed or vented, whatever it takes to fit that jumbo 12" in my trunk and keep some really clean deep bass. If it comes down to it, custom is alright as long as I have some sort of ideas / measurements / photos of how to install it all.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to any replies.

(1st post)

[rrcompton]

Not sure but I have a fiberglass box and its facing the tail lights and I have PLENTY of bass inside of the cabin, but I had to cut out 6x 3" holes w/ a hole saw.

2 in the ski pass, and 4 in the rear deck, if you dont do that you wont have ANY bass in the cabin.

In the rear deck only 2 went into the fabric, the other 2 only go through the sheet metal. To make it look nice I put 2-subwoofer ports in the 2 holes in the rear deck that are in the fabric part of the deck. Hope that makes sense.

[ZZROCOOL]

As of now I have:


Rockford Fosgate T112D4 12"


Hifonics BX1500D Brutus



Rockford Fosgate 1 Farad Capacitor


I've read up on the subject of whether to face the woofer towards the front or towards the back and I haven't really come to a decision because as important as sound is to me, so is the cleanliness and 'feng shui' of the trunk . I'm looking for any ideas as far as pre-made enclosures that would have a nice fit with the 65 degree angle of the seat, having the sub face towards the seats, sealed or vented, whatever it takes to fit that jumbo 12" in my trunk and keep some really clean deep bass. If it comes down to it, custom is alright as long as I have some sort of ideas / measurements / photos of how to install it all.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to any replies.

(1st post)

only 1 choice!!

http://www.bavariansoundwerks.com/

[PavelK313]

My install

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1115433

[mjd41985]

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/ZEnclosures__W0QQ_armrsZ1

This guy here used to make custom boxes for ours cars. They looked really good for short money. Its worth sending him an email asking for some pics. I know he used to have pics up.

[legitsnowe39]

I find e39's trunks so big, that I can fit a custom made box (that is pretty darn big) specifically for a JL audio W6 (that reaches each side of the trunk from left to right) and push the box all the way back and still have plenty of room for about 3 golf bags in front of it. And if amp placement is an issue... who needs a spare tire? Get a nice custom installation, here's an example of amazing custom job while still saving trunk room (not too mention its two 12 inch alpine type-r's which bump very niceely) [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCOJ_GK5KDc&feature=channel_page[/ame]

[Captain Morgan]

On all the systems Ive built, which included sealed, ported and bandpass boxes, in various types of vehicles, Ive always had the best bass quality (inside the cabin) with the cone side of the speaker facing the rear of the vehicle and the magnets facing front.

[infinitjazz]

On all the systems Ive built, which included sealed, ported and bandpass boxes, in various types of vehicles, Ive always had the best bass quality (inside the cabin) with the cone side of the speaker facing the rear of the vehicle and the magnets facing front.

+1

[ganesht]

On all the systems Ive built, which included sealed, ported and bandpass boxes, in various types of vehicles, Ive always had the best bass quality (inside the cabin) with the cone side of the speaker facing the rear of the vehicle and the magnets facing front.

How about when you dealing with a bandpass box? do you still have the ports firing towards the rear?

[Wolfen]

On all the systems Ive built, which included sealed, ported and bandpass boxes, in various types of vehicles, Ive always had the best bass quality (inside the cabin) with the cone side of the speaker facing the rear of the vehicle and the magnets facing front.

+1 same here. The best and tightest hitting bass.

[Captain Morgan]

How about when you dealing with a bandpass box? do you still have the ports firing towards the rear?

The bandpass box I built was for someones Blazer, I believe it had 4 smaller ports that came out the top (facing the roof), however the speakers still faced the rear behind a Plexiglas wall.

[chucksrt]

How about when you dealing with a bandpass box? do you still have the ports firing towards the rear?

yes.

[noahtheviking]

JL Audio Single 12W6v2-D4 Sub in High Output Enclosure

[Damaskus325]

Are you an audiophile or just want some "bass"? There is quite a difference. First off, if you REALLY want quality sound, bandpass is out the window. Bandpass boxes move a lot of air with very little power. Which equates to loud, but not tight. You want to feel the sound and not just hear " boom" all the time. Ported is a bit better but still not good quality.

A sealed enclosure will yield the best possible sound. I would suggest looking at Boston Acoutics, Crossfire or Focals line. Incredible quality and power handling. Look at your enclosures cu.ft as well. .5 to 1.0 cu.ft is just about perfect. With a smaller box, you need good clean power to push the sub adaquetly. There is less air inside the box and thats the reason why. High RMS power and a mono block amp are what you need. Look at Soundstream, Precision Power, Boston Acoustics, Mark Levinson, McIntosh. Make sure your lowpass filter and EQ are set well too. About 49-55 hZ are the sweet spot.

[fudman]

Are you an audiophile or just want some "bass"? There is quite a difference. First off, if you REALLY want quality sound, bandpass is out the window. Bandpass boxes move a lot of air with very little power. Which equates to loud, but not tight. You want to feel the sound and not just hear " boom" all the time. Ported is a bit better but still not good quality.

A sealed enclosure will yield the best possible sound. I would suggest looking at Boston Acoutics, Crossfire or Focals line. Incredible quality and power handling. Look at your enclosures cu.ft as well. .5 to 1.0 cu.ft is just about perfect. With a smaller box, you need good clean power to push the sub adaquetly. There is less air inside the box and thats the reason why. High RMS power and a mono block amp are what you need. Look at Soundstream, Precision Power, Boston Acoustics, Mark Levinson, McIntosh. Make sure your lowpass filter and EQ are set well too. About 49-55 hZ are the sweet spot.

+1. Damaskus325 first statement is right on. Most of us just really want to improve the current deficiency in low end in the OEM system. Given the multitude of approaches being used by e39ers, some are pretty good but some are just overblown boom boxes. To each his own. Know what you want, then build to it.

If bass "volume" is what you want, go ported to maximize efficiency (output/power). However, the size of the port (diameter and length of tube, if used) will determine many of the sound characteristics of your speaker. If quality bass sound is the target, go sealed box (acoustic suspension). A little easier, design wise, but typically requires a bigger box and a lot more power.

[chucksrt]

If you didn't care about space a transmission line box is it!!! not many people can build one properly! Sealed is the best sounding but does require more power to drive. I have 2 12" Eclipse aluminum DVC subs in a sealed/downfiring enclosure facing rearward and they are powered by two phoenix gold Zx600ti amps and I haven't heard much that even comes close. To increase the tightness of the bass you need a good amount of sound deadening material!!!

[ganesht]

Are you an audiophile or just want some "bass"? There is quite a difference. First off, if you REALLY want quality sound, bandpass is out the window.

Wow i so strongly disagree with your statement! im running dual 10s in a custom fabed bp box in my car and it sounds unbelievable. Unlike sealed boxes its much harder to design and tune a bp box for your setup.

It's unfortunate that most of the bandpass boxes on the market are a one-size-fits all, and I believe this is why they have such a bad reputation. A properly tuned bandpass box can sound excellent though when it's the right specs for the woofer.

The other consideration when using bandpass is that the sound is more delayed than that of a sealed or ported enclosure - so you'll notice your bass hitting slightly after the actual 'note' from your mid-range - which creates a sort of smearing of sound - which is what most people are complaining about when they say they sound 'sloppy'. The solution is to delay the mid-range signal with a phase shift controller.

Sealed boxes are very easy to design and build, and they generally perform well with almost any driver. Superb damping, good power handling, solid low-frequency response, and simplicity of design and construction make the sealed-box enclosure an ideal choice for many installations.

There are some drawbacks to using a sealed box, however. Using a box that's too small can have adverse effects both on your system's output level and on its deep-bass performance. Efficiency is another matter of concern; typically, sealed-box systems are less efficient than vented systems and require more power and equalization to achieve comparable output levels.

[mahoody83]

I ended up going on a little shopping spree from www.sonicelectronix.com and found out they were in socal so I just swung by yesterday to pick it all up. Unfortunately, I now have everything and no experience at installations... wish me luck.


4 gauge amp kit


Monster Speaker wire


Lanzar VIBEX8 Crossover


Monster Silencer


1.447 cubic foot sealed box


So with all my goodies now, I think I have everything to throw together the sub. I'm thinking this could be an all day thing or maybe 2 since I have no clue what I'm doing. legitsnowe39: Love the setup you have going on, that's what I want too, you kept the trunk space super clean and professional, but I know that system has to put out some juice, nice job. RRcompton: I bought 2 ports to try that mod you did to the back seats behind the head rest. I'm going to do the install first to test out the sound, and then play with cutting up the ski hole pass and port behind the headrest for added airflow if i need to.

Lots of online research today . Thanks for everyones feedback.

Out of all that stuff I bought, I forgot to buy a Line Out Converter... do I have to get that LOC or is there a way around it with what I have ?

[legitsnowe39]

Ouch, just want to let you know Sonicelectronix have no manufacturer warranty on anything you buy, i bought from them and one of my alpine type-r component speakers is a little bit blown, but for the price it might be worth it, just dont be surprised if it it blows. and i doubt that 4 gauge kit is really a 4 gauge kit. Most likely 8 gauge kit. Theres a reason why that kit cost 40 bucks, and the JL audio kit costs twice as much. Believe it or not, the cables you get are about twice as an important as the sub/amp you get. You can have a crappy alpine type-S sub (Which are not that bad) hooked up to a powerful amp, and a nice 4 gauge wire w/ capacitor that can kill a alpine type-r on a "1000w amp from mexico where your 'homies' installed your whole system for 30 bucks". Send me some personal messages, if you need some help on the installation. (BTW its gonna take you at least 3 'all day's most likely). And one more thing, your SUB is rated at 600w rms max (which can be pushed to 650w easily) And your amp only provides 500w rms at 4ohms (which is the impedence of your sub). So you will be underpowering it just a little, and that capactior won't help you out too much unless you have a more powerful amp. But like i said PM me and ill help you out.

[taylorwilsdon]

There's no way around it.

[chucksrt]

Alumapro CAP15 is a good cap. I have the PG version and it works well. Another good backup is to use a BattCap with your cap. When I'm ready to fit my 540 I think I'll leave the factory head unity and install the Clean sweep. I would reseal all of the seams on your box to ensure an air tight enclosure and I would also think about adding internal bracing so there is no flex/distortion from the box, I usually add a brace from every other mount hole from the speaker to the back of the box.

[mahoody83]

I don't have everything tweaked yet, and it sounds pretty muddy thus far, but I still don't see how people "don't hear bass from the trunk" I haven't cut anything out and I hear plenty of bass coming through. Once I added the sub/cap/amp/ crossover, my once crisp and clear speakers became severely handicapped with lots of distortion. I think it was because I used the brown wire for a "ground" and the red wire for 12V on the crossover. I later read that the crossover needs to go directly to the battery and the ground doesn't need to go to the ground wire, it needs to be grounded to the chassis. With that said, I figure that's why my once clear speakers sounded like it was on a 1970's intercom system.

Once I get everything cleaned up, I'll take a picture of my amateur wiring endeavor. Oh, I never did use any LOC... I just spliced RCA cables into the speaker wires, is that against the law ?

[chucksrt]

where are you running the power and grounds for your amp? what gauge is that wire? if your grounding to the chassis then you need a extra ground from chassis to batt neg, terminal. Generally you want to run all of your grounds to the same point, radio, amp, crossover,etc... grounding to the same point will decrease the chance of noise. what's the LOC? If it's the crossover then you still need a line level converter.

[mahoody83]

Well, I tweaked everything out, and it sounded perfect... until this morning. Here are some pictures of my job I did. Unfortunately, my crossover shows no signs of life. I was driving to work and all of a sudden my music crackled really bad and then there was no signal. I checked the trunk and everything still had power except the crossover. I checked the fuses and they're both in fine condition showing no blown fuse. Is there any chance of revival to my crossover or do I need to trade it in ?




Internal Radar Switch / Bass Controller




GPS / Radar (green light) / iPod





Rockford Fosgate T1 12", Hifonics Brutus 1500 1200watt





Lots of 4 gauge wires running around, 1Farad Rockford Fosgate Capacitor (not sure if it really works because I get dimming lights when my sub hits hard)




JL 4300 4 way, Lanzar Vibe8 Crossover, Grounding silencers coming out of the crossover.

[jagass]

Is this the actual photo?...