sub box design

Chris97K1500 · May 7, 2005

I have a question about a sub box design. I have 2 12" Solo-baric Kickers and I'm trying to build a box for the ext. cab part under the seat. They will be downward firing so the top of the box can be used to put stuff on if I raise the rear seat. In designing this box, should I construct it as two separate boxes that look like one box, or one big box holding the speakers together. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Chris

masterp2 · May 7, 2005

Bad news. You can't use both. You don't have enough volume there. Each needs minimum of 1.2 cf internal volume after subtracting driver and bracing. If you do it, you will have nearly no volume under 60 HZ.

You will have a great sound with just one though, so you should maximize volume across both seats.

FWIW, I always design duals seperately chambered for one reason. If they were uni-chambered, and one of them blew under high power, the other one would interpret then that it has twice the volume, and it would probably blow instantly. In seperate chambers, if one blows, the other doesn't know it, if you are running stereo subs.

Halen5150 · May 7, 2005

Yeah man, I would just use one of those subs in your situation. I really haven't heard any dual 12" down-fire setups that I've liked. If you really want to do a downfire configuration, I'd find a pair of 10" subs that don't require so much airspace, and I would build two separate boxes. Two separate boxes makes it easier if you ever need to take them out of the truck. I'm not sure if you're asking about boxes or chambers. Each subwoofer needs it's own chamber.

Chris97K1500 · May 9, 2005

According to the specs I got with the Solobaric's, they only require .88 cubic ft. of space in a sealed box, that's why I got them, they don't need as much air space. After doing measurements and putting them in my AutoCad program I should have .94 cubic ft space, which should be enough. I should have plenty of room to build two boxes under the ext. cab seat, I will be removing the jack. The design is for each sub to have it's own chamber, either as 1 solid unit or two separate boxes. A truck like mine had this setup with these exact speakers, the sound was tight. I don't like loud, booming bass, that sounds great when your outside, but like crap when your inside the vehicle. I don't like distortion, I want clean, tight bass with good mids, I've already replaced all of the other speakers in the truck with infinity speakers. I'm going to start on the box tomorrow, I already have all the patterns, just need to do it. I'll post back after I get it done. Thanks for the help! Chris

Halen5150 · May 9, 2005

Awesome. Well in that case go with two separate boxes! I would like that more than one big box. Let us know how it sounds, and make sure that you have enough room between the subs and the floorboard so that they don't hit.

Chris97K1500 · May 12, 2005

Well I finished the box. I made 2 separate boxes and just screwed them together and covered the whole box with gray speaker carpet. The amp I was going to run them was a Reference 500 by Soundstream. The amp is a couple years old, I've run it in my wife's 4Runner since I bought it. For some reason it keeps blowing fuses, I know it's wired right, as a Sony Xplod amp does not blow fuses, neither does my Crossover. I guess I'm going to take it to Radio Shack to see if they can fix it. I don't want/wife won't let me, buy a new amp capable of running these speakers. Just when I thought I had everything going smooth, something else happens. So until I get it fixed, the speakers are just sitting under the back seat. Would the Xplod amp (222W) 40watts RMS 2 channel amp, be enough? I don't think it would sound as good as possible with that amp. Any ideas? Thanks, Chris

masterp2 · May 12, 2005

what fuses are you popping? Amp rating? What gauge wire have you run from the battery to the amp? Did you you fuse the battery lead? Is the amp grounded with same gauge wire? Where did you ground it?

40 W rms? No.

Chris97K1500 · May 14, 2005

I'm blowing the 20 fuse in the amp itself. No other fuses are shooting. It's 8 gauge wire for both the battery 12V and the ground wire. It's grounded to the frame. The remote 12V wire is 12 gauge. It must be something in the amp itself, not the wiring. I've hooked up 2 other amps, no problem blowing fuses, both of them have 20 amp fuses as well. Chris

masterp2 · May 14, 2005

a 20 Amp supply to feed those 2 drivers is probably low, but as you say, other amps are doing it. Does the amp get real hot? What impedance load are you running in parallel configuration?, mono? stereo?

Normally I look for 50 amps plus for this duty.

Halen5150 · May 14, 2005

If you're blowing the fuse on the amp, it sounds to me like you don't have the subs wired right. Does it play for awhile, or does the fuse blow immediately?

mmmikkke · May 14, 2005

There have been a few of these amps on ebay recently, and some are "as-is" and don't work. So this amp might be approaching the end of its life. One of the completed auctions shows fuses on the back side (carpet-side) of the amp, some of the others have a single fuse on the wiring-side of the amp. Which configuration does this amp have? If it's a single fuse version, 20 amps sounds a little light for 500 watts. My sony xplod has a 60 amp fuse for 400w RMS.