Am I getting my full kick?

[Montana]

Hey guys, I am new to this oh so addicting hobby of car audio, it started with a $200 kit I got just to add a little depth, with two bad Kenwoods and a 350 watt kenwood amp in a sealed.

So, I recently upgraded from that business.

What I am running now is a SA-12 D4, and a TS-W3002D4 ( I am getting another SA-12 D4 next week just didn't have deep enough pockets to buy it all in one bundle) and I upgraded my amp to a HiFonics Brutus BRZ1700.1D , I believe I wired them in Parrell (Negative negative; positive positive, right?) So I believe I got the wiring right, and I got a Power Acoustik 2.0 Farad cap (Don't know if that does much to the kick of it, I haven't hooked that up seeing as I only had 5 minutes to spare before work when I got it in the mail, hooking that up tomorrow) and I am running a ported box. I ordered it online, however, I am going to look into building my own hopefully down to exact specs. Paperwork that came with SD-12 claims it needs 2.0ft^3 tuned at 35Hz. The box I have claims it runs at 1.6 Gross cubs, and 1.3 Net cubs, what one do I look at? Am I not getting nearly as hard of a kick due to lack of box size? Also, it is tuned at 39Hz and the SD-12 calls for 35Hz, is that noticeable?

Thank you all for any help that can be provided! Many thanks in advance!

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[SMS 10+ year member]

1.3 cubes minus sube displacement im guessing will bring you to around 1.15 cubes- thats awful for a sa12. you should have .75 more and the correct port area - 14-16 square inch per cubic ft- thats more important than what your box is tuned to. your probably going to be looking a a 5-6 cube gross box if its done correctly.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Mobilesoundworks.com has some nice cheap boxes that work good for the sundown line.

 

[CAT MAN 5,000+ posts]

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[Joe89 10+ year member]

Gross refers to the total amount of airspace the enclosure occupies within your vehicle. Net volume is what is relevant for tuning your enclosure, and refers to the airspace the subwoofer operates within. Net volume is the gross volume minus the volume of the wood and port. You must also factor in the volume of the physical dimensions of the woofer within the enclosure (magnet, basket, etc) to arrive at a true net volume.

The tuning frequency recommended by Sundown is a good baseline, but what performs best for you (i.e. 35hz versus 39hz [a noticeable difference]) is dependent on your vehicle's cabin dimensions and your personal preferences. You use the word "kick", so a higher tuning may give you a fuller "kick", if that is what you are aiming for.

Your wiring is correct for a parallel configuration; a D4 subwoofer in parallel is a 2ohm load for the amp.

As to the capacitor, I recommend you return it if possible. Whether it helps or not your money is better spent upgrading your alternator, or put toward an additional battery. In addition, you will want to add some 1/0 or 4awg wiring within your engine bay. Three runs total: (1) wire run from your alternator output terminal to battery positive, (2) a wire from your battery negative to chassis, and (3) a wire from your alternator casing (or engine block) to chassis. This ensures there are no bottlenecks in your charging system. You should simply add these wires rather than replacing any factory wire.

How-To for the "Big 3" wiring upgrade: How to upgrade the Big Three

 

[Montana]

Thank you everyone for your inputs! I had no idea my box was hardly half the required size! That I will look into ASAP.

So, you told me to just return the cap, should I just run with it anyway? I'm not considered with it's price, only spent $45 on it I believe online. Should I look into a extra battery as well just running the two SD-12 D4s? I'll read that "big 3" later tonight, 20 minutes til work.

So, WinkyChellve told me to look at that site, would I be looking at something like this?

MSW | Car Audio Stereo, Car Subwoofers, Car Amplifiers and Speakers

How does having one big area compared to two enclosed chambers make a differance?

Compared to

MSW | Car Audio Stereo, Car Subwoofers, Car Amplifiers and Speakers

Shared ports or indivual ? What tends to give better results.

OFF TO WORK!

many thanks everyone!

Edit: I just read the first reply, it claims I'll need 5-6 cubes if done correctly, I have yet to see a box that big online, would I be better off making one myself? Assuming I am mechanically inclined

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

here ya go..

http://www.mobilesoundworks.com/product_p/5_0-msw-212-round-box.htm

link fixed ..that box above is 5 cubes net at 34hz .... a bit pricey though...IDK, maybe not with free shipping.

 

[Jerhemy 10+ year member]

do you have the SA or SD line of subs? seems to be mentions of both in your posts...?

 

[Joe89 10+ year member]

So, you told me to just return the cap, should I just run with it anyway? I'm not considered with it's price, only spent $45 on it I believe online. Should I look into a extra battery as well just running the two SD-12 D4s? I'll read that "big 3" later tonight, 20 minutes til work.

Personally, I would not install the capacitor. Your amp does rated power or close to it. If you have a relatively strong stock alternator, 1700w requires that you either be diligent with your volume control, or you do something to improve your electrical. For example, if you had a 150a stock alternator, an additional battery (with an isolator) could be all that you need. My advice is to install the system and see how it goes. You might not have to add anything beyond the Big 3 wiring upgrade. If you have a weak stock alternator, I would advise replacing it with a high output model.

How does having one big area compared to two enclosed chambers make a differance?

One big area is almost always slightly louder. It is also easier to build. One drawback is that in the event that one of your subwoofers fails, your other subwoofer will be functioning in an enclosure 2x too big, and it won't be functioning for long if you do not realize you have a blown woofer.

Shared ports or indivual ? What tends to give better results.

I do not believe shared ports versus individual ports have as much of an impact on the sound as does a shared chamber versus separate chambers. However, if you do not build the box precisely, the two ports at slightly different tunings will not be as efficient as a shared port which provides your enclosure with its one intended tuning. I recommend a single port for a first time builder.

I just read the first reply, it claims I'll need 5-6 cubes if done correctly, I have yet to see a box that big online, would I be better off making one myself? Assuming I am mechanically inclined

. I think you should build your own box if you have the necessary tools and workspace.

 

[Montana]

Alright, ill work on my box tomorrow. Ill look into building one like Quackhead showed, 5cubes and one big port on the side. Ill also read into the big three bussiness tonight, also, I have the SD line. Just cerious, is that one of Sundowns lower ends? I assume the enclosure section offers PLENTY of help when it comes to boxes, one thing I am cerious about is Kerfing, I recall reading a post saying straight edges are the evil with air flow, if I lack tools to Kerf (don't know if I have a circular saw around, I believe I do however) will a straight edged port do? Or should I wait to get proper tools to kerf?

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

I built a box without kerfing and I slightly regret it. The Kerfs look better and provide a better way for the sound to travel. If you can't kerf, pay someone to do it, I plan on it. You're just going to get port noise that, depending on how far you sit from the sub, and how big the port is, you may not even notice. However, your SPL will probably drop.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Kerf ports are nice but not needed. I've never ran one in my own car but I have built a few and they are more difficult for little gain. Kerf ports are better for cutting down port noise but if u have enough port area u wont have a problem with port noise. You can also play with aero ports which are round ports with flared ends. These have the advantage if being changed throughout the building process to better suit your listening preferences. Aeros are also smaller requiring 5-9sq inches of port per cubic foot in comparison to the 14-20sq inches required with a slot port. Only downside is when the port length gets too long it is much harder to fit aeros where as the slot port can be turned and 180ed relatively easily. Aeros also are a little more costly. I would talk to one of the box designers in the vender section for an actual design and possible build