Finishing up a new install

[dagormz]

So, a few months ago i decided to put a system in my car. I got a pioneer avic nex-5000, polk composites all around, and a kicker dx600.5 to power them. For my bass i put 2, 10" kickers from the 90's. That being said i want to upgrade my subwoofers. I am getting a hifonics 1200.1 from my friend for cheap and was looking at getting either sundown e8v3's or e10's. I have also seen some arguments on here about sealed and ported that have me very undecided. I like the idea of a ported design allowing me to boom, but i would really like good SQ also. What are your opinions, sealed or ported?

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[bmk6795 10+ year member]

Id go ported. A properly designed/built ported box will sound just as good as a sealed enclosure with more output.

 

[dagormz]

That was my original plan, i have a 1.5 cube box with an aero port drawn out in cad for 2 8's. Tuned to 36Hz.

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

what car? how much room do you have (WxHxD)?, budget?

ported are louder at certain fqs, quieter at other fqs. sealed are more balanced. if you run the right gear, you can get the volume you want and the quality bass you want, running sealed

im running 1 12" RE SE sealed. its sounds nice and tight, yet shakes my entire car with ease (Accord sedan)

 

[dagormz]

Have a subie sedan. Fairly small trunk. Don't want to go over $300 for the complete bass install.

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

12" SSD ported

SSD12 - Fi Car Audio Store

 

[dagormz]

i was looking at getting 8"'s or 10"'s since im into a lot of metal and i've heard a smaller cone is nice with repetitive bass.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

i was looking at getting 8"'s or 10"'s since im into a lot of metal and i've heard a smaller cone is nice with repetitive bass.

thats a myth, a good 12, 15, 18 or 24" sub in a properly designed ported enclosure will play double bass pedals just fine. Tune higher 35-40hz, use a smaller to moderately sized box, use winisd model out a flat response.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

[quote name='Jeffdachef']thats a myth, a good 12, 15, 18 or 24" sub in a properly designed ported enclosure will play double bass pedals just fine. Tune higher 35-40hz, use a smaller to moderately sized box, use winisd model out a flat response.[/QUOTE]

^^this^^ @dagormz; It's all in the enclosure in how your bass response will be. Don't skimp out in designing one that fits your musical needs OP. Sealed can sound good, but the same sub in a well designed ported box will blow it out the water in both spl and sq. Having a port allows the sub to essentially breathe better, giving you more cleaner effortless bass. Ports do tend to give you extra output at certain frequencies, so if you don't like that, you could always EQ it down to have a more balanced sound. I think of it as free output. Play around with winisd until you get it the way you like and then tweak with your settings more when you actually get it set up. If you're worried about output, go with bigger woofers. If you wanna save money, go with a single sub that can handle some power.

 

[dagormz]

Well, i definitely do not want to use a sealed enclosure as i am starting to understand this stuff more. So i think i will go with a single SA 12 for now since i do not want to go over 600W or else i'll have to run new wire and i'm not up for that at the moment. Thanks guys

 

[Spl4200]

Just keep in mind them hifonics amps are power hungry. I know one of my old subies only had a 60 amp altanator.. if you haven't yet I'd suggest the big 3. And don't go with a big system in a subaru h/o altanators cost n arm n a leg for them.. I paid 450 for my stinger 160 amp...

 

[dagormz]

My subie has a 90 amp alternator in it. I haven't done any of the big 3 yet. is 90 amp enough?

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

actually if youre into metal, id go with sealed. the flatter the response (which sealed usually has), the better the group delay/phase response usually is = tighter bass

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

My subie has a 90 amp alternator in it. I haven't done any of the big 3 yet. is 90 amp enough?

Dont overlook your grounds...since your Subie is a unibody...you'll need to pull a quality ground along with power wire to the battery...at least 4g plus do a big 3 under the hood...you dont want any fried electronics in your ride...

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

to give you an idea.. heres the SA12s predicted incar response in 1 cube sealed (orange) and 1.75 @ 35hz ported (yellow)

heres the Group Delay. the blue line is JL Audios 12w6v2 in its rec sealed box (their top SQ sub)