Free-air vs. not

[maylar 10+ year member]

My 2010 Cadillac DTS has a sub woofer hanging from the rear deck. Crutchfield says it's a 10" with non-standard mounting centers (why does AC Delco do dat?). Replacement suggestions are not all rated as free-air capable.

My understanding of a sedan's rear package tray mounting is that the very large volume of the trunk is pretty much infinite baffle, and would require a driver rated for free-air operation. Is this true? If not, what are the tradeoffs and why do they recommend conventional subs?

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[spokey9 5,000+ posts]

Pretty much any sub is capable of being run infinite baffle (free air). The trade off is lower power handling but you gain sensitivity and low end extension

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

Typically for IB, you want something with high QTS (.5-.7). You will lose power handling. You may need to make an adapter ring to fit an aftermarket sub to the OEM sub location.

 

[Doxquzme Premium Member]

IBAU Woofers Archives - AE Speakers

 

[Blackout67]

I've heard the Dayton Audio UM series are pretty good IB. They just released the V2s after like a decade and half and I'm pretty sure the V1 s are on on sale.

If you want you can also pick up adapters from AK Audio to mount a 12 inch there. Comes in a pack of 2 1" spacers. 2 inches should give you the clearance to mount a 12. Will make the lows easier to achieve with the extra cone area. Could also go for SI SQL series. I believe in their site when ran in IB you can go down to 500 watts plus it has almost 2 inches pole to pole linear xmax

 

[spokey9 5,000+ posts]

I've heard the Dayton Audio UM series are pretty good IB. They just released the V2s after like a decade and half and I'm pretty sure the V1 s are on on sale.

If you want you can also pick up adapters from AK Audio to mount a 12 inch there. Comes in a pack of 2 1" spacers. 2 inches should give you the clearance to mount a 12. Will make the lows easier to achieve with the extra cone area. Could also go for SI SQL series. I believe in their site when ran in IB you can go down to 500 watts plus it has almost 2 inches pole to pole linear xmax

I'm doing my sql-15's ib (trunk baffle) in my delta

 

[Blackout67]

I'm doing my sql-15's ib (trunk baffle) in my delta

I bet they sound fantastic. I have mine in a small box ported to 35hz. Sounds great and gets super loud in my JP13 I just installed last night up from a JP8. Only downside is this ported box rolls off SHARP at 30hz. Pretty much nothing below that.

Probably one of the most versatile and best sounding subwoofers out there and only for $329

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Pretty much any sub is capable of being run infinite baffle (free air). The trade off is lower power handling but you gain sensitivity and low end extension

OK, thanks. What then does the manufacturer (or Crutchfield) use as criteria when specifying that a sub is rated for free air or not?

 

[Doxquzme Premium Member]

Manufactures in the budget to intermediary priced driver offerings (IMHO) tend to lean into the middle ground these days. The idea that any driver can be manufactured for IB, sealed or ported and be as good as one that is designed with one of those specific applications in kind is kind of silly. Don't get me wrong, some do it very good and you pay for it (Si for instances). What is the objective in your build?

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

My objective is a daily driver SQ system. I have a sub and amp from a previous install that I intend to reuse. It's a Boston G3 10" in a 0.5 cu. ft. sealed box that has awesome SQ and gets plenty loud enough for me. It'll go in the trunk behind the rear seat.

My inquiry here is in regard to the factory sub, and I'm considering options on how to deal with it. Remove it and let the G3 play through the opening, or put something really nice in there instead of the G3, or add a new sub with a couple hundred watt amp to supplement the 10. Just exploring options here.

 

[chillin 10+ year member]

Don't add a sub to the g3 unless you plan on running them at different fq. Otherwise you'll have cancellations at some points and boosts at others.