Hard Hitting Subwoofer Problem

[amercat37]

I will not pretend to know about car audio.

I previously had a 25 year old custom-made box (sealed, about 0.17 cu ft of air space, fiberglass filled) in my truck with two 8" MTX Road Thunder shallow mount subs, a cheap 200W Jensen amp, and little Pyramid crossover with three settings on it (50, 80, and 120HZ I think). It sounded great to me. When listening to a song like "Pour Some Sugar On Me," for example, the drums would hit so hard that I could feel it in my heart, but there was no vibration or rumble in my truck, which I liked. It had the same feeling as when the big canon goes off at the 4th of July parade, where you feel it inside of you more than you hear it. It hit hard and fast. I don't know what you would call this.

Unfortunately, I recently had to replace the amp, speakers, and crossover. The speakers were replaced with two Rockford Fosgate P3SD4-8 subs (4ohm DVC in parallel to 2ohm x 2 speakers = 1ohm). The amp was replaced with a Rockford Fosgate PBR300X1 (300W at 1 ohm). The crossover was replaced with a Clarion MCD360 with the frequency set to 80Hz, just how I liked my old system. Although this system sounds good in general, it has none of the kick that the old system had. It has more of a smooth, full bass sound, with a little more vibration, and less volume.

The problem is, I don’t why it sounds so different. Could it be the box volume, the frequency response of the subs, the subs in general just sounding different, the crossover, the eq settings, the amp? I’m just kinda wondering what frequency or volume gives that kick feeling that I like, and how can I make it come back? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, I just got a new truck (Tacoma Access Cab) and I’m thinking about installing the following:

Sony MEX-X100BT hu with 4 x 40 RMS internal amp.

Rockford Fosgate Prime R1675-S 6-3/4" Component Speakers for the front.

Rockford Fosgate Prime R1675X2 6-3/4" 2-Way Speakers for the Rear

Two Sound Ordance Bass Bunker BB8-35S (0.38 cu ft of air space) because they will fit better in the truck.

Thanks,

Allen

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[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

box is way to big. those subs ****. generally a 8" is ideal in about .35-.5 cubes. 1.7 is more ideal for a pair of 10s.

the stuff you listed is a bunck of junk..

 

[amercat37]

I actually meant 0.17 cubic foot, not 1.7. Real small box.

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

thats way to small.

 

[amercat37]

I'm gonna try the Sound Ordance Bass Bunker BB8-35S boxes and see if they make a difference.

Thanks

 

[DaytonLax14 10+ year member]

no, build your own box. pre fab boxes are junk. Build a box that is specific to the subwoofer you are using

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Basically you want a sub that plays 40hz to 100hz. The kick is usually in the midbass region around 60-80hz, some subs cant really play those regions well. Sub choice actually affects this kind of performance when going with sealed boxes. usually most modern subs have a hard time reaching those upper frequencies cleanly let alone hard hitting. Might want to use pro audio subs that they use in rock concerts that emphasize on the upper ranges.

Try this sub, since its built for 40hz and up. Pioneer TS-W1200PRO PRO-Series 1500W 12" Subwoofer

Use with lots of power, 0.75 to 1 cube each and it should hit that upper registry a lot more.