I just love personal opinions!!

[jmass03 10+ year member]

So I'm on my boat forum and I post up some of my stereo questions there. Generally I get good responses concerning the boat and what goes best, however sometimes I'm perturbed by the nonsense I get back. Regarding the sub and all the amps for the boat, I went with all the info. I got here. I did end up going with a JL12W7. Anyway, check out a response to my question about going sealed or ported for my W7:

"One guys big system is another's tinker toy. Ceaser's system is pretty big, comes from a long line of JLW7 systems, Harold's has 4, Grant's had 2 then 3 and now 4. At some point everbody gets worn down after adding more speakers, more amplifiers, more batteries, and more alternator.

 

My system has both a ported sub and a sealed sub. I can unplug either and adjust the phase of the subs independently. I have probably seen 20 boats with W7's, the most notable have been the sealed installations. If you think you will ever add another sub I would highly recommend a sealed installation. Tuning ported subs in an open boat is not for the faint of heart or the installer on the clock. Matching the phase off the speaker face and off the port is quite difficult. If you are able to get it right the ported sub will be 3db louder, if not it will likely have cancellation issues resulting in less punch than the sealed install.

 

I might suggest you re-consider your sub location, mount it facing the side of the hull so the whole side of the boat becomes a sounding board. A vented side access door is still a great idea but don't fire the sub through it, let the sound resonate off the boat back through the vent.

 

W7's are great because they have a very large piston area but they are expensive. I have been very impressed with the results from the Boston Acoustics 555 with less power in a smaller enclosure. I have not been overly impressed with the IDMax sub, I don't feel they are in the same league as the JL or Boston, they just don't move as much air.

If I was starting over I would probably go with a single Boston 555 pushed by 1000-1500 class D watts. Nice, simple, effective, effecient, and not too much extra weight. At this stage I am content with my stereo, I would rather spend my time at the end of the rope rather than under the dash."

A 12Idmax was my next selection, I just came across a 12W7 for a deal BNIB, and went for it. Just really funny when the conversation relates to fact or opinion.

Click to read more...

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

wat?

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

 

[delvryboy 5,000+ posts]

It looks like a pretty educated piece of advice. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

He would have been better off if he just left it at "I have not been overly impressed with the IDMax sub" and not added the "same league" stuff.

 

[Haunz 10+ year member]

I am always really carfull in the way I match the phase off the speaker face to the port to avoid cancellation issues //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[jmass03 10+ year member]

It was mainly the bold part that I highlighted that bothered me. The rest yeah, makes decent sense.

 

[Ed Lester 10+ year member]

I would like more info on adjusting the phase off the speaker face to the port. In all my years in high end audio, I have never knew about this.

Can you also adjust the phase of the sound from the boat motor so that it doesnt drown out the sub?

 

[Fusion_FREAK 10+ year member]

Was it on the Florida Sportsman forum? Where in FL are you?

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

And I thought you only tuned the port...bring that guy to a real audio forum, I'm sure the folks there could benefit greatly from his obviously greatly superior kno...w...oh hell I can't finish typing that with a straight face...that guy's a douche.

 

[Kyle_Keating 10+ year member]

So I'm on my boat forum and I post up some of my stereo questions there. Generally I get good responses concerning the boat and what goes best, however sometimes I'm perturbed by the nonsense I get back. Regarding the sub and all the amps for the boat, I went with all the info. I got here. I did end up going with a JL12W7. Anyway, check out a response to my question about going sealed or ported for my W7:
"One guys big system is another's tinker toy. Ceaser's system is pretty big, comes from a long line of JLW7 systems, Harold's has 4, Grant's had 2 then 3 and now 4. At some point everbody gets worn down after adding more speakers, more amplifiers, more batteries, and more alternator.

 

My system has both a ported sub and a sealed sub. I can unplug either and adjust the phase of the subs independently. I have probably seen 20 boats with W7's, the most notable have been the sealed installations. If you think you will ever add another sub I would highly recommend a sealed installation. Tuning ported subs in an open boat is not for the faint of heart or the installer on the clock. Matching the phase off the speaker face and off the port is quite difficult. If you are able to get it right the ported sub will be 3db louder, if not it will likely have cancellation issues resulting in less punch than the sealed install.

 

I might suggest you re-consider your sub location, mount it facing the side of the hull so the whole side of the boat becomes a sounding board. A vented side access door is still a great idea but don't fire the sub through it, let the sound resonate off the boat back through the vent.

 

W7's are great because they have a very large piston area but they are expensive. I have been very impressed with the results from the Boston Acoustics 555 with less power in a smaller enclosure. I have not been overly impressed with the IDMax sub, I don't feel they are in the same league as the JL or Boston, they just don't move as much air.

If I was starting over I would probably go with a single Boston 555 pushed by 1000-1500 class D watts. Nice, simple, effective, effecient, and not too much extra weight. At this stage I am content with my stereo, I would rather spend my time at the end of the rope rather than under the dash."

A 12Idmax was my next selection, I just came across a 12W7 for a deal BNIB, and went for it. Just really funny when the conversation relates to fact or opinion.

ya... be careful what you read.

response to teh quote you posted:

cancellation isues with a port... confused....... what..30hz out of phase point canceling with what...the midrange? ! I dont think so. You'll never hear it, and you'll never even measure it in a frequency response. Also ported subwoofer can be of the order of over 9 times the SPL down around tuning... "3dB"... try over 10 depending on the alignment and woofer.

you dont phase align a port either. the port will experience some changing phase issues as frequency drops, but guess what, so will sealed woofers, especially when EQ'ed to linear resonse. Its much more critical to keep the higher frequency crossover area in phase because that WILL cause cancellation. The critical one is time alignment (delay the mains to teh woofers)... gl getting that right. The only time you need to worry about phase issues where they become prolem is in a room and you get hard-to-predict room coupling. sometimes flipping the phase will yeild much better results... its all about FR response. ON a boat, i'm a little hard pressed to believe this is very difficult issue to address being there are no walls....

and the whole debate about teh W7 vs the ID max... silly, even the max engineers ( i know them personally) will tell you its silly, they are both overhung and one is like twice the size! what do you expect??? twice the price? BINGO!