is this a bad idea?

[PatFitz9 10+ year member]

okay i am going to try and describe this, so if it's not clear let me know. i want to build a small (1-1.25 cubic feet) sealed box in the trunk, with the sub firing towards the side of the car. then i want to mount the amp on either a plexi or wood wall in front of the box, so it would be blocking the sub from the rest of trunk. is that wall going to do something wacky with the sound? would plexi rattle since the box is considerably smaller than the trunk and box?

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[ramos 5,000+ posts]

hhrmmm , can't say that I have actually seen anything quite like you described . It might seal the back of the trunk. If you have good ventilation into the cabin. I don't see where it would cause any weird cancellation or anything. Just make the interior volume of the car smaller. Might have some effect on cabing gain //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Trixter 10+ year member]

it depends on how close it is to the sub. if it's right on it that wouldn't be good. but if it's like 6-8" away, shouldn't make much difference. either wood or plexi will vibrate...it just depends on how well you anchor it down.

 

[mikeyboc 10+ year member]

You might want to search for a thread that included an article on facing subs in different directions and the results. I know I have seen it, but can't remember the title off hand. Very good article though.

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

it depends on how close it is to the sub. if it's right on it that wouldn't be good. but if it's like 6-8" away, shouldn't make much difference. either wood or plexi will vibrate...it just depends on how well you anchor it down.

True , even with bracing and proper anchoring vibration might be an issue. I didn't think about that //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[PatFitz9 10+ year member]

hrm, i have a ski pass that i can use as a vent into the cabin. i was going for a look but don't touch type thing. i want to be able to still use my trunk. and the wall was a way to keep it clean and protect against sliding.

 

[reneeb7363 10+ year member]

Well, in my research and experience you will hear better bass response and avoid wave cancellations if you point the sub towards the back of the trunk. A subwoofer facing forward will "send" out the initial 'wave' and milliseconds later the backwave will have 'bounced' off the back wall of the trunk, thus eliminating a majority of what you hear in the drivers seat. Unless you are going to seal the face of the subwoofer to the interior of the cabin, facing it backwards will give you the best audible response. The downfall of this is the vibration in the trunk lid and panels...a little dampening and you should be happy with the results. Hope some, if any of this helps. Good luck and happy building!

 

[reneeb7363 10+ year member]

Well, in my research and experience you will hear better bass response and avoid wave cancellations if you point the sub towards the back of the trunk. A subwoofer facing forward will "send" out the initial 'wave' and milliseconds later the backwave will have 'bounced' off the back wall of the trunk, thus eliminating a majority of what you hear in the drivers seat. Unless you are going to seal the face of the subwoofer to the interior of the cabin, facing it backwards will give you the best audible response. The downfall of this is the vibration in the trunk lid and panels...a little dampening and you should be happy with the results. Hope some, if any, of this helps. Good luck and happy building!

 

[reneeb7363 10+ year member]

sorry about the double post--

 

[Trixter 10+ year member]

even in that case, every car is different. a quick way to tell if you will benefit from facing it backwards is to crack the trunk open. if it gets louder, face them backwards. also depends on positioning. moving the box forward or backward to match it up with the wave that's coming from the back. my '95 cavalier sounded better this way and now my '02 doesn't matter which way....every car is different.

 

[PatFitz9 10+ year member]

well i am more concerned with the wall in the middle. the box will be small enough that i can turn it around to test different sounds. i just don't want to go through all the trouble (and cost) of building a wall and have it sound like crap

 

[Trixter 10+ year member]

you should not have to build a wall.

 

[PatFitz9 10+ year member]

you should not have to build a wall.

i know i don't have to, i want to. there are some other design elements that i have planned, and the wall would just look nice.

 

[Trixter 10+ year member]

o...ok...i though you felt that you had to because of the cancelation comment.