Need Help: Suggestions for New Setup

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Ok, so it sounds like frequency responses have definitely changed. I am perfectly fine with anything tuned to the 50-80hz.
I agree that the fronts will need upgraded as well. I may be able to squeeze a speaker upgrade into the doors, but components and amp will definitely have to come as phase 2.

So the sundown woofers need to be ported? With such small space, I assumed I would need to use a small sealed enclosure.

Is the sundown woofer series SA or SD? The SA look very deep, but I am looking for measurements.

no tuning in the 50-80 will sound like absolute poop. One note wonder boxes. Normal range to tune in is 28-40hz for a ported box. 28hz for rap and hip hop, 32-34hz for good all around, 36-37hz for rock and 40hz for metal.

Go to youtube and look up how to use Winisd, its the 21 minute tutorial by car audio fabrication. The software it shows you a frequency response graph of how your subs will respond in each tuning according to their Thiele small parameters along with port calculations and tuning frequency calculations.

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

Ok, point taken. I just don't know that I have the tools and equipment to get the tuning that perfect. I am really trying to figure out which sub I have room for and how to get the depth and cu ft that I need to have it tuned properly. The example here F150 Speakers - F150online Forums shows that they built 2 chambers at about .8 cu ft each, but that took up the whole area behind the seat and I am not sure if there was space to mount the amp. The depth of the woofer is also a question. Porting the box sounds best for the sundowns, but making it ported definitely makes this a 1 woofer box/install. I am just trying to figure what woofer and how many I can fit back there, as well as a good mount spot for the amp.

I hate to have a "slanting" box but I don't think I have a choice on this one.

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

I just glanced at that Winisd. Its been a LONG time since I looked at anything like that.

When looking at the Sundowns, is it true that the 8" woofers are deeper (front to back) than the 10"?

I think I need to get exact measurements before I can come up with a box or design. I thought the estimate was good enough, but now I think I need exact. I am going to try for ported, but I will need to figure out if I have enough room and what diameter and length the port will need to be.

Is there a comparable small sealed sub that would perform like the sundowns, just in case.

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

I just glanced at that Winisd. Its been a LONG time since I looked at anything like that.
When looking at the Sundowns, is it true that the 8" woofers are deeper (front to back) than the 10"?

I think I need to get exact measurements before I can come up with a box or design. I thought the estimate was good enough, but now I think I need exact. I am going to try for ported, but I will need to figure out if I have enough room and what diameter and length the port will need to be.

Is there a comparable small sealed sub that would perform like the sundowns, just in case.

the only sundown i would do sealed is the sd series.

Boston Acoustics G310 44 10" 375 Watt RMS Dual 4 Ohm G3 Series Car Subwoofer Sub 690283478834 | eBay

if you got 2 of these and added

Boston Acoustics US)

and 2 of the passive radiators would give you the ability to have a sealed box that acts like a ported. you would only need .5 cube in each chamber. you can tune the radiator at 30 35 or 40 hz

 

[mclerico83 5,000+ posts]

97-03 F150 Regular Cab Subwoofer Enclosure

if you dont want to build a box this would be the only company id buy from //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

That box looks pretty good. The only issue I see is that its only .5 cu ft and the mounting depth is 5.75". I don't think the sundowns will work in that.

On those Boston Acoustic links, what is this radiator it mentions? I have never heard of such a thing.

If sundown's are too deep and they are not good in a sealed box, are there any options with that kind of quality/performance?

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

you need to measure the truck. we need to know how much WxHxD you have to work with

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

Well I finally got to measure the truck. These measurements are pretty close. I think I was a bit conservative, so there may be some very slight wiggle room. I measured with the seats (60/40 bench) all the way back and reclined. So this is worst case scenario. The back wall of the truck is contoured, so its not completely flat. These measurements should be from the most shallow points.

I have attached a brief drawing. The box width or depth (width of truck) is 42.5".

So with these measurements, what would you guys suggest? I have read a lot about the sundowns, so I can see why you suggested them. I would like to go with 2x8's, 2x10's, or 1x10. I found a couple companies that make a decent box for the truck, but their sizes are pretty small.

97-03 F150 Regular Cab Subwoofer Enclosure

Ford F-150 Standard Cab 04-08 Dual Subwoofer Box

1997-2003 FORD F150 STANDARD CAB TRUCK DUAL SUB BOX - SSA STORE

Now I am still assuming I will have to build, but I like those layouts with amp area.

So whats going do to a good job with these dimensions and what type of box?

 

[snyderd758 10+ year member]

i run 4 of the sav2's there only getting 300 wrms apiece and they are brutal loud they are in a ported box though. i would definetely trust the sd2's to get pretty loud also and for the price i think they are the clear cut choice. i would try to find a used fosgate 1000 to power them and you would be golden. my son has a 1999 f150 ext cab and it needed a ton of deadening also i went with fatmat rattle trap because you can buy a bunch of it for pretty cheap and it ended up really nice. as far as the enclosures subthump gets great reviews i would also invest in some walmart polyfill and stuff each side of the enclosure with about a half a pound.

 

[snyderd758 10+ year member]

the alpine typer8's would also work for you.

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

I will check into the alpine's. Are they really solid? Do they need sealed or ported to sound best?

For the SD's, so ported is still the way huh? I know back in the day ported was usually louder, but some subs, like JL and Kicker, were louder in small sealed boxes. Small sealed is easy on this one....ported is going to be a challenge because of lack of cu ft space and also lack of places to put the ports.

Anyone have any good suggestions for the box on this? I need to figure out the available volume with those dimensions too.

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

One more thing I just thought about...

With the amps you guys have mentioned, is this going to cause a strain on the battery/alternator? It has a new battery, but its nothing special, just standard. I had not planned to buy or install a capacitor or anything. Do these new amps need that stuff?

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

Ok, so it looks like I can get the subthump guys to make a box for the 8" or 10". I have been calculating everything and I like their box design. If I make one, it will be just like theirs, so I may buy theirs if it works.

So it looks like the sundown SD's will be it for me. Now what would you guys suggest, 2x10's or 2x8's? When I look at it, it seems like the box type and size are the determining factor. According to Sundown, the 8's .4 cu ft sealed and .5-.75 ported. It also says that the 8" are the ones they recommend to be sealed. The 10's want .5 cu ft sealed and 1.0 cu ft ported.

The subthump box has .5 cu ft per chamber and they could squeeze a little more if needed. When I measured it and fed the numbers into the Rockford box designer, it says 1.53-1.6 cu ft total.

So with all that said, what would you guys suggest? 8's or 10's? Sealed or ported? Would the 8's in a sealed .5 sound good?

I am starting to look for the amp also. Will amps like the suggested soundqubed need a capacitor or anything special?

Oh and while I am at it, do you guys have a suggestion as to where to buy the amps/subs/speakers/wiring? I can obviously search the net, but I didn't know if you guys know of a good online dealer with good prices.

 

[djtech2k 10+ year member]

Anyone have an opinion about the SD2 8's in a sealed box? Or the power requirements for the Soundqubed 1200 amp?

 

[PSD POWER007]

FYI, I have a mint 2002 RF Power 1000bd to sell. $275 shipped. Comes with original box, birth sheet, bass knob, end caps, manual, etc. This amp only has about 6-8 months of use total. It is a 10/10 cosmetic and 10/10 mechanically. Just food for thought! PM if interested.

Should work fine with stock electrical as long as you run no smaller than 4ga wiring and good grounding to match.