New sub hates old enclosure, want to build my first box SWS-12d4

strobe

CarAudio.com Regular
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Sugon
Vehicle : 09 mazda 3

Location in the vehicle: left side of hatch area

Space available (Length x Width x Height):

  • Length 20 @ 15" height, 29 @ base. 
  • width up to 14.5 (smaller the better)
  • height 15


Subwoofer make and model: Alpine SWS-12d4

  • qms - 9.43
  • qes .6
  • qts .57
  • fs 34hz
  • xmax 15mm
Subwoofer Size: 12

Number of Subwoofers: 1

Type of Port (Kerfed, Slot, Aero, etc.): Aero preferred I think, open to suggestion

What type of music do you like?: All styles of electronic - from deep extended low notes, drum & bass, electro/dubstep, & chilled instrunmentals.

Is your goal SPL or Everyday Music?: Everyday music

Tuning Freq (Hz): 32-35?

Volume : Factory recommended is 1.67ft gross 1.4ft^3 net.

Questions: Hey everyone, I was running an old alpine SWR-12 I got second hand from a friend for nearly 5 years off an alpine 500 mono amp. One of the voice coils stopped giving resistance so my guess is a tinsel lead was broken. Found an SWS-12d4 for only $80 shipped so I decided to go with that in its place running 2ohm to the amp. The SWS-12d4 however does not like the enclosure I had the type R in.

I was going to just buy a pre-fab sealed box til I read another forum thread of someone else who did the same with this speaker (thread referenced). I've decided I'm better off to make a proper ported box that will sit on the left side of my hatch. Ideally I would have the speaker facing to the side to keep the enclosure as slim as possible with the port aiming at the rear, HOWEVER if it will be much more beneficial, I've heard that mounting sub up port back is really good in hatchbacks. Another idea came from crutchfield reviews is this (sws-12d4 enclosure) but no specs are shared.

I could easily take the manufacturer's recommended dimensions & make it work, but my readings tell me there are actually better parameters for a box to get the most from a sub (especially from alpines recommendations).

Overall my thoughts were on making a slim-ish enclosure with an aero port going along the length of the box firing to the rear & speaker firing to the side. Is this realistic or optimal? 

Hope this is acceptable for a first post. Thanks!

 
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Vehicle : 09 mazda 3

Location in the vehicle: left side of hatch area

Space available (Length x Width x Height):

  • Length 20 @ 15" height, 29 @ base. 
  • width up to 14.5 (smaller the better)
  • height 15


Subwoofer make and model: Alpine SWS-12d4

  • qms - 9.43
  • qes .6
  • qts .57
  • fs 34hz
  • xmax 15mm
Subwoofer Size: 12

Number of Subwoofers: 1

Type of Port (Kerfed, Slot, Aero, etc.): Aero preferred I think, open to suggestion

What type of music do you like?: All styles of electronic - from deep extended low notes, drum & bass, electro/dubstep, & chilled instrunmentals.

Is your goal SPL or Everyday Music?: Everyday music

Tuning Freq (Hz): 32-35?

Volume : Factory recommended is 1.67ft gross 1.4ft^3 net.

Questions: Hey everyone, I was running an old alpine SWR-12 I got second hand from a friend for nearly 5 years off an alpine 500 mono amp. One of the voice coils stopped giving resistance so my guess is a tinsel lead was broken. Found an SWS-12d4 for only $80 shipped so I decided to go with that in its place running 2ohm to the amp. The SWS-12d4 however does not like the enclosure I had the type R in.

I was going to just buy a pre-fab sealed box til I read another forum thread of someone else who did the same with this speaker (thread referenced). I've decided I'm better off to make a proper ported box that will sit on the left side of my hatch. Ideally I would have the speaker facing to the side to keep the enclosure as slim as possible with the port aiming at the rear, HOWEVER if it will be much more beneficial, I've heard that mounting sub up port back is really good in hatchbacks. Another idea came from crutchfield reviews is this (sws-12d4 enclosure) but no specs are shared.

I could easily take the manufacturer's recommended dimensions & make it work, but my readings tell me there are actually better parameters for a box to get the most from a sub (especially from alpines recommendations).

Overall my thoughts were on making a slim-ish enclosure with an aero port going along the length of the box firing to the rear & speaker firing to the side. Is this realistic or optimal? 

Hope this is acceptable for a first post. Thanks!
20x15x14.5? That's not much space. What was the box you had it in that it didn't like and what exactly do you mean by didn't like?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
20x15x14.5? That's not not much space. What was the box you had it in that it didn't like and what exactly do you mean by didn't like?
What I mean by doesn't like it is it just sounds poor. Low end feels weak & seems like it's tuned extra high as higher bass notes are far more overpowering than before & sound bad (point of discomfort & turning down volume). Some songs just sound flat out bad & I have to skip. The box I have now is 19x13.5x17 with a decent sized slotted vent that wraps halfway around the back. Part of wanting to build a new box is to have it sit flush on one side to give me a little more cargo space. This vented pre-fab design (pre-fab slim 12) gave me the idea that I could probably make a similar build that's closer to factory specs & have the sub tucked on the left side w/ port aiming to the hatch.  The mazda 3 isn't a huge vehicle and I pack it full frequently so trying to find the right balance of size:eek:utput. I was about to pull the trigger on a sealed enclosure & call it done til I read a bit.

 
What I mean by doesn't like it is it just sounds poor. Low end feels weak & seems like it's tuned extra high as higher bass notes are far more overpowering than before & sound bad (point of discomfort & turning down volume). Some songs just sound flat out bad & I have to skip. The box I have now is 19x13.5x17 with a decent sized slotted vent that wraps halfway around the back. Part of wanting to build a new box is to have it sit flush on one side to give me a little more cargo space. This vented pre-fab design (pre-fab slim 12) gave me the idea that I could probably make a similar build that's closer to factory specs & have the sub tucked on the left side w/ port aiming to the hatch.  The mazda 3 isn't a huge vehicle and I pack it full frequently so trying to find the right balance of size:eek:utput. I was about to pull the trigger on a sealed enclosure & call it done til I read a bit.
That's not much different than the measurements you gave in your first post. I wouldn't run that sub sealed. Personally I like that sub in a 2.0 + . I've had it in a 1.55 @36  it was ok for SQ and power handling but not so much for bass extension. I only used that box for that sub for like a week. I've had it in 2.3/2.4/ 2.56 and 2 in 6.3. tuned from 34 up to 41hz.. if you're wanting better bass extension you're going to need to come up with some more air space imo. 

 
That's not much different than the measurements you gave in your first post. I wouldn't run that sub sealed. Personally I like that sub in a 2.0 + . I've had it in a 1.55 @36  it was ok for SQ and power handling but not so much for bass extension. I only used that box for that sub for like a week. I've had it in 2.3/2.4/ 2.56 and 2 in 6.3. tuned from 34 up to 41hz.. if you're wanting better bass extension you're going to need to come up with some more air space imo. 
SQ with hopes of retaining that sealed-like tightness/response are the goal. While my last type R did sound great for awhile, I do feel like the enclosure could have been better for it. With creating something specifically for this sub I expect to hear improvements whether the extension is at it's peak or not. I would say my main goal is to just get the sub sounding flat enough so I can set the volume & enjoy an entire song. Right now I'll crank it up just to try & feel a low note only to have my ears shattered when the next frequency hits.

I can increase my space a bit to probably get around 2ft^3 volume or re-arrange to have the box go along the rear seats, but that steers away from being more conscious of space in the process.

 
SQ with hopes of retaining that sealed-like tightness/response are the goal. While my last type R did sound great for awhile, I do feel like the enclosure could have been better for it. With creating something specifically for this sub I expect to hear improvements whether the extension is at it's peak or not. I would say my main goal is to just get the sub sounding flat enough so I can set the volume & enjoy an entire song. Right now I'll crank it up just to try & feel a low note only to have my ears shattered when the next frequency hits.

I can increase my space a bit to probably get around 2ft^3 volume or re-arrange to have the box go along the rear seats, but that steers away from being more conscious of space in the process.
What's your crossover set at? Have you tried a stepper slope?

 
With the type R I kept it around 75-80, with the type S so far I've set it at 60. EQ is down at 0db & gain is just over half at the .5v. Have tried lowering the low pass all the way (I believe mine goes to 40 or 50 old model of mrv-m500). Anything higher just sounds out of tune & poor when I've tried.

 
What's your crossover set at? Have you tried a stepper slope?
With the type R I kept it around 75-80, with the type S so far I've set it at 60. EQ is down at 0db & gain is just over half at the .5v. Have tried lowering the low pass all the way (I believe mine goes to 40 or 50 old model of mrv-m500). Anything higher just sounds out of tune & poor when I've tried.

 
With the type R I kept it around 75-80, with the type S so far I've set it at 60. EQ is down at 0db & gain is just over half at the .5v. Have tried lowering the low pass all the way (I believe mine goes to 40 or 50 old model of mrv-m500). Anything higher just sounds out of tune & poor when I've tried.
what r u using head unit wise?

 
what r u using head unit wise?
If upgrading the head unit would be night/day difference paired with building a custom box compared with using the line out converter, I may consider it again as my itch for SQ has gotten worse over the years. Started with a pair of vmoda m100s then came the fiio a3 headphone amp... everything audio has been getting upgraded since.

 
If upgrading the head unit would be night/day difference paired with building a custom box compared with using the line out converter, I may consider it again as my itch for SQ has gotten worse over the years. Started with a pair of vmoda m100s then came the fiio a3 headphone amp... everything audio has been getting upgraded since.
Do you Bluetooth everything? Loc ****

 
If upgrading the head unit would be night/day difference paired with building a custom box compared with using the line out converter, I may consider it again as my itch for SQ has gotten worse over the years. Started with a pair of vmoda m100s then came the fiio a3 headphone amp... everything audio has been getting upgraded since.
A new headunit and custom box would make a world of a difference, yes. Do you have the mazda 3 hatchback or sedan? 

 
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