Should I mount my 8' inch sub open air or sealed box?

[bangu]

I have a 1997 lexus ls400.. I got a free 8 inch subwoofer that came in a sealed box. The woofer is a audiobahn special edition 8.. and the sealed box is like .9 cubic feet. I hook it up wired as 2ohms and it *****.. there is very very little bass in the sealed box. On the otherhand.. I can mount the woofer on the truck deck lid open air style.. I am wondering which way do you think would produce more bass.. sealed box or open air. Btw.. I am using the factory amp on the car soooo its not very powerful anyhow.

*** or....I was thinking since its a small sub in a big box I think I have enough room to add a port.... how should I do it?

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[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

ported box about 1.5 cubes on 200 watts

 

[Dmac1991]

8" sub is a .9 cf sealed box? I think that is the problem.

Drop that sealed box down to like .3 cf

 

[bangu]

8" sub is a .9 cf sealed box? I think that is the problem.
Drop that sealed box down to like .3 cf

yaaa bro.. too bad I dont have that option?!

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

audiobahn recommends up to 1cube for this sub sealed.

http://audiobahn.com/phocadownload/Archived%20Manuals/Subwoofers/AW831SE-AW1051SE-AW1251SE-AW1571SE.pdf

 

[bangu]

audiobahn recommends up to 1cube for this sub sealed.

so should I use it in the box or on the trunk deck lid??

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

so should I use it in the box or on the trunk deck lid??

i definitely would not run it free air. if you are looking for more output you need to build a ported box. if you read the link I posted it says this sub is designed for a ported box.

 

[supereikenator 10+ year member]

so should I use it in the box or on the trunk deck lid??

Make a ported box. Both aren't the best. Also, keep in mind, it's an eight, so the output isn't going to be crazy(unless it's an SA, TC Epic, or something like that.)

 

[stay_high 10+ year member]

Dude. your running it off the factory head unit.. what the hell did you expect its getting 30 watts rms at the very most... lol

 

[bangu]

Dude. your running it off the factory head unit.. what the hell did you expect its getting 30 watts rms at the very most... lol

nope its 45 rms //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[stay_high 10+ year member]

nope its 45 rms //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

Well you should buy an amp before building a new box

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

An 8' sub? Gonna need like a whole box trailer as an enclosure bro.

 

[garretttt4 10+ year member]

An 8' sub? Gonna need like a whole box trailer as an enclosure bro.

You mother trucker you beat me to it by 25mins. Lol

 

[3278]

Whether you use a ported or sealed box depends on what kind of sound, and sound volume, you're looking for. If you want tight, accurate bass, a sealed box is excellent [and simple, and cheap, since you already have the right box for the driver], but it'll require a lot more power to get the same volume as a ported box. A ported box is less accurate, and "boomier," but will be much more efficient [louder per watt] than a sealed box. [Not all subs are meant to do both, but yours is.] Free air mounting is possible with some subwoofers, but the one you have is designed to work in an enclosure, and the one you have is just fine for it.

Whether ported or sealed, you're going to need a separate amplifier for the subwoofer: low power is more likely to do damage to the sub than high power, plus it's going to sound pretty awful, as you've noted. I'd recommend something in the vicinity of 200 watts for that particular sub. Keep in mind you have a dual voice coil sub, and hooking it up wrong can damage the amplifier it's plugged into - or, in your case, the head unit it's plugged into. If you're not familiar with how to wire a dual voice coil sub, don't hesitate to shout out.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

newbs with incorrect info are coming out of the woodwork like termites.