Silverado sealed or ported?

[iCalvin]

Hey, I am new here and new to the whole car audio world. I have a 1999 nbs Silverado ext cab, I have a old Pioneer deh-6500 and Polk Dxi series speakers for the doors but now I am looking for a sub to add. I am completely lost on what setup would be right. I have contacted someone who builds 8" ported boxes forthe truck, all I have to do is tell him the sub I plan on getting and he will build it to spec. I also looked at Subthump and found a sealed 12" or 10" dual box.

It might be an age thing but I would rather have SPL than SQ. I listen mostly to rap and rock and bass clarity has never meant much to me, boomy bass appeals to me more, but not boomy to the fact I can't hear the mids and highs.

The ported box the dude makes he and someothers claim "are louder than 2 12s" in a Silverado. I dont know many people with subs in their silverado so I have no way of getting an idea of how which would be worth it.

If I were to go with the 8" ported, I would go with a Kicker L7. 450RMS

If I were to go with a 2 10" or 2 12" sealed I would go would go with RE SE X subs. Runnng 1200RMS total

The dual sealed box would have either airspace of .92 or 1.13 depending on which one I get.

I do have experience building, not sub boxes in general and would really not want to build one untill I get more of an idea on how subs and enclosures work.

Thanks

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[iCalvin]

Anyone? I tried searching 8" ported vs 2 12" sealed. I would figure 2 12s will take out a 8" ported but I don't get the ported and sealed thing and I might be wrong. I figured someone would have some input. I am 17 years old and most of the people I know deal with what they can get and setup, I saved a bit for this and want to spend it wisely on what would work right for what I listen to. I appreciate any help.

 

[Trancer 10+ year member]

I see you are looking into a couple of Subthump boxes. They make great boxes. I have purchased 3 of them. The ultra deep box for my 2003 ext cab Z-71, a single cab dual 10 box for a friends 2008 regular cab Silverado, and my 2008 Crew Cab Sierra. I would say spend the extra money and get the bigger box if you run 12's. That extra space is needed with these trucks.

I have been running 2 RE SE 12's in my Sierra, but I dont have as much room as the older body style extended cab trucks. When I went from my extended cab box to my crew cab box with the RE SE's, there was a big difference. I am now running some Infinity Reference 12's that take half amount of wattage, but probably sound a little better than the RE SE's did, just because of that difference in airspace.

Im looking to run 3 or 4 SA8's ported in my truck next. Either that or two RE SE 10's ported.

If you run ported, you will need to build a box, but if you can't, there is always Probox. You dont seem too interested in sound quality, so one of their ported 10 setups might fit you. Their boxes are tuned quite high though

 

[iCalvin]

Thanks for the reply Trancer. I never knew about the Probox enclosures but I can't find much info on it to consider it fully, nor could I find a site or place that sells them so I have no idea how much they are.

For the ported box, I have contact with someone who has built custom 8" ported boxes for the Silverado and will build a box to the spec I want basically.

The subthump box I was actuactly looking at the one you mentioned.

I really dont have much to spend, basically $750 ideal. Though that budget will go up slightly if I really find what I am looking for.

For me, bass just gives music the extra boom and enjoyment, I dont care for SQ from subs, only from Mids/Highs.

Are porting subs really that considerably louder?

Also I see alot of people talking about Sundown subs in this forum. I see you want them too, I have never heard them, they seem to be half the price of the Kicker L7s. Are these comparable to the L7s?

 

[slvrado28z 10+ year member]

l7 =spl sundown=both

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

The sundown will be considerably better than the kicker, yes. You can still have The bass you want without it sounding terrible I'd recommend tuning in the low 30hz region for that bass you can really feel and hear from a mile away. If you just want it to be overwhelmingly loud but not have much impact, a higher tuned store-bought box would serve the purpose.

Optimal airspace is key though. You might want to look into doing a pair of 8s ported, or maybe a single 12. Do you know what your gross internal volume is at max?

 

[iCalvin]

The sundown will be considerably better than the kicker, yes. You can still have The bass you want without it sounding terrible I'd recommend tuning in the low 30hz region for that bass you can really feel and hear from a mile away. If you just want it to be overwhelmingly loud but not have much impact, a higher tuned store-bought box would serve the purpose. Optimal airspace is key though. You might want to look into doing a pair of 8s ported, or maybe a single 12. Do you know what your gross internal volume is at max?

I'm new at this, have no idea what that means, but if I had to guess, I think its how much Cubic feet I have to work with? Its a 1999 SIlverado extended cab, theres not much space under there

I am considering the Sundown now, its half the price as the L7, seems like people like them, and would also save me $50 for a different amp.

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

You nailed it. I just asked because you said with a pair of 10s or 12s you'd have around one foot, which isn't really ideal, especially after displacement. I think a single 8 would be more effective with that air space, ported. if you had a bit more space, maybe two 8s or a single 10 or 12. I'd talk with trencher to see how much space he's managed to squeeze out of that area.

 

[iCalvin]

Ya, I can possibly live with one 8" ported. There really isnt that much space, I would probably perfer the one 8" ported so that I can just place the amp under the other side of the seat to get air to it, with a dual sub setup I would have to place the amp in the space behind the seat which probably gets little to no air flowing to it and heat it up.

 

[Trancer 10+ year member]

I personally have had a Kicker L7 10 and an L7 12. They do get loud in ported boxes, but tend to be pretty sloppy. There are much better subs out there for the money such as Sundown Audio as already mentioned, RE Audio, SoundSplinter (probably out of your price range), etc...

You have alot more room under those seats than most pickups have to work with. I have to work with less space, .83cu ft per chamber in my subthump box. I managed to get some 12's in there that are extremely cheap, but are performing very well. You could get 4 Sundown Audio 8's in that pickup if the box was built right.

To answer your question about sealed vs. ported. Yes, in general, it is louder. Sundown Audio SA8's are optimal in a ported box and not optimal in a sealed enclosure. If you had to choose between two 12's sealed vs. one 8 ported, I'd go with the 12's, but since you can fit quite a few in there, try the 8's ported. I am working on plans to fit 3 8's ported. I have the space to do it, so if I can do it, you can definitely do it with airspace you can squeeze out. Im still trying to figure out if I want to do the 3 SA8's ported or 2 RE SE 10's ported.

 

[iCalvin]

Thanks for the inputs, right now TBO I am leaning to just getting a single 8" ported. It would cost close to half of a 2 12 setup and money is hard for a high schooler to just spend.

 

[Trancer 10+ year member]

If that's the case, I'd recommend going with a single 10 or single 12 ported setup for just a little bit more cash. A single 8 ported isn't going to give YOU that bump I believe you are looking for. Just reading from your original posts above, thats the information I gathered from you

 

[iCalvin]

I will look into the 10 ported and if I could I will consider the 2 8" ported or 2 12" sealed, I am not buying right away, I am still looking at possible setups. Thanks

 

[smgreen20 10+ year member]

There are more options too. Raise your rear bench seat up 2".

I drive a 2000 Sierra ext cab and that's what I did. I have 3 cf of internal (net) airspace. I run two 12" TREO SSi12.22's AND it ported to 35Hz.

I too, would go with the Sundowns over the L7. I've heard the sundowns, 48 of them (10") to be exact and I used to own a gen1 L7.

If I were you, I'd just do one 12" sub in a ported box. This will give you the output you want w/o raising the rear seat and save you a bit of $$ and have enough room for the amp/s under the rear seat.

You can click my link in my sig to see my install and you can also go here for a few picks on how I raised my rear seat, page 3 iirc. Car Audio Message Forum - CarStereo.com

Trancer,

You ought to see the box a friend of mine is making for an '09 Silverado ext cab. Two 10" square subs in a ported box and a spot in between the two for the amp. I think they're MTX's square subs. If I can I'll try and swing by tomorrow and get picks of it. I'll be finishing up the wifes car install first.

 

[smgreen20 10+ year member]

dbl posy, idk y?