Subwoofer dilemma - Need more output in the 50 to 60 Hz range

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

I made a bonehead mistake by putting my DD1508 in 1 cubic foot net tuned to 32 Hz in the trunk of a WRX. I thought I wanted to smooth out that modeled peak near 40 Hz, and as a result, I think I killed my performance between 40 and 60 Hz. I need to do something to overcome the exhaust drone of my WRX. I was thinking about rebuilding the box for my 1508, possibly 1 cubic foot net tuned between 40 and 45 Hz. Unfortunately, I am worried that I will lose my lower frequency response for those times I listen to drum and bass or dubstep.

Should I rebuild the box for my 1508, or should I consider going with a pair of 8s like the Sundown SD-2s or the Alpine Type R 8s? The goal now is more output to overcome the exhaust drone while still giving me some decent sub bass output.

Alternatively, I could look into some mass loaded vinyl for the trunk to see if I can keep the exhaust drone out of the car all together.

This is what I am trying to overcome:

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[Warren89 10+ year member]

You shouldn't try to over power a sound. Its not that it can't be done but it really could be a drag on sq. Welcome to Sound Deadener Showdown | Sound Deadener Showdown this site has helped me a lot in understanding proper sound deadening.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

and then consider a larger sub and amp

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

you might need more cubic feet than 1.0 net for smoother bass eq

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

and then consider a larger sub and amp

I considered stepping up to a single 10, but unfortunately, I won't be going with much more power. Right Now I am running a Lunar L1500 to the 1508. That amp is rated for 500 watts RMS at 1 ohm and is approximately 40% underrated capable of delivering 700 watts RMS just prior to clipping. The only other amplifiers I am considering are the MMATS 6150 or the JL Audio HD900/5.

 

[Chriszle 10+ year member]

you might need more cubic feet than 1.0 net for smoother bass eq

Making the box larger without changing the tuning will generally make it more peaky, not less.

I considered stepping up to a single 10, but unfortunately, I won't be going with much more power. Right Now I am running a Lunar L1500 to the 1508. That amp is rated for 500 watts RMS at 1 ohm and is approximately 40% underrated capable of delivering 700 watts RMS just prior to clipping. The only other amplifiers I am considering are the MMATS 6150 or the JL Audio HD900/5.

I'd suggest doing multiple things. I would start with trying to reduce the external noise. If you are still not satisfied, the next thing I would try is a new box. The last thing I would do is upgrade to 2 8s or 1 10 as you said.

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

I feel like such a retard now. Do you want to know what improved my 50 to 60 Hz bass response with the car running? I reversed the phase on my C5-650 midbass drivers in the front doors and on the sub. After doing that, my midbass response improved drastically. It probably didn't help that one of my 6.5s was out of phase with the other, thereby contributing to the cancellation issue.

Now here is the funny part... I discovered this by pure accident while on my lunch break last week. I thought I had left the DEH-80 on network 2 so I could adjust my sub level, and I accidentally hit the knob or something while it was on network 3 where the phase is. I reversed the phase on the sub, and my upper bass response came back. Crazy how the simplest of overlooked things solves the problem some times!