Vegas-7lug

Hey guys, so I finished the build for my F150 (Thread "Looking for output in 1.75ft) and I have good news and bad. The enclosure is 2.5ft net tuned using two 3"x15" round ports to what the builder states is 33hz. Subs are a pair of Skar VVX10s on 1100wrms. Well the thing picked up a TON of low end, it pounds out the bottom octave like no tomorrow, with songs like "Late Night Tip" hitting so hard my wife said it shakes her rearview mirror when I'm behind her at a stoplight...lol But that's about it. It doesn't play anything else well. More average bass frequencies (45-55hz I'm thinking) is pretty soft and the kick drums in Metallica's ONE are absolutely nonexistent. I've played with phase, crossover freq, even adding bass boost to the upper parts and its just not there. I'm coming from a pair of 10s sealed in .6ft each and it had a lot more impact, and hit harder, it just didnt have the output I was looking for. So I am thinking of going back to a sealed system. I wanted to go up to 12's and then add more power (like 2000wrms) to get more output than what I had before. I have heard different cars with 12s sealed that HIT so hard it almost knocked the breath out of you, and there are guys that say they are in the 130's on a pair of sealed 12s and 1500w. So my question is what are going to be the best choices for me? The enclosure will be about .95ft each down firing. I have heard subs described as "forward", "great impact or presence" and I that's what I want. I won't pretend I'm an SQ guy looking for transparency and such, I figure I can EQ out anything that is too much. I have heard IDQv3 and JL W6 sealed and they sounded great... SO what are you guys running, on how much power and space, and how loud and accurate are you? I'd like to keep the subs around $200 each if possible. Thanks

So I'm thinking of either picking up a set of different subs, or stepping up to a pair of 12's, going sealed and just about doubling the power. I have the amp already, the subs will basically be a wash as 12's are minimally more expensive than the same model 10's, and the enclosure is something the builder and I have worked out already... My thoughts are it will give me the sound that "I" like, and still have enough output to please. Idk.. I wish I could just get all you guys together in one place and just sit in your cars one at a time with a CD of 20 of my favorite songs and just listen. I just don't know anyone here that's into car audio. So if you guys come to Vegas.. PLEASE drive and let me demo your system (-:

Well aside from output.. What won't it? This was one of my 1st ported enclosures and it was LOUD... but not as accurate throughout the frequency range as I'd hoped. It definitely had a huge gain of probably more than 3db around the tuned frequency, but it was so much I couldn't just EQ it out and still have it sound good.. Well at least to me.

That's pretty much hitting the nail on the head. The builder was doing his job and built me a definite ground pounder cuz that's what everyone was telling me to do. "If you think it sounds good sealed, wait till you go ported" but after about a week I realized it wasn't geared toward my taste or playlists. I enjoy low lows like anybody else, but it came at the expense of bass that hit hard, and it produced stuff that seemed a bit muddy for me... That's when i started missing the old setup

So without changing the frequency of the box, I swapped out the subs with a pair of JL 10w3v3's and then a pair of SA-10's and whaalah... At the expense of some low end output, the higher frequencies I was missing in the alternative and rock I listen to are back! The presence I was looking for is now there and the magical "hit" of the kickdrum is bass you can feel as well as hear with both of those subs. While neither is as transparent nor will they bang out the lows like the Skars, they have the sound I was looking for. Now when will those SA-10v.2's be available lol? Well as long as they didn't change the "formula" too much

Yeah I've been looking at the Fi.Q really hard. As well as the AA Havoc with incidentally some say are pretty much the same woofer

And actually the thread was recommendations of subwoofers you have personally used in a sealed enclosure, not necessarily how to fix my ported one. I've just chosen to go back to a sealed box for the things it does better, as the things it lacks don't mean as much to me...thats all

Raising LP was the 1st thing I did, and no I didn't have any improvement at all. The box is tuned to 33hz, so I finally had some ports cut to length to bring it up a few and it helped, but still doesn't give me the presence I am looking for. I went sealed already.. so if anyone is looking for a pair of VVX-10's with ULTRA low play time, they'll be in the classifieds as soon as I get 25 posts lol

Low pass is set at 80hz. The 45hz is just a "guesstimate" on the range I'm lacking in. I am going to buy some more ports and cut them different lengths tomorrow actually. I have a feeling the Skars are somewhat to blame as well.

Yeah the SA-12 are actually a nice price right now. Just not sure how low and how much output ill have. I was taught Xmax is king in a sealed enclosure

Hey everyone thanks for having me. So I am rebuilding my substage after blowing one of my ID 10s last week, which I had 2 of in a sealed enclosure with .6ft^3 each...and it was "lacking" to say the least. I have a 2005 F150 Supercab and I'm pretty limited to what I can put under the back seat. In getting back into car audio after over a decade, I am blown away by the kind of output todays subs are capable of, even from single driver systems. In talking to custom enclosure guys, it seems I'm pretty maxed out at around 2ft^3 which I'm thinking will be around 1.75ft^3 after port displacement (tuned into the low 30's) I'm looking for something that will have fairly significant output while being able to dig the lows with some aggression. I'm thinking (1) 12" driver would work well, but it seems that most subs recommend something a bit bigger as "optimal"...what would I be giving up in this sized enclosure? Output? Frequency range? SQ? So I'm looking for insight from those of you who have experience (either personally or through installs) with sub(s) in that amount of space. I guess (1) 10" would work too and i could put it in a BIG box, or perhaps 2-3 SA-8s (I know they'll get loud, but do they get low). I just want to do this right from the beginning and not wish I'd gone another direction down the road. Power is an Arc Audio FD1200.1 who's test sheet specs it at 1050wRms @ 2ohms (It'll do over over 1100 @ 1ohm but for efficiency and damping factor I'd like to stay at 2ohms) Music is mostly Rap and R&B - Budget...well I'd like to stay under $250 but would go to $300 for something worth while. I've been looking at the SSA Icon - Fi.Q/SSD - SA-10/12 - and the lastest and greatest from Ascendant and Obscidian. Thanks guys!

Yeah initially we had some port noise that had us rework the ports a little bit. Now through the second round of testing it's way better.

Box is finished! Preliminary sound checks were done and this thing BANGS! Ports are (2) 3" diameter round ports calculated to bring the final tuning to 32hz. Final pics will come installed and loaded with subs and my fancy 4bar grills

Hey everyone! Greetings from good ol' Las Vegas...thanks for having me. I've been on this site for a few weeks browsing and reading, and I definitely like what I see. I found you guys after being directed to purchase a SSA DCon 10 for my son's Ford Ranger build and now I'm looking to turn my attention (and wallet) to my truck. While I'm not new to car audio, I'm not super advanced either. I know what things like qts, vas and bl mean and how they will affect my choice of gear and desired application, but I leave the overly technical stuff to others. I think my ear outweighs my hands, and the only serious car I actually tried to compete with (SQ) was built for me back in 1996. Now after about a 10yr hiatus, I've been bitten by the bug once again and what was supposed to be a cameo apperance for the sake of my 18yr old son, has turned into the all consuming hobby it was way back when The apparent lack of any shops in Las Vegas that can be decribed as custom or audiophile have slapped me down in front of my computer for several hours a day, but I definitely enjoy it, even if the wifey doesnt. So you guys will be seeing me on occasion posting in hopes of rebuidling my current system in my 05 F150, starting with the substage 1st after one of my ID10's failed last week...upgrade!!!! And YES I promise to use the SEARCH button way more than the NEW TOPIC one, try to spell everything correctly, and limit the amount of times I confuse sarcasm with humor - Thanks everyone and see you soon...! Pioneer AVH-P4300 Arc Audio KAR 300.2 CDT CL-62 Pro CDT UP-2100i Upstage Arc Audio FD1200.1 (2) ID ID10v3 downfire in prefab sealed .6ft^3 each

The Fi website has them listed at $184 the same as an SA-10

Everyone has steered me away from the new RE stuff and specifically the Sex line since RE was bought out. They cite lower build quality and then subsequently horrible customer service for them.

Yessiree lol. As much as we'd all love to have an Excursion and such for the huge enclosures we gotta do what we gotto do (-;

Hey Denim.. Sorry I started this build in to my "sub suggestions" thread. I just figured it was kinda tied in to me looking for a sub to build, then actually finding one and having the build started. Should I have put this in a new thread? Thanks man

Yes.. The builder is a beast lol.

Here you guys go... Pics Round 2 as promised.

Update!!!! So I'm SUPER excited right now!!! Just confirmed with my builder that I have access to 3ft^3 gross using a seat lift kit! The other night he spec'd up some digital enclosure designs and below is what we're going with. Enclosure will be 1.35ft^3 NET per sub and initial tuning will start @ 31hz. With that in mind, sub choice is definitely going to be (2) 10s. So yesterday the build got the green light! Man this is SUCH great news... So for drivers I was able to get a hold of the 10" Skar VVX-10s from my buddy. One is brand spanking new and the other was put in his wife's car and has very low play time on it, and the price was WAY too good to pass up. He has it in 1.25ft^3 @ 30hz on 500wRms and has nothing but good things to say about it, and actually I'm pretty excited to try the Skar stuff out. From what I've read it won't have quite the output of the SA-10 (original choice) but should dig the lows with aggression, the freakin Fs on the 12" is like 22hz! I don't have any T/S stuff on the 10 so I'm glad the build requires using round ports for space, as it will enable tuning flexibility to get the sound I'm looking for. The subs are D4s so they'll be seeing about 550w/Rms each... Hmmm, where did I see that Cadence ZRS-7500D on sale again??? Hahaaa Here are pics round 1.. more to come soon - And for EVERYONE that has pitched in on this thread, thank you guys soooo much! Mock up Skar VVX-10 1st cuts

Yeah I am using a seat lift kit that will give me some additional height, but if you ran (2) 12s I'm assuming you them in a sealed enclosure?

Yea I get that. I figure if I'm going with a single 10" driver then id go as big as recommended for the sake of output. I just have to keep telling myself that (1) 10" sub ported in a good enclosure WILL outperform 2 weaker subs in a sealed box lol.

Ok cool... As a matter of fact, a single 10 is what the enclosure guys is suggesting too. I just threw the (2) 8s out there for the sd advantage. So in the event I went the Fi.Q 10" route, what would be considered "optimal" to YOU guys? Also can u tell me what kind of port length and diameter I'd be seeing with an optimal enclosure? With a box that's so short it slides under a back seat, he wants to go with an Aero port and I want to compare what he thinks to what you guys say.

Thanks everyone! T-Dog - Sweet someone else in Vegas as well... Do you have anyone in town that does your stuff for you?