whay am i not louder?

[TreezNSteez 2]

upgraded to 2 sa12's, 800 watts each. and im not noticing a big big difference in loudness. it shakes everything alot more, and i know im getting more bass. i thought that adding another sub and giving it 300 more rms would be alot louder. when the volume is at 20, i dont notice a difference, but when its at 22 my subs go insane. but my music gets crazy loud too, i was hoping that my subs would overpower the lyrics and music, so i would get nice bass without having absurdly loud singing and whatnot.

im wondering if maybe my box isnt great. might sell it and get a jl basswedge for both subs, cause that would not only fit better.. but my single sa sounded great in that box.

...and while im here, i didnt upgrade my electrical yet and im not seeing any problems, should i even bother upgrading?

what do you guys think?

[TreezNSteez 2]

2 sa12's powered by a MB Quart ONYX 1600.1

[TreezNSteez 2]

actually let me put it this way.

some songs are louder, some songs i feel the bass more/less, and some songs are the same as before if not quiet-er

[MikeMartel 64]

Some songs being louder than othes will vastly depend on the enclosure and tuning. If you've changed tuning from your first setup then you will notice that a certain range of subwoofer notes will be louder and some will be quieter.

[ricksi30 923]

What are you upgrading from? If you want your bass to drown out your front stage (not at all sure why you would) turn the gain on the amp for the front speakers down. What are your enclosure specs?

[codester 48]

Sounds to me like the box is the culprit. Is the box within the specifications of the subwoofers? Generally a prefab enclosure will not give near the quality or loudness as a box built to the specific subs. An example would be a suit, yes you can buy a suit used and it will maybe fit and look alright but if you get one tailored for yourself the look, fit and compliments will be way better as it is made for you personally. Also doing the big three (upgraded grounds and charging wire to 0 gauge) is always a good idea and will put less strain on your alternator and amplifier.

[TreezNSteez 2]

i guess my box is tuned to high. i think its around 35, should i go down to about 32?

[ricksi30 923]

i guess my box is tuned to high. i think its around 35, should i go down to about 32?

35 is not that high, what are your goals?

[TreezNSteez 2]

well i wanted to get loud, but i also wanna feel the bass. feel > loud if i had to choose one. what would be the best tune for that?

[ricksi30 923]

well i wanted to get loud, but i also wanna feel the bass. feel > loud if i had to choose one. what would be the best tune for that?

What do you mean by "feel"? Certain notes are "felt" differently.

[TreezNSteez 2]

just double checked my box specs.

4.05 cubes

tuned to 33.5 hz

any by "feel" i guess i mean i want it to shake my seat mostly. right now it shakes my eyes, or glass idk, so i cant see straight. all i know is that everything outside of my car looks somewhat blurry, and i absolutly love that.

idk, tomorrow i can get a better feel for it, im just curious as to why im not louder. more subs + more power. after checking my box, built to specs so im not sure whats to blame.

[dbsupra 69]

Please post enclosure dimensions and pics of the final assembly. I just posted on your progress thread earlier.

Oh, and you aren't going to be able to notice 300 watts.

Edited October 10, 2012 by dbsupra

[pmureika 31]

Please post enclosure dimensions and pics of the final assembly. I just posted on your progress thread earlier.

Oh, and you aren't going to be able to notice 300 watts.

300 watts might be one decible which you cant hear.

[ricksi30 923]

just double checked my box specs.

4.05 cubes

tuned to 33.5 hz

any by "feel" i guess i mean i want it to shake my seat mostly. right now it shakes my eyes, or glass idk, so i cant see straight. all i know is that everything outside of my car looks somewhat blurry, and i absolutly love that.

idk, tomorrow i can get a better feel for it, im just curious as to why im not louder. more subs + more power. after checking my box, built to specs so im not sure whats to blame.

Port area?

[pmureika 31]

upgraded to 2 sa12's, 800 watts each. and im not noticing a big big difference in loudness. it shakes everything alot more, and i know im getting more bass. i thought that adding another sub and giving it 300 more rms would be alot louder. when the volume is at 20, i dont notice a difference, but when its at 22 my subs go insane. but my music gets crazy loud too, i was hoping that my subs would overpower the lyrics and music, so i would get nice bass without having absurdly loud singing and whatnot.

im wondering if maybe my box isnt great. might sell it and get a jl basswedge for both subs, cause that would not only fit better.. but my single sa sounded great in that box.

...and while im here, i didnt upgrade my electrical yet and im not seeing any problems, should i even bother upgrading?

what do you guys think?

Have someone build a box for those subs.

[pmureika 31]

upgraded to 2 sa12's, 800 watts each. and im not noticing a big big difference in loudness. it shakes everything alot more, and i know im getting more bass. i thought that adding another sub and giving it 300 more rms would be alot louder. when the volume is at 20, i dont notice a difference, but when its at 22 my subs go insane. but my music gets crazy loud too, i was hoping that my subs would overpower the lyrics and music, so i would get nice bass without having absurdly loud singing and whatnot.

im wondering if maybe my box isnt great. might sell it and get a jl basswedge for both subs, cause that would not only fit better.. but my single sa sounded great in that box.

...and while im here, i didnt upgrade my electrical yet and im not seeing any problems, should i even bother upgrading?

what do you guys think?

You have to build a system that matches. Subs,box and amp.

[TreezNSteez 2]

Please post enclosure dimensions and pics of the final assembly. I just posted on your progress thread earlier.

Oh, and you aren't going to be able to notice 300 watts.

height: 16

width: 35

depth: 21

port height: 14.5

port width: 4

port length: 26

port area per foot: 14.32

cant get pics til tomorrow.

wouldnt just having another sub make it louder? more cone area.?

like i said, i notice a huge difference when the volume is at 22, but how come i dont have more bass at lower volume? and would i need to make a new box to tune it different?

if i added another baffle i would have.. 15.11 port area/ft, 3.84 cubes, 34.45 hz tune. would that help or hurt me?

[William_White 0]

adding another subwoofer will increase your spl by only 6 db in a perfect world. if you want to "feel the bass" there are tactile tranducers, they increase the perceived bass by vibrating whatever they are attached to. They need about 20-40 watts each. you might want to look into these, however a custom built box made specifically for those subs would be where I would begin.

[TreezNSteez 2]

adding another subwoofer will increase your spl by only 6 db in a perfect world. if you want to "feel the bass" there are tactile tranducers, they increase the perceived bass by vibrating whatever they are attached to. They need about 20-40 watts each. you might want to look into these, however a custom built box made specifically for those subs would be where I would begin.

ill have to look into that.

my box is built to specs, granted its probably not perfect physically, but on paper it meets the requirements. probably should have made it a tenths of a cube smaller but o well.

[ricksi30 923]

adding another subwoofer will increase your spl by only 3 db in a perfect world. if you want to "feel the bass" there are tactile tranducers, they increase the perceived bass by vibrating whatever they are attached to. They need about 20-40 watts each. you might want to look into these, however a custom built box made specifically for those subs would be where I would begin.

[TreezNSteez 2]

how can i check how many db's im putting out? can i just take it to a local shop? im pretty sure a place like RKST could do it, im just curious as to what im putting out

[ricksi30 923]

how can i check how many db's im putting out? can i just take it to a local shop? im pretty sure a place like RKST could do it, im just curious as to what im putting out

Most places around me don't have a meter. Call around and ask if they have a Term Lab.

[William_White 0]

adding another subwoofer will increase your spl by only 3 db in a perfect world. if you want to "feel the bass" there are tactile tranducers, they increase the perceived bass by vibrating whatever they are attached to. They need about 20-40 watts each. you might want to look into these, however a custom built box made specifically for those subs would be where I would begin.

I read the original post wrong I think, I thought he also doubled the power to accommodate the new sub, which would give 3 more. Edited October 10, 2012 by William_White

[altoncustomtech 773]

I read the original post wrong I think, I thought he also doubled the power to accommodate the new sub, which would give 3 more.

Even though the doubling of power MAY yield 3dB more output in a perfect world it surely won't in the real world. Losses such as power compression and impedance rise alone will reduce that effective difference. Adding power is the least efficient way of gaining output.

My bets are on the box not being quite right. OR the wiring to the subs isn't correct. OP, have you verified for certain they're wired correctly and in the same phase? Remove the wires from the amp and touch a 9V battery to them for a moment. They should move the same amount and the same direction. If they do then your box has some leaks or a problem with it's placement causing cancellation (high on my list due to the differences in output at varied frequencies according to your report). If they don't then you have one wired cancelling itself out or the other sub out. It's a good quick way of testing that just to be certain its not an issue. My money is still on the box tho.

[TreezNSteez 2]

I read the original post wrong I think, I thought he also doubled the power to accommodate the new sub, which would give 3 more.

Even though the doubling of power MAY yield 3dB more output in a perfect world it surely won't in the real world. Losses such as power compression and impedance rise alone will reduce that effective difference. Adding power is the least efficient way of gaining output.

My bets are on the box not being quite right. OR the wiring to the subs isn't correct. OP, have you verified for certain they're wired correctly and in the same phase? Remove the wires from the amp and touch a 9V battery to them for a moment. They should move the same amount and the same direction. If they do then your box has some leaks or a problem with it's placement causing cancellation (high on my list due to the differences in output at varied frequencies according to your report). If they don't then you have one wired cancelling itself out or the other sub out. It's a good quick way of testing that just to be certain its not an issue. My money is still on the box tho.

im gonna try that later on when it warms up a little bit. im almost positive its the box, im thinking i should have made the box 3-3.5 cubes instead of 4 cubes