DIY Subwoofer Enclosure for Gen II ST!!

[Clay Campbell]

let me know how that goes and see some sketches. Im wanting some personal experience here though. not just someone saying something else is better because of what they have. dingo if you have personal knowledge of the earthquakes being bad or any cons about them that would be very helpful. same to anyone actually. thanks

 

[Dingo]

I've heard them. They sound like the subs that Best Buy includes in their "$199.99 for 2 10s, a box, and an amp" deal. No lows, bad bass, bottoming out, etc.



Of the shallow subs, I haven't heard the JL yet, but the P3S is great, and the Pioneers are second. Then the Kickers.

 

[Clay Campbell]

ok dingo thats the kinda stuff ive been looking for. so it looks like im back to the pioneer or the p3s. im really trying to fit 1 twelve back there.

 

[Carey Frennier]

I wonder how RS's box came out.

 

[Carey Frennier]

So after doing a really huge amount of research, I've come up with what I feel is the best setup for my budget vs. quality.



Hows this sound for a setup?

Focus on SQ & space issues while being budget friendly ( I know...JL and budget are not usually seen together).



Front Stage:

Alpine CDA 9883 HU

Hertz ESK 570 component set.

Stock Rear Fill.

JBL CS60.4 Front Stage Amp (not sure if this is enough power for front stage)

Dynamat Extreme in all 4 doors.



Sub stage:

JL Audio 13TW5-3 (Sealed .83)

JL Audio 500.1 Sub Stage Amp or Phoenix Gold X600.1 Sub Stage Amp (way cheaper)





I'd have the enclosure mounted on the rear wall behind the back seats.



I'm thinking of putting the amps on a custom rack aside the sub enclosure so they can get more airflow. I'm afraid that when the rear seats are in the cargo position they would significantly decrease the amount of airflow availible to the amps.



My truck has stock tweeter mounts so hopefully the aftermarket units will fit. Otherwise I'd need to find a different tweeter. I'd like it to look as OEM as I can other than the HU.



It should look nice and stealthy.



Comments / opinions on setup, amps, other equipment and/ or lack there of?



What do you think the most I should shell out for this should be?

 

[Clay Campbell]

Just talked to my sound guy. The new Memphis S-class are finally shipping, he just got them in. They recommend a minimum of .4 cubic feet. thats not a problem for my application and they are $140 a piece. He said i can come by when i get home from school one weekend and demo them. if all goes well this is my sub of choice. the question now is, put two twelves in a sealed box and be one of the first ive seen with two twelves in the trac with working seats or put one in a ported box?

 

[Clay Campbell]

RS, can we see your progress on the box????

 

[Rahul Sharma]

hey guys,

sorry no updates on the box since i last posted. i am out of the country till october 3rd on business. i think i have the perfect way to finish off the box once i get into town though.



since my shell is done, as are the sides, i am going to build a center plate and divider. It will be a"T" with the divider the same size and shape as the sides. since the width of the box is 48 inches, and the subs need about 12 inches with a 2 inch ring, the front plate will be 24 inches wide. this will be all mdf. then i will have 2 squares on either end of the enclosure and two halves, so to speak, with about .9 cuft each. then i will be making 2 mdf rings for each sub, tack them in place with mdf dowels. Stretch fleece over each, soak in resin and add about 7 layers of glass on each.



basically you can picture a "his and her" sink (but very very shallow 'sinks') on a countertop? i don't know if you can visualize what i'm trying to say, but i 've had a lot of time on a very looong plane ride to contemplate this!

 

[Rahul Sharma]

Of the shallow subs, I haven't heard the JL yet, but the P3S is great, and the Pioneers are second. Then the Kickers.

Actually, i have read some average to below average reviews of the pioneers. Car Audio Mag actually rated it lower than the clarion, and the clarion's i have heard, and they are not that great at all....?

From talking to a few shops that carry the pioneer shallow mounts, most opinions were that the pioneers are actually not good at all either. They are closer to the 2 for $199 deal that you mentioned...

 

[Dingo]

I guess they're heavily dependent on box design. I heard a single 10 in a Probox that was for an F-150.



I have a friend with the cheapie BB kit, but in 12s. I think the subs and amp are "Insignia" branded. My single P3S 10 is substantially louder, and more clear than her 2 12s, and she reminds me that she hates me for that fact often. I told her that she gets what she pays for. She also has a Sony tape deck, 10 disc trunk-mounted changer, Memphis back speakers, and Pioneer front speakers, with the door speakers running off of a Crossfire amp. She says all of that was her ex-boyfriend's doing. I just shook my head.

 

[Dan Long]

She says all of that was her ex-boyfriend's doing.

She had a pretty nice set-up compared to the "installation" one of my exs' ex had done. In her 91 Honda CRX he had installed 2 generic 12"s. He built the boxes out of nailed together 1/2" OSB board and left gaps of about 1/8" at almost every corner because he couldn't cut straight. To top it all off, he was running them full range with TV coaxial cable from the rear speaker leads that were being powered by the stock HU. Let me tell you, it sounded AMAZING!

 

[Clay Campbell]

Does anyone know of anybody who has put two twelves behind the seats in a trac and still had the seats fold?

 

[Carey Frennier]

I don't think there is a cost effective way to get that done Clay. Other than the W5 series you just don't have the depth needed for most of the "typical" driver airspace reqs.



Tomorrow at 4:30pm I'm going to finalize all my plans for the audio system. I'm SOOO tired of researching and calculating everything.



I'm going to try like hell to find a way to fit my JBL GTO 1202D drivers in there. The driver actually does fit behind the seat by itself. Obviously I need some space for 3/4" MDF. The drivers will have to be flush mounted with some of the inside rear MDF panel routered out to make room for the motor. To get the airspace I need for a pair of 1202Ds, the box is going to have to be the entire back wall. I'm really worried that it's going to sound like crap.



So, if I can get that done I then run into a brand new problem. I have no way to power them with my current 300.1 amp. It simply doesn't fit under the seat when its down. My plan w/ the 13TW5 saved me enough space to build a nice amp rack next to the sub enclosure.



Ugh! I've wasted way to much time on this crap lol!

 

[Clay Campbell]

i had my two tens back there bud. they required more airspace than my twelves do. and had a deeper mounting depth. and they are a good deal i think at $149 a piece, and i will be building my box again. what makes you think there isnt a cost effective way of doing it

 

[Carey Frennier]

Cost in relation to quality of outcome. I don't want to buy a new sub(s) unless it's the 13TW5 and even then I don't want to pay that much for one again!



I'm not sure but I think the gen1 units have more room behind the rear seat than the gen2 units



I'll have more info tomorrow.

 

[Clay Campbell]

if you are putting conventional 12's behind the seat then the gen1's cant have more room.

 

[Carey Frennier]

They are JBL's slim line 12"s.

 

[Clay Campbell]

oh, jbl, i thought you said jl

 

[Carey Frennier]

The sub I bought was a JL Audio 13TW5 that was junk outof the box lol.



The ones I've had for about 10 months now are my JBL 1202Ds.



I got them to fit tonight. Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to do for a new box.



I had to remove the rear plastic trim panel and that gave me enough space at the bottom to slide my F150 loaded enclosures behind the seat.



I think I may even end up with enough room for a grill protector.



I'll spend a little more money than I wanted to on an amp rack and a box but I'll save a ton in that I won't need a new amp or a new woofer now.



Granted, it probably won't look as good and it won't have the same bling/wow factor that comes along with that sexy JL 13TW5-3 driver. But saving a grand is "A-ok" with me!

 

[Clay Campbell]

i agree, my stuff is gonna look hot i think. the new memphis woofers look sweet. and im gonna take the memphis grafiti art you can download of the website and print it out and wrap the box in that so the face will basically be a mural that you can only see when the seats are down. my plan right now is to do the two twelves but im not gonna buy a new amp so if my isnt enough im gonna only do one