xcoldr1cex
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT
hey fourthmeal- how many cuft is your current false floor? i was wondering what size range i would be looking at if i ever went that route for a 12" sub.
Sub for stock MS3 Sport?
- Thread starter BluMicaR
- Start date
fourthmeal
Banned
My 10" has a 1.7~1.8 cubic foot box, but that isn't normal for a 10". The one I have is an LMT (linear motor technology), and it demands a lot more airspace then a typical 10", but rewards with a very low response, much more like an 18" in a similar box. The thing you give up is volume compared with the 18, though. It only can get as loud as a 10" should, but since I had the room, I went ahead with the sub and got the extra depth in bass response.
This being not normal, I don't want you to judge your box size based on my setup. I imagine most boxes could do with 1/3 the room and still be a great setup for a 10". Here's a graph of what I'm getting out of it compared with typical good subs...this is a reference graph.
The gray line is the sub I'm using with the airspace I'm using. It is important to get a sub's airspace set to .707Qtc or at least very close. It will sound optimal. Keep in mind I'm comparing frequency response/falloff as dictated by the sub's design and its accompanying box that gives it optimal response. Also note that I'm using 12" subs and 15" subs in this graph, and NONE come close to relative frequency response. This is why I chose what I chose (despite nay-sayers who said it won't work. HA!)
Here is how the sub looks all finished up at the moment (but the amp has been changed, so this isn't how it looks exactly right now)
This is a mock-up of how it was created, sorta. I kinda had my hands full of resin and fiberglass shards, so the camera stayed away for most of it...
Just so you can see my failures...Here was plan A. Well parts of it. Essentially this was to sink in under the factory spare cover, but I changed my mind as to which sub I wanted to use (didn't want to use a slim-line sub after all) and I ended up trashing this expensive boo-boo. It was perfect for a slim 12" Pioneer, Kenwood, or Tangband sub (4" or less thickness), but all those subs did poorly in testing for a deep response. My final solution was to tub the spare tire well as you can see in the previous photo(s)
This being not normal, I don't want you to judge your box size based on my setup. I imagine most boxes could do with 1/3 the room and still be a great setup for a 10". Here's a graph of what I'm getting out of it compared with typical good subs...this is a reference graph.
The gray line is the sub I'm using with the airspace I'm using. It is important to get a sub's airspace set to .707Qtc or at least very close. It will sound optimal. Keep in mind I'm comparing frequency response/falloff as dictated by the sub's design and its accompanying box that gives it optimal response. Also note that I'm using 12" subs and 15" subs in this graph, and NONE come close to relative frequency response. This is why I chose what I chose (despite nay-sayers who said it won't work. HA!)
Here is how the sub looks all finished up at the moment (but the amp has been changed, so this isn't how it looks exactly right now)
This is a mock-up of how it was created, sorta. I kinda had my hands full of resin and fiberglass shards, so the camera stayed away for most of it...
Just so you can see my failures...Here was plan A. Well parts of it. Essentially this was to sink in under the factory spare cover, but I changed my mind as to which sub I wanted to use (didn't want to use a slim-line sub after all) and I ended up trashing this expensive boo-boo. It was perfect for a slim 12" Pioneer, Kenwood, or Tangband sub (4" or less thickness), but all those subs did poorly in testing for a deep response. My final solution was to tub the spare tire well as you can see in the previous photo(s)
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xcoldr1cex
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT
i think i'd need about that much for either the aura 12" or w12gti. thanks 
fourthmeal
Banned
I couldn't get the W12Gti to model correctly in any box I designed for it, but I still like the sub. Problem is it doesn't have a very aggressive frequency response in either a sealed OR ported box, even with a bass shelf design. The Aura is sweeeet though.
xcoldr1cex
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT
i have the aura 15" but the 12" would save a BUNCH of weight, since the sub is 30lbs less and the box would be about half the size... sigh.
fourthmeal
Banned
Wow, yeah save the 15 for home theater duty will ya!
Got a budget? I'll throw some ideas your way.
Got a budget? I'll throw some ideas your way.
xcoldr1cex
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT
oh i have all my components just trying to figure out my trunk setup.
made tweeter pods already. my first fiberglass project
made tweeter pods already. my first fiberglass project
fourthmeal
Banned
Good pods! I just took the stock pods and reamed them to fit the Canton 1" tweeters. Got lucky, they fit like a glove and look stock. Had they not fit so well, I'd be forced to do exactly what you did.
xcoldr1cex
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT
took you 150 hours to build your trunk? does that include your failed attempt? i don't think i can get that much time in before it gets really cold 
maybe i'll just throw something together to have music and do it in the spring.
maybe i'll just throw something together to have music and do it in the spring.fourthmeal
Banned
I am an Ex. Pro Installer for car, and an Ex. Pro installer and designer for home theater and whole-house audio systems, Ex. shop owner for car audio and performance.
Now a DIY Hobbyist (who still installs every now and then for friends/family.)
I'm nowhere near the class of pro installers today, but I don't want to be anymore. I just want to perfect my own systems and my friends and family (and my friends on here, at least via advice and such.)
fourthmeal
Banned
took you 150 hours to build your trunk? does that include your failed attempt? i don't think i can get that much time in before it gets really cold
No, 150 hours on the design I stuck with. I'm slow, and methodical. I should say 150 for the whole car, actually. I would lay fiberglass, and while that was curing, I'd work on the front or do sound deadening somewhere in the car. So, it should be 150 for the whole car. If you counted the time spent on the failed design..s*** we'd be waay up there in hours. I don't want to remember how much materials and time I wasted on that idea.
Time is one reason why I don't pro install anymore. Sure, I can be fast and everything, but I don't want to rush a good job anymore. By slowing the pace, I can get a bit closer to perfection, which is how my mentality works. I get upset when I rush a job, ESPECIALLY if it is something I'll be using myself and seeing every single day. Even with complete strangers, I'd prefer to do it slowly and more carefully, and get a much better final product then a typical installer on a deadline. Hell, tuning the 3sixty.2 product was 10 hours+ in itself! That thing has crossover points with variable crossover slopes, gains, 31 band EQ per channel, time alignments, and a few other nice tricks in the design. So I borrowed a laptop with Bluetooth from a friend, and went at it for a few days. I stuck friend after friend with their style of music (since I'm mostly an EDM fan) and tuned to suit the taste of each persons' music, and then blended my settings together until I got what I feel is an excellent compromise between all major genres of music. See what I mean? It simply isn't possible to take that type of time as an installer when tuning.
xcoldr1cex
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT
hey, did you do the big 3? i'm going to do it at some point, i've got wires and terminals for it now - just was wondering if you came up with a unique/clean way to do it or if you had any pointers.
fourthmeal
Banned
Ahh...Big 3.
You know, despite these very power-hungry amps, I've not dimmed ONCE. No capacitor either.
I was going to do it, but if it ain't broke I'm not going to bother.
For terminals, I used Streetwires' special terminals with a built-in fuse. That means my primary fuse is .05" away! LOL. Seriously though, they are good termials.
I use the seatbelt bolt with a massive gold-plated ring that I reamed out to fit the bolt. I took the paint off around there, and it works well. It is 4 gauge.
You know, despite these very power-hungry amps, I've not dimmed ONCE. No capacitor either.
I was going to do it, but if it ain't broke I'm not going to bother.
For terminals, I used Streetwires' special terminals with a built-in fuse. That means my primary fuse is .05" away! LOL. Seriously though, they are good termials.
I use the seatbelt bolt with a massive gold-plated ring that I reamed out to fit the bolt. I took the paint off around there, and it works well. It is 4 gauge.
xcoldr1cex
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT
hm. i'll hold off on it then. maybe sell the 0 gauge instead haha. i never could find out what our alternator was rated at.
what'd you do with the two other terminals on the positive? did you bend them so that one of them is straight so all the rings will fit on that positive terminal? or did you just add the streetwires positive terminal somewhere on that thing..
what'd you do with the two other terminals on the positive? did you bend them so that one of them is straight so all the rings will fit on that positive terminal? or did you just add the streetwires positive terminal somewhere on that thing..
Sorry to Jack but
I've got a Phoenixgold ZX 475 Ti laying around, would that be enough power to put the Pioneers on the front channels and the sub on the back, along with the rest of the stuff on the list??
fourthmeal
Banned
Sure, that would work pretty well. I'd be on the lookout for a good monoblock ti amp for the sub later though, that way you can run Active on the front pair of speakers. But great start. I love those ti amps.
fourthmeal
Banned
The rings went on, and I cut some of them to fit into the other spots. It worked out pretty darn well.
I have a ZX 400 Ti also, I just want to take up as little space as possible.
What do you mean by "going active?"
Do you have any placement ideas to install both of the amps without losing my hatch??
fourthmeal
Banned
I figure you need to work out the spacing of the amps your own way, but there is room under that silly carpet cover. I ripped out the foam junk and ended up making my own rack. I'll do it over soon enough, to make a new design that holds the spare tire too.
My amps are huge compared to the Ti amps, you'll be fine.
Active means no more passive crossovers. When you buy a component set of speakers, you get tweeters, woofers, and these little boxes called crossovers. These can be omitted IF you have something that can precisely relegate what frequencies go to what speaker. For my case, I used the 3sixty.2's capability. There are many other ways. Active control means you are in the driver's seat as to where the crossover points are on the speakers, how steep the slope is on them, and what level of power each speaker gets. You must have one channel of amp output per speaker you are running active, which is why a 4 channel amp is necessary to run the front components (2 tweets + 2 woofers=4 channels)
Study up on active setups! www.bcae1.com as usual, or dig up your own knowledge out there.
edit...dug around and found this site as well... a wonderful start! http://www.caraudiobook.com/
My amps are huge compared to the Ti amps, you'll be fine.
Active means no more passive crossovers. When you buy a component set of speakers, you get tweeters, woofers, and these little boxes called crossovers. These can be omitted IF you have something that can precisely relegate what frequencies go to what speaker. For my case, I used the 3sixty.2's capability. There are many other ways. Active control means you are in the driver's seat as to where the crossover points are on the speakers, how steep the slope is on them, and what level of power each speaker gets. You must have one channel of amp output per speaker you are running active, which is why a 4 channel amp is necessary to run the front components (2 tweets + 2 woofers=4 channels)
Study up on active setups! www.bcae1.com as usual, or dig up your own knowledge out there.
edit...dug around and found this site as well... a wonderful start! http://www.caraudiobook.com/
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