Free-air subs

[eting_pro5]

what does everyone think of free-air subwoofers. I'm looking into two 10" from Pioneer to mount on baffle boards on either side of of the trunk area on my Pro 5. I think it'd be sweet to mount them so they're flush along the sides, leaving me plenty of cargo room.

I'm not a huge audio nut, and the music i listen too isn't "bass-loaded" I'm not expecting them to have the same effect as enclosed subs, but does anyone have any huge complaints?

 

[gjmoreo]

I personally dont think you will be happy ... mounted they prob would look dope but you will not be using them to the full potential.

 

[shinzen]

free air subs cannot produce the same sound quality as subs in a decent box-if you want to flush them in along the sides, have a good audio shop do some fiberglass work behind your panels to give you a good seal at the proper enclosure size- you will be tons happier! Oh, and the jl audio subs don't require much airspace either- tend to sound really good

 

[gjmoreo]

Yeah but from the way he sounds I dont think he is trying to go with high end subs ... he states that is not a "huge audio nut"

Going from Pioneer to JL is a BIG difference in quality and sound ... But yeah ... JL's are dope.

 

[azeli73]

what's going on in your sig gjmoroe.....

 

[shinzen]

true- more expensive- I think even the mtx's will sound better than the pioneers though- I love the pioneer head units, but when I was doing install the pioneer subs did not sound very good- I think you can do better for the money- heck, even the low end fosgates- you can probably pick up an inexpensive set for 50-75bux... something to think about

 

[gjmoreo]

what's going on in your sig gjmoroe.....

have you seen it before?

 

[gjmoreo]

whats going on in your sig gjmoroe.....

It is a flash sig and the server that is hosting it is down for maintenance right now ... should be back up soon though.

 

[gjmoreo]

YUP! There it is ... working again |
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[1sty]

Its possible but you will have to seriously reinforce the rear cover and use weather strpiing or even fasteners to seal it up.

 

[eting_pro5]

thanks for advice....if i were to make (or have made) a sealed box, does it matter how the dimensions are alloted, or is it just the volume that matters. Meaning: could i build a very wide, normally tall, with little depth and still have the same punch as a normal dimensioned box?

 

[1sty]

yep, volume is what matters. Some subs need a few inches behind them to properly cool.

 

[eting_pro5]

does JL, MTX, or Rockford make free-air subs? and you're right about all of my needs, i want bass that i can hear in the car, and mixes well with the highs and mids(hopefully coming out of aftermarket speakers soon). it doesn't need to be excessively loud.

basically i want to know...Free-air subs won't do more harm than good will they? They'll defintely be a noticeable step up, correct??

Any body have any ideas of how to mount a board on the sides of trunk area(by the jack stowage) of the p5....i was thinking of looking into removing those plastic panels on either side and just completely covering them with a straight board, but what do i mount to?


and while you're at it you could maybe explain if i'd want a sealed or ported box..i listen to Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Get-Up Kids, Goo Goo Dolls, Further Seems Forever, Juliana Theory

 

[gjmoreo]

If you want the best results you would build the box or enclosure to the specs of the subs right 1st?

 

[eting_pro5]

so 1st...if you know all about audio, what are you answers to my Free-air questions?

 

[shinzen]

With that kind of music I would definitely reccommend a sealed box, you will get tighter, cleaner music, and it wont be emphasizing one frequency too much. And if you get a sub that requires more airspace, you can use some cotton baffle material to fool the sub a bit. And my personal reccomendation would be a nice set of tens-- 12's will sound better if you get higher end, but I have had several cars with a single boston pro 10 in a small sealed box and man does it thump- if you are trying to conserve space especially... Also, if you have a small sealed box you can point it towards the back of the car and get a reflected bass wave, which will give you more punch in the front of the car for sure. 1st correct me if I am wrong- but if you are firing the subs straight up you cannot get the same kind of response as firing towards the back.

 

[1sty]

does JL, MTX, or Rockford make free-air subs? and you're right about all of my needs, i want bass that i can hear in the car, and mixes well with the highs and mids(hopefully coming out of aftermarket speakers soon). it doesn't need to be excessively loud.

basically i want to know...Free-air subs won't do more harm than good will they? They'll defintely be a noticeable step up, correct??

Any body have any ideas of how to mount a board on the sides of trunk area(by the jack stowage) of the p5....i was thinking of looking into removing those plastic panels on either side and just completely covering them with a straight board, but what do i mount to?


and while you're at it you could maybe explain if i'd want a sealed or ported box..i listen to Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Get-Up Kids, Goo Goo Dolls, Further Seems Forever, Juliana Theory

JL did but no longer does.
Rockford or MTX may have there lower end subs beable to swing that way. I will try to find out.
The only brand I know for sure of is kicker. You can use kicker competitions as free air subs. Note only the comps, not the comp VRs.

 

[1sty]

Also keep in mind a free air sub is better called an infanite baffle sub. This implies that the subs back and front waves must be 100% isolated. So even though there is no box, the rear wave generated by the sub must be sealed off form the rest of the car.