to upgrade my system
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=110071
Printed Date: May 12, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Topic: to upgrade my system
Posted By: ratster45
Subject: to upgrade my system
Date Posted: December 27, 2008 at 5:41 AM
Hey guys I have a fairly serious system but want to get more out of it. my last run was 130 decibels. I am running two pioneer TSW3000SPL. 3000 wat (1000 rms)DVC 4 ohm subs. I have two amplifiers both Pioneer 800 watt monoblocks (GMT-7100) i have them currently wired up amp to sub then jus linking the two coils. I have just been looking at the wiring diagrams for 2 subs 4 ohm. should i follow any of those to get more from my subs or leave it as is. Any feedback would be good Cheers
Replies:
Posted By: ragsports
Date Posted: December 27, 2008 at 9:33 AM
No if you have two seperate amps like you have the only correct way to wire them is how you have them wired. This will produce the max output theses amplifiers have to offer at 2 ohms. First I would upgrade your big three. You will get more voltage to you amplifiers. If you are still not satisfied you will have to get a bigger amplifiers. The amps you currently have will only put out 360 rms under the best conditions. Your subwoofer is 1000 rms much more than your amplifiers can supply. Now if you do decide to go to bigger amplifiers you will need to upgrade your alternator as well. But as stated start with the big three and then go from there. The instructions can be found in the stickys for upgrading your big three,
Posted By: ratster45
Date Posted: December 28, 2008 at 1:17 PM
cheers mate yea i have started on the big 3, yea i have been dreaming on amps wanna take my time as i feel ill b looking at something pretty serious to get it louder
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: December 28, 2008 at 2:29 PM
yo ratster45, what type of box do you have those subs in? sealed/ported? also what vehicle do you have. i'm asking because 130db seems a bit low for a pair of 12's and power may not be your main issue
-------------
Posted By: ratster45
Date Posted: December 28, 2008 at 4:33 PM
hey bro its in a double sealed box. sealed individually, jus a standard size box from audio shop. yea cheers for asking im after any upgraes u can throw at me a got a bit of time on my hands to do things to it. Its in a 96 galant VR4
Posted By: ragsports
Date Posted: December 28, 2008 at 7:19 PM
Hmm good point soundnsecurity, That went right past my head. Did the car audio shop specifically make the box for theses subwoofers or was it a prefab box that was already made? If it was a prefab I would suggest having a custom box made specifically for the woofer you have. You will gain clarity as well as db's with a proper box.. Still upgrade you big three as this can only help.
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: December 29, 2008 at 12:26 AM
ratster45 wrote:
hey bro
its in a double sealed box. sealed individually, jus a standard size box from audio shop. yea cheers for asking im after any upgraes u can throw at me a got a bit of time on my hands to do things to it. Its in a 96 galant VR4
ah ha! that is probably a good bit of your problem right there. pre-fab boxes are rarely a good match for any sub nothing against sealed boxes but i think those subs would be happier in a good ported box. if you don't have room for a right sized ported box for both subs, then no worries, just use one sub in a good ported box tuned low. you can tune the port higher, maybe around 40hz, to get a little bit louder but at the sacrifice of some sound quality. and personally i'd rather have a single sub than a pair because it seems easier to get good with port tuning than if you use 2 subs in the same box. if you use both subs thats cool too, the important thing is to make sure they each have plenty of airspace. even if you need to go sealed to get the right airspace, it's probably better to have the right sized sealed box than an under-sized ported box. you should try this before you go out and spend more money on amps and caps and alternators and all that other stuff because a proper box design has the MOST to do with SPL than anything else. with the right box, an 8 can sound like a 12, a 12 can sound like a 15, etc.
if you can, you should build your own box because:
1. it's A LOT cheaper
2. you might learn something useful and charge other people to it
3. gives you something to be proud of other than just throwing money at a problem
4. you can get advice anytime on this forum if you get stuck -------------
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: December 29, 2008 at 12:29 AM
also, i just read that you have a galant. does that galant have a sealed trunk? meaning is there a mostly solid metal barrier separating the trunk from the back seat? if so, this could also be a small problem
-------------
Posted By: ratster45
Date Posted: December 29, 2008 at 3:47 AM
sweet the proper size sealed box sounds like a good idea. is there any threads to determine the right size box of any threads/sites to get templates off. what would be your best instructions to give me a rough idea of how i should make it. ie type of wood. how to seal it/fabricate it. I would say im handy but i build/make/construct things better with guidlines and knowing what i am doin before i start. the car.Well mostly steel has a cardboard divider behind the back seat about 1.5m wide by 600 high the west is steel and the back seat is directly in front of this cardboard divider. what ideas are u having about the metal barriersr say yes and ill attack it with a grinder haha nah just joking there the box selection was prety much just throwing it in as quikly as poss to get the woofers in and it "seemed" like the best idea at the time thanks guys info on the box would be good i have a custom install done by myself which is prety cool but i dont think it will be that hard to modify it to chuck a bigger box in. a couple of tags by the boot arms but man were theses hard to get right. 
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: December 29, 2008 at 10:26 AM
as far as building materials and techniques, you should read the sticky post about building boxes. it has a lot of good information. as far as i can tell from what you posted you do have a mostly solid barrier between the trunk and the cab. usually this is a good thing because it makes your ride quieter BUT in your case it is working against you by resisting air flow. so you lose a few Decibels there. also, the side baffles you have on both sides of your box are acting like another wall stopping more air flow. a few more decibels lost. sooooo.... here's what I would do if i were you.
first, cut out some metal from the barrier separating your trunk. if you do this, do it smart. dont do anything to the mounting holes for the back seat and try not to go near wires. also constantly check BOTH SIDES of the wall to make sure you are not cutting into anything important. this doesn't need to be a big hole either, maybe 20 inches wide just so air can flow through. and of course use good judgment and common sense and safety equipment if you cut a hole
second, build a new box so that the subs can face forward. if you still want to show off, there is nothing wrong with using thick plexiglass for the back of the box so you can see the back of the subs but make sure it has a good seal.
third, i would just use one sub, not both. and put it in a ported box. this is just my personal preference. i tried to look up the specs on your subs but i couldn't find any so if you know them please post them or find a web site and post the link. if you can find specs i can help you with a box design
-------------
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: December 29, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Is this your sub?
https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_11221/217888139TRD1263-A_UC.pdf
-------------
Posted By: ratster45
Date Posted: December 29, 2008 at 5:52 PM
yea bro this is my sub a. sealed enclosure Recomended 1.25 cu.ft(35.4litres) Max 1.75 cu.ft(49.5 litres) min .85 cu.ft (24.1 litres) Ported Recomended 1.65 cu.ft(46.7 litres) 3"dia(76 mm)X 6.5"(165mm) max 2.05cu.ft (58.0 litres) 3" dia(76 mm) x 5"(127mm) min 1.25cu.ft (35.4 litres) 3' dia (76mm) X 9"(229mm) ok now how to go about building a box. ill have a read of the forum i think. with the hole in the barrier, im just cutting away the metal and leaving the back seat up against it a. this will still create better air flow yea What size would u suggest i go with as a first time sub box builder. sealed or ported i think i will do some measurements and c if i can fit a box with two subs in it in the back otherwise i will resort to one
Posted By: ratster45
Date Posted: December 30, 2008 at 2:11 AM
I plan to make a custom box for my sub. I am goin for a Rectangle box 450mmX350mmX350mm and 1 inch thick. this will give me about 1.26 cu.ft wat ya think sound like a go ahead?? im of using both if i can get them to fit if not 1 will be out of there. all ya help is appreciated and looking to learn as much as i can from this install.
Posted By: soundnsecurity
Date Posted: December 30, 2008 at 9:49 AM
by my calculations that would give you 1.6^3ft internal minus whatever volume your sub displaces, so that sounds ok to me. how big is the box you have in there now?
-------------
Posted By: ratster45
Date Posted: December 30, 2008 at 4:18 PM
yea mite be a good plan a i am thinking of putting both subs back in and i will be able to get both boxes back in so i am thinking of starting that. how would i secure the plexiglass. what should i use to seal it. the current box in there is 2.3cu.ft not including displacement of the sub for both.there is a divider in the box between the two subs. is this a good idea or should i start by ripping that out and having the 2 subs in the 1 box. also leading to my next question would 2 single boxes with 1.63 cu.ft - sub be ok or should i make 1 double box??
Posted By: ratster45
Date Posted: January 14, 2009 at 6:25 PM
ratster45 wrote:
sealed enclosure Recomended 1.25 cu.ft(35.4litres) Max 1.75 cu.ft(49.5 litres) min .85 cu.ft (24.1 litres)
can anyone help me i am building a box 900mm x 350mm x 350mm will this be big enough. i am useless on conversions to litres and cu feet
|