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cant choose enclosure type

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=115762
Printed Date: May 11, 2025 at 7:45 AM


Topic: cant choose enclosure type

Posted By: armymp90099
Subject: cant choose enclosure type
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 2:45 PM

ok first of all WOOHOO first post! lol i love this site and how informative the people are on here! ok here is my dilema. i have 2 alpine type r 15s and i am making 2 fiberglass enclosures for them going in the corners of my trunk. i cant decide weather to make a sealed or ported box because i want spl and ive read that the best freq for spl is 40 hz or more. the optimal tuning freq for my subs is 30 hz in a 2.9 ft^3 but thats a big box and a low freq. but the freq of the optimal sealed box is 43hz which is closer to what i want...thats contradictory because ported is supposed to give more spl. anyone have any input? other useful info- EBP is 51 F3 is 43hz and qtc is .64. thank ahead of time for your help guys!



Replies:

Posted By: paidnfull
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 3:20 PM

Are you going for spl or loud and good sounding? 

The subs in a ported box tuned in the low 30's should yield a good overall sound that is loud.    You can tune the ported box in the 40's or even 50's to create a higher spl, but it will sound like garbage.

The ported box tuned in the low 30's will probably still be louder than the sealed box at 43.  The way I understand it the sealed box is not really tuned to 43hz, thats just the resonant frequency of the enclosure.  This will be where the enclosure peaks, but should not be significantly louder than any other frequencies.  On the ported box you will theoretically pick up 3dbs at the tuned frequency.   If the ported box is designed properly, you should be able to get something that sounds just as good as a sealed box but a little louder. 

if you are competing or going strictly for spl do a big ported box with a high tuning.  Model it up on some box building programs and see which tuning frequency gives you the best peaks.  Keep in mind the enclosure will not sound that great when listening to music, and the box has almost no control over the sub below the tuning frequency.  This means if you are playing music with bass below the tuning freq, you run the risk of destroying the suspension in your sub.





Posted By: armymp90099
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 3:34 PM
ok maybe i asked the wrong question. lol i want an even balance between spl and sq however my trunk space is limited hence why im going with the fiberglass idea. i have them in 3.1 ft^3 boxes tuned to 35hz and i only hit 135.6db on a termlab meter. needless to say with 2 15s i was dissapointed. im pushing them with an alpine mrp 1000 by the way. i know i need to upgrade my batt and alt to get more efficiency out of my amp. i was told my problem is that the boxes block the opening of my trunk going into my cab and the sound pressure isnt reaching my cab. im basically asking off of those sub specs would the sub be more efficient in a sealed box?




Posted By: paidnfull
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 4:15 PM

If you want a good balance of sq and spl, a large ported box in the 35hz range should be the way to go.  Too much lower your gonna sacrifice output.  Too much higher, your gonna have horrible response. 

135dbs on a term lab is pretty good for 2 type r's in a daily driver.  Those subs were hardly designed to break any world records for spl. 

You may gain a couple of db's by repositioning the subs but probably not worth the effort.  Most likely be inaudible anyway. 

If you want to get up in the 140's and still have some type of sq, I'd probably reccomend different subs.





Posted By: armymp90099
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 5:20 PM
lol yeah i wasnt planning on breaking any records with them just was hoping to get to 140 at least they are what i have and im gonna work with them. how about getting another mrp-1000 amp and have one amp running each sub? how much could i expect in gain from that in the right enclosure? oh and thanks a lot for your help.




Posted By: paidnfull
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 5:57 PM

double the power, you should see a 3db gain.  Maybe a lil more with cabin gain.   You will have a severely underpowered electrical system though.  You'll def need a high output alt and a very good batt, two batts wouldn't hurt.

If you play with it enough you will get into the 140's.  Don't know how much your gettin those amps for, but new subs on the amp you already have might get you where you wanna be a lot faster. 

I have not had a whole lot of exp working with the type r's but I think they were geared a little more on the sq side rather than spl.  A sub designed for spl in an enclosure designed for daily use might get you where you want.  Possibly one good sub would be enough.  I know Jeff is gettin in the 140's and even 150's with relatively musical set ups on single subs, under 1000w.





Posted By: armymp90099
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 6:15 PM
ok maybe new subs might need to be looked at...im getting the amps for 280 each which is good compared to what ive seen. lol im getting a 200 amp alt and a kinetic hc 1200 in the next few weeks.




Posted By: jimi77
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 6:38 PM

armymp90099 wrote:

ok maybe i asked the wrong question. lol i want an even balance between spl and sq however my trunk space is limited hence why im going with the fiberglass idea. i have them in 3.1 ft^3 boxes tuned to 35hz and i only hit 135.6db on a termlab meter. needless to say with 2 15s i was dissapointed. im pushing them with an alpine mrp 1000 by the way. i know i need to upgrade my batt and alt to get more efficiency out of my amp. i was told my problem is that the boxes block the opening of my trunk going into my cab and the sound pressure isnt reaching my cab. im basically asking off of those sub specs would the sub be more efficient in a sealed box?

What car?  Some cars are bass traps and a little more challegning than others.  If the box is blocking the bass, then try facing the subs forward or up.  You might consider a bandpass box that vents directly into the cabin. 



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You talking to me???

P9 Combo
ID CD1-Pros
Focal Utopia Midbass
10" Brahma
Clarion APX amps




Posted By: armymp90099
Date Posted: August 19, 2009 at 8:11 PM
dont laugh but its in a 2004 ford taurus. lol there does seem to be a blocker behind the seats that could create a barrier and i do have the seats folded down.




Posted By: aznboi3644
Date Posted: August 20, 2009 at 1:26 PM
3 cu ft is way small on the ported side for the 15 TYpe R...I used to have ONE 15 TYpe R in 4.3 cubes hitting 145's.



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Custom Enclosure Design




Posted By: armymp90099
Date Posted: August 20, 2009 at 1:38 PM
there is no way possible i could get boxes that big in my trunk. lol did you have a car or an suv with good cabin gain? im limited on space. thought about infinite baffle but i dont think thats a good idea with those subs.




Posted By: paidnfull
Date Posted: August 20, 2009 at 2:38 PM
That box sounded a little small, but I don't mess with the alpine subs too often.  He might be better off building a box for just one of the subs huh?   The taurus should have enough room for both, but the build might have to be a little creative. 




Posted By: armymp90099
Date Posted: August 20, 2009 at 2:42 PM
lol the problem isnt the trunk space per se but the real problem would be getting them into my trunk because the opening to my trunk is angled weird and creates a shallow entry for boxes.





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