sub boxes!

dutycalls87

NAXJA Forum User
Location
anacortes
I don't know were to post this question but here it goes! I have a 12 inch alpine type e and it is mounted in a shallow truck box at the moment! I moved my system over to my xj and I am wanting to know if I put my sub in a normal vented sub box would it sound better in my jeep! at the moment it sounds like my sub is bottoming out! I will add that I am only useing a mtx 250 watt mono amp to push the sub wich is perfect for the rms of my woofer! thanks for reading any imput should help!
 
i know in my honda when i went from sealed to ported it sounded louder and better even when i went from a 1500 watt rms sub to a 600 watt rms sub.

theoretically ported is suppose to sound up to +3 decibles louder. so if you buy/build the proper ported box for your sub. it should sound louder in your jeep.
 
Last edited:
no DO NOT buy that box, for one the port is all wrong, based on my friend which is an owner of a audio shop states that the port needs to be on the face with the sub with the sub facing towards the hatch and the port on the passenger side.

also your ported box you have for that sub now is nearly half the size that is it supposed to be. you def. need to jump up to a bigger box!

your sub calls for a 1.74 cu ft box ported according to alpines site so if i were you i'd prolly go down and buy or build a box with that cubic feet. that box you listed is .26 cu ft to big so it wont work for ur sub, the box should then be tuned according to your subwoofer in order to sound right.

your box specs need to be
external box dimensions 18.5x13x16.75
internal volume is 1.74
vent area(dimensions) 11.5x1.5
vent length 27"

if your set on BUYING a box. check this one out, including displacement, your looking at 1.82 cu ft which is REALLY close to what you need and this should work for you and plus its cheaper than best buy
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-T42eqTPJ9G6/popups/accessory.asp?i=777BB1220V





on a side note... try sealing up that vent hole and stuffing the box with polyfil (pillow stuffing) your sub ALSO calls for a sealed enclosure of 1.25 cu ft so with at least a lb of polyfil your sub will perform better than it did with that same ported box.
 
Last edited:
so If were to go with a box like the one you posted the link to how much of a sound difference do you think it would make? the only reason I have the shallow box is because my last truck was a single cab! thanks for the imput!
 
Ok, first of all, don't listen to what anyone tells you about car audio. Its all opinion. read this http://www.crutchfield.com/Learn/learningcenter/car/subwoofers_enclosures.html and make up your mind for yourself, because it all depends on what kind of music you listen to and how you want it to sound... do you want it "loud" or do you want it to sound good? there is a big difference. Also, what box you use depends on what music you like. My preference is a sealed box. I've used bandpass, ported, and sealed so I've heard the differences. I've had 2 12's in a bandpass in the jeep then I went to one 12" sealed, now I'm using 1 8" and I'm quite happy with it. My honda has a ported box and I'm not too happy with it.

here's a pic of what's in the Jeep. It's a 1000watt infinity sub powered by an audiobahn amp

l_7723326c4805432e83e5575fbc1e2ad1.jpg
 
Ok, first of all, don't listen to what anyone tells you about car audio. Its all opinion. read this http://www.crutchfield.com/Learn/learningcenter/car/subwoofers_enclosures.html and make up your mind for yourself, because it all depends on what kind of music you listen to and how you want it to sound... do you want it "loud" or do you want it to sound good? there is a big difference. Also, what box you use depends on what music you like. My preference is a sealed box. I've used bandpass, ported, and sealed so I've heard the differences. I've had 2 12's in a bandpass in the jeep then I went to one 12" sealed, now I'm using 1 8" and I'm quite happy with it. My honda has a ported box and I'm not too happy with it.

here's a pic of what's in the Jeep. It's a 1000watt infinity sub powered by an audiobahn amp

l_7723326c4805432e83e5575fbc1e2ad1.jpg

see, this is where my opinion came into play. i think bandpass sounds like total dookie and is basically a 1 note wonder box. i am still pretty much a sealed enclosure box kind of guy, sealed is the easiest way to make noise. when i ported my box for my honda i did something right cuz it sounds pretty good!, what i listed for duty calls is 100% spec's so its what alpine listed
i went with 2 12's in a sealed box for my jeep, im personally a 2 12's kind of guy, i can always turn down the subs if a song produces to much of it but when i want the bass to be there i dont want to have a song come on and try and turn up the bass and not get as much as what sounds good to me.
since were showing pictures... here's what i got
before my cargo rack:
IMG_0459.jpg

after, how its loaded as a dd
hatchrackfinished.jpg
 
I am no sound system snob by any means I just want to get the most out of my setup! I listin to music with a lot of bass and all though I have it turned down a lot of the time when I have it truned up I want to be heard and I am just not getting that out of this box!
 
My suggestion is head to a local car audio shop.Not a big box store...Make sure they have been in business a while and talk to them on what you want out of your system.They can give you the best advise compared to the big box that wants to sell you equipment.
 
I am no sound system snob by any means I just want to get the most out of my setup! I listin to music with a lot of bass and all though I have it turned down a lot of the time when I have it truned up I want to be heard and I am just not getting that out of this box!

then save your money and get at least 2 12's. my 2 12's in my jeep was a package deal from my local audio shop, it was the box amp and subs for 300 dollars. so far i've been very impressed with it overall its as loud as my ported 1 12 in my honda but the key is i dont have to punish the 2 12's as hard to get the same output as the 1 12 and the best part is the amp is only 300 watt's and i can crank my system and play it for a very long time, the amp doesnt get hot and it doesnt drain my battery when the cars off. if im outside i'll usually turn on the system and play it while im fixing the jeep or washing/waxing it and no problems ever getting back in it and starting it again when im done. and i have just a duralast gold battery in my jeep

my FIRST suggestion is if you dont want to spend any money just yet on a new box, go find a 2-4 dollar bag of 1lb poly-fil stuff it in your box... all of it the sub's not gonna be bothered by it if it's touching it a little bit and get something to plug off that port you have in your box. im willing to bet your sub will sound better in a sealed box than ported right now.
 
i had 2 12's in a bandpass box and it sounded awful. put those same subs in a sealed box and it was 10x better. sealed box FTW
 
then save your money and get at least 2 12's. my 2 12's in my jeep was a package deal from my local audio shop, it was the box amp and subs for 300 dollars. so far i've been very impressed with it overall its as loud as my ported 1 12 in my honda but the key is i dont have to punish the 2 12's as hard to get the same output as the 1 12 and the best part is the amp is only 300 watt's and i can crank my system and play it for a very long time, the amp doesnt get hot and it doesnt drain my battery when the cars off. if im outside i'll usually turn on the system and play it while im fixing the jeep or washing/waxing it and no problems ever getting back in it and starting it again when im done. and i have just a duralast gold battery in my jeep

my FIRST suggestion is if you dont want to spend any money just yet on a new box, go find a 2-4 dollar bag of 1lb poly-fil stuff it in your box... all of it the sub's not gonna be bothered by it if it's touching it a little bit and get something to plug off that port you have in your box. im willing to bet your sub will sound better in a sealed box than ported right now.


The alpine sub and mtx amp will be fine. It would be a waste of money for him to buy 2 12"s A good sealed box and maybe some polyfill is all he needs. 2 cheap 12"s will NEVER sound better than 1 GOOD 12"
 
The alpine sub and mtx amp will be fine. It would be a waste of money for him to buy 2 12"s A good sealed box and maybe some polyfill is all he needs. 2 cheap 12"s will NEVER sound better than 1 GOOD 12"


explain that to my 2 JL W3 12's i had in my civic before i went and bought a single image dynamics IDMAX 12. both setup's cost the same... but the 2 12's sounded better and hit lower/harder than my 1 12...

but i agree, that sub in a properly sealed/ported box will be smarter than buying 2 12's a box and a bigger amp
 
So I went out and got a another box and wow what a difference it sounds 100x better! heres a pic!
12.jpg

lookin good! IMO i'd try flipping the sub over (so the top is on the bottom and the port is on the passenger side)

my installer i goto said ideally thats the way it should be setup to get better sound... you could always give it a try and see how it sounds and if it makes no difference, change it back.
 
explain that to my 2 JL W3 12's i had in my civic before i went and bought a single image dynamics IDMAX 12. both setup's cost the same... but the 2 12's sounded better and hit lower/harder than my 1 12...

My buddy had my dad install 2 12 Memphis PR series subs in his TrailBlazer 4 years ago and it was way to loud for him with only a 300 watt(class D) amp.He decided to sell the system and go with a more expensive single sub and bought a 12 Memphis MOJO for my dad and ran a 800 watt Xplode amp(no where near that much prob. more like 3-400) and it was louder, buy a high quality sub and amp and you spend as much as 2 12 and an amp but the single sub will always win out. Search Youtube for Memphis MOJO and check it out.
 
My buddy had my dad install 2 12 Memphis PR series subs in his TrailBlazer 4 years ago and it was way to loud for him with only a 300 watt(class D) amp.He decided to sell the system and go with a more expensive single sub and bought a 12 Memphis MOJO for my dad and ran a 800 watt Xplode amp(no where near that much prob. more like 3-400) and it was louder, buy a high quality sub and amp and you spend as much as 2 12 and an amp but the single sub will always win out. Search Youtube for Memphis MOJO and check it out.

memphis mojo is alright... but check out my IMAGE DYNAMICS IDMax... that sub weighs in at something like 32 lbs for the 12...
 
Heres mine, it survived rolling 5 times down a cliff lol. Sub was free, amp was...technically free. Friend and I built the box. All MDF with hardwood screwed to the front to match the wood since I have a waggy
38523_143170535709828_100000506461993_368485_7675197_n.jpg
 
Back
Top