Subwoofer addition to overpacked XJ (update) and new Q's

[JeepinAudiophile]

Well well.... A/D/S huh? lol I am a fan of older a/d/s, the warmth of the sound is great..They were amazing speakers and etc. They are still alright, but DEI is extending it's arm a little too far. Seems to be a quality control issue maybe. I have seen more problems out of the brand new a/d/s products, than in most of it's past. The Orion... another DEI take-over, but i feel that the new orion products stand up better than the a/d/s stuff(i almost did all orion amps in my system im putting in) anyways i hope that didn't come off in an a$$hole-ish way- just trying to get a few thougfhts out. I have decided to go completely alpine with my system, much of that decision is i get a system deal from alpine, and they're extensive mobile electronics selection. I like they're new x-type subs... look like a force to be reckoned with. If it's mounting depth you are worried about and not crazy sound quality... earthquake makes a 12" sub that has a 2.5" mounting depth. It actually sounds pretty good, and has decent output. PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR... don't ever mention plywood and subs together again...lol as Jeep1XJ pointed out it is a much better building material, the plywood has far too many resonant frequencies and also does not have enough strength to keep from flexing under load of a thumping sub. There are so many companies out there, decide what constraints you have, and what designs you would like to go by, and work from there to see what subs are close, and modify your plan to fit a particular sub if you find one you like in your searches. out.

 

[Ramsey]

TREO best speaker i have had so far. slap an 18" in there and be done with it(it being your hearing)

 

[jjvande]

Focal Gets My Vote

 

[Bones]

Update and even more Q's

OK,
I think this thing is coming together. I have the sub enclosure planned to fire 3" from the back of the seat (towards the seat - unavoidable since they can't fire backwards due to the storage need). The speaker enclosure (all of the storage box) will be 3/4 MDF in solid pieces for front & rear wall of sub enclosure as well as the top, bottom, and sides of the total box. I will strengthen the sub enclosure in the center with one or two supports of 3/4 MDF as well. The only reason I'd do two is if Infinity recommends staying at .75ft3. Actual sub enclosure measures (OD) 12Hx44Wx9D (average depth actually 7.5" top and 10.5" bottom to match angle of seat). This results in about 1.9ft3 or .95ft3 per sub. This leaves a storage unit (after allowing for 100lb/pair drawer slides) with two drawers (OD) of about 20x20x10 for a total of nearly 4ft3 of internal stowage for tools and miscellaneous parts, oil, etc. One thing I may have to adjust for is the ledge to the gate opening. If I have to space the drawers up, I haven't decided if I will make them shallower, or increase the height of the box to accommodate this size of drawer.

This thing is getting complicated enough I may have a local cabinet maker fashion it for me since I don't have wood working tools. I hoped to have it done by CO, but I still have to do axles and reshape the fender openings/flares to accommodate the 35's. Guess I better get busy .

One Question about the box...
If I go with a single center support should I make it solid, separating the subs into two chambers, or drill/cut some large holes in it to keep it one functional sub "chamber"?

Now some amp Q's. I'm trying to talk myself into a single 5ch amp to run everything instead of a separate amp for the components and subs. After the talk about Directed Audio, I did some searching and fond a DA 500 4ch amp putting out 75wx4@4ohm and a DA 600d 1ohm stable Class D sub amp cranking 275wx1@4ohm and 400wx1@2ohm. Then I found a DA 650 5ch amp with 50wx4@4ohm + a class AB sub channel with 250w@4ohm and 350w@2ohm. Though the 5ch all in one is a bit less power, I am leaning towards it for ease of install. For the audiophiles in the bunch, am I doing the right thing or should I be gravitating towards the separates? I would rather run a Class D sub amp but 5ch hybrid (A/B + D) amps are out of my price range at the time.

And finally, where am I screwing up? It can't come together this easy, so I have to be overlooking something........

Thanks,
Bones :skull1:

(Please note, I have not verified all of the measurements to scale so YMMV)

 

[xjblue]

It can't come together this easy, so I have to be overlooking something........

It isn't that difficult really, I'll never buy a pre built box....
Just some common sense stuff you already know - If you seperate the chambers don't forget to re-calculate and adjust plans as needed for the extra piece of MDF taking up space in the box. It would be easier math if the devider is solid, but also less complicated for sound reasons too (is my guess). If you cut your own MDF (or help a home depot type do it for you) remember to compensate for the width of the saw blade when planning all your cuts before hand ("uh wait a sec home depot guy that piece is too short!"), -review your plan 3 or more times, measure at least twice, cut once, save scrap for mistakes yada yada.... when cutting speaker mounting holes err on the small side then trim/test/repeat untill they just fit. Now hopefully the audiophiles will chime back in.

 

[JeepinAudiophile]

I don't think i should give you my advice when it comes to amps... i have a tendency to have too much and dial it back from there... the setup i have started getting together includes 8 amps..(4 being 1000watt sub amps, and believe it or not- my components are slightly "under-powered") All that i would really like to say is this... get an amp with a little too much power for the sub, then dial it back a bit... it'll keep the amp cooler, and will also allow it to last longer in life due to it not being constantly driven at or near it's maximum levels. out.

 

[jeepenator]

I guess i'll chime in as well.

In my Jeep i'm currently running a single 10" Diamond Audio M5 sub (not mentioned yet but one of the best sounding speaker companies i've ever heard.) I have it in a sealed enclosure that is just about .75 cube feet and have some of the cotton batting you buy at the fabric store (man did i feel like a woman going in there to buy it) which is the same stuff as they use in the audio shops the guy there told me.

One idea that i got from a friend with a subaru that i'm thinking about doing in my jeep is that he built a sub box and made a recessed but still flat speaker mounting. This allowed him to screw in a steel grate picked up from the hardware store over the cone without it touching it and then put carpet over the whole thing. It looked like it was just a big black box built into the side of his car until you heard the system. That's a great thing to do if you're worried about your cargo space because you will lose a lot of the quality bass once you face it towards your seats.

Just my $.02.....

 

[12monkeys]

i guess you guys should just go ahead and SLAM your jeep while your at it...maybe do a little body drop and throw on some hydros. bling bling...

 

[Bones]

i guess you guys should just go ahead and SLAM your jeep while your at it...maybe do a little body drop and throw on some hydros. bling bling...

Yea, I thought about that dozenapes, but running 7" of lift and 35's, it's a long way down to the ground.

In the 6 years worth of mods my XJ has undergone this and changing my dash gauges to match my air/fuel and tranny temp gauges are the closest things I've done to "bling".

I'm really not looking for the type of system that shakes people out of their chairs a mile away. I'm looking for something that can drown out the road noise, and engine/exhaust sounds with good quality sound while driving 17 hours (each way) to and from Moab every year.

My Jeep gets wheeled and I'm not willing to compromise that. What I have planned is to build a storage box better than what's available commercially, and pick up some sound quality while I'm at it.

Bones :skull1:

 

[jeo]

Just a few comments.
Don't forget to take into account the air displacement of the sub when figuring out your total cubic feet - yes, it does make a difference.
You don't have to face the sub towards the seats...just get a fairly sturdy grille for it. You gain a few dB by shooting it back at the hatch and bouncing it off the glass.
HTH.