High Bass

[adamwarner]

I just purchased a H/U with three outputs for Amps and seperate adjusts for each. Right now i have an amp hooked up to some extra speakers(450 watts) and an amp to 2x 18" subs(2,000 watts) I have one matching amp remaining pushing 1,800 watts and would like to hook this up to the final connect.

Witch brings me to my question, i have a bass test track, and it goes through all the levels of bass from high to low and you can feel exactly when they can really hit and on what levels they work best, and i would like to get something set up for the higher bass levels, all i really know about that department when it comes to speakers is usually the bigger the deeper, any help?

Also, the 2 18's pretty much fill the cargo space in my XLT, so space saving is also a concern, but i can make anything work if i try hard enough.

 

[adamwarner]

Nobody has any suggestions?

I know theres alot of guys on here that have seperate systems for thier high's and low's... i got a really good low thing going on and i want as equally good high range

 

[jluv]

I just purchased a H/U with three outputs for Amps and seperate adjusts for each. Right now i have an amp hooked up to some extra speakers(450 watts) and an amp to 2x 18" subs(2,000 watts) I have one matching amp remaining pushing 1,800 watts and would like to hook this up to the final connect.

Witch brings me to my question, i have a bass test track, and it goes through all the levels of bass from high to low and you can feel exactly when they can really hit and on what levels they work best, and i would like to get something set up for the higher bass levels, all i really know about that department when it comes to speakers is usually the bigger the deeper, any help?

Also, the 2 18's pretty much fill the cargo space in my XLT, so space saving is also a concern, but i can make anything work if i try hard enough.

I'd love to try to help you, but I have some questions of my own. I'm not sure what it is you actually have now, and what it is you are trying to achieve.

What is the model # of your 450 watt amp?

What do you mean by "extra speakers"?

What are the model numbers of your 2000 watt amps and your 1800 watt amp?

What kind of electrical upgrades do you have to support 6250 watts? That's insane!

What 18s are you using? What kind of enclosure? How big? Tuned to what frequency?

What kind of "adjusts" are built in to your head unit? Do you know how to work a crossover and an eq?

What frequency are you wanting to get more of? Are you looking for more midbass? More sub bass from 60-80 hz? Or are you actually looking for more midrange and high frequencies?

What mids/tweets do you have now?

 

[dirtyXplorer]

What do you have in your doors?

I would consider putting something like ~6" component speakers in the doors. Component speakers usually do a good jobs with highs, mids, and the upper lows. Or swap your 18"s for some 15"s or even 12"s. With smaller subs you will be able to get more of the low mids/ high lows and still have the bass.

My $.02

 

[adamwarner]

The 450 watt amp is connected to 4 speakers in the rear cargo area for listening to music outside with the back open. There built like home audio speakers, with really long speaker wire so they can be dragged out around the fire.

I have cadeance(spelling) speakers in the doors. They produce good mid and high bass, but its not the same as if it was coming from a sub.

Basically i want to tune my 18's for the low's of the low's. And need something else that can really cover the rest of the bass range. Quality is more important to me then volume, i just want a few brand and sizes of subs that sound good in the higher ranges of bass.

And as for upgrades i have a new battery and alternator. Only had a problem once, and that was when something decieded to trigger the wireless relay for my underglow in my work parkinglot, 8 hours later battery was completly drained

 

[jluv]

The 450 watt amp is connected to 4 speakers in the rear cargo area for listening to music outside with the back open. There built like home audio speakers, with really long speaker wire so they can be dragged out around the fire.

I have cadeance(spelling) speakers in the doors. They produce good mid and high bass, but its not the same as if it was coming from a sub.

Basically i want to tune my 18's for the low's of the low's. And need something else that can really cover the rest of the bass range. Quality is more important to me then volume, i just want a few brand and sizes of subs that sound good in the higher ranges of bass.

And as for upgrades i have a new battery and alternator. Only had a problem once, and that was when something decieded to trigger the wireless relay for my underglow in my work parkinglot, 8 hours later battery was completly drained

Well, if quality is what you're after, you need to unhook the amp/extre speakers you described unless you are using them for that purpose you described. The rest of the time, when you're inside the vehicle, you will sacrifice quality having those speakers playing back there. 18s will be fine for all of your sub bass. I'd use them for anything between 80hz and the tuning frequency of your enclosure (if ported). You could cross them over at 90 or 100hz, or just use a gradual slope so that they blend into your midbass with more presence. A good set of components and proper deadening/install should get you all of the midbass you need. My Boston Pros do very well all the way down to 70hz or so.

I doubt you have the resources or even a real need for separate dedicated midbass woofers, but if you are talking about going that route, you really need to figure out how you will power them, where your source will come from so that you can single out a frequency range for them to play, and where in the heck you would install them. It's easy to screw things up by adding too many different sized speakers. It's much more simple and effective to just have a great set of subs and then a great set of components up front.

If you have decent subs and decent components, then what you need to work on is your tuning. What kind of head unit/processor/eq/crossovers/amps do you have?

Oh, and seriously, tell us more about your amps and electrical system. Got any pics? I don't see how you could be running over 6,000 watts of power without a seriously badass electrical/wiring setup.

 

[adamwarner]

Im at work so i dont have pics right now, and i have switches run off the remote wire for all three amps, so yes, i do only use them as described. As far as electrical systems, theres really nothing special in my car.

I have one power wire coming back from the battery, i dont remember the guage, but its huge, and then i have one ground in the back aswell. They both go into distribution blocks and are distributed to the three amps. The underglow is hooked up through the engine bay to a wireless relay and then into the battery. I also have pulsating neons under the seats, thier ran out of the fuse box, to music sensors, and then to a switch. I have 2 remote bass boost box's in my center consol for the two amps id like to have subs connected too, right now only the 2,000 watt is accually hooked up, wich is to the 18's, but the amps have 10 blue LEDs that blink in sort of an equalizer line on both amps so i like to have them both hooked up. The third amp is tucked away with the speakers for when i need them. The 18's box is the exact width of the back of my explorer, the same hight as the back of the seats, and comes back leaving about a foot of room from the hatch. The amps and wiring is all neatly done ontop of the box. Inline fuses on all power wires, all that safe stuff, but i havnt gotton into any crossovers, because with just one set off subs im okay with whats in my amps and H/U controlling the levels.


And going back to the subs, im leaning more towards just something small stuffed under the seats or something, i want to be able to feel the higher freequencies as well as i can feel the lower ones... maybe im just getting greedy, but this is the first vehicle i've had the chance to really be creative on and its all a gigantic work in progress, but im about half way through my "wish list" and next is to step up my audio and interior a little more.

 

[calisoundmix]

the highest quality (but expensive) way of getting your system setup is just with a single 12 or 15" sub, it's all that is needed for an explorer unless you are more interested in impressing those outside your car. the more driver's (whether they be for bass or mids/his) you have the more "dead spots" you will have due to phase cancellation.

while it is possible to setup a 3/4-way system the logistics going into making a good sounding one are impractical unless you are not on a budget.

 

[adamwarner]

Alright well then i guess for now it will stay how it is

Il have pics up in a day or so for those who are interested

 

[Wagonized]

What do you have in your doors?

I would consider putting something like ~6" component speakers in the doors. Component speakers usually do a good jobs with highs, mids, and the upper lows. Or swap your 18"s for some 15"s or even 12"s. With smaller subs you will be able to get more of the low mids/ high lows and still have the bass.

My $.02

not true at all.. Sub size has absolutely nothing to do with the frequency respsonse of the woofer.

If you want a good mixture of high and low bass its very possible to do it from the same sub or subs. You just need a well designed box with a flat response curve. Could try an ABC box (dual chamber tri-tune) or my personal preferrance would be a 6th order bandpass..I had very good results with a 6th order I designed in my explorer.

From a single 15" Shocker Extreme with atomic soft parts running at 0.7 ohm off of a memphis mojo 4kw amp the setup was over 150.0 db on the termlab at the dash from 36-61 hz. And was still pretty damn loud up in the 70-80-90 hz range.

 

[dirtyXplorer]

not true at all.. Sub size has absolutely nothing to do with the frequency respsonse of the woofer.

you are right, most of the sound characteristics come from the design and size of the enclosure.

however, 18" subs move a lot of mass and unless the OP has a custom tuned enclosure high lows (~180Hz and up) are not going to be accurate. Each size of speaker has certain frequencies that the cone resonates best. Bigger the cone=lower resonate frequency. This is why the box size and design is crucial for the speakers to sound the best and be efficient.

 

[aznboi3644]

180Hz and hit is not bass at all.

Bass is more of from 80-100Hz and down.

Also saying low/mids and high/lows makes so sense

 

[calisoundmix]

180Hz and hit is not bass at all.

Bass is more of from 80-100Hz and down.

Also saying low/mids and high/lows makes so sense

he (dirtyXplorer) was referring to the the lower end of the midrange spectrum and the high end of the low spectrum, and it makes perfect sense.

and also bass refers to notes in the frequency range from 80Hz-250Hz, below around 75-80Hz is considered low-bass or sub-bass, or at least thats what those of us in the recording and pro audio industry consider bass to be.

 

[aznboi3644]

Oic...understand now...before I didn't get the low mid / high lows deal.

I thought usually above 80Hz to 250Hz was more of midbass than bass

 

[Wagonized]

you are right, most of the sound characteristics come from the design and size of the enclosure.

however, 18" subs move a lot of mass and unless the OP has a custom tuned enclosure high lows (~180Hz and up) are not going to be accurate. Each size of speaker has certain frequencies that the cone resonates best. Bigger the cone=lower resonate frequency. This is why the box size and design is crucial for the speakers to sound the best and be efficient.

cone size isnt what determines the subs Fs. There are many many other more important factors. There are quite a few 18" woofers with higher Fs when compared to their 10 and 12" versions (that use the same motor)

180 hz should never be produced by a sub unless its a dedicated midbass driver. Most people crossover their woofers in the 70-100 hz range.