I need some ideas/help with building a custom center console/sub box.

[RyanR]

Here are some genral pic's of what I want to do.

I am hoping some of you can give me some input on which setup would sound better. #3 Is a bandpass setup but I honestly have no clue how to build a bandpass box, as far as port size and length and air space and everything. I would relly like to do #3 because I think it would look and sound better (if I got it setup right) and the sub wont be exposed to me spilling coke on it or whatever. All of these pics are just to give you an genral idea of what I want to do, I dont have any measurements in mind yet. I greatly appricate any input or new ideas. Thanks a lot. Oh I forgot I will most likley be using a 10" sub.

 

[jssong]

and why would you want a sub there?? it wouldnt sound nearly as good as it being in the trunk.. itz not like you dont have the space there, and the diameter of the sub would mean you lose a few inches on both the driver and passenger side leg space. ??

 

[explortainment]

i think it's a good idea, there's nothing betterthan having bass up front, most cars don't have it since there's no where to put a sub, if you can pull it off, you will have a good sounding system

 

[MagicMan]

console brackets?

I dont know what year Ex you have, or if you have actually had the center console out, but in mine there is a large bracket that the console mounts to. Not impossible to remove but probably a PITA.

 

[leenjen]

bandpass might look better, but it sure as hell wont sound better.
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about cars not having bass up front...

most systems i heard had plenty of bass up front. bass is omnidirectional, so you can have it all the way in the back and it will still blend with the music up front and sound like it is all around you. unless you have your sound stages messed up (i.e. bad crossover points and imaging).

 

[nosaj122081]

I would go with design #1, for a couple reasons: one, you said you don't know anything about bandpass boxes. Despite popular opinion, a well designed, properly tuned bandpass box can and often does sound excellent, but it takes alot of thinking and planning, and a sealed enclosure would just be easier/quicker/cheaper. Secondly, it fires foward, and it is closer to where you want the image centered at; bass is omnidirectional, BUT it can be localized, one of my favorite installs that I did was on a late model Camaro, we took out the glove box inards and f-glassed a box with a single, down firing 8". Sounded great, almost as good as tri-ways in doors/kickpanels. Another thing to consider is what the other poster mentioned, do you want a 10" sub stuck between the seats? If you're not set on the 10 I would consider listening to a few 8"s, you may be surprised, for the most part the quality/SPL isn't a function of the size of the sub but rather the quality of the enclosure, and it seems like you're going to be putting ample time and effort into you design.

 

[explortainment]

yes, bass IS omnidirectional, BUT your back seats get in the way and hurt the sound quality, you will feel the bass better if it is closer to you.

I agree, 8 inch subs are not to be underestimated

careful not to have your enclosure touch the dash, it could vibrate the MANY things in your dash which will send you into dynomat-ing hell.

 

[brent239]

maybe if you made two down-firing 8's. kinda like a home sub is built. as long as the sub has enuff air and enough room to where it doesnt hit anything. you could probably put two up there. with space for cups and crap. some small space 8 take like .1 or .2 cu. feet of air

 

[RyanR]

Thanks for the input guys. Can anyone reccomend any good 8's that dont require alot of airspace. Ive never heard an 8" with decent bass so im kinda weary about going with them. There again I have only heard a couple of them so I could be wrong.

 

[brent239]

I'm sure not to many people are gonna know about which 8's. Look for a nice sub with small airspace and some good powerhandling. as long as you get everything right it 2 8's should pound about as much as 1 12. good luck. thats a pretty big project.

 

[nosaj122081]

My personal favorite subs are DEI Competitions and the IDQ line by Image Dynamics... The ID's sounded amazing, especially for their low price, but the DEI's sound probably just as good, but made higher SPL and had a higher RMS power handling, slightly more expensive. I forgot to mention that the DEI's were 10's and the IDQ's were 12's (the IDQ's needed 1.1 ft^3 of airspace, the DEI's are something like .75 ft^3), both DVC's, and both wired to a Punch 800a2 bridged mono at 4 ohms (which was too much power for the IDQ's, it ripped them apart after a while).

That being said, the best advice is to go down to a local stereo shop and personally audition a few. The best is a blind test, don't know which brand is which when you listen, you're almost postive to surprise yourself. I've seen a pair of 8's do some CRAZY SPL levels, a guy I met at a competition had 8's (only a pair), I forget which, the BIG HiFonics amp (I forget the model), and was hitting in the low 140's, LEGAL... It was nuts.