Subwoofer Enclosure - questions from a newbie

[bikethis]

Hello everyone,

I was a bit impatient last night, and i clicked the "checkout" button.

My Alpine SWR-1042D (10" type R) subwoofer and MRP-M500 amplifier should arrive next week. Please hold your toungue if this was the wrong purchase, and unleash your praise if it was the right one! It's done now.

My thoughts are as follows, please critique and correct as you see fit (no pun intended).

1) my last hatchback (6 yrs ago) was a civic. I had a 12" driver pointed at the hatch. When the box was turned, the volume seemed to be cut dramatically.Therefore I want my driver facing the hatch on my fit.

2) If the enclosure is 14.5 inches wide, it can obstruct my 40%split, leaving my 60% split free to fold flat and take on cargo as needed.

3) The fit is not a large car, so maximum SPL is not required, and Therefore a sealed box would work well.

4) I'm not a carpenter. I have no place/tools/expertise to perform any woodwork. Therefore I would like to find a place to build the enclosure to my spec.

Further information:
I'm installing a JVC KD-R800 head unit tomorrow (today, actually, cause it's late at night here), along with an audio research 4 gauge amplifier wiring kit, so the amp will have proper signal and power.

I listen to Disco house, funky house, electro house, and breaks, and would like the sub to fill that sh*t out, pardon my french.

Components for the front door are budgeted for the next round of spending on the car.

Any suggestions, comments or diatribe concerning my ideas would be most welcome, as I am a total newbie in the realm of car audio.

Thank you FitFreakers, one and all. I have already gained so much from these forums that I am doing my HU and amp wire install tomorrow, with the utmost confidence that I have all the information needed to do an outstanding job.

[fitman37]

i actually just installed the mrp-m500 yesterday, and it's got more than enough power to push my two pioneer 12"s, so at least that part i know you'll be fine on, lol

[bikethis]

^excellent!

[MetalFit630]

Excellent choice! That amp and sub combo is going to sound awesome, it's one of my favorites. I'm waiting for my current Infinity sub to die so I can buy that sub.

I have my sub facing the rear, and it sounds great.

With a 10 inch sub, I usually only recommend to use a sealed box. Even with the power handling of the Type-R, 10's just don't move enough air to utilize a ported or bandpass box properly, in my opinion. Stick with the sealed, and you'll get more room and sound quality.

Are you looking for the box? Best Buy sells a 10 inch sealed box that you actually have to put together yourself. It's around $90 and is very simply to put together. The advantage of that is that you can make sure it is sealed and tight. When you buy a box off the shelf, they don't always sound that good. So build your box, use the glue they provide, put 8-10 screws in, don't use the zip ties they provide, and get some caulking for the corners inside. Then maybe pick up a small pack of Dynamat and put it on the inside. Then take an old pillow and rip it open, filling the box about halfway with it. It'll be one of the best boxes you've ever had.

Oh, and let the box sit in your garage for a week so the new smell can go away!

[bikethis]

^ all the respondents at canadiancaraudio.com have recommended ported. I think it's because they are used to competition-level volumes, and they don't have a tiny car.

I'm leaning toward sealed for a few reasons: flat response, ease of construction.

I figure this driver will probably put out enough volume in a sealed box in my fit that I wouldn't want any more anyway.

The BestBuy (US) site shows the Atrend box, built with 3/4 and 1" mdf - looks like quality. BestBuy canada only carries Bassworx boxes, which I wouldn't trust for my sub.

There are also the Q-logic boxes, carried by a local chain of electronics stores that look promising.

I may just find someone with an angle-able table saw and make my own though. I'm looking at around 0.81 cu ft with my ideal measurements, do you think that is appropriate?

[bikethis]

Checked out Visions - they had a Q-logic sealed 10" box. 3/4" MDF

14.5" wide (Perfect)
12" tall
9.75" D1
12 1/3" D2

By the calc at bcae1.com: 0.754 cu ft, 0.704 with the driver in it. Add a bag of poly fill and this may just do it. At $99, it gets my sub working right away.

Comments?

[bikethis]

^^ Dynamat, eh? How should it be layed out? A central patch on each of the five driver-less sides? Or concentrated to the corners?

- i love putting "newbie" in my thread-titles, then I can ask silly questions.

[MetalHead88]

i agree with the rest, very good choice. a few years ago, i found a company on ebay (i know this really doesnt help much cuz i dont remember the name) that made custom boxes. i emailed him and asked if they could make a box for me if i sent them the plans. they said they could do it for around 100 bucks including shipping. 2 10" subs, 1.75 cubic feet per chamber, and a port size i cant recall off the top of my head.

i ended up paying 80 bucks for it in total, and messured it all out to make sure everything was right inside and out. perfect! i had it in my jeep for 2 years, and now its bumping in the fit for over a year.

[MetalHead88]

also to add. be very carefull when taking the headunit out. those clips are insane... i actually pulled so hard that i bent the bracket that the headunit was mounted on, wedging it upward. those clips are in there good. i had to take my entire dash apart to get to the headunit. not fun.

[bikethis]

Thanks for the info MetalHead,

Unfortunately, shipping to and from the US is enough trouble that I won't risk an unknown box builder.

Did the Head unit two days ago, no trouble with the clips, it just popped right out. It's a GE8 though.