adding on... 12" sub or 10" sub?

[wakeX2wake]

i know this may not exactly constitute being in the electrical department but none-the-less...

i'm thinking of adding a sub to my current factory set-up...

-i've got the open air 10" JL sub installed behind the driver seat and got 4 tower speakers and 2 in front and 2 in main seating area and i believe its a 6 channel amp-

i want there to be a good bit more bass... i've pretty much decided on the JL Audio w6 series of subs... i've got a 1000 watt amp weather i need it or not and weather it outputs it or not that's what i've got and if i need to do something different i can but i'm thinking it will suffice...

what i can't decide on is weather or not to add a 10" sub or a 12" sub...

this is where i'm caught up bad... i'm going to put it in a box most likely under the observer's seat... i'm thinking i could go the 12" route b/c i would get the wider range of sound and they speakers won't be sharing the same air as in a car...

however i have always heard you DO NOT mix subs... i like the fact the my current set-up sounds clean and i really like it i just want more bass...

to be quite honest i really want it to drum hard... i know that a ported box will give you a harder hitting while a regular enclosure will give you a wider range of sound... i'm thinking enclosed will be the best route... i like music pretty loud and like a bit more bass but clean sounding is important...

experts enlighten me...

ps i'm not 100% set on JL but since i've got it everywhere else i might as well keep w/ the same theme... i'm hearing good things about the wetsounds but if there's not THAT much difference in price and sounds quality i'm probably sticking w/ JL

[BriEOD]

Two 18s in the trunk...

[TheOneandOnly]

i have a 15" for sale orion hcca- it has a 2" excursion (means it jumps in and out 2") 2000 watts it would fulfill what you need...

[brucemac]

shoot i was typing a reply and i accidentally closed the window. darnit. anyway, be sure to read up. i'm sure others will chime in, but based on everyting i've read, putting a sub in the observer's compartment is usally less than ideal (sealed or ported) unless you can cut away a "vent" for the sound to escape. i know many have done it and have been happy, but with the compartment closed you'll have considerably less volume and depending on the output you can also (i've read) intefere with your inboat speakers sound quality; i.e. the bass output travels down your observer bench and radiates your inboat mid bass drivers. again, just what i've read. i've had two installers on two different occasions sway me from installing in my compartment. also i think the W7 is better suited for 1000W RMS, if memory serves the W6 ideal range is ~500W RMS i believe.

[brucemac]

Actually according to JL, you'd have to go with a single 13W7 or 12W7 in order to use a 1000W RMS with a single sub. You could run two 10W6's.

[JimN]

I have said it before and I'll say it again- Go big, or go home.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...link:middle:us

I wish I still had mine. The helicopters on The Wall were freakin' incredible and we could feel it outside of the house.

[wakeX2wake]

things are never simple are they?

i can adjust the output wattage on the amp i believe so if its too much i can simply turn it down...

i got to thinking about this last night... will it be an issue w/ the subs sounding at different frequencies on the same tone?... i know a 10" to a 12" to a 13" to a 15" all vibrate at different frequencies to produce the same tone... more of less "pitched" in different keys as in many instruments... much as in how a "C" on a trumpet and a "Bb" on a tuba are the same tone but different notes... i guess what i'm wondering is... will this be an issue?

[Justjoe]

Yeah, I don't claim to know much about anything, but, I have two 10" Treo subs in a box under the observers seat with a 12" hole cut into the side of the walkthrough for it to vent through. I added a 10" Memphis Audio behind the drivers seat and tied all three into my Alpine PDX 1000. Seems to rock.

[JimN]

Originally Posted by wakeX2wake

i can adjust the output wattage on the amp i believe so if its too much i can simply turn it down...

i got to thinking about this last night... will it be an issue w/ the subs sounding at different frequencies on the same tone?... i know a 10" to a 12" to a 13" to a 15" all vibrate at different frequencies to produce the same tone... more of less "pitched" in different keys as in many instruments... much as in how a "C" on a trumpet and a "Bb" on a tuba are the same tone but different notes... i guess what i'm wondering is... will this be an issue?

Tone has to do with the overtones (harmonics) and pitch (note, like C or Bb, etc) is purely based on frequency. Doubling or halving the frequency makes the pitch go up/down an octave, respectively but doesn't necessarily change the tone, or leave it alone.

A subwoofer box is tuned to a particular frequency, such that it will work well with the speaker's tuning and not be the "one note wonder" we all hate at stop lights. A port is tuned to another frequency, placed somewhere below the box tuning frequency, so it can extend the bass response without adding any undesirable peaks or valleys. A 10" may go as low as a larger driver but it generally won't put out the same SPL or force. OTOH, a large driver won't go as high as a smaller one because its mass makes it impossible for the cone to stop and change directions as fast as needed for accurate reproduction. Any box design is a series of compromises because the placement, air temperature/pressure/density and input signal are all variables that affect the end result.

As far as the "will it be an issue w/ the subs sounding at different frequencies on the same tone?... i know a 10" to a 12" to a 13" to a 15" all vibrate at different frequencies to produce the same tone" question, two different drivers can compliment each other but without knowing exactly what each is capable of, it's a crap shoot. If a wide band of bass frequencies is needed, the larger can handle the lower and the smaller can handle the upper but placement is critical, in order to keep cancellations from being a problem.

To answer your "things are never simple are they?" question no, they aren't, but sometimes just putting the speakers in works really well without thinking about it too much.

[wakeX2wake]

Originally Posted by JimN

To answer your "things are never simple are they?" question no, they aren't, but sometimes just putting the speakers in works really well without thinking about it too much.

well said and duly noted...

i'll see what i can find and what's gonna work out