16 replies to this topic

[juggernaut]

I have created a sub box that fits in my spare wheel in the floor of the trunk. It is a sony explode 10" (got it realy cheap) that is powered by a 7 year old 250 watt kenwood amp. The sub says it can handle 1100watts (peak). The sub works fairly well, and suits my needs perfectly (just adding depth to rock/alt music) allowing my other speakers to take care of the mids and highs.

However it does not get the low's, and I am curious if it could be because of lack of power. That being said, the box is around .5-.6 cubic feet where it is recomended that the volume be at least .7. So this in itself may be the issue, but out of curiosity how does the power effect the performance other than increasing dba?

thank you...

[Bing_0]

before I get way into the whole thing, i think one reason you may want to try is to swtich a sub, the sony xplods are not known for their low end extesion

[juggernaut]

Oh, I have have read about it not being the best sub and do not disagree. I picked it up for $40 canadian with a two year warrenty so thought what the hell.

So all other things being equal would a different sub produce better low end with my set up?

[mAydAy]

with a name like juggernaut you should be running....juggernauts. they're sooo badass

[Chris_R]

It's most likely happening because the box is too small.

Did you try stuffing the box with fiberglass or polyfill (polyester pillow stuffing)?

Don't pack it tightly, just loosely fill the box with one of those products (fiberglass being the better choice if the box is sealed) and see if that helps.

250 watts (if that is RMS power) should be enough to get you the bass you want. I'll defer to Bing's opinion on the sub though, I have no experience with Xplod stuff.

-Chris

[juggernaut]

Yeah, the box size is what I was thinking as well. I just was curious of (if) what roll the amp would play in the range of sound the box produces.

No, I did not put any filler in the box as I though I could not spare anymore space (box is an octagone, that fits in the actual spare tire). But now that you mention it, and before I try it, could you explain how that would effect the sub?

Thanks Again..

[Chris_R]

The fibers of the material vibrate and trick the box into thinking it's ~10% larger than it is.

I've also read that is 'slows' the bass... either way, it will probably help your situation.

Google "polyfill speaker box", there's a ton of info out there on it.

-Chris

[nagrod18]

so Chris R your saying that if I were to loosely put pillow stuffing into my box, it will be louder? if so, I need to run out and get some

[Veneficus]

Its not necessarily going to be louder, you'll just make the box act as if it was louder. It all depends on what your sub sounds like in a specific enclosure.

[nagrod18]

I see, I might just sacrifice an old pillow and see how it goes.

[Chris_R]

Yeah, not louder, you'll just fool the box into thinking it's bigger. If your sub is currently in a box that's too small then it will sound better, not louder.

If your current box is the correct size then you may just muddy up the sound and make the box sound boomier.

-Chris

[nagrod18]

ok I think I got, so since my box is the correct size for my sub, by adding material I will make the box seem like it is too big, rather than the correct size?

[juggernaut]

Well, I just added some poly-fil to my box and wow it actualy made a difference. Even my tone deaf girlfriend commented on it sounding cleaner.

I guess this worked out well for me since my box was under sized, again, a noticable imporvment in sound.

[Stormin Norman]

As the box gets bigger, the resonate frequency goes lower. Therefore, too small a box will limit the low frequency extension. Stuffing the box will likely smooth the response, but if you really want deep, you want the optimum box size and configuration.

[volvo4lif3]

Yea, first off, xplods are a very cheap sub... I've heard a few xplod setups, that sound mediocre at best... And kids nowadays are under the impression of when a sub says " CAN HANDLE UP TO 1200 watts," that it can.. It's all a misinterpretation. If you go to a custom audio place, anyone there will be able to tell you the correct amount of power to run your subs. It also never hurts to have a more powerful amp to run your subs. I currently have 2 rckford fostgates, 15 inch, that were powered by a 1000 watt amp, also rockford. It was a setup in my old suv, 98 blazer, and it sounded great, becuz of the open backseat. So moral of the story, when in doubt, use more than needed power. I used enough power to run my subs, i had a lack of funds, and my system sounded very good.

[juggernaut]

I agree that the sub is cheap, and have even made a point of stating it. The whole set up cost me $100can, this is why I chose the xplode sub intialy.

I understand that the stated power handling of 1100 watts is not what it seems, the original question was directed towards understanding how the amp actualy effects the range of pressure waves created by the sub.

Anyway with the addition of the polyfil (thanks chris_R) the sub sounds decent for my application!

[Modus]

The 1200 watts as stated on the sub is rated in Peak Power, this is the power that your subs will be able to handle in milliseconds of time.
It's a marketing fasion used to represent the subs peak performance not it's 100% duty cycle.

The RMS power is the one that should be taken in consideration when powering subs. Since this is the average power that will be on all the time.

To convert PeakPower to RMS (peak power X 0.707) = RMS power

Some amps go by this numerical value as well. It's allways best to over watt an amp so you minimize the distortion when you crank it up. Unless it's a competion high end amp.

Cheers/