Car / Mobile Audio

[hammondc]

I searched, but could not find a similar thread.

I used to be the end all know-it-all for car audio. BUT....since I shifted interest to Home Theater, I am WAY out of the loop. Any suggestions for 8" subs? I am either going to go with (2) 8" subs or (1) 10". It will be in a Ford Fusion lease car (company car) so I need to keep it as simple as possible. I have (2) Adire Audio 8's in my Mazda3 and they pound, plus they are very quick, which is why I am leaning towards 8's.

[tesseract]

Ha, I hear ya. I gave up car audio years ago for 2 channel. JL Audio is always a solid buy, you will pay a little more, though.

The idea that smaller subs are quicker is a myth. A larger sub uses less excursion than a smaller sub to do the same work, and it returns to rest quicker, ready for the next hit. Everybody that hears my MFW-15 is amazed at how "quick" it is, and it digs really deep.

Here is something else to consider. Two 10" woofers in an Isobaric enclosure will require an enclosure 1/2 the size of a single 10"! You could go with four 10's and use very little space. Half the even order distortion to boot. The only down side is they need a bit more power, but 12V power is pretty cheap nowadays.

This can be done with 8's too, but 10's will dig deeper than 8's all day long.

[hammondc]

I was looking at the JL W3 series. Either (1) 10W3 or (2) 10W1's. Either way, 500 watts should suffice. I have never used JL. I had 2 of the first Kicker solobarics (the round ones) way back in the day. Then a single Rockford Fosgate 10, then the 2 Adire 8's


Alpine amps can be had for relatively cheap these days and I have never had any issues with them. Even since Alpine started selling at Worst Buy I have been please.

Do you have experience building Isobaric enclosures? I do not get the point of it. From what I gather, 2 drivers in solobaric loading will have the same output as 1 equal driver in an enclosure twice the size. So...it is a spac saving measure? With a lot of subwoofers these days, you can load (2) 10's in a basic sealed enclosure of ~1ft^3.

[tesseract]

I was looking at the JL W3 series. I have never built an isobaric enclosure-->Only simply side by side sealed enclosures. Maybe (2) 10's with about 500 watts will work. Alpine amps can be had for relatively cheap these days and I have never had any issues with them. Even since Alpine started selling at Worst Buy I have been please.

Do you have experience building Isobaric enclosures? I do not get the point of it. From what I gather, 2 drivers in solobaric loading will have the same output as 1 equal driver in an enclosure twice the size. So...it is a spac saving measure? With a lot of subwoofers these days, you can load (2) 10's in a basic sealed enclosure of ~1ft^3.

Isobarics are easy, you fire one driver into the cabinet, the other out. There is more than one way to do it, here are a few examples. Keep it simple and use sealed cabinets.

http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/boxes2.asp

http://www.audiogearreviews.com/tech/theory/enclosure_design/isobaric.asp

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=152

It is a space saving measure, seems that is a concern of yours which is why I suggested it, but you also cut even order distortion in half. You can fit four 10's in less space than two 8's, so you will also gain extension. The only downside is your efficiency is down 3db, so double your wattage and you are good to go.

[hammondc]

Ehh. I think I will stick with a traditional sealed box. Yes, in that configuration, the box itself takes up less space, but you still have a big honking speaker hanging out there. I frequently have a trunk full of junk too, so I'd rather have them protected a little more. By space saving, I meant that I do not want to go all out with a 4ft^3 box and 3 18's. Just suggestions for what is on the market today that has SQ and some boom if I need it.

[tesseract]

You can build the iso box with one driver completely enclosed, it looks just like a single driver sealed from the outside.

Otherwise, two sealed 8's will do fine. It just won't be four 10's.

[hammondc]

Yeah. Thanks for the info on Isobaric conditions. I will stick to a traditional sealed enclosure. Even JL is does not really recommend the piggy back style. Actually, the only one they would consider is the clamshell type-which I do not want to use.

[tesseract]

The clamshell wouldn't realize the mechanical even order distortion reduction, it is less than ideal, just a space saving method it seems.

It is hard to beat a good sealed sub. Per your original question, two 8's will move a bit more air than a single 10".

[dvenardos]

I have noticed that elemental designs has lots of car audio but don't have personal experience with their car audio products. They are, however, great to deal with.