right now im running 2 Incriminator audio Lethal Injection's 12", 500 watts rms each i think with a Hifonics 1000D amp run to 1 ohm (1000watts). i also threw them in a ported box at 4.xx cubes.
they get loud inside teh car, and when i open the trunk, but i cant stand the way it sounds outside the car. im thinking of cutting it down to one sub because the box is heavy as Fc... too.
now this may sound stupid, but can anyone tell me will it be a big difference? i guess it will be run to 2 ohms which teh amp gives out 700 watts..
and can i cut the box in half? (lol)

 

You can cut the box in half, I guess.

You will lose less the 3 dB output due to loss of 30% of power... call it 2dB.

You will lose 3dB from losing 50% of your cone area. Total 5dB.

You will lose 3dB from losing the "coupling" effect that two woofers create when they are RIGHT next to each other. Total 8dB.

But your sound character of the speakers should not change appreciably. Just quieter. YOur car's buzzes/rattles may decrease, but if there is something you don't like about the sound, you'll still have that thing after.

 

hey.. thanks for the reply..

is 8 db really noticable?
would i be going from say a 6 to a 3 on (for example) a richter scale in terms of SPL?
i was also wondering how do you calculate the Cubes of a box?
my box is:
INTERNAL DIMESNIONS
15H x 29.5W x 18.5 D

is bigger, always better? if i were to put one 12 in a 3 cube box opposed to a 2 cube?


thanks again!

 

If you double the number of speaks, you get 3dB. If you double the number of watts, you get 3dB. So +3dB is fricking hard to get. You would be losing a lot of potential output... but that doesn't mean it would suck or anything.

Our public school system really does suck ass.

What is your material thickness? Is it 1/2"? 3/4"?

If it's 1/2 inch thick material, subtract (1/2 +1/2) from each of your dimensions (i.e., 14 x 28.5 x 17.5), then multiply, then divide by 1728. (1728 is 12 x 12 x 12, or one cubic foot, in inches.)

With 1/2 material, you have 4 CF total (approximately.)

With 3/4 material, you have 3.7 CF.

Both of these do NOT account for the internal volume displaced by your drivers or by any ports or braces.


Bigger is not better - right is better. Woofer box design is a complicated science and there are NO simple rules - but that statement is about as far from true as saying that Iraq was involved in 9/11.

Do some research with the makers of your box. Get the Thiele-Small specs. Get their recommended box sizes. Then compare them to using box calculator SW from the web and see what different boxes do...

I suspect that one of two things will happen:

1) You will learn a lot about how this works, jettison those speakers, and upgrade.

2) You'll decide this is all hooey and bail on the hobby, but keep the 12's (BTW, that is the worst effing name for a speaker I have ever heard.)

 

To calculate cubic feet, multiply the inner dimensions in inches and divide by 1728 (12 cubed). The dimensions you stated are 4.74 cubic feet.

A difference of 9dB is about twice as loud. Whether half the bass is important depends on how the bass sounds with the rest of the system.

Bigger is not always better--best is to stay within the parameters stated in the manual for the subwoofer. (Subs are made to depend on the springiness of the air in the enclosure--so the manufacturer usually publishes the min/max volumes for vented and sealed enclosures).