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yeah i think the sub in the rear deck just makes the deck itself flex around and anything thats attached to it is subject to rattle. top that with the overall bass it produced was not that great. with it in a box i am getting twice the sound out of it and no rattles.
i can still build a box for the Pioneer that would still work with a Skar VD-8 which is one of their shallow mount subs but its worlds apart from this Pioneer shallow mount. its not a super slim model like the Pioneer and it can throw down plenty of bass. my friend actually has a used one laying on the shelf in his shop.
here you can see the difference because i test fitted the Skar in the factory location.
yeah i think the sub in the rear deck just makes the deck itself flex around and anything thats attached to it is subject to rattle. top that with the overall bass it produced was not that great. with it in a box i am getting twice the sound out of it and no rattles.
i can still build a box for the Pioneer that would still work with a Skar VD-8 which is one of their shallow mount subs but its worlds apart from this Pioneer shallow mount. its not a super slim model like the Pioneer and it can throw down plenty of bass. my friend actually has a used one laying on the shelf in his shop.
here you can see the difference because i test fitted the Skar in the factory location.
Cyber, leave out the factory sub to reduce rattles and let a bit more bass into the cabin. The factory sub will rattle like a bitch trying to hit the lows haha. That's why I'm bypassing it by summing the signal in my system.
Btw, I haven't done the box yet haha. It will def be done soon tho. I've been busy and prob played more Battlefield 1 than I should have....
Friday I get my install done! Before Friday, I'm going to get the trunk and under the rear deck done with sound deadening. I lifted up the box of Roadkill this week and it was heavier than I expected lol. In preparation for the new box, I purchased a bass knob and a 30hz subsonic filter to plug into my mono amp.
not sure why my last posted double posted like that....weird.
WD i have already put everything back together so the factory sub is there to stay for now, maybe later down the road if i get more involved with the system i will pull it back out. Sadly money is kind of tight right now so i dont have the cash to make any real change with anything. On a good note we have tax time right around the corner.
Tax time= 2nd Xmas!!!
The past was good to me with the purchase of the DLS sub. Been running it for weeks now and the sound quality is exceptional and seems to get better everyday as the suspension loosens up more and more. I have decided to mate it with it's intended partner DLS Ultimate A6 or A4.
thats a meaty looking amp ,looking at the stats for it online and some closeup pics of it i bet that thing sounds amazing.
For me even though its tax time i will still have a budget , i will probably be around the $200 range for both the sub and the amp. Since the Skar VD-8 my friend has is used i can probably get it for about $40 then i would like to get the Skar SK-M5001D which is about $150 new. However i have given some thought to moving up to a 10" sub instead of the 8" but i really dont want too large of a box in the trunk.
I think that's a good idea. Have you decided what brand and model? Some of the better quality subs out there only require .5 cu ft in sealed applications so you figure to at least to double that for a ported designs. There are some top performers out there for consideration that will provide the best of both worlds (SQL). Here may be my all time favorite: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_065G51...10-44-DVC.html
These are highly efficient (92db) and have adjustable impedence matching. They also are compatible with a optional turntable radiator which instead of a port you add this (essentially another passive woofer) to gain twice the output. Yes I said twice the output!! I have installed these in several vehicles in the past with space limitations and nothing can match its output at this size (.5 cu ft). RIP Boston https://www.crutchfield.com/p_065G51...cs-G510RS.html
+1 to what Bchester said. Another sub recommendation is the Infinity Kappa 1000w. It also has a higher sensitivity rating of 90db compared to more average subs. It only needs a 0.6 cuft box and it's said to take 200-450w or more RMS with no issue. http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_125247_Infinity-KAPPA-1000W.html
Open the link on your computer and try the make offer button and Sonic should accept if you send them an offer of $130.
I have the older 12" model and it can hit pretty hard. The reason I've been bitching about output is because I just realized my battery has been going to shit haha good thing it's under warranty.
I only recommend the G5 sub because they are exceptional performers and can be had for relatively cheap these days as they stop manufacturing of these a few years back. Passive radiators have been used in home audio for many years with great success as most home speakers are run at 8 ohm (less power) and can be certainly run in this same configuration with any sub not just the G5 sub. Obviously the smaller the enclosure the better for faster response and greater output.
i have used some Boston speakers before but not their subs ,i had some 6.5 components of theirs and i was more then happy with them.
As far as brand i go with it will be Skar Audio ,we have been very happy with their subs and the Skar amp that we installed in my sons car sounds really good and i like its compact design. From what i understand the owner of Skar Audio used to be partners with someone else and they decided to go different routes , the other partner went on to make Sundown Audio and i am sure everyone has heard of them. Since Skar is a newer company i think they havent yet really come on to the scene but like i mentioned they have quality products and they are affordable. They also make some pretty nasty subs in their higher end stuff but those are way out of my budget.
If i would decide to go with a 10" it would be either their VD-10 which is a shallow mount sub but not the super slim models like the Pioneer i have now. It can handle 500w rms and they have a nice SK-M5001d which is a 500w rms d class mono amp that would be perfect to run the sub. The sub is $70 and the amp is $150 so it would be well within my budget. The VD-8 however would be my cheapest route since i could get the used one from my buddy for $40 and then just get the same amp i got from my son to run it which is a 350w d class mono amp for $90.
keep in mind i dont want to get too crazy since the rest of my system is all factory.
Yep good plan and yes the owner of Skar is from the Sundown Audio family which is a reputable company. Both have similar offerings in their sub lines so you should be good to go. Just remember it's better to have the power and not use it then to not have it at all. I can't say enough about "headroom" when it comes to amplifiers and the ability to "expand" beyond stock should you choose to do so.
this is another sub i would give thought to using, its American Bass VFL 8" and they are around $100 and their VFL series is the top of the line model. its a dual 4ohm and can handle 600w rms and i had two of their 12" XD series in my escape and was more then satisfied with them. With it being a dual 4ohm it would only go down to 2ohms as opposed to the Skar i want to use thats a dual 2ohm that can be run down to 1ohm.
How about get the sub from your friend and wire it in series to get a 4 ohm load and run it with this. https://www.skaraudio.com/products/lp-750-1dv2
Now if you get another sub in the future or "upgrade" you don't have to replace the amp as you will have plenty of power to spare in the 2 and 1 ohm configurations. $109 for an amp that will put out 750 watts is truly a steal. Go big bro you deserve it.
Heck even the American Bass sub would see it's rated power with this sucker (600 watts @ 2 ohm). I still can't believe how cheap this thing is if does it rated power specs but based on the fusing (x 3 25A) I would say it does that and then some. It's not ALWAYS the case but most of the time it is...
not a bad idea and then like you said if later down the line i want to go bigger or go with two 8" instead of just one then i would have plenty of power on hand.
my buddy that has the Skar VD-8 called me today and he has a civic that he needs a little work done on it so i will be getting the sub for free basically. should only take me about a hour to do the work he wants done.
Using just a single 8" sub i can keep the box pretty small so i can fit it up against the rear seat where it humps. I think i measured it once and there should be enough space there to fit a box with enough cubic feet and it still leave 90% of my trunk open.
here is a pic of a RL trunk so you can get a idea of where i want to build the box and a rough idea of the size.
That little hump is kind of a weird design thing on Acura's part, but for you it's good!
I got the amp and everything installed yesterday day and I'm really impressed with the quality of the sound and my installers did an awesome job, but I know now I need a different box more than ever!
Sweet. I am glad yours is coming together and the sound quality is improving ,and once you get your new box built its going to sound even better.
i tinkered with mine a little last night by first just playing around with the box position in the trunk too see where it sounded best. This L shaped box is kinda of funky though and acts almost like a Bass Tube so its hard to put in a good location since the subs on one end and the port is on the other. I also finally got my remote turn on wire ran , i just taped into the factory amp turn on so at least now i have that off my list. i did just have a jumper wire with a inline fuse and i would just pull the fuse to turn it off.
I believe the best position is as close to the trunk lid as possible. Facing towards the front is always a bad idea apparently.
Personally I always found that in the middle facing the trunk sounded best when I had the ported box.
I've got some tuning to do for sure. I actually saw the installers finishing up tuning my system and it sounds good, but they def tuned it more for sound quality. Mids and highs come in really clean and loud. And when I mean loud, literally twice as loud as before lol. I think I'll turn down the gain on that amp. I really haven't been able to mess with it. Bass sounds really blended and I'd rather have it more known. Bchester would probably like it this way, but for me and you haha not so much
yeah i like my BOOM And installers are going to tune to their liking but it may not be to yours , the good news is you can set it up however you like.
And your right about facing a box forward , they dont resonate the sound like they do when facing the rear. Like you also mentioned my box sounds best with it pretty much in the center of the trunk but for now this setup is just temporary.
Talking about tuning i am curious where you and Bchester6 like to set the Bass and Treble on your head units. I normally have my Bass zeroed out and it makes it easy to turn it up or down a little if needed , and since most of the time i am just using factory speakers as my mids and highs my treble is usually turned up all the way.
Last edited by cyberquest; 01-14-2017 at 07:55 PM.
Well the gain was set at zero so that's why bass sounded a bit weak! They must've set it there so I can adjust how I felt fit. I turned the gain to somewhat under half and the bass was awesome! At 15 volume, the bass was as strong as or a hair stronger than at half gain on my old Rockford Fosgate amp (this amp seemed to deliver a little more punch than the current Kenwood Excelon) with volume at like 25! The Accubass function and the AudioControl LC7i LOC as a whole def helped in the bass department. Bass also comes out noticeably cleaner. I also had my battery replaced under its warranty because a couple cells went dry for some reason, so that may have helped too. I went with AudioControl's remote control mounted in my center console but I'm not too sure that it's exactly what I expected.
The combination of the new amp and sound deadening in the doors also proved to give nice, strong midbass.
As far as settings on my radio go Cyber, I like to set treble and bass in the middle position at zero. I do this as it's the most balanced and you don't have to worry about adding distortion or missing out on bass or treble. When I had stock speakers in my car, I did have treble up high to keep some of the mids and highs from being drowned out by bass haha.
sounds like your getting everything how it sounds best for your tastes and i bet it sounds awesome. Now that you have all kinds of tuning capabilities I am sure you will be tweaking and tuning it for a long time to come...lol.
I was hoping thats where you set your bass and treble on your stereo , i dont know how many people have asked me to mess with the tuning of their systems and found they have the bass on the head unit tuned all the way up. My wifes car is the only one i have set at +2 bass on the head unit and thats only because hers has a bose system in it also and her mid bass speakers put out a good amount of bass and it makes it sound more balanced.
Bchester6 has also got my wheels turning on what amp to use. The Precision Power amp in my wifes carn might be a good amp to run the Skar sub and i already own it so i wouldnt have to spend money on a new amp. I can just put the Rockford in her car to run her two 10" subs and it will be plenty loud enough for her since she doesnt jam her stereo anywhere as loud as i do. She is happy jamming to the stereo on like 18 and i usually listen to hers at 26....lol.
Here are the specs on the Precision Power amp thats in her car.
Black Ice Series Monoblock Class D Car Amplifier
RMS Power Rating:
4 ohms: 300 watts x 1 chan.
2 ohms: 450 watts x 1 chan.
1 ohm: 650 watts x 1 chan.
Max power output: 1300 watts
Since the Skar sub is a 2ohm DVC rated at 400rms i could run the sub two different ways by either going up to 4ohms or going down to 1ohm. If i run the sub up to 4ohms then it would be the same amount of power the Rockford would give it but the Rockford is a AB class and the PP is a D class so the PP would be more efficent. If i run the sub down to 1ohm i would have 650w running to the sub which is 250 more then its rated for but i think it would be fine as long as i dont set the gain to high.
Nah, I don't really want to tweak much more. I really like the sound. I need to see if I can mess with the LC7i a bit more, so I can get more control over bass via the remote in the cupholder I had installed. It works weird lol.
And I usually like my volume around 25 too haha but with my system now 15 or 20 is pretty loud!
You can get away with 300w if you go ported but 650w, you'd prob need to go sealed to be safe as well.
Don't be discouraged by sealed, it can still hit hard lol. My sub could def change your mind. I'm actually probably not even going to build a ported box. I think I'll build a slightly larger sealed box to let the sub breathe a little better. 1 cuft is what I have now and that is infinity's recommended size, but my installer and I agreed it sounds a bit "choked". Maybe 1.25 or 1.5 cuft will be a better fit
My amps are all gained according to a zero setting on my HU. I usually end up attenuating my mid bass (-1) but it all varies according to song types and such. So many variables in a car environment so tuning is literally a moving target. I listen around 26-30 as the max is 40 on my head.
Good to see PPI making a comeback these days. Much love for those guys back in the day as they are one of the original "Big 3". Cyber, strap that thing on a 1 ohm load and turn up the gains SLOWLY and you'll be fine.
WD: I havent made up my mind totally yet what i am going to do with everything yet. i may end up building two boxes because i have given thought to putting the single 8" in the wifes car and taking her two 10" for the Acura since she doesnt need a crazy amount of bass. I have been playing around with different designs and one of them i have come up with can yield me about 1.75cf of air space in the box and it would only take up about 6" of extra trunk space.
Bchester: I have used PPI products a few times over the years and i have been pretty happy with them. I got this PPI Black Ice amp from the same person i got the Skar sub from , and its funny because he ordered the PPI amp to power the Skar and then went a different route. The amp and sub were in his car for one day and he took it out so they are both pretty much brand new.
i did some measuring and found out my wifes sub box would fit pretty good in the acura so i figured i would test fit it in the Acrua to gauge how much space it would take up.
What i did notice is that moving it from my wifes car with a aftermarket Pioneer head unit is that the LOC produces a much stronger signal to the amp. I hooked it up in my car without changing any of the amp settings and with the volume on 5 it was trying to pop the subs out of the box....lol. I turned the gain all the way down and turned the stereo up and then slowly brought the gain up and the gain is turned up maybe a 1/4 of a turn. It has a ton of bass now but to me it has a muddy sound to it and is not as clear as the Rockford and Pioneer combo.
I did the swap late last night and didnt have a lot of time to mess with adjusting it so i will spend a little more time with it tonight and see if i can tweak it to sound a little better.
Muddy usually means it needs a steeper X-over slope (24db). The sound you hear is typically the subwoofer playing mid-bass frequencies because it's not rolling off fast enough at a 12db slope. Each woofer is different with inherent roll off characteristics.
the 10's in my wifes car always sounded nice and clear but thats with a aftermarket head unit.
i did notice that i am picking up some interference from somewhere because sometimes with the volume down all the way i have a humming sound. I am thinking it may be whats causing the not so clear sound , i need to recheck all my wiring to see if there is a problem there. The Rockford amp didnt make any humming sounds so its something thats happend during the swap from the 8's to the 10's.
i am just using a cheap PAC SNI-15 loc but i have used this same one before and had no problems with it. And like i mentioned i wasnt getting any humming noise at all when i was running the Rockford amp ,i didnt change anything other then removing the Rockford amp and installing the PPI amp.
i actually dont have the LOC grounded at all ,in the instructions its says to only ground if your not getting a signal to the amp. I will ground it to make sure but i dont think thats the problem.
i havent had a chance to mess with it at all because i have been busy with a side job i am working on.
I did mess with it a little bit this morning but didnt have a lot of time. I redid the power and ground wires at the amp because there were a few stray strand of wire so want to make sure that wasnt the problem. I will have to remove my rear seat again to check the ground because its bolted to a existing bolt that hold something down ,it was a 12mm nut so its should have a good connection. I also took a wire wheel and cleaned the area down to bare metal to ensure it made good contact with the body.
I did notice something odd , normally when you have a hum coming from the speakers the sound will get louder or higher pitched as you rev the gas. Mine is opposite , when i rev the engine the hum goes away. Maybe a weak alternator? I did also notice i am getting a good amount of light dimming as well when the bass hits.
My TL hums whether it's with that LOC or with the LC7i I have now and when the engine is revving it helps some. Lights definitely should not be dimming since Acura uses pretty strong alternators.
On another note, here's a pic of the sound deadener I put in
looking good and i bet its going to help a lot with rattles I need to do mine also so i am glad i have plenty of left over material from doing the rear deck. I like how you added some material inside those larger hole where the license plate sits ,at least it looks like it from the pic.
I dont know if "hum" is the best word to describe the sound i am getting from mine when its first turned on ,it really sounds like i am playing a 40-50hz test tone. When i drove it this morning it took about two blocks and the sound stopped ,after stopping at the bank and starting the car again it only lasted a few seconds before it stopped. Its like something turns on when the car is first started and is causing the interferance and then it shuts off and the sound goes away. Its almost like a switch flips and it stops doing it.
I tried it out a bit today and the trunk still rattles from the outside, but it doesn't sound like straight pounding inside. Inside it def sounds better. Bass sounds cleaner and I feel it hits a few more notes. I do get a little rattling, but I assume that is from the 3rd brake light cover where the stripping on has almost come off, I think I'll slap a piece of the deadening on there. The rear deck I left alone, but instead I put some over this metal bar or whatever you call it that is basically the under part of the rear deck and covered the large holes that connect to the rear deck. The very bottom part of the trunk lid could probably use a bit, too.
My next plan is probably to just build a larger and better quality sealed box as I am pretty satisfied with amount of bass.
01-08-2017, 07:57 PM
should only take me about a hour to do the work he wants done.
