Shallow mount subwoofers

optimus29 said:

Has anyone installed shallow mount sub's in there ridge line..what are the pros and cons if any

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Personally, I have no hands-on/real world experience with shallow mount sub woofers, however, there are lots of basic mechanical/acoustic/mathematics at work in a sub woofer system. Emphasis on system because there are so many elements involved in building an effective sub.

There's more pro than con when it comes to shallow mount sub drivers. Here's why: by definition, this type of driver is designed for limited air space inside an enclosure that will fit behind the rear seat of an RL. In that regard, they have mechanical attributes maximizing their performance in small enclosures. *IF* there is a down side to a shallow sub driver, it is "limited" X_MAX which is the specification defining cone excursion. The rough analogy of X_MAX in an internal combustion engine would be stroke of the crank/piston combo. A short stroke by itself might be considered a limiting factor, but there is more at play than that single design element. For example, short stroke of a piston can be compensated for by diameter. So a larger diameter short stroke woofer would be a good thing if it is installed in a properly sized/designed enclosure. I can't say for certain but I'm thinking a 10" is going to be the max diameter for what I suspect you have in mind.

If discussed as a single part of a long list of sub woofer attributes, "short" X_MAX could be perceived as a negative but that is much to simplistic a view of how a component within a system works. A woofer in a box is WAY more than a woofer in a box.

One of the things making sub driver selection "easy" in this category is: there are fewer OEMs playing in this consumer space. So the limited selection makes choice pretty basic. If you are like me, price plays a big role in which driver to choose, and pricing runs from cheap to not-so-cheap. With that in mind, find the driver in your price range, look at enclosure specifications and build an enclosure within those parameters that'll fit the space you have in mind. Easy-peasy.

Here's a couple of examples of whats out there:
http://www.parts-express.com/peerless-835028-10-xls-shallow-subwoofer--264-1105

http://www.parts-express.com/tang-band-w8-2022-8-rbm-subwoofer-8-ohm--264-955

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...b-acoustics-sw26dac76-8-shallow-10-subwoofer/

Here's a thread I did a while back. It a pretty simple setup nothing fancy and nothing over the top. I have a pioneer shallow mount sub, the box I found on amazon and alpine mrp-m500 amp mounted behind that back seat.

The shallow mount does not seem to hit a hard as my old alpine type R but it is a tighter bass than the type R. Overall I am please with the setup, it is not competition winning setup but for my DD RL, sometimes need the back seat area lifestyle it works perfect.

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83794&page=2

Pics seem to be missing from that thread so here they are.

any luck with this box from car audio factory..its poly filled.I'm looking for new box. I've heard of probox,trend,car audio factory,box have now is not deep enough for sub's hit hard..depth of 5 3/4..any help me appreciate

optimus29 said:

I hear you Dnick, I have always been into that boomy bass.., I miss my accord which was loud!!! Another question I have, I have a powerbass XA900 class 9 amp,1 channel which is 1 ohms @900 watts,2 ohms @600 watts, and 4 ohms @300 watts..can I get better sub's to produce louder sound for that amp, Or diff amp..

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There many variables in the science of human hearing. And when it comes to discussing a persons ability to detect small differences in sound pressure levels, the mathematics behind environmental conditions such as ambient noise, atmospheric pressure (ETC) introduce a universe of data and variable test results.

But all that can be summed up this way: the doubling of power (watts from an amp) produces a ~3db increase in acoustic output (at the speaker). How much louder is a 3db increase? BARELY detectable. By that I mean, environmental conditions would have to be IDEAL in order for the average person with undamaged hearing to detect a 3bd increase in "loudness" at any given frequency.

SO: using the amp you are describing (900W @ 1 ohm vs. 600W @ 2 ohm) *should* produce approx. 1.5db SPL "louder" output into 1 vs 2 ohm loads. You WILL NOT hear that difference, even under laboratory conditions. Throw in the fact that you are driving down the road in a vehicle with a noise floor somewhere around 85db SPL and you are literally talking about NOTHING.

The numbers game played by OEMs of consumer electronics is aptly described as a "game" designed to suck money out of your wallet because most people believe "more is better".

And don't forget, the rated power output of most amps require input power from a vehicle electrical system that may or may not be possible. The specs you quoted are most likely taken @ 14.5VDC which is not a level most vehicles can produce. Throw on top of that the current needed @ 14.5VDC for an amp to produce its rated output and you have a VERY unrealistic group of numbers on your hands.

Best of luck on your boom quest.

optimus29 said:

I've decided to either go with 1 10" or 1 12" sub..Looking for a sub I can run down to 2 ohms, so my powerbass amp can run it @ 700 watts...Which sub and box should I invest in..I'm not good at building..Looking for that boom

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optimus, in effort to keep from getting overly technical, a couple of basic thoughts here.
Most importantly, any amp must be terminated into a load (Ohms) above its minimum rating. As an example, you *could* connect the worlds best 1,500 watt amp to the worlds best 2 ohm speaker system and fry that amp in a hurry if the amp can't handle a 2 ohm load. You MUST make sure an amp is connected to a load that falls within its design parameters or you'll cause it to implode. No matter what power rating you go for, make sure the amp can safely deliver its rated output into the load you connect it to.

As Ian pointed out, speakers can be wired in several ways. Depending on how many speakers are in a circuit and the connection sequence used, you can determine the final "ohms" the amp will see. Let's say you started with 2 4 ohm subs in a box and a mono amp. At your option, those subs could be wired to present 2 ohms or 8 ohms to the amp.

Interestingly, if you were to add 2 more 4 ohm subs, you could wire the 4 subs in a way to present 4 ohms to the amp. This topic could get wordy so if you want to know more, take a look here, you'll definitely learn something.

If I recall, you have a factory head, a "LOC" a good sized amp and 2 10's right now, but you aren't happy with the amount of BOOM you are getting? If that's true, I would suggest you have a wiring issue. Again, we could get technical but I don't think that will help you. I STRONGLY recommend double/triple/quad checking the wiring through out your system. If the set up you have described is not booming your ass right out of the truck, I think there is a speaker wire crossed somewhere in the signal between the head unit, the LOC, the amp outputs or the subs. No matter how big the subs, ANY system can be made to sound "thin" in the low bass range if (for example) the right side speaker wires are connected backwards in relation to the left side.

Here's a 5 minute short cut to try right now: take one sub out, switch the wires. Put it back in. Check that boom. Is it back? You are done. If it still sounds thin or thinner, I'd venture a guess the problem is between the head and the LOC. MAKE SURE R + & - from the head is correctly connected to R + & - to the LOC, and do the same for the L side.

Want an even quicker check? Don't take anything apart, just use the head units balance control to adjust full R then full L. Does the bass sound "better" in either position than it does in the center? If so, you've got a wire crossed somewhere.

EDIT: It is especially important to ensure output the L/R +/- wires between the head and LOC are correct. If these get crossed, big trouble can follow.

Edit 2: These comments assume a sub enclosure suitable for the 2 10" subs in your system.

That system should be bumping your cranial cavity so hard right now that your poor neighbors should be calling the police. I ain't trying to be funny either. Check it man!

BTW and once more: it isn't a matter of opinion, its mathematic fact, in most systems you will NOT hear the difference between an amp rated for 500W vs an amp rated for 1KW. If you are seriously considering replacing the amp you have just to get a few extra watts, I would suggest your money would be MUCH better spent on replacing the factory head.

Carry on...